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Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live December 17, 2010

Dimmu Borgir / Enslaved / Blood Red Throne / Dawn of Ashes @ The Sound Academy, Toronto ON, December 12 2010

“The intense lighting, dominated by greens and purples lancing through the heavy smoke, gave the impression of the underworld crossed with an alien landscape. Their sound was massive and heavy, reverberating straight through me. Shagrath’s vocals were mixed quite low from where I was standing (front and centre), but the intense, symphonic instrumentation more than compensated.”

Natalie Zed absorbs the recent performance from Dimmu Borgir, Enslaved and more at Toronto’s Sound Academy on December 12th. Concert photos by Adam Wills.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio December 15, 2010

Postcards from Natalie Zed, Set #8

Hellbound readers, you know Natalie Zed, right? Natalie was our big grand prize winner way back in January, taking home more than 50 CDs + and shortly after she received her huge box ‘o CDs, Ms. Zed asked us over at Hellbound HQ if we’d be interested in running reviews of her winnings if she did postcard sized reviews of the albums. How could we say no?

She’s reviewed all the original CDs and is now reviewing newer things that have made their way to her. Here is part eight of her ongoing series which we like to call “Postcards With Natalie Zed”.

Articles, Features, Headline December 13, 2010

Kylesa: The Hellbound Interview

“I just remember being at the practice space, early on and writing some songs, and realizing how different they were sounding. And being a little unsure as to how it was going, and where it was gonna end up. Especially since Static Tensions had just come out, people were still checking that record out. So it was like ‘Well, this is definitely NOT Static Tensions Part II’, but [these new ideas] could go one of two ways…”

Kyle Harcott in conversation with Laura Pleasants and Phillip Cope of Kylesa.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live December 10, 2010

Kylesa / Baptists / Haggatha @ Media Club, Vancouver BC, December 2 2010

“The crowd, still frothing from Baptists’ frantic set, boiled over for Kylesa from the get-go when they opened with “Hollow Severer”. The band was in fine form throughout their set, which was mostly balanced between Static Tensions and Spiral Shadow.”

Kyle Harcott recaps the December 2nd performance by KYLESA, HAGGATHA and BAPTISTS at Vancouver’s Media Club. Live photos by Ted Wilson

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live December 8, 2010

Something Wicked This Way Comes: Watain/Goatwhore/Black Anvil @ The Opera House, Toronto, ON, December 4, 2010

“With Watain, there is no division between style and substance. Far from invoking the more alienating or shoe-gazing aspects of black metal, they invited the audience into their circle with their high-energy antics. They are, at their core, rock and roll at its extreme margins — noisy, nasty, problematic, maybe even unpredictable.”

Jonathan Smith reviews the December 4th Toronto performance by WATAIN, GOATWHORE and BLACK ANVIL at the Opera House.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Classics, Reviews - Vinyl December 7, 2010

Classic Albums Revisited: Black Sabbath’s Born Again

“With the recent UK deluxe reissues of the mid-eighties Black Sabbath albums Seventh Star and The Eternal Idol creating quite a buzz about those releases once again I thought it might be time to revisit my favourite under-heralded Sabs relic. Born Again, the band’s 1983 release and only one to feature noted vocalist Ian Gillan, is one of the most dividing releases ever to bore the Black Sabbath moniker. it is one of those records that you either love or loathe. There is no middle ground needed, and none provided.”

Album review by Sean Palmerston

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live December 6, 2010

Ozzy Osbourne / Halford @ Air Canada Centre, Toronto ON, November 27, 2010

“The setlist was great: Perfectly selected songs from his solo stuff, like “Let Me Hear You Scream,” “Crazy Train,” “Bark at the Moon,” and “Mr. Crowley” and some Black Sabbath tunes like “Faries Wear Boots” and of course, “War Pigs.” I haven’t followed his solo career too much since I was about 11 or 12 when one of my older brothers (who is now a classical musician) brought home his first solo album, so this was a great set list for those who were enamored with the legend more than his musical catalogue.”
Laina Dawes reviews the November 27th show by OZZY and HALFORD at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. She took all the cool pics too.

Features, Headline, Reviews - Live December 2, 2010

Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms @ Kool Haus, Toronto ON, November 26th 2010

“The moment the overture of “At the Edge of Time” began, the Kool Haus erupted. The audience was no longer a collection of discrete individuals; the room was suddenly occupied by a single entity, one cacophonous voice entirely at Blind Guardian’s mercy for the entire two-hour set. Very few shows can inspire this kind of intense, unifying energy, but this was such an event.”

Natalie Zed reviews the recent Toronto performance from power metal legends Blind Guardian, who were joined by Holy Grail and Seven Kingdoms.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live December 1, 2010

Skeletonwitch/ Withered/ Landmine Marathon @ Club Absinthe, Hamilton, ON, November 25, 2010

“Vocalist Chance Garnett is a natural born frontman and knows how to entice a crowd. He paces back and forth, holding invisible oranges to the sky while guitarists Scott Hedrick and N8 Feet Under take turns demonstrating their fret board mastery.”

Hellbound’s Renee Trotier reviews the recent Hamilton, Ontario appearance by Skeletonwitch, supported by Landmine Marathon and Withered with photos by Adam Wills.

Articles, Features, Headline November 30, 2010

Remembering 25 Years Ago Today: WORLD WAR III Festival

“I remember that both Celtic Frost and Destruction were very happy that they were known and in demand in the North American music scene. Celtic Frost were extremely heavy live, especially as they were a three piece. Reed definitely destroyed his drums with his heavy style of percussion, and Martin was an animal when it came to head banging while he played. Tom and the rest of the band had a great metal image with an avant garde style.”

November 30th marks the 25th anniversary of the infamous WORLD WAR III Festival in Montreal. Sean Palmerston interviews attendee Dave Busch in memory of this groundbreaking event in Canadian metal history.