Toronto

Dillinger Escape Plan / Darkest Hour / IWrestledABearOnce @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, March 14, 2010

DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN were merciless performers, never letting the audience relax for a moment. Not only did their wicked on-stage energy hold everyone rapt, but so did the possibility that at any moment Greg Puciato might dive directly into the crowd and continue to perform while crowd-surfing.

Dillinger Escape Plan concert review by Natalie Zed, written exclusively for Hellbound.ca

Meshuggah – Alive

In less talented hands, the 90 minute concert film that constitutes the centerpiece of Alive would come off as a sloppily arranged mess, but director/editor Ian McFarland’s footage is so well-shot and so tastefully edited that we can’t help but forgive him for making the whole experience a touch disjointed.

Adrien Begrand reviews the brand new live DVD/CD collection by Sweden’s technical death metal innovators Meshuggah.

Bacon, Eggs and Sacrilege: Toronto’s Most Blasphemous Brunch

What do you get when you mix home-style, hearty cooking with extreme music? Kensington Market’s very own Black Metal Brunch; your weekly serving of bacon, eggs, and a side of Venom’s Welcome To Hell.

Ola Mazzuca’s newest entry into the Blasphemous Blog goes into her love for Toronto’s best Sunday brunch, the long-standing Black Metal Brunch at Graffiti’s in Kensington Market.

Hotter Than Hell: Chicken Wings on Bloor St. (Toronto)

When I heard that a chicken wing joint was opening two doors down from St. Louis on Bloor, I thought that was a dumb idea. A few months later, when another bar specializing in wings opened at the corner of Bloor and Walmer, well, I figured that was a really dumb idea. Yet I found myself drawn to the winning combination of spicy wings and beer, so today I went to all three wing joints. My verdict is as follows…

Living Colour @ Lee’s Palace, Toronto ON, October 3, 2009

I was tempted to start this review by simply saying, “This show was fucking awesome,” but it was much more than that. You had four top-notch musicians on that stage, including singer and leather aproned-wearing Corey Glover (whom if you haven’t heard this man sing, and sing so passionately yet so effortlessly, you are sorely missing out on a genius) and I wonder, why aren’t these dudes being recognized? If not in record sales, for their sheer genius? For actually knowing how to put a song together? But in some ways, it is the same sentiment when I heard the new albums from Suffocation, Lord Mantis and Kylesa this year.

Laina Dawes reviews the recent Toronto live performance by NYC outfit Living Colour.

Blatant Self-Promotion: Porcupine Tree/King’s X Live Review on Exclaim.ca

While Hellbound.ca is definitely my main focus these days, every now and then I still write for other places when asked. Way back before I launched Hellbound.ca back on June 1st, a Toronto date for Porcupine Tree and King’s X was announced in Toronto for September 30th and I pitched Exclaim! on doing a review of it. True to my word, I went to the show and did the review for Exclaim!, who have posted it up online this morning.