Tag: Canadian
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Tunguska Mammoth – Breathless
Combining a large prehistoric beast with the site of a massive natural explosion makes for quite a powerful moniker; in the case of Montreal’s Tunguska Mammoth, their heavy stoner/sludge sound lives up to it. Their Deathbound Records debut offers eight tracks in just shy of 46 minutes, and leaves a few extinct creatures in its…
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Thy Kingdom Slum – A History of Dissent *CANADIAN*
Man, “Century” by Lodown was probably one of my most-played songs back when I was on CKLN. This catchy, groovy, heavy rock number had a few listeners asking me “Dude, who the heck was that?” But despite having such a killer track, the Windsor-based outfit didn’t get much respect—they always seemed to be playing the…
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Sass Jordan – Racine Revisited
Twenty-five years ago, Sass Jordan made her first big breakthrough onto Canadian radio airwaves with her sophomore album Racine. It was very much a “right place, right time” kind of moment – with bands like the Black Crowes and singers like Melissa Etheridge holding a whole lot of time and space on playlists around the…
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Best CANADIAN Metal of 2017: TOP 15
Our contributors’ submissions for this year’s best of Canadian metal list revealed a surprising amount of consensus and an unsurprising amount of varied tastes. We had so little trouble coming up with a top ten that we expanded the list to our top fifteen. And our numerous honourable mentions indicate how much more great Canadian…
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Aggression – live in Toronto, 6 November 2017
Aggression + Domination @ Coalition, Toronto, 6th November 2017 Canada’s thrash metal scene is internationally revered. Few can dispute that this nation disproportionately conceived premier thrash throughout the ’80s: Voivod, Slaughter, Razor, Exciter, Annihilator and Infernäl Mäjesty to name a mere handful. One of the lesser uttered names in this canon is Montreal’s Aggression, formed…
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Finger Eleven – Five Crooked Lines
It was very reasonable to assume that Finger Eleven had totally sold out years ago. Back in 2003, the success of “One Thing” – a mid-tempo, melancholy and balladesque number found in the late-playing of the band’s fourth album – dangled the gold-plated chain of pop prosperity before the group and they took it. After…
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Kataklysm – Of Gods and Ghosts
There is much speculation about what groove-metal band could fill the gap left by the sad demise of Pantera. On the strength of the splendidly titled Of Gods and Ghosts, Kataklysm could well be it. Good song-writing matched with top-notch playing prevails. Above all, there is muscle and melody, and that is what gives Kataklysm…
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Musk Ox – Woodfall
I’ve long been struck by the emotional heaviness that Nathanaël Larochette is able to wring from a single acoustic guitar. While Musk Ox’s genre classification is technically “neofolk,” I’ve always felt that this act in particular is an excellent aesthetic companion to extreme metal (quite similar, in fact, to the more minimalist offerings of bands…
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The New Jacobin Club – Soldiers of the Mark
The New Jacobin Club make the cast of the Rocky Horror Picture Show look like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! For certain, their live shows must be out of this world, but what of the music? Is there substance to back up the style? Thankfully there is! Their PR describes this as something you’d like if…
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Godstopper – Children Are Our Future
A few months ago, a friend of mine told me that Godstopper was the best band going in Toronto. Now, I don’t know about that per se – I actually like my friend’s band (Harangue) better, but that’s a matter of taste. Maybe I’m too conventional. “Conventional” is something Godstopper certainly is not and neither…