FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Iron Maiden live is more than just a concert — it’s an event. In the days and hours prior to the show, the host city girds its loins in preparation for a pilgrimage of epic proportions. Because the fans aren’t just fans — they’re an army.
Gather ‘round, ye of the underground, for here is a band of Richmond dudes who combine touches of all manner of metal, from doom and thrash to black and traditional to sludge and psychedelic, and do so with a gritty, dirt-under-the-working-man’s-fingernails sound lacking show and polish
From The Graveyard Of The Arousal Industry isn’t a perfect book, but it’s a very good one. Metal and punk fans often greet the world with a raised middle finger and a grimace; this book is about how a wry smile and a good joke will take you much further.
Since NXNE decided to do some cool free shows at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Sqaure we thought we’d go check out the most metal of the ones that happened. Actually, they weren’t very metal at all, but here are reviews of the three bands that any open-minded metal head would definitely enjoy…
Natalie Zed and Sean Palmerston offer a recap of the bands they saw for free at NXNE 2010 in Toronto, Ontario. Live photography by Albert Mansour
For those who listen to a lot of metal, Satanic shtick is commonplace, but rarely does such a theme pack as big a wallop as it does on Restored to One.
Savage Symphony is an excellent commemoration of a band still in its prime 25 years on. The DVD is a terrific piece of history for Destruction fans and for fans of heavy music period
As the album grows significantly colder, it is evident that Rimfrost are able to maintain a distinct black metal sound that isn’t too cliché. Their sound infiltrates each ear because of its varied elements and sub-genre qualities that intertwine with each other.
Fans of the hardcore spectrum yet consistently pegged as metalcore, Parkway Drive have never been considered an outright metal band. However, with latest endeavour Deep Blue, they just might be responsible for blurring that thin, thin line to an incredibly indiscernible extent.
If you ever find yourself reading press releases about metal tour announcements on the West Coast and suddenly wondering, Now why the hell am I not living in Portland? don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Thanks to local booking agent Nanotear, whose clients are some of the coolest, most cutting-edge artists in heavy music, the Oregon city has turned into a very strong metal market, a fact hammered home annually with Fall Into Darkness.
My first listen to this record had me tagging it as a possibility for my album of the year, my second listen had me not too sure about it, but my third, fourth and fifth brought me right back around to my original opinion. Strings To A Web may well be Rage’s finest.