Category: Reviews

  • Hysterica: Metalwar

    Metalwar is somewhat similar to an 80’s band called Leather Angel; this has the same sort of feel as their 1982 album We Came to Kill. I actually expected Hysterica to be another dreadful, typical, cheesy female band and all that. Luckily I was wrong, well at least somewhat wrong.

  • OM: God Is Good

    It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Sleep, the quintessential stoner/doom band that kept the Sabbath dream alive throughout the 1990’s. While guitarist Matt Pike eventually decided to play faster with High on Fire, the other two thirds of the equation kept the stoner grooves going with OM. At least until recently. Drummer…

  • Incoming Cerebral Overdrive: Controverso

    Controverso is the about to be released album from Incoming Cerebral Overdrive. This is the Italian band’s second full length album. The sound is mostly metalcore with prog rock and metal influences. Each song is heavy hitting and meant to get the listener moving.

  • The Sign of The Southern Cross: …Of Mountains and Moonshine

    The problem with The Sign of the Southern Cross becomes obvious quite early into the album – they’re too busy trying to sound like their influences that they really haven’t developed their own sound.

  • Swashbuckle: Back To The Noose

    Although Back To The Noose is being called pirate metal, I have to say that I’ve never heard any combination like this type of thrash and death metal before. You’ll probably notice it right off the bat too.

  • DragonForce/Sonata Arctica/Taking Dawn @ Odeon, Saskatoon, SK, September 25, 2009

    About once a year we here in Saskabush are treated to a little variety by a reputable band that actually likes to sing every once in a while, and it’s always remarkable to witness the turnout. There’s a definite hunger for the melodic stuff out here, and judging by the big, lively crowd that packed…

  • Quick VIEWs: Sept 25, 2009

    The following metal/hard rock reviews were published yesterday in both Hamilton’s VIEW Magazine and Guelph’s ECHO Weekly. While they are online, it is with a bunch of indie rock reviews so I decided to throw just the metal/hard rock-related ones up on Hellbound…

  • Laudanum: The Coronation

    The sophomore release from Oakland-based Laudanum is a fragmented collection of ambient doom-ish noise that only adequately reveals the band’s self-proclaimed “blackened instrument damage” when it’s listened to as a whole.

  • De Magia Veterum: Migdal Bavel

    Some albums take some time to get into. Migdal Bavel is one that rewards patience and careful listening.

  • Knight Area: Realm Of Shadows

    Realm of Shadows has reached a different ground than their previous albums and that makes for a smooth and pleasant album to listen too. If you’re the sort who likes Dream Theater, Ayreon and Solis then this cd is going to hit the spot. If someone had told me this was an early Dream Theater…