Headline

Featured, Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live May 12, 2010

Porcupine Tree @ Sound Academy, Toronto, ON, May 8, 2010

Were this simply an auditory barrage (which I am more than familiar with), I might have had more resistance. But it was much more than that. This show was a carefully orchestrated, beautifully curated performance. The video accompaniment interesting and tasteful, and varied enough that I was never able to settle fully into it or anticipate what was coming next…

Natalie Zed reviews the Saturday, May 8th performance by UK prog rock veterans Porcupine Tree at Toronto’s Sound Academy. Concert photography by Adam Wills.

Articles, Features, Headline May 7, 2010

Eugene S. Robinson: The Hellbound.ca Interview

Author, writer, singer, fighter, actor, father, Eugene S. Robinson is the inspirational everyman for those of us choosing to follow the loves of their life. He’s also a pretty good poster-boy for those for whom the notion of getting a full-time, square job makes their skin crawl and testicles and/or ovaries shrivel up and retreat into the adjacent nether regions.

Kevin Stewart-Panko speaks one-on-one with Eugene S. Robinson about his brand new crime novel A Long Slow Screw, his critically acclaimed writing career and his ongoing musical journey as front man of the experimental outfit Oxbow.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio May 5, 2010

Postcards From Natalie Zed, Part 3

Hellbound readers, we’re sure that by now you are all familiar with our Natalie Zed, right? Natalie was our big grand prize winner 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?

So, without further adieu, here is Natalie’s third installment (reviews #21 – 30 for those keeping stats at home) in what Hellbound likes to refer to as “Postcards From Natalie Zed”…

Articles, Features, Headline May 3, 2010

Orphaned Land: The Hellbound Interview

“Israel is not an easy place for a normal life, but OL’s music can emerge only from a place such as the Holy Land. The multi cultural life here, being a spiritual center, a center of religious wars and conflicts and even being a Jewish back to his homeland after 2,000 years. I’m in a heaven of inspiration.

Being an artist is always a struggle, especially in a country where the army is needed much more than art. Sometimes it’s very hard for us to get support or any attention to what we have to say. It’s a sacrifice and a choice we took, so we don’t complain. At the end of the day, I feel lucky to have a band and to give people some hope and moments of happiness.”

Adam Wills in conversation with Orphaned Land mastermind Kobi Farhi about their latest album, The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR.

Articles, Features, Headline April 30, 2010

Barren Earth: When the Prog/Metal Fusion Works Out Right…

“We all listen to progressive rock, so it’s natural that it comes across in the music. It was clear from the start that progressive elements would be featured in the band’s sound. And that was the reason for me to join. I remember seeing Opeth in 2006, and being very impressed by not just the music, but the whole presentation, and the juxtaposition of metal and prog. I thought then that this is would be an interesting musical path to explore. And Barren Earth has provided me with that path.”

Laura Wiebe Taylor in conversation with Barren Earth keyboardist Kasper Mårtenson about the band’s creation, their debut full-length album and more, exclusively for Hellbound.ca

Articles, Features, Headline April 28, 2010

Brian Posehn: More funny than you

You can’t accuse Brian Posehn of being highbrow. You can however accuse him of being funny. Along with being funny, he’s also a giant metal head, rather a giant and a metal head. The six-foot-six comedian makes no secret of his passion for metal, and masturbation, farts and fake tits. With his latest CD, Fart and Weiner Jokes about to be released Posehn will let it all hang out.

Dave Sanders speaks with metalhead comedian supreme Brian Posehn about his new album, Fart and Weiner Jokes, released this week on Relapse Records and what is on his current playlist.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live April 26, 2010

Alcest/ Monarque/ Thantifaxath @ Hard Luck Bar, Toronto ON, April 23, 2010

For the first time in a great many shows, I actually sat down during a performance. I sat not because I was bored, not even because I was tired. I sat because the energy it took to operate my legs felt like energy I could be directing towards my ears. I sat on a table top with my eyes closed, rocking back and forth unconsciously, entirely consumed.

Natalie Zed reviews the April 23rd Toronto debut of France’s Alcest. Also sharing the bill were Quebec black metallers Monarque and Thantifaxath.

Articles, Features, Headline April 23, 2010

Rotting Christ: Discussing 20 Years Of Cult

“Our band’s name has closed many doors for bigger success,” admit Sakis. “Some of our shows have been canceled, some of the distributors didn’t accept our albums due to our name, we’ve even received death threats…but we keep on rocking with this song. We keep on punching conservative ideas and opening new paths in the name of freedom. And do you know something? I think that it’s better that we didn’t get more success and become commercial! That would mean that we would have betrayed our roots and betrayed ourselves…and this is a vanity.”

Metal George Pacheco in conversation with Rotting Christ frontman Sakis Tolis about their first twenty years as Greece’s most well-known black metal band.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio April 19, 2010

Classic Albums Revisited: Type O Negative’s October Rust

We may have lost Petrus T. Ratajczyk due to heart failure, but his legacy with or without the band will live on for eternity. The heart is strongly, if not always associated with love, admiration and passion which leaves me wondering: did Peter Steele die to health related heart failure, or did he lucidly love to death?

Ola Mazzuca revisits the 1996 Type O Negative album “October Rust” in tribute of the late Peter Steele, who passed away on April 14th due to heart failure.