FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Korpiklaani are a band of the wild that produce music far from an animal call, but a signature sound that summons fans – those who appreciate progenitors shaping the credibility of a once scoffed metal sub-genre through an innovative tribute to culture.
King Animal isn’t just some pale and passably competent effort designed to take hopeful fans for a few bucks – there is genuine heart in it, and that is what will win both old fans back and new fans to this record.
On November 14th the awesome double bill of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and ROYAL THUNDER played just down the street from Hellbound HQ, performing an intimate show at Hamilton’s Corktown Pub. Here is a review of the night by Sean Palmerston, with cool black and white photography by Adam Wills.
Broken, beaten, scarred and bloody, Verdonkermaan is the aural equivalent of the worst Hostel/Saw environment imaginable. It’s bleak and cold, devoid of sustaining life and terrifying to its core. For all that, it’s a stunning and unforgettable album.
The 69 Eyes borrow elements from a music library incredibly vast. To say that they supply signature twists and turns would be a bit of a stretch but there’s no denial in their ability to provide us with Goth ‘N’ Roll so melodic and relevant to sometimes crude and wild for the amorous bunch.
All in all, she sure sounds good to me!
Disorder is the natural state of the universe. Life is disorder. No matter how much we try, any order we impose will eventually return to a state of disorder. The cursed remain cursed. That’s life. So one could view VOD as Vision of Life. They can see how messed up life is and channel that negative energy into one of 2012’s most pissed off albums. VOD may feel cursed, but they aren’t keeping quiet about it. “Gimme hate, gimme love. Gimme what I fucking deserve.”
It’s no secret that I dug the shit outta the first Pyramid record (to put it not-so-mildly), so in some ways, this is kinda what I’d hoped BP II would be. But don’t get me wrong, these guys aren’t some second-rate Black Pyramid imitators, by any means. There is only one Blue Aside, and they are fully deserving of your respect and admiration. You should really buy this record!
Enslaved’s unique, progressive, black metal style is the root of the voyage you take on this album. It’s arguably the band’s most uniform element, and they hit all the right notes this time.
Like a good blues song Lovelessness connects with the listener. The heart feels what the musicians feel. Pain, sorrow, anger, joy and lovelessness. Bison filter those feelings through vicious heaviness and impactful songwriting. No matter the transition these Vancouverites do it seamlessly and effortlessly. Nothing sounds forced.