The Unsemble – The Unsemble
By Bill Adams The complicated thing about instrumental albums is that they’re really easy to make (getting a band to just jam is never…
instrumental
Godhunter/Anakim split
By Gruesome Greg Ten minutes of Arizona sludge brought to you by the fine folks at The Compound. Godhunter kicks things off with “Vulture’s Wake,” a…
Indriocothere – II
Indricothere are most definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Lacking an attention span for the most part, II will turn away the more traditional audience. But for those with more adventurous tastes, II serves as a testament to the unfathomable talent that resides in Colin Marston. Genius like this doesn’t come along very often.
Shooting Guns – Brotherhood of the Ram LP
Hellbound Metal: “With Brotherhood of the Ram, Shooting Guns have hit the bullseye again. Their hypnotic and psychedelic grooves hone in on the pleasure centres of the brain.”
Craft beer, gluten-free food and heavy psych… We’re gonna GITR done tonight!
Because it’s totally awesome when a heavy-psych trio’s acronym sounds like something outta the mouth of Larry the Cable Guy, local instrumentalists Galaxies in the River (aka GITR) are having their CD release party tonight at Monarch Tavern.
Pill-poppers and head-trippers, put this one on yer neon-green radar screen!
As I’ve previously remarked, The 460 might not be El Mocambo, but it’s the next-door thing. This evening, the hole-in-the-wall bar is hosting a couple instrumental psychedelic-rock outfits that’ll expand yer mind–and they’re both from right here in yer backyard!
Some sounds from the stoner/doom underground…
So, before I get into my top albums of the year, it’s time for some Christmas cleaning. These reviews have been sitting on my hard drive for a while, and chances are you haven’t heard of most of these bands–but some of them are worth checking out.
Glen Drover – Metalusion
While it’s obvious that the album is to be a showcase for the guitar playing, the song is always kept in mind and the solos don’t wander into ‘jam’ (DANGER!) territory. Drover has ensured that the song is the focus and kept things very tight and tasteful. The guitar work and song composition on Metalusion will not allow you to turn this into background music, it’s an album that you will definitely want turned up loud in the car.
Shooting Guns – Born to Deal in Magic: 1952-1976
In the hands of a producer who specializes in this style of music (this band was born to work with Sanford Parker), these guys could be capable of a record that sounds even more massive. For now, though, we’re perfectly content listening to one hell of a fun debut, one of the very best Canadian metal/rock albums of 2011, singer or no singer. Besides, with grooves this contagious, who needs a singer, anyway?
Cynic/ Intronaut/ Dysrhythmia @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, August 2, 2010
“Metal cannot often be defined as subtle. Every now and again, however, these is a show that serves as a sort of palate-cleanser, offering metalheads an opportunity to indulge in some of the more delicate flavours that this broad, strange genre of music has to offer. Cynic, Intronaut and Dysrhythmia performed just such a show, giving the audience at the Opera House an aural meal to be sipped and sampled as well as devoured.”
Natalie Zed reviews the August 2nd Toronto performance by CYNIC, INTRONAUT and DYSRHYTHMIA. Concert photography by Adam Wills