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Articles, Features, Headline December 16, 2009

Trouble: Nowhere Near Endtime

“We’ve heard some people ask why did you pick Kory Clarke, because he’s not a doom metal singer or he doesn’t sound anything like Eric, but we weren’t particularly looking for someone to sound just like Eric, and we weren’t necessarily looking for someone who was just a doom metal singer either. And we were thinking that maybe we could branch out and do something – a few little twists of things that maybe we’ve never done before with it, with a kind of vocalist like this.”

Laura Wiebe Taylor speaks with Trouble guitarist Bruce Franklin about the current status of the band, their three new North American releases, progress for their next studio album and what the future holds for the legendary Chicago doom metal outfit.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live December 11, 2009

Hatebreed/Cannibal Corpse/Unearth/Born of Osiris/Hate Eternal @ Odeon, Saskatoon, SK, December 7, 2009

There’s never much to a Cannibal Corpse show, just five guys who never leave their marks, long, sweaty hair obscuring their faces, churning out that distinct death metal sound they’ve been doing for more than two decades. No frills whatsoever, just pure brutality, and it never fails to floor audiences.

Adrien Begrand recaps the recent Saskatoon stop of the current Hatebreed/Cannibal Corpse co-headline tour that is underway now in North America.

Articles, Features, Headline December 9, 2009

Devin Townsend Project: Along for a Great Screaming Ride

After a few years of relative quiet, Devin Townsend came back with two new albums in 2009. The first to fall on anxious ears was Ki, a relatively restrained outing for the often bombastic Townsend, introducing the Devin Townsend Project and what will eventually be a four-part multi-album endeavour. A few months later, Addicted followed, taking the project in a more straightforward and lively direction while shaking up the musical cast. (Addicted features vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen along with previous Townsend collaborators.) Here Devin answers a few logistical questions about the new project, covering distribution, pragmatic accounting, and future touring plans.

Interview by Laura Wiebe Taylor

Articles, Headline, Reviews December 2, 2009

Advance Screening: Disgorge, Mexico – The Movie

I could simply describe Disgorge, Mexico – The Movie as visually stunning yet disturbing, as Hall definitely has an aesthetic and a well-formed point of view that matches the brutality and not-to-be dismissed splendor in the chaotic madness of Ottawa’s Fuck the Facts – and brilliant in not only the fact that similar to Hall and Cardoso’s previous film (based on Today is the Day’s Axis to Eden), it is clearly obvious that Hall knows the music and its nuances inside and out.

Laina Dawes sits down for an advance screening of Disgorge, Mexico – The Film, the upcoming new film by Handshake Inc. that is based on the Fuck the Facts album of the same name.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio November 30, 2009

Sonata Arctica: The Days of Grays

This album has changed my entire perspective on power metal, as I have always viewed it as a cheesy and cliché attempt at applying emotion to music. If there are three things that Sonata Arctica have justified on The Days of Grays, it is that the genre is indeed epic, captivating and genuinely metal. And I don’t need an overly excited narrator to tell me so.

Ola Mazzuca reviews the new release by Finnish power metal experts Sonata Arctica

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio November 27, 2009

Dying Fetus/Beneath The Massacre/Suffokate @ Mod Club, Toronto, ON, November 24, 2009

I have to admit that one of the reasons why I pitched Hellbound.ca a concert review of the Planetary Depravity Tour was because I wanted to see Dying Fetus guitarist John Gallagher and guitarist Michael Keene from The Faceless play live. Would they be able to pull their dexterous guitar feats off or were they simply studio tricks? Does Gallagher look as evil and demented as he sounds? Inquiring minds wanted to know.

Laina Dawes reviews the recent Toronto stop of the Planetary Depravity tour.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live November 25, 2009

Marduk/Nachtmystium @ Annex Wreckroom, Toronto, ON, November 22, 2009

Late November seems as good a time as any to take in a performance by Swedish metal veterans Marduk. A concert centered around a black metal band known for its own distinct take on imagery and songs centering on everything from war machines to religious blasphemy to paganism seems strangely appropriate for a grey month squashed between the twin commercial juggernauts that are Halloween and Christmas.

Concert review by Jonathan Smith