Reviews

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live May 20, 2011

Anvil / Alice Cooper @ Hamilton Place, Hamilton ON, May 17, 2011

“Anvil ended up onstage seven minutes earlier than their previously announced set time of eight PM. Quietly strolling on stage and taking their instruments, the trio gave a quick nod and got down to business. Much to my surprise, the band opened with an instrumental, the mighty “March of The Crabs”. The band was in fine form from the first note, with Robb Reiner comfortably holding the backbeat down like he always does. Playing on a sparsely set stage – just the band, their instruments and amps and a huge Anvil backdrop behind them, things really started to take shape with the evening’s second song, “Mothra”.”

Sean Palmerston reviews the May 17th performance by ANVIL and ALICE COOPER at Hamilton Place in Hamilton ON. Live photos by Albert Mansour

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio May 13, 2011

Aenaon – Cendres Et Sang

With their latest signing in Aenaon, Code666 continues to cement its name as the vanguard of forward-thinking blackmetal. Stellar release after stellar release, the label has proven its cutting-edge mettle time and again, and Cendres Et Sang is only further proof of the label’s impeccable taste.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio May 11, 2011

Seidr – For Winter Fire

Allying throbbing, sub-zero sludge/doom riffs with poignant post-metal passages, beared up with throatgurge-ing vocals whose epic lyrics illustrate frozen paths of Nordic glory, For Winter Fire is a sprawling work, demanding the listener’s respect. Listening to this epic bit of Viking doooom is hardly a light undertaking, either – the majority of the songs push past the nine-minute mark.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio May 10, 2011

Sabaton – Primo Victoria / Attero Dominatus / Metalizer / The Art of War [ReArmed Editions]

“Sabaton blend traditional metal with power metal and a bit of military pomp to create some truly catchy work. Naysayers will repeatedly bring up the fact that they are not Bolt Thrower so they shouldn’t try to do ‘military metal’ (something that the band started dabbling with on Primo Victoria, which quickly became their forte) however that’s a lot like telling As I Lay Dying that they shouldn’t do Christian Metal because they aren’t Stryper. I actually came to the Sabaton party a little late, I was introduced to the band with The Art of War (their 2008 release with Black Lodge) so these ‘Rearmed’ editions from Nuclear Blast (the bands new home) were a huge treat for me.”

Jason Wellwood reviews the new ReArmed Edition reissues of the first four SABATON albums on Nuclear Blast USA.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio May 9, 2011

Boris – Heavy Rocks / Attention Please

“Boris is always at its best and most exciting the more adventurous they get, and the two new records, Heavy Rocks and Attention Please, are just that, as both see drummer Atsuo, guitarist Wata, and bassist Takeshi embrace their accessible side in ways nobody, especially those on the metal side of the fence, could possibly have imagined.”

Adrien Begrand reviews the two new studio albums by Japan’s BORIS, Heavy Rocks and Attention Please, set for release May 24th on Sargent House.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio May 6, 2011

Postcards From Natalie Zed: Lucky #13

For her lucky number thirteen installment of her ongoing postcards series, Ms. Natalie Zed offers up five new reviews on bands such as Melechesh, Suidakra, TesseracT and Sylvus . So, without further adieu, here is another installment in her series of bite-sized critiques.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio May 6, 2011

Ravencult – Morbid Blood

Morbid Blood, as unrepentantly familiar as it sounds, is regardless a formidable slab of raging blackened thrash that makes up for its obvious deficit in originality with a vehement overkill-passion that is undeniable.