Tag: metal
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Black Tusk – TCBT
A bit of a new look for Black Tusk on this one, as this Georgia trio puts out its first new record since replacing the late Johnathan Athon with ex-Kylesa bassist Corey Barhorst. But while the lead singer might have changed, the song largely remains the same—despite some slight variations, their brand of thrashy, sludgy…
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Astral Witch – self-titled
I first saw this Hamilton outfit when they were a guitar/drums duo; Astral Witch have since added a bassist/occasional lead vocalist to the mix, giving their sound some added dynamics on their self-titled debut. Astral Witch begins with a doomy bass line on “Rune” before the rest of the band comes grooving up slowly, adding…
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Primitive Man/Unearthly Trance split
With both of these Relapse sludgy doomsters known for their droning, drawn-out numbers, I’m surprised this split between Primitive Man and Unearthly Trance is under 45 minutes. Each band gets three songs, with the opening track “Merging” serving as a mysterious one-minute collaboration between them both. Actually scratch that, Primitive Man’s A Side only has…
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Sleep – The Sciences
With the length of time that has elapsed since Sleep released Jerusalem, it would be logical to think that with the passage of time, Sleep’s ability to forge earth-crushing riffs might have diminished. But no, The Sciences can stand beside Holy Mountain and the aforementioned Jerusalem. It is, in the best possible way, exactly what you’d…
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Psychostick live in Ottawa, 31 July 2018
The Very Serious Business Tour w/ Urizen, July 31 – Ottawa, ON – Maverick When you go past a venue and see a marquee or poster with the names Pussy Goblin, Thünderkok, Urizen, and Psychostick, you know damned well you don’t want to miss the show. I made the journey to Mavericks with an old colleague…
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Deafheaven live in Toronto, July 2018
Deafheaven with Uniform – Friday, 27 July 2018 @ The Opera House, Toronto, ON I cannot believe I just saw Deafheaven. The show felt like it took forever to approach and was over with too quickly. That’s how all life’s joys go though. Drab Majesty were absent as they had some issues getting across the border and had…
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Various Artists – Contract In Blood: A History of UK Thrash Metal boxset
This is a superb collection of music to provide the soundtrack to Ian Glasper’s fine book of the same name which I feel is one of the best music books ever written – Contract In Blood: A History of UK Thrash Metal. This is a most comprehensive selection of music with no less than 83…
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Integrity & Krieg Split
Integrity and Krieg join up for a brutal, crushing split following the release of Integrity’s critically acclaimed 2017 album, Howling, For the Nightmare Shall Consume. The split, running 23 minutes in length, serves to provide an even balance of metalcore and black metal. The Integrity half is definitely hardcore and is more of what we…
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Festival preview: Aftershock 2018
With summer in full swing, as everyone heads (and has headed) out and about to take in their favorite music festival, let’s not forget one experience that is a must for any music lover: Monster Energy’s Aftershock Festival. Aftershock takes place October 13th and 14th in beautiful Discovery Park, located in Sacramento, California. For the 7th…
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Witch Mountain – Witch Mountain
The three previous albums from Witch Mountain – Cauldron of the Wild, South of Salem, Mobile of Angels – are truly superb. This is the first Witch Mountain album with Kayla Dixon on vocals. She has an incredible voice, powerful, heartfelt. The songs are excellent. This is timeless music, made for all the right reasons. Billy Anderson…