Tag: review
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Norska – Too Many Winters
Though I didn’t review it at the time, I was definitely a fan of Norska’s self-titled 2011 debut, with the Portland five-piece landing somewhere between YOB and Neurosis on the post-sludge scale. As a matter of fact, their bassist has also played on the last three YOB albums… which might go some way in explaining…
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Book reviews from Steve Earles: Sea Power
‘Nelson’s Battles: The Triumph of British Seapower’ By Dr Nicholas Tracy Published by Seaforth A fine book, one that conveys not just the historical and technical details of Nelson’s battles but their very atmosphere. From St Vincent to Trafalgar, all Nelson’s battles are here. It’s a handsome, well-presented book, with many illustrations and maps to…
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Volur – Ancestors
The sophomore album from Toronto folk-doomsters Volur is nothing if not an ambitious effort. Though it only contains four tracks, it clocks in at over 53 minutes, with some songs stretching over 15. And while the lyrics are not clearly discernible, I do detect a theme here—each song title begins with “Breaker.” We start off…
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Destroyer of Light – Chamber of Horrors
I first heard this Austin outfit on their 2015 split with Godhunter, where they almost stole the record from one of my favourite underground sludge bands at the time. Destroyer of Light even put their own super-slow-mo take on a Pentagram classic, which certainly made me take notice. And now they’re back with their second full-length…
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Judas Priest – Turbo 30
Skim through the catalogues of any number of rock bands who have enjoyed a lot of popularity and, invariably, it’s easy to find the fly in the creative ointment that fans abhor. That album was Into The Unknown for Bad Religion, it was Unmasked for KISS and Metallica has yet to live down Load. Maybe…
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Nocturnal Hollow – Deathless and Fleshless
Hailing from Venezuela, Nocturnal Hollow are a death metal band that in the future will be known far beyond their own borders. They have taken their influences, Death, Celtic Frost, Morbid Angel and given them their own unique sheen. Their song-writing is first-class, indeed there is a lot of traditional metal in their leads and…
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45 Adapters – They Call It Justice 7”
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the They Call It Justice 7” by The 45 Adapters. It might sound a little strange at first, but the 45 Adapters and their new seven-inch, They Call It Justice, are coming at the perfect moment in history for the band’s brand of Oi to really go…
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Beastmaker – Inside the Skull
Beastmaker is a band with solid heavy-rock bloodlines—their singer’s father played bass on Montrose self-titled, arguably one of the finest examples of American proto-metal and inarguably the best thing Sammy Hagar has ever sung. The California trio rises above the crop of faceless Swedish outfits on Rise Above, taking us back to the glory days…
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Goatwhore + Empyrean Plague @ The Garrison, Toronto, May 11th 2017
While it’s not quite the weekend, New Orleans extreme metallers Goatwhore are currently rampaging throughout the United States supporting Amon Amarth and have managed to squeeze in a headlining Toronto date without their Viking partners, so late night boozing it is. Although the Americans were most recently in Canada’s most populous city just last year, many…
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WhiteNails – First Trip
Although they’re just a few hours away from the Montreal metal mecca, it’s not very often that I hear much heavy stuff from Quebec City. In fact, I can really only think of two stoner/psych outfits from the distinct nation’s capital—the unfortunately named Les Indiens and now WhiteNails. And while the former sings entirely in…