Tag: review

  • Durbuy Rock Festival, April 2018 (day 2)

    Durbuy Rock Festival, April 2018 (day 2)

    What nicer way can there be for spending the first ‘over 20-degree Celsius’ weekend of the year than at a rock festival with a varied line up, cold drinks and lovely metalheads? Having taken place in the picturesque village of Bomal-sur-Ourthe, Durbuy Rock Festival was the perfect festival season opener. Durbuy Rock Festival – Day 2…

  • No Joy / Sonic Boom – s/t EP (12″ coloured vinyl)

    No Joy / Sonic Boom – s/t EP (12″ coloured vinyl)

    Ever had one of those moments when you heard or read about a new musical project from a couple of established musicians, got excited as your imagination began to run wild with the possibilities of what may come from the endeavor, and then learned that you couldn’t have been more right when you got a…

  • Durbuy Rock Festival, April 2018 (day 1)

    Durbuy Rock Festival, April 2018 (day 1)

    What nicer way can there be for spending the first ‘over 20-degree Celsius’ weekend of the year than at a rock festival with a varied line up, cold drinks and lovely metalheads? Having taken place in the picturesque village of Bomal-sur-Ourthe, Durbuy Rock Festival was the perfect festival season opener. Durbuy Rock Festival – Day 1…

  • Fucked and Bound – Suffrage LP

    Fucked and Bound – Suffrage LP

    Full disclosure: on my first play through Suffrage, I accidentally had my turntable set to the incorrect speed. Because of that, my first judgement was that the band’s sound was thick, dark, sludgy and imposing – but it definitely piqued my interest and curiosity. I was fascinated by the hulking, demonic voice which dominated the…

  • Art Bergmann – The Apostate LP

    Art Bergmann – The Apostate LP

    In Canada (which, let’s face it, is a country packed with musicians who are underrated on the international stage), there is simply no musician more criminally underrated and under-appreciated than Art Bergmann. Since first appearing on the Vancouver punk and indie rock scenes in the eighties, Bergmann has regularly had to fight to get popular…

  • Body Void – I Live Inside a Burning House

    Body Void – I Live Inside a Burning House

    Generally speaking, sludge metal is not about good times or made by happy people. While depression, divorce and drug addiction have previously inspired other sludge albums, Body Void is the first time I’ve seen a band tackle the topic of queer identity via heavy, crushing, knuckle-dragging doom. I kinda wish this promo came with a…

  • Primitive Man / Spectral Voice in Toronto, March 2018

    Primitive Man / Spectral Voice in Toronto, March 2018

    Devastating death metal is the order of the night. Concrete slab-throwers Primitive Man have returned to desecrate TO alongside fellow Denver inhabitants Spectral Voice – one of the more dynamic acts to ignite the death metal subterranean in recent history. Lee’s Palace is buzzing with extreme metal adherents eager to abuse their aural capabilities. Primitive…

  • Wrong – Feel Great

    Wrong – Feel Great

    When a noise-rock record is called Feel Great, you know it’s probably being used ironically. The sophomore effort from this Florida outfit offers little in the way of positive vibes or uplifting feelings throughout its 11-track, 30-minute runtime. “Errordome” kicks off this effort with some chunky, gurgling slowcore à la Unsane, throwing in a few…

  • Tunguska Mammoth – Breathless

    Tunguska Mammoth – Breathless

    Combining a large prehistoric beast with the site of a massive natural explosion makes for quite a powerful moniker; in the case of Montreal’s Tunguska Mammoth, their heavy stoner/sludge sound lives up to it. Their Deathbound Records debut offers eight tracks in just shy of 46 minutes, and leaves a few extinct creatures in its…

  • Conan/Slomatics split (reissue)

    Conan/Slomatics split (reissue)

    Before Conan became the next big thing in volume-shattering sludge, they collaborated with their countrymen Slomatics on this six-song split. First released in 2011, this record was recently reissued on vinyl by Black Bow Records. I dunno guy, but 180-gram might not be heavy enough… Conan takes three tracks on Side A, although the second…