Tag: metal
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Acid Witch / Vanik @ Hard Luck Bar, Toronto, 14 October 2017
When October comes around, horror aficionados salivate at the thought of Halloween – the creepy highlight of the month. And what better way would there be to honour this ghoulish time of year than to see the purveyors of hallucinogenic Halloween death metal, namely Acid Witch? Speed metal outlaws Vanik are notable for frontman Vanik’s…
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Buzzard Dust – Buzzard Dust
Buzzard Dust, a genre blending band from Virginia, have crafted a solid debut record. (Full disclosure: the singer gave me a link to the record and I’ve known him for a number of years.) Buzzard Dust comprises various members of different bands, including Unsacred, Vorator, Psyopus and countless more. The record is a mix of speed,…
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Ne Obliviscaris – Urn
The music on this album is massive. But is it good? Do I like it? I have listened to this album on repeat for a few weeks now, and I am still asking myself this. On paper, I should love this. Ne Obliviscaris is an extreme prog metal band with a unique sound and some…
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Elder – Reflections of a Floating World
Elder’s last album, Lore, finished pretty high on a lotta year-end lists a couple years back, and I suspect this one will as well. Although it was released back in June, I did not have the chance to get my hands on Reflections until I saw ‘em in concert last weekend—but if their live set…
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The Obsessed – self titled (reissue)
When Wino brought back The Obsessed with a RINO (reunion in name only) album earlier this year, it was very well received. Even if the other musicians who played on Sacred weren’t previously part of the band’s lineup, it was good to hear the man slinging some killer riffs like back in the day. But…
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Pale Mare – self-titled EP
This local sludge/noise trio has already opened for the likes of Weedeater and Windhand—and they don’t even have an album out. Apparently, they’re working on their first full-length effort, but in the meantime, this three-song EP from Pale Mare will have to tide us over. “Carthage” kicks things off with a rumble, picking up the…
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Cannibal Corpse – Red Before Black
When it comes to household Death Metal names, Cannibal Corpse has to be near the top. Despite lineup changes over the years the band has stayed relevant and continues to produce solid material. And if you’re one of “those” guys who say “Cannibal died when Chris Barnes left the band”, you need to get over…
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Aura Noir @ Hard Luck Bar, Toronto, 13 October 2017
Finally, one of the best black thrash metal bands crash lands in Toronto! Norway’s self-proclaimed ugliest band in the world, Aura Noir, are on their maiden North American tour and it feels like a long time coming. Formed in the nastier corners of Oslo in 1993, this three-piece are the masters of blistering bitching black thrash,…
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Electric Wizard – Wizard Bloody Wizard
Much like Lee Dorrian rallying against occult doom while simultaneously profiting from it with Rise Above Records, something about the pre-release press for this new Electric Wizard record has rubbed me the wrong way. It seems Jus Oborn has also jumped on the “modern metal is lame” bandwagon, hailing the new album as a “return…
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Iron Monkey – 9-13
In case you missed it, there’s been a big 90’s sludge revival of late. Some of the guys in Grief are playing shows as Come to Grief, Cavity is reuniting for Days of Darkness, and now Iron Monkey returns with their first album in almost 20 years. Not that I’m complaining—I’d take any of these…