Reviews

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live September 23, 2009

Down/Voivod @ Kool Haus, Toronto ON, Sept 18, 2009

With considerably less than a packed house at The Kool Haus, Down took no notice, and put on one hell of a show for the rabid Down fans that were in attendance. Despite the small mountain of contraband booze (among other substances) that piled up outside the entrance, the crowd were treeated to a set list that would make any long time fan of the band drool, including a wide range of songs from their 1995 debut scattered with selections from their two more recent albums.

Adam Wills and Sean Palmerston discuss last Friday’s Toronto performances by Down and Voivod

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio September 22, 2009

Whiplash: Unborn Again

Returning from the late-90s to capitalize on the continuing bear hug the metal world given to every thrash band that ever existed in the 80s is Whiplash. The difference being that for a short while back in 1985-86, Whiplash fucking ruled – well, fucking ruled my world, at the very least.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio September 21, 2009

MGR y Destructo Swarmbots: Amigos de la Guitarra

A little bit of background information: the record is a collaborative project between two Mikes — Mike Mare and Mike Gallager (of Isis fame). Amigos is a 40-plus minute single-track of ambient guitar textures and carefully pieced-together layers of sound that, just as they are on the verge of overstaying their welcome, shifts gears so as to keep things from getting too boring.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio September 18, 2009

Sacrifice: The Ones I Condemn

Forget all of your cardboard cutout third division skidthrash bands that have been popping up all over the place in the last few years, Sacrifice has returned to show how it is done, period. These Canadian thrash icons have come back after sixteen years of hibernation to create what is possibly the best work of their career.

Rob Kachluba reviews the brand new, long-awaited return album by Canadian thrash legends Sacrifice.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio September 18, 2009

Bodychoke: Cold River Songs

Ok, I admit when I offered to review this CD I didn’t realize it was a reissue. Since I had never heard of the band before I couldn’t possibly know they had a discography and haven’t been together in ten years. On a good note, if I hadn’t actually looked at the date and saw this was recorded in 1997 I wouldn’t have thought the album sounded dated.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Live September 17, 2009

Nadja/Picastro @ the Tranzac, Toronto, ON, September 11, 2009

The lack of visual stimulation didn’t stop the audience from listing with rapt attention to the audio stimulation. They played what I believe was three songs (sometimes it’s a bit hard to tell when it’s an almost constant barrage of noise). I was pleasantly surprised how well the music translated into the live setting as I always wonder with this type of music, as on occasion it doesn’t work.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio September 17, 2009

Old Wainds: Death Nord Kult

Apparently it’s pretty cold in Murmansk. Less chilly is Death Nord Kult, the latest release from Old Wainds. They hail from northern Russia, and thus it’s not overly surprising that their brand of black metal is all about darkness, the arctic, and geographical isolation.