Krallice – Diotima
Tightly-controlled and ferociously intertwined guitar riffs.
Profound Lore
A Storm of Light – As The Valley Of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade
If you guessed by the album title that A Storm of Light plays post-metal, congratulations! You win a new car! (Car not included.) Nevertheless, this is some pretty decent stuff, album number three from the NYC trio that features Neurosis collaborator Josh Graham.
KEN Mode/ Vilipend/ Purity Control/ Black Faxes @ the Garrison, Toronto ON, March 25, 2011
“The vocals for KEN Mode were absolutely terrible, buried under the instruments and rendered completely toneless. The mix was also bad in general, making the tight three-piece sound muddy. If this was anyone’s first experience witnessing the band, I can’t imagine they would have gotten much of an inkling of how passionate and precise they are live. That said, they gave what they had, making due under less than ideal circumstances. The band members maintain an incredible chemistry between each other that’s only stronger now that Thérèse Lanz (Mares of Thrace) has joined the band as their bassist.”
Video interview:KEN Mode’s Jesse Matthewson
Exclusive video interview with KEN Mode guitarist/vocalist Jesse Matthewson
Jay H. Gorania’s SXSW 2011 – Part 2
“It was SXSW in Austin, so hell, we just decided to party. While hanging out on 6th Street, we were encountered by a rapper pushing his product. It’s normal for independent artists to either talk up, give away or sell their music at SXSW, but this chap obviously lacked common sense by trying to interest us in his rap project. Granted, people like all kinds of music nowadays, but did it really make sense for a rapper to approach a group full of dirty long-haired or head-shaven guys wearing metal shirts? I suppose my friend unintentionally baited him by somewhat loudly talking about Watain, the satanic Swedish black metal band. But that’s not what rap dude overheard. “Wu-Tang? Did somebody say Wu-Tang?”
Watain. Not Wu-Tang. We tried to correct him, but he interrupted us. “If y’all like Wu-Tang, you’re gonna love this!” I have his promo copy somewhere, and I’m sure it’ll make for a great coffee coaster once I find it.”
The second and final installment of Jay H. Gorania’s recap of the 2011 edition of the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas
STAFF PLAYLISTS: March 2011
Back by popular demand, here are the Staff Playlists for March 2011!
Postcards from Natalie Zed: Set #12
Natalie Zed returns with another installment in her series of bite-sized reviews. In this edition, Natalie explores the apocalypse, MMA, duct tape mummification, and alien abductions.
STAFF PLAYLISTS: February 2011
Back by popular demand, here are the Staff Playlists for February 2011!
Postcards From Natalie Zed, Set #10
Hey Hellbound Readers, welcome to the second edition of Postcards From Natalie Zed for 2011. We met Natalie just about a year ago now when she won our big year end contest, taking home more than 50 CDs, records, posters and t-shirts. In a surprise move, Natalie then asked us if she could review her winnings for us. How could we say no?
Well, Natalie is all done with her original batch but has decided to keep on doing her postcard sized reviews for us. So, without further adieu, here is part nine of her ongoing series which we like to call “Postcards From Natalie Zed”. This set includes reviews of MITOCHONDRION, GRAF ORLOCK, THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL and more.
Mitochondrion – Parasignosis
By Jonathan Smith Any metal band named after partners in the symbiote relationships that make up our bodies is bound to perk interest. The…