metal

The Secret: Channeling Frustration Into Fury

Most of our lyrics are a reflection of the times and the country we’re living in. I think that the main lyrical concept of the record is the loss of faith in pretty much everything. Politics, religion, media. Playing is a very cathartic experience, so it’s something we’re doing mostly for ourselves. The band is pretty much an outlet for our negative sides.”

Keith Carman interviews Michael Bertoldini of THE SECRET about their new album Solve Et Coagula, the band’s debut album for Southern Lord.

Deathmarch/ Esoteric Doctrine/ Hallows Die/ Twilight Child @ The Corktown Pub, Hamilton, ON, Aug. 18, 2010

“Next on the docket was Hamilton’s own Deathmarch. For reasons I’m not fully aware of they were without a drummer tonight, getting by with a drum track and Northern Storm Records label head Rob Cranny. By this I mean that Rob sat in the middle of the stage, shirtless with drum sticks in hand, phantom drumming throughout the entire set. Remember what I said about metal being fun?”

Renee Trotier reviews the August 18th performance by DEATHMARCH, ESOTERIC DOCTRINE, HALLOWS DIE and TWILIGHT CHILD at the Corktown Pub in Hamilton ON.

Volbeat/ The Sleeping/ Dommin @ the Mod Club, Toronto ON, August 17, 2010

“I have no bone to pick with VOLBEAT at all. Their heavy metal/rockabilly/early rock’n’roll gangster aesthetic is fantastic. They’re greasy, twangy and a hell of a lot of fun to see live. Michael Poulsen embodies their sound: lean, punchy muscles, the lines of his brow and cheekbone just a little haggard from hard living, slicked back, dark hair and covered in old-school tattoos. His voice is surprisingly clean. Volbeat’s set was idiosyncratic and playful.”

Natalie Zed reviews the August 17th Toronto performance by VOLBEAT, THE SLEEPING and DOMMIN at the Mod Club. VOLBEAT live photos by Adam Wills.

In Conversation With: Cynic’s Paul Masvidal

“I’m interested in various philosophical perspectives in relation to the inner workings of the mind and how that relates to being a human on planet earth. So there’s this balance between earth and cosmos and merging micro with macro. Something as simple as observing a flower one can see the entire universe contained within it. I’m also influenced by love and the variety of human emotions, sadness and despair, joy and happiness. Life is so incredibly rich and intense, it’s all there, happening all the time, I just have to open my eyes or more importantly heart to it. Life constantly informs us, if we could just pay attention.”

Navjot Kaur Sobti in conversation with Cynic guitarist/vocalist Paul Masvidal for Hellbound.ca

Jucifer/ Mendozza/ Ahna @ Funky Winkerbean’s, Vancouver BC, August 6, 2010

Jucifer live is Total Ritual: Thick smoke and hot underlight, howling fury and gnashing of teeth, sonic overkill pouring forth from Amber Valentine’s monolithic wall of cabinets. From the second she steps onto the pitch-dark stage to begin her rite of setup to the moment the cloak is removed and the Flying V is strapped on and she begins beating hell out of it like it’s some faltering beast of burden, ritual is the only way to properly sum up the band’s live oeuvre.

Kyle Harcott reviews an appearance in Vancouver, BC of touring machine, JUCIFER.

HELLBOUND RADIO: July 4th, 2010 Playlist

I’m going to go out on a not-so-brittle limb and say that the radio show that is loosely associated with this website is probably one of the most diverse heavy/extreme music programs on the face of this ridiculous planet. This is due in large part of the tastes, collections, whims and tolerant attitudes of myself and my co-hosts. To prove it – and to finally start promoting the show we’ve been doing for four years now – we’re going to start posting our detailed playlists a day or two after each on-air stint. Take a listen sometime; I guaranteed you’ll be either surprised as shit, amazed, confused or totally pissed off at the massive scope of diversity our show delivers.

Danzig – Deth Red Sabaoth

Sure, it’ll be a frosty day in Danzig’s nether lair before you’ll ever see a reunion of the band’s classic lineup – but until Lodi finally freezes over, you can certainly find solace in Deth Red Sabaoth, which goes a long, long way to recapturing that classic Danzig sound.

Kingdom of Sorrow: Side-Project Comes Into its Own

Kingdom of Sorrow: It’s a name that conjures up images of some grizzled warrior-king, his throne coated in ash, his body caked with blood. It evokes both torpor and power. And indeed, the quintet plays a blend of filthy swamp sludge and growling hardcore, courtesy of Crowbar/Down string slinger Kirk Windstein and Hatebreed vocalist Jamey Jasta.

Hellbound.ca scribe Sarah Kitteringham speaks to Jamey Jasta about night terrors, bringing your inner Zeppelin to life and Kingdom of Sorrow’s great new sophomore release.