Willowtip

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio August 16, 2011

Gigan – Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic Landscapes

A drop of proto-electronica, a dash of Gorguts’ unpredictability, splashes of Florida’s meanest (to add some bite), a little Voivod eccentricity and a beaker of left-field nimble-fingered guitar athletics. Gigan’s mix of ideas sets them way ahead of the tech-metal pack, and although they are a state-of-the-art riffing launch pad into the celestial unknown, that disheveled mad-scientist inventiveness ensures there’s not a hint of any mechanized navel-gazing.

Articles, Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live January 31, 2011

70000 TONS OF METAL Cruise Recap Part 1

Last week the inaugural 70000 TONS OF METAL cruise sailed from Miami, FL to Cozumel, Mexico and back and featured live performances by forty-two metal bands. Hellbound.ca was lucky enough to have been able to send four of its contributors on the cruise and here is what they had to say about getting to Miami and the first evening’s performances.

Introduction by Sean Palmerston with live reviews by Adrien Begrand, Albert Mansour, Kevin Stewart-Panko and Sean Palmerston. All photography by Albert Mansour unless listed otherwise.

Articles, Blogs, Headline, Reviews May 14, 2010

Manitoba Metal Fest 2010: Part Two

For the next hour and half Brutal Truth kept going. They filled their set with gems from their back-catalogue and a heavy dose of tracks off Evolution Through Revolution. At one point in the set Kevin Sharp announced “I’m Henry Winkler and I need some booze goddamnit!” The crowd loved every minute of it. I don’t know if everyone there realized the significance of Brutal Truth playing their home town, but honestly, it doesn’t matter – the band was incredible.

Handshake Inc’s David Hall recaps their experience at this year’s Manitoba Metal Fest making an upcoming film on American grind gods Brutal Truth.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio April 30, 2010

Infanticide – From Our Cold, Dead Heads

[Infanticide’s] Scott Hull-produced debut doesn’t traffic in grotesque songs that are the equivalent of dead baby jokes set to stale death metal riffs and pedestrian drumming. It’s more like a potent combination of the misanthropy of Weekend Nachos with the anarchist impulses of Leftover Crack

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio December 24, 2009

The Year Of Our Lord: Dead To You

Ever hear of The Year Of Our Lord? Kudos if you have, because they were damn good. Some readers might have caught their 1999 EP or the 2002 self-titled release From Willowtip . I hadn’t heard any of their music until recently but I’m glad the Dead To You compilation showed up on my doorstep like an early Christmas present.

Featured, Reviews, Reviews - Audio December 9, 2009

Squash Bowels: Grindvirus

Ever wonder what it would be like to be sitting peacefully on an outhouse latrine only to have the structure upended by backwoods goons, leaving you writhing in excrement? Probably not, but a good musical equivalent to this “Deliverance” scenario would be listening to Grindvirus, the new offal-ing from long-running Polish grinders Squash Bowels.

Featured, Reviews - Audio June 11, 2009

Fleshgod Apocalypse: Oracles

It goes without saying that classical music and metal have always complemented each other very well, from Concerto for Group and Orchestra to Death Cult Armageddon, from Malmsteen to Suicmez, so when we see a straight-up death metal band attempt to enhance their music with orchestral pieces, our reaction isn’t so much surprise as, it had to happen sooner or later.