Category: Reviews
-
Volur – Ancestors
The sophomore album from Toronto folk-doomsters Volur is nothing if not an ambitious effort. Though it only contains four tracks, it clocks in at over 53 minutes, with some songs stretching over 15. And while the lyrics are not clearly discernible, I do detect a theme here—each song title begins with “Breaker.” We start off…
-
Shining, Revenge, Wolvhammer @ The Garrison, Toronto ON, May 9, 2017
Tonight’s stop on the so-called No Safe Space Tour may be an attempt to take a swipe at the increasingly politicized climate the modern world exists in these days, but the line up, by black metal standards, is diverse: Wolvhammer’s sludge-tinged black metal, Revenge’s black/death cacophony and Shining’s progressive melancholia. Toronto’s black metal loyalists darken…
-
Destroyer of Light – Chamber of Horrors
I first heard this Austin outfit on their 2015 split with Godhunter, where they almost stole the record from one of my favourite underground sludge bands at the time. Destroyer of Light even put their own super-slow-mo take on a Pentagram classic, which certainly made me take notice. And now they’re back with their second full-length…
-
Judas Priest – Turbo 30
Skim through the catalogues of any number of rock bands who have enjoyed a lot of popularity and, invariably, it’s easy to find the fly in the creative ointment that fans abhor. That album was Into The Unknown for Bad Religion, it was Unmasked for KISS and Metallica has yet to live down Load. Maybe…
-
Artificial Brain – Infrared Horizon
Knowing where to start when describing Artificial Brain‘s newest release Infrared Horizon is no easy task. There is something truly refreshing and yet totally familiar about their take on technical death metal. It has melodies that are both haunting and soaring, consequently they are inviting and revolting at the exact same time. It crushes and…
-
Nocturnal Hollow – Deathless and Fleshless
Hailing from Venezuela, Nocturnal Hollow are a death metal band that in the future will be known far beyond their own borders. They have taken their influences, Death, Celtic Frost, Morbid Angel and given them their own unique sheen. Their song-writing is first-class, indeed there is a lot of traditional metal in their leads and…
-
45 Adapters – They Call It Justice 7”
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the They Call It Justice 7” by The 45 Adapters. It might sound a little strange at first, but the 45 Adapters and their new seven-inch, They Call It Justice, are coming at the perfect moment in history for the band’s brand of Oi to really go…
-
Beastmaker – Inside the Skull
Beastmaker is a band with solid heavy-rock bloodlines—their singer’s father played bass on Montrose self-titled, arguably one of the finest examples of American proto-metal and inarguably the best thing Sammy Hagar has ever sung. The California trio rises above the crop of faceless Swedish outfits on Rise Above, taking us back to the glory days…
-
WhiteNails – First Trip
Although they’re just a few hours away from the Montreal metal mecca, it’s not very often that I hear much heavy stuff from Quebec City. In fact, I can really only think of two stoner/psych outfits from the distinct nation’s capital—the unfortunately named Les Indiens and now WhiteNails. And while the former sings entirely in…
-
Suffocation – Of The Dark Light
What can I say; I’m late to the party on Suffocation. While Death Metal was on the rise in the late 80’s I was onboard with all the bands coming out of Florida and Suffocation wasn’t on my radar. After seeing them for the first time in San Francisco last year as part of the…