FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
Any disappointment should be alleviated this evening with a solid double-dose of heaviness just offa Bathurst. NYC’s Tombs and Neurot recording artists A Storm of Light are playing Sneaky Dee’s, then I’m gonna head down the street to catch Macabre, my all-time favourite grind band, at the Hard Luck Bar.
Sled Island, a four-day, multi-venue fest, has been Calgary’s answer to NXNE since 2007. Seeing as the actual NXNE takes place the week beforehand, I’ve never had much interest in a lineup that often features many of the same bands as the Toronto event. But this year, while my initial impressions of the NXNE lineup are a little underwhelming, the Cowtown organizers have scored a major coup: they’re bringing Sleep to town for an exclusive Canadian performance, and just one of three gigs on the marijuananauts’ calendar this year.
Highly recommended for fans of Sleep, YOB, Black Pyramid, and any other band with a legitimate claim in “stoner doom” territory.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the trad-metal gallop of tunes like “Ice Worm” and “Iron Hammer,” but the new, slower TGOS on display on this album is right up my alley.
As the owner and maintainer of TooHighToGetItRight.com, a site dedicated to the Southern Ontario stoner rock scene, I’ve seen a lotta bands come and go since 2007. Lately, it seems that there’s been a lot more going than there are coming, to the point where I might not renew my domain this year. But there are still some new bands breathing new life into the stagnant stoner scene. Here are a few to keep an eye on…
Gruesome Greg reviews Carne da Macello, the new album by Italy’s Seditius
Back by popular demand, here are the Staff Playlists for May 2011!
These guys have been doing this so long that they don’t need to mess with the formula. Black Fang is like a mean Carolina moonshine—consume at your own risk!
Tomorrow nite, Rhode Island sludge/doom duo The Body are playing, fresh from their appearance at Montreal’s Mountains of Might fest. The gig was supposed to be at The Garage (The Body’s in The Garage!) but being weary of Sunday nite noise complaints, they switched venues. Thing is, The Shop was already booked, so this one’s an early start. Doors at 5 pm, and the gig’s done by 9, unless you wanna stick around for whoever’s scheduled to go on afterwards…
Questionable timing aside, this is a solid, albeit less-than-spectacular slice of Georgia sludge.