black metal

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live November 19, 2010

Watain/ Goatwhore/ Black Anvil @ Rickshaw Theater, Vancouver BC, Nov 14, 2010

“Soon enough, all ceremonial flames were lit and out strode the dread beast Watain to perform their black mass. What a show. From the opening strains of “Malfeitor”, Watain held the Rickshaw rapt with satanic attention. Their reputation preceding them, the band completely revel in malevolence and black theatrics, from coating themselves in pig’s blood to utilizing flame as the major light source onstage.”

Kyle Harcott reviews the November 14th Vancouver debut by WATAIN. Also on the bill were Goatwhore, Black Anvil and local support from Galgamex.

Blogs, Featured, Gruesome Greg November 6, 2010

Razor still cuts deep!

Anvil mighta been Canada’s first thrash band, but Razor’s perhaps our most caustic. After all these years, Razor still cuts deep. And it goes without saying that I’m looking forward to their gig next Friday at El Mocambo, a venue quite dear to my heart…

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live October 18, 2010

Triptykon / 1349 / Yakuza / Sylvus @ the Wreckroom, Toronto ON, October 11 2010

“Visually the band’s performance style is understated, but the smaller venue allowed them to overwhelm the space. Alongside the expected Triptykon material, sounding much like it does on record, the set list was Celtic Frost-heavy, songs like “Procreation (of the Wicked)” snarled out with vicious intensity.”

Laura Wiebe reviews the recent Toronto performance of Triptykon, who were joined by 1349, Yakuza and Sylvus.

Headline, Reviews - Live September 16, 2010

Nachtmystium / Zoroaster / Dark Castle / The Atlas Moth @ Lee’s Palace, Toronto ON, September 11th, 2010

“During this performance, they behaved as though the stage was land they wanted to annex; they walked on as though their performance was an outright invasion. The crowd responded accordingly. While the vibe in the room had gradually ratcheted up from “polite and well-behaved” to “cheerfully aggressive” during the previous three sets, when Nachtmystium played, the crowd finally smelled blood.”

Natalie Zed reviews the Toronto visit from Nachtmystium, with support from Zoroaster, Dark Castle and The Atlas Moth. Photos by Albert Mansour

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio September 3, 2010

Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini

Despite some jagged rhythms and an unexpected groove Axioma Ethica Odini flows consistently to an abrupt not-quite conclusion, so that finally I’m perplexed but also persuaded that I want to work my way through it all again until I fully understand.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Audio August 13, 2010

Blood Revolt – Indoctrine

The fact that the much-ballyhooed debut album by Blood Revolt is generating vehement reactions from the metal world shouldn’t be much of a surprise. And you know it’s the kind of reaction Alberta black metal mainstays C. Ross and James Read wanted when they formed a trans-Atlantic artistic partnership with Primordial proselytizer Alan “Nemtheanga” Averill. One one side, you’ve got underground metal scenesters who can make neither heads nor tails of all that damned singing atop the scorching backdrop of raw black metal provided by the two members of Axis of Advance and Revenge. On the other side are the Primordial fans that are so starved for a new album that they’ll listen to anything Averill lends his voice to. Needless to say, hearing the man contribute to something so unflinching, so confrontational had to have been the last thing they expected. Where are the 6/8 time signatures, dammit!

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio August 12, 2010

Lantlôs – .neon

While this is indeed a different vibe from the more nostalgic, fantastical vibe given off by Alcest’s albums, Lantlôs remains very similar in feel. This fact alone should be enough to help one decide whether or not .neon is worth pursuing.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio July 23, 2010

Svarti Loghin – Drifting Through the Void

Svarti Loghin revels in fusion of the most banal kind. It does not have a musical vision. It simply blends the visions of others into something that it tries to pass off as art. What it forgets is that hybridization requires a vision if it is to fuse disparate elements into a cohesive artistic statement. The boldness of Svarti Loghin’s borrowing is a sham, for it is not so much a paper tiger as a collage tiger.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio July 21, 2010

Wolvhammer – Black Marketeers of World War III

In the end, Black Marketeers of World War III is an enjoyable but standard album that doesn’t make a long-lasting impression or distinguish itself from its musical brethren. Wolvhammer’s hearts and minds are obviously in the right places, but this fact plus a few memorable musical moments isn’t enough to make for a record that stand-outs out from the pack.