Montreal

BornBroken – The Healing Powers of Hate

Hellbound Metal: “So if you’re looking for something to get you amped at the gym or some such physical activity, BornBroken should do the trick. The Healing Powers of Hate seethes with that kind of adrenaline boosting capacity. And there’s always a market for that.”

Cryptopsy – Cryptopsy

I admit when Cryptopsy first crossed my desktop I was hesitant. The clean vocals (and keyboards) of The Unspoken King left a sour taste in my mouth. Not knowing what I was getting myself in to, this self-titled rejuvenation far exceeded any expectations I had. Growing on me with every listen, Cryptopsy is becoming one of the most enjoyable death metal releases of 2012.

Voivod – Warriors of Ice

Warriors of Ice is a definitely a high point in the career of Voivod and a show that will certainly go down in Canadian metal lore. Whether the band attempts to write an album of new material or even continues on in this (re)incarnation remains to be seen. If they decide not to continue on they have left us with one hell of a live record to day dream with. This is a must for any Voivod fan, or new-to-the-scene metal head.

Vreid / Kampfar / Necronomicon @ Annex Wreckroom, Toronto ON, August 25, 2011

“Also hailing from Norway, black metal unit Vreid filled the headlining position and performed what was unquestionably the strongest set of the night. In contrast to the theatricality of the other bands’ appearances, Vreid adopted a simple, almost military look for their style and dress. They performed with much more energy than the other acts and were very much in control of the stage and the audience from the moment they stepped out.”

Natalie Zed reviews the August 25th Toronto performances by VREID, KAMPFAR and NECRONOMICON at the Annex Wreckroom

The Great Sabatini – Napoleon Sodomite

If you’re looking for grind inflected sludge metal, with a love for noise, this is the band for you. Something you will notice right from the beginning however, is that The Great Sabatini are not interested in making their music quite that simple. Unlike many 7” releases, Napoleon Sodomite doesn’t feel like the band threw on a few outtakes just to be able to say they put out a 7”. This is quality beginning to end.

HELLBOUND’s TOP 10 CANADIAN METAL ALBUMS OF 2010

Since Hellbound.ca is a Canadian-owned and operated metal publication, we do things a little bit different than most. As 2010 quickly is 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 second annual Top 10 Canadian Metal Albums writers poll. Please enjoy.

Hellbound.ca’s TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2010, Part One

We asked all of the contributing writers here at Hellbound.ca to submit their Top 10 albums of 2010, 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 2010. For part one of our continuing series, here is albums #20 through 16…

Saturday nite in Montreal–my liver is doomed!

Multiple choice question: What shouldn’t you do at the onset of a cold?

A) Walk around outside in sub-zero temperatures
B) Drink half your age in beers
C) Stay out late past 3 am
D) All of the above

If you answered D, you’ll have how I spent last Saturday nite in Montreal.

Unexpect / Stream of Passion / Manahil / Modified / Half Past Four @ Sneaky Dee’s, October 19 2010

“Nearly impossible to describe, they hit me like a crazy gothic metal version of cabaret/gypsy music, which a great deal of dark, psychotic carnival thrown in the mix as well. The violin took centre stage for me, running the gamut from classical trills and traditional Roma fiddling to dark, screeching black-metal wailing.”

Natalie Zed witnessed the recent Toronto stop of Montreal’s Unexpect, with Stream of Passion, Manahil and more.