Jonathan Smith

Kuolemanlaakso cover

Kuolemanlaakso – Tulijoutsen

The most obvious thing about Kuolemanlaakso’s Tulijoutsen is that it’s another collection of doomy, slow-moving metal from Finland, one that will certainly reinforce the stereotype…

Alcest – Shelter

The Prophecy Productions write-up for Alcest’s fourth full-length album, Shelter, states that the record is “about the concept of shelter as a safe place that allows everybody to escape reality for an instant, to reunite with what we really are, deep down.” For myself, Shelter is like a vacation. At first it’s exciting and enthralling to be in a carefully curated hotel in a new place, but the longer you’re away, the more you’re reminded that a vacation is really just a temporary, transitional state towards a return to some other place.

Anathema

Anathema / Alcest / Mamiffer @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 18th, 2013

I cannot speak for the whole audience attending Wednesday’s show, but from where I was standing that night there was a palpable sense of excitement in the minutes leading up to Anathema’s arrival on stage. For many, it was finally the long-awaited opportunity to see them deliver a full-band performance in Toronto. They did not disappoint.

Review by Jonathan Smith; Concert Photos by Adam Wills

The Night Watch – s/t

Hellbound Metal: “The Night Watch have released a challenging debut, one which initially did not work for me. Though not all the tracks stand out, it’s with repeated listens that it becomes apparent to me that the album is an exciting piece of avant-garde metal/post-rock/insert label here.”