Tag: Rob Hughes

  • Horseback – Half Blood

    Horseback – Half Blood

    Based on The Invisible Mountain and now Half Blood, Horseback has mastered the art of crafting a proper album. The first half has its feet in the dirt, the second half has its eyes on the stars. It manages to cover a lot of stylistic territory, yet it’s a cohesive collection and an effortless listen…

  • Dog Shredder—Brass Tactics

    Dog Shredder—Brass Tactics

    By Rob Hughes My favourite music has two qualities: it is weird and it is cool. It’s not quite enough just being one or the other. The Residents are weird, but they’re kind of obvious about it, don’t you think? Conversely, Motörhead are untouchably cool, but they’re so reliable—you know what to expect when the…

  • Ancients / Burning Ghats / Nylithia / Cathar / Graves @ Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver BC, March 23, 2012

    Ancients / Burning Ghats / Nylithia / Cathar / Graves @ Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver BC, March 23, 2012

    “It promised to be an epic night. With a good portion of Hellbound West (Rob Hughes/Cara Cross/yours truly) in the house, plus Mr. Palmerston representing the eastern faction, there was a definite buzz in the air for this showcase gig from local faves Ancients. On the cusp of putting out their reportedly-megalithic debut full-length, Ancients…

  • Voivod – To the Death 84

    Voivod – To the Death 84

    Despite the rough-hewn quality of the demo’s performances and recording, it reveals that the essence of Voivod was present at the outset. While in 1984 it seemed unlikely that these four rivet-heads from Jonquiere would become prog-metal pioneers, it was obvious from the abrasive, alien nature of Voivod’s early material that this band was truly…

  • Hammers Of Misfortune / Christian Mistress @ Bitmore Cabaret, Vancouver BC, Decmeber 8, 2011

    While I expected Hammers to be tight, I was pleasantly surprised to discover exactly how spot-on the intricacies of their songs translated live. Hammers of Misfortune, of course, had the perfect balance of both precision and emotion, the songs given a new vitality, positively glowing in the live setting.

  • Hellbound.ca’s Top 20 Albums of 2011, Part 3

    We asked all of the contributing writers here at Hellbound.ca to submit their Top 10 albums of 2011, 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 2011.…

  • Hellbound.ca’s Top 20 Albums of 2011, Part 2

    We asked all of the contributing writers here at Hellbound.ca to submit their Top 10 albums of 2011, 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 2011.…

  • The Tangent – COMM

    This is what the Tangent does best: bringing stirring music and real-world ideas together. They’re working class heroes, in a way. Prog rock fans aren’t used to being confronted by such blunt lyrical statements, but that’s part of the challenge that this album threw at me. Once I got in tune with its approach, COMM…

  • Primordial—Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand

    Whenever possible, Hellbound tries to get you the scoop on everything new and noteworthy in metal, but sometimes things slip through the cracks. Redemption at the Puritan’s Hand, originally released in April, was one of them. However, this album’s moment has not passed. It looms large, presiding like a revered elder over everything else released…

  • Riverside – Memories In My Head

    Prog, neo-prog, art rock, apples, oranges… you can take your labels and pick them apart on your own time. Let’s just enjoy this classy excursion from Riverside for now.