Tag: Canadian Metal
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Hellbound’s best of 2014: our Canadian metal top 10
The Best Canadian Metal Albums of 2014 Edited by Adrien Begrand Compared to 2013, which was one of the strongest years for Canadian metal in recent memory, 2014 was largely all about underground discoveries rather than, say, the “usual suspects” that churn out material year after year. Sure, a mainstay like Devin Townsend once again…
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Wacken Metal Battle Canada announces plans for 2015
News from the Wacken Metal Battle Canada team: WMBC has just announced plans for the upcoming 2015 competition. Submissions are set to open on November 20th, 2014 and will run till January 6th, 2015. WMBC is also proud to announce its expansion to Ottawa, Quebec City, Saskatoon and Winnipeg to join Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal as the official battle grounds.…
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Norilsk – Japetus
This is an excellent three-track introduction to a very worthy band. On the title track and “Potsdam Glo,” the band show a talent for strong, original atmospheric doom. My only criticism is a constructive one: I’d like to see the vocal more forward in the mix. Interestingly, what sums up Norilsk the best is their…
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Canada Day 2014: Best Canadian metal from years ending in ‘4…
As Canada Day rolls around again, some of our regular Hellbound contributors have pitched in for another year of celebrating Canadian metal on the nation’s anniversary. This July we give you a snapshot of Canadian metal over the decades, selecting some highlights from 10, 20, 30 and 40 years in the past as well as…
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Unleash the Archers: creating a lasting impression
Unleash the Archers is a female fronted, melodic power metal band hailing from Vancouver, BC. Since forming in 2007, UTA have released three self-produced full length albums and one EP. While the band is generally defined as power metal, UTA’s music seems to span many other metal genres. Unleash the Archers have shared the stage…
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Kataklysm guitarist Jean-Francois Dagenais craves culture on the road
It’s 16 degrees Celsius in Dallas, Texas and steaks are sizzling on a grill in a shaded backyard patio. They’re being cooked medium rare with precision to perfection, by Jean-François Dagenais, guitarist of Kataklysm. It’s below zero in Toronto, the first day of spring, and many metalheads are cooking beef, too – the kind you…
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And the battle wages on – Wacken Metal Battle Canada dates & compilation
Last night the latest round of Wacken Metal Battle Canada had Toronto area bands Our Covenant, Operus, Protokult, The Fiction In Folklore and Endemise duking it out for the chance to move on to the next stage of the competition. A heck of a lot of bands are competing this year, with multiple rounds scheduled across the country…
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Shooting Guns: dealing some heavy instrumental magic
When it comes to the metal aesthetic many bands feel they need to choose the route of texture or torture. Bands decide whether to build weapons or evoke atmospheres with their sound, and to focus on the ephemeral often means leaving a sense of visceral threat behind. After all, smoke cannot hurt us, and shadows…
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Crimson Shadows: Ready to Take on the World
Hellbound is a Canadian-based metal site. That doesn’t determine our coverage – we can appreciate, evaluate and cover heavy tunes from anywhere in the world. But we do like to support our fellow Canadians who are involved in making ear-stimulating music. And though our Canada Day features and annual best Canadian metal lists are fun…
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Wacken Metal Battle Canada: Canucks winning their way to an international stage
Interview by Laura Wiebe If you’re a metalhead you’ve heard of Wacken Open Air. Founded in 1990, the German festival is a mecca for metal pilgrims, a status immortalized in Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen’s Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey (2005). But Wacken is a desired destination for more than fans. For a band, playing Wacken…