Sirenia – The Enigma of Life
For goth metal fans, at least you can buy the aforementioned highlights on iTunes. As far as splurging for the complete album, you’re better off waiting for the new Within Temptation album.
Reviews
Dragged Into Sunlight – Hatred For Mankind
Hatred for Mankind is a special flavor of ugly, reveling in nightmares and revealing in its horror. Predatory and visceral, Hatred for Mankind is a knife-in-the-gut of an album, one that begs to be listened to in its entirety – if only to see what’s around the next corner.
Finntroll / Ensiferum / Rotten Sound / Barren Earth @ Opera House, Toronto ON, Feb 22, 2011
Sean Palmerston reviews the February 22, 2011 Toronto stop on the current Finnish Metal Tour. Live photos by Albert Mansour. Live footage by Sean.
Snail – Blood
Snail isn’t your typical tune-in-and-drop-out stoner band. There’s something more interesting in this collection of tunes, something in that juxtaposition of the sweet vocals and heavy riffs that has my head nodding in approval.
COUGH / THE WOUNDED KINGS: An Introduction To The Black Arts
By Kevin Stewart-Panko First truth be told, I am a fan of the metallic sub-genre that has come to be known as sludge. Second…
Motörhead – Kiss of Death
In all it is somewhat workman-like in approach, but thanks to solid songwriting and another airtight performance by the veteran trio, Kiss of Death keeps the Motörhead legacy alive.
Demontage – The Principal Extinction
I gotta say, the first black metal album I ever bought was Venom’s Black Metal, and I haven’t purchased many others since. Alas, to call Toronto trio Demontage a black metal band would be applying the word in its traditional sense, the way it was once used to describe Venom and Mercyful Fate.
CloverSeeds—The Opening
CloverSeeds have an accessible modern prog sound that plucks bits from the accepted gallery of influences: Tool, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Anathema… It’s big and blustery, with taut riffing and grand, sweeping gestures in any number of time signatures, all presented with clean, powerful production.
Redeemer – Global Exorcism
It seems that Redeemer have found a solid line up and have put together some stunning, memorable songs. It may have been a long time coming but this is one hell of an impressive debut album.
October Falls – A Collapse of Faith
October Falls don’t try too hard to accomplish a gloomy sound that has become cliché amongst many bands, where intention for ambience results in absent of passion that’s straight from the guttural. Instead, they have chosen their elements carefully, organizing their music in an unimpeded manner like a leaf falling to the ground.