Tag: Jonathan Smith

  • LISTENING TO THE PAST: Death – Human

    “(Human) embodies much of metal’s concern for and obsession with material questions of existence. It remains special partly because of its historical importance for extreme metal, but also because it stands out as a prime example (out of many) that it is very possible to merge anger and aggression in extreme metal with a compassionate…

  • Hellbound.ca INDIVIDUAL TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2012

    Today we published the TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2012 list, as voted by the writers of Hellbound.ca. Here are the individual Top 10s that were submitted by our writers for your personal enjoyment…

  • TOP CANADIAN ALBUMS OF 2012 – Individual Top 5s

    In December all Hellbound contributors were given the opportunity to vote for their favourite Canadian metal albums of 2012. Here are the individual lists that were submitted, then tabulated by Adrien Begrand to make our Top 10 Canadian metal albums of 2012. Enjoy!

  • Finsterforst – Rastlos

    Finsterforst – Rastlos

    I can’t say that Finsterforst are totally original, but they make up for any lack of creativity by bringing a contagious passion to a style of metal that has rarely resonated with me in recent years. They make a powerful case for the sheer grandeur of their music, which is pretty significant considering that the…

  • Les Discrets – Ariettes Oubliées…

    Les Discrets – Ariettes Oubliées…

    Without taking Les Discrets’ sound to a more adventurous place, Ariettes Oubliées… unfortunately ends up sounding like an adequate but less inspired version of the band’s debut.

  • Panopticon – Social Disservices

    Though it does not quite possess the potent and urgent vibe of Altar of Plagues’ Mammal, Social Disservices takes second place in my personal albums of the year. Hopefully it will receive even more recognition in 2012.

  • HELLBOUND’s TOP 10 CANADIAN METAL ALBUMS OF 2011

    Since Hellbound.ca is a Canadian-owned and operated metal publication, we do things a little bit different than most. While 2011 was coming to a close we asked all of our contributors to pick their Top Canadian metal albums of the year. We then tabulated up their responses and have created our third annual Top 10…

  • Hellbound.ca’s Top 20 Albums of 2011, Part 1

    We asked all of the contributing writers here at Hellbound.ca to submit their Top 10 albums of 2011, which we then compiled into a master list, assigning points to all their choices (10 points for #1, down to 1 point for #10). After tabulating the results, we have created Hellbound.ca’s Top 20 Albums of 2011.…

  • We Are All Puppets: Devin Townsend/Today I Caught The Plague @ The Opera House, Toronto, ON, December 10, 2011

    “If we in the audience are puppets whose strings are manipulated by artists, then Townsend is both puppeteer and lead puppet, a living caricature of the genre who takes such obvious joy in poking fun at both the scene and his own place within it. His performances are both sincere and satirical, and that is…

  • KNOWING YOUR HERITAGE WHILE LOOKING AHEAD: Opeth/Katatonia @ Guelph Concert Theatre, October 30th, 2011

    “Opeth have reached a strange point in their career. Despite their ability to pack the house, it was clear that the evening’s choice of songs would have been better suited to a more intimate environment. I was actually surprised that the band didn’t decide to play Heritage in its entirety. It seemed like it would…