Magenta Harvest

I have been patiently awaiting a full-length album from Finnish death metal band, Magenta Harvest since I discovered they existed a few years ago. Now it's here and titled 'Volatile Waters'. The album has been recorded, and release dates have been set, although it won't come out until early next year. I'll have to find a way to keep the anticipation in check until then.

This website, http://inverse.fi/wordpress/?p=665 , has posted the track listing, cover artwork and other information. There is also a 'highlight medley' posted at that location. It will be interesting to see if this album tends to be more purely death metal, or if it has more of a 'Finnish sound'.

Quick Announcement

Well, not really an announcement, but more of a comment.

I've decided to change my display name from Rivfader to Reign of Terror.

Why?

Well, as anyone who is familiar with Finntroll knows, Rivfader is a fictional troll king. While a troll king hell-bent on destroying invading Christians is pretty sweet, as a female, it's not an entirely suitable name. After being stuck with nothing else, I originally used it because I love Finntroll, being well aware of the connotations. I figured I had better change it before someone either starts actually reading this blog, or before someone is perceptive enough to pick up on it and start some random debate.

Troll illustration done by Samuli Ponsimaa (Skrymer) of Finntroll. 

Some of Skrymer's Artwork

Noctis 666: Lucifer Rex - Personal Commentary and Review

Noctis Festival. For several years, those words have been synonymous with an underground metal festival surrounded by much hype and anticipation. With this year’s edition touted as the last Noctis, it felt like an obligation to go and check out what I’ve been missing for the last number of years. (The 2010 edition of Noctis is still something I feel as though should not have been passed up, due to Månegarm, Sodom and Metsatöll being in the line-up, but that is entirely personal preference.)

The event was hosted at the Ramada in downtown Calgary, which proved convenient in terms of the conferences and marketplace being in the same building in which many metal heads chose to reside for a few nights. The Ramada itself is not particularly impressive, being in need of a few updates and proving to be nothing special in terms of what you might expect from a hotel in a swanky downtown business district. Attempting to find any useful information about parking from hotel staff beforehand proved to be futile, making check-in and arrival more difficult than it needed to be. Thankfully I did not have my own vehicle, as I never would have fit into the hotel parkade. Another slight surprise came when we found out that parking was to be paid by night, which I have never encountered at any other hotel. The joke of the weekend truly became ‘riding the elevator’, as the hotel elevators seemed to have a mind of their own, frustrating many metal heads attempting to navigate between hotel rooms and the conferences. If you have never booked a room in this hotel, make sure you ask for a balcony, as we quickly discovered some rooms had them and some did not. Yet another bit of misinformation from the hotel staff. Enough about the hotel itself...

Unable to attend the first day of performances on Thursday night because of other obligations, I was somewhat excited to delve into the conferences on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately I missed Sam Dunn’s interview due to the hassle of finding parking, which was disappointing. Saturday’s conferences appeared engaging, but due to a visit to a shop in Calgary, I again missed both the ‘The Rise Of Women In Extreme Metal’ and the interview with Dan Swanö. Laina Dawes’ presentation, ‘A Black Woman’s Life And Liberation In Heavy Metal’ proved to be incredibly engaging, offering several interesting insights and candid thoughts. ‘The Many Faces Of Black Metal Fandom’, with Vivek Venkatesh, was another highlight of the conference component. Both Dawes and Venkatesh took an academic approach to their subject matter, crafted around personal experiences, and brought topics to the table that were thought provoking, had intensity and captivated their audiences. In all honesty, these topics could have been given more time, and the final topic of the day, ‘Are Women Running Metal?’ could have been shortened or eliminated altogether. My time would have been more enjoyably spent witnessing the legendary Gene Hoglan’s drum clinic, even though I lack any proficiency and knowledge based around drums. Somewhat harsh, but true. 

The Metal Marketplace did not quite live up to my (high) expectations, but I was able to find a few small treasures. The gentlemen from Lock & Shock, far from their Californian home, were very helpful and brought some difficult to find merchandise. Kudos to them. Ragnar The Trader also had some unique, hand-crafted items. Vinyl collectors appeared to come away satisfied from the marketplace. Dan Seagrave, death metal artist extraordinaire, created a painting at his booth during the expo, making it interesting to pop in and out and witness the progress. The marketplace could have been made better with a few more vendors, but overall was alright.

The performances on Friday night were marred by attempting to grab something to eat, and a mix-up on the C-Train, causing the first two bands (and the only two of the night) that I was intent on seeing to be missed altogether. Not being familiar with several of the other bands, and not being a ‘trve’ black metal fan, I was content to spend most of the evening on the balcony of the Mac Hall Ballroom, heading back to the hotel early. The Mac Hall Ballroom itself proves to be an area of contention amongst show attendees, as several disparaging remarks about the venue were expressed. While the sound was much better both evenings than the previous time I had been there, no improvements to the beer gardens had been made and a few policies were in place that provided annoyance to numerous metal heads. 

The bands on Saturday night were an entirely different experience with a line-up of heavy hitters and legends. Again, the choice had to be made between having dinner and missing the first few bands. With dinner winning out, and grabbing a beer at the venue, the night began with a one-song introduction to Sacrifice. Definitely not enough to form any kind of opinion other than noticing that the Mac Hall was packed in comparison to the previous evening. 

Widely hailed as death metal innovators, Possessed took the stage next to a packed house. Active originally in the early to mid 1980’s, this American band brought a heaviness to extreme metal that could arguably only be seen in Slayer around the same time period. Highly influential to a number of other extreme bands with their album Seven Churches, Possessed played a blistering set with all the frantic drumming and guitar shredding that one could want, led by Jeff Becerra’s trademark guttural vocals. Some fans could be overheard saying that if Possessed had chosen to play the Seven Churches album in its brutal entirety, they would have been happy, but the band managed to mix in some new material with the old, sounding as purely death metal as one would expect. While it is unfortunate that this band took such a long hiatus until re-forming again, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to have seen three of their sets in the last year. They were definitively the highlight of the entire Noctis festival for me. 

Fitting in perfectly with some of the conference themes of the origins of heavy metal and women in heavy metal, British band Girlschool held the next performance slot. While several people seemed to take this as an opportunity to cram into the beer gardens, several others stayed to watch this NWOBHM band play. Active since 1978, they brought a more traditional feel to the evening, with some of their punk influence shining through on older songs. Hugely influential Swedish doom-metallers Candlemass were next. Personally not being a fan of doom metal, I was still quite impressed. Current vocalist, Mats Levén, changed my expectation for vocal style in a genre I’m largely unfamiliar with. The band played a well-orchestrated set to a packed house, moving the night forward with more excellence from legends. Coming off the very recent release of their newest album, Surgical Steel, British band Carcass were the headliners for the evening. Their discography encompasses bits and pieces from a number of metal sub-genres and this was evident in the songs chosen for the set. Again, not being terribly familiar with Carcass’s material but eager to see a legendary band, I found myself enjoying the musicianship on display. They proved to be a good choice of headliner for the last night of the Noctis festival. 

Overall, Noctis was an interesting experience, although if it does (by some small chance) get carried into the future, I think I will still wait for line-ups I really ‘need’ to see, and perhaps attend only the concert portions to avoid blowing my weekend budget out of the water. 

Check out the official Noctis site for more information about the event and various presenters at the conference: 

http://www.noctisvalkyries.com/

Amon Amarth - Deceiver Of The Gods Album Review

I realize that I have been rather neglectful in writing reviews of the new albums that have been acquired over the last several months, but I suppose late is better than never. 

Track Listing:
1. Deceiver Of The Gods
2. As Loke Falls
3. Father Of The Wolf
4. Shape Shifter
5. Under Siege
6. Blood Eagle
7. We Shall Destroy
8. Hel
9. Coming Of The Tide
10. Warriors Of The North

The entire album is based around the Norse god, Loki, often considered as a trickster and trouble maker. The sheer complexity of the the figure of Loki provides much lyrical material to center a solid album around, which Amon Amarth have managed to do yet again in ‘Deceiver Of The Gods’. The band remains loyal to their sound, providing an album which surely satisfies most fans. 

The title track starts softly, segueing into the bombastic, death metal flavored sound that we have come to expect from Amon Amarth. ‘Father Of The Wolf’ will surely become a live favorite, driven by a chorus that invites screaming along with. It brings to mind the way that ‘The Pursuit of Vikings’ (from the ‘Fate of Norns’ album) has become quite a crowd pleaser. ‘Blood Eagle’ stands out as being a force of sheer brutality, both lyrically and musically. (At least to this untrained ear). ‘Hel’ proves to be the polarizing track on the album, venturing into slightly unfamiliar territory with the addition of guest vocals by ex-Candlemass vocalist Messiah Marcolin. 

Many of the songs have a lighter sound in comparison with early Amon Amarth material, but this should come as no surprise to listeners. The band has become more melodic in the last few albums, continuing this trend with ‘Deceiver Of The Gods’. While this can sometimes be looked upon with disfavor, this is not the case with Amon Amarth. They have found a way to grow while still remaining clearly true to their death metal roots. 

Forging Mjölnir Documentary:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

‘Father Of The Wolf’ Video Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNj9zU_2onw


It also seems inadvertently fitting to post this review in light of the announcement of Amon Amarth's vocalist, Johan Hegg, playing a role in an upcoming film about vikings. 
http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/amon-amarth-frontman-to-play-viking-warrior-in-northmen-a-viking-saga/

Until The Light Takes Us & Lords Of Chaos

After randomly watching Until The Light Takes Us again, I feel as though it's worth recommending to anyone interested in the black metal scene that developed in Norway. While I don't believe that this film would be engaging for someone without any background knowledge of the scene, or the events that transpired from the scene, for those who do have some knowledge, it's worth viewing.

Whether you agree or disagree with the philosophies of the musicians interviewed, it does serve to promote some compelling and perhaps polarizing dialogue. Which may be best left discussed amongst close friends, or in a purely academic context due to its nature. The discussion about the context in which the media took the church burnings in the early 1990's in Norway, putting their own spin on events to create a sensational story and actually setting off a further chain of events, provides good conversation. It's a thought provoking film with several inadvertently comical moments amongst heavy subject matter. (The child sitting beside Frost of Satyricon on an airlines flight is one of those comical moments...).

For anyone interested in background reading on the Norwegian Black Metal scene, I would highly recommend this book. While it's been several years since I first read it, I found it to be an extremely fascinating read.

Readers (and viewers) can choose to take both book and film for what they are on the surface level, but I believe both open up the possibility of discussion about further problems, real or perceived, in society and how these can transpire into something larger. Religion, lack of understanding about religion, cultural history, sensationalism in the media without proper research... All of these are topics that spring quickly to mind, brought forward in the context of black metal.

Gothic Clothing

A few more clothing finds, although the sizing is a bit small for my liking.

I could complain for hours about how not all of us fit into a size four, or have 13 inch calves when trying on women's boots, but I do suppose it keeps the budget from being entirely blown on clothing and footwear. 

Some of the most unique pants I've seen in a while. 

I'm left wondering if I possess the sewing skills to one day alter a pair of jeans into something similar.

Edmonton Venue Reviews

The venue itself plays a large factor in determining the experience that one will have at a concert. Unless you can completely ignore every external factor and focus solely on the music, but the truth is that most people are not like that. At all. Atmosphere has a determining hand in how enjoyable the concert is. A poor atmosphere with unruly, idiotic people and the experience of the show changes greatly. A great atmosphere in a venue with competent, friendly staff generally leaves a better impression, even if the live performance was not that great. 

Edmonton has numerous venues for live music. In fact, several more than I’ve even come close to visiting. Edmonton is also gaining the recognition it deserves as a hotbed for live metal performances. There are a core few venues that seem to host metal shows, and these are my thoughts regarding experiences in each venue:

Rexall Place

Perhaps better known as the home of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team. Which should be a clue right there that a hockey arena is not an ideal venue for live music. This fact doesn’t seem to matter, as Rexall Place hosts numerous large-drawing shows from every genre of music. Bigger metal acts such as Ozzy, Slayer, Iron Maiden and Metallica have all played at Rexall. Being an arena, the sound is not great unless you are on the floor or in the lower bowl of seating. While plenty of parking is available, it’s expensive. Public transit access is good, with the LRT running almost to the door, but the neighbourhood is known for attracting some unsavory characters to the LRT itself. So be cautious if you choose to use the transit. I’ve had issues with security being overzealous for no reason. If you’re looking to buy beverages, expect long line-ups, warm, overpriced, watered-down beer and a cut-off that happens before the headlining band takes the stage. Depending on the concert, the floor area can either be general admission or assigned seating. 

Overall, Rexall Place gets a 2.5 out of 5. 

Shaw Conference Centre 

Located downtown, parking is at a premium. The best bet is an underground parkade, which is expensive but relatively secure. Due to the concert hall being in a larger venue, access from inside is good, and allows for a warm area to wait for doors to open in the winter. LRT and bus access to this venue is also good, but the neighbourhood a few short blocks away is not, so make sure you know where you are going. Usually there is a zero re-entry policy in effect and pat-down searches upon arrival. If you’re a smoker, expect to wait to get outside and expect to be corralled into a tiny area. The stage opens up into a large, general admission floor area with limited areas of bleacher-style seating on each side. If you want a good view, get yourself on the floor somewhere. Beer gardens are located at the very back of the venue, and unless it’s a no-minors event, you won’t be allowed out of the beer gardens with a beverage. The view from the beer gardens is non-existent and the bar tenders are some of the slowest I have ever had the displeasure of coming across, with the result being ridiculously long lines, warm drinks and dissatisfied customers. The sound is okay, but not great. While smaller than Rexall Place, this is probably the second largest venue to see live music in the city.

Overall, the Shaw Conference Centre gets a 3 out of 5. 

Edmonton Expo Centre

Located near Rexall Place, the name should be a dead giveaway that this will not be an ideal set-up for live music. It is a conglomerate of different halls, which work well for expositions and similar events, but do not (in my opinion) work well for music. With the same parking and transit access as Rexall Place, getting to the venue is not an issue. The real issues begin once you get inside. There was no coat check anywhere. In a cold climate, you would expect some kind of coat check in a large venue. I held a general admission ticket to the show I attended at this venue. Upon arriving on the floor, I discovered that the beer gardens were a tiny area at the back of the floor, offering no view of the stage. The beer gardens smelled like a barn, likely due to the fact that they had just held a rodeo in the same venue a few days prior. While this didn’t bother me, it seemed to bother a lot of other patrons. Even more irritating, while those with general admission tickets were not allowed to leave the beer gardens and go onto the rest of the floor with beverages, those who had assigned seats could wander everywhere else around the venue with beverages. The amount of disorganization on the part of the staff was astounding, creating several very angry concert-goers. Through an incident which should have been simple to resolve, we were treated with extreme disrespect and outright rudeness from staff. The sound in the venue is echo-y, and myself and my friends were so exasperated by the staff, the inadequacy of the planning and the venue itself that we did not even stay to watch the headliner finish playing. I will not be back to this venue for live music.

Overall, the Edmonton Expo Centre gets a 1 out of 5, which feels somewhat  generous. 

Eds

(Eds Rec Room, Reds...) This venue is located inside West Edmonton Mall, and is currently closed while undergoing renovations. I am not entirely sure that it will re-open as a concert venue, but I have high hopes, as it is a pretty decent venue and draws good metal acts. Parking is fairly easy to find, as it doubles as mall parking with additional overflow parking across the street. Unlike some other venues, it’s also free. West Edmonton Mall is also a major transit hub for busses, so as long as you’re aware of what time the last busses run or you’re willing to take a cab (of which there are an abundance after shows), you won’t have a problem with transportation. Shows are general admission, but if you are under the age of eighteen, be aware that you will probably be corralled into a separate area from everyone else with a limited view of the stage. While I personally believe that there needs to be more disclosure about this fact to patrons before arriving at the venue, and perhaps discounted tickets for minors, this does not happen. The biggest complaint that emerges time after time about the venue is the fact that there are a few large, view obstructing pillars on the floor in front of the stage. (Perhaps something will be done to address this during renovations?) There is a bar area on the floor, and one behind the tiers of tables and chairs at the back of the floor. If one arrives early, you can secure a good seat at these tables with a good view of the stage. The merchandise area is somewhat out of the way, near the entrance and coat check area. The layout of the venue is quite unusual compared to anything else I have seen, but seems to work reasonably well. Often times, mandatory coat checks are in place, which are not disclosed until you are inside and which seem like a blatant money grab from management if it happens to be winter since patrons are forced to wait outside and doors are often late to open. This venue has had it’s share of issues with disorganized staff and security guards who have little or no security training. The issue with security guards has seemed to correct itself the last few times I attended shows at Eds due to the hiring of professionals. The venue has adopted a policy of no stage-diving or ridiculous moshing, which is appropriate if you have bore witness to some of the idiotic stunts that have taken place at past shows here. The sound is usually pretty good in this venue, and it seemed to have been improving in terms of policies and consistency in enforcing policies lately. 

Overall, Eds gets a 4 out of 5. 

Starlite Room

Starlite Room is located downtown, with relatively easy public transit access. There is a parking lot beside the venue, which is quite affordable if you arrive after six in the evening. It is also located beside an after-hours club, which, if you’re attending a weekend show, be prepared to deal with propositions to buy drugs from patrons of that particular club. Also be aware that being located downtown, you will likely have to deal with homeless people looking for change and cigarettes, although the security at the Starlite Room have done a reasonable job of cracking down on as of late. This is a ‘members only’ club. If you do not have a membership, be prepared to pay five dollars for a yearly membership card. On the upside, this membership is good to get yourself and a friend in the door and often a metal-head arriving on his or her own will be generous enough to let you in on their membership if you make friends before the show.  The Starlite Room used to draw a large number of medium-sized metal shows, but lately it seems to have focused on other genres of music. The venue itself is fairly well set up for live music, with a sloping floor that allows a good vantage point of the stage from almost anywhere in the room. I haven’t had too many complaints about sound in the Starlite Room and I have been to the venue too many times to count. There are several stairs to navigate to various points in the venue, but these provide some separation of the merchandise area, washrooms, various bars and the small seating area from the floor. It is easy to find a bar in this venue. There are two main bars and several small ones located throughout. This is another venue that fails from inconsistency of enforcement of policies and various other things. You never quite know which door will be used as entry for the main event, as the building is divided into a few smaller venues that may or may not be open, or may or may not be hosting a different event on the same night. The policy on re-entry can be quite lenient, or quite strict. Some shows you are allowed re-entry, allowing for merchandise to be dropped off at a car in the parking lot and easy access to the sidewalk for smokers or those looking to grab some fresh air. Fresh air is in short supply in this venue, as there does not seem to be any system for proper ventilation and the temperature inside often rises to sickening levels. During shows in which there is a no re-entrance policy in effect, smokers are funneled down a narrow set of stairs (which also lead to the washrooms), and into a tiny, fenced in alley, creating a backlog of annoyed patrons. While I can not comment on the state of the men’s washrooms in this building, the women’s washrooms offer the feeling of a slight death-trap with doors that don’t always close and toilets that seem to have been broken for years.  There used to be several security guards in this venue who let power go to their heads and seemed to enjoy making people miserable, but lately the security has been pretty reasonable. Just be aware that depending on the night, you never know what you’re going to get in terms of policies regarding re-entry, smoking areas and cameras. 

Overall, the Starlite Room gets 3.5 out of 5. 

The Pawnshop

The Pawnshop is located on Whyte Avenue, which is a hinderance in some ways and fantastic in others. Mostly fantastic if you are the type of person who enjoys being able to hop to another bar after the show, but a hinderance if you don’t particularly enjoy large crowds of young, very drunk, party-going types. That being said, attending a show at The Pawnshop on a weeknight is totally different from attending a show on a weekend, due to the sheer concentration of bars and clubs of every type along Whyte Avenue. Free, street parking is often difficult to find and public transit access is not that great, reliant on un-reliable busses that run limited routes in the evenings. There is a parking lot located a block away that offers cheap parking in the evenings. The Pawnshop is a small venue, located in the upstairs area of a building. The security guards here have always been friendly, reasonable and able to do their jobs properly when trouble arises. The venue is L-shaped, which allows for an area to stay hidden away from the stage with booths and tables, and an area directly in front of the stage that has a few long tables and stools to sit on at the back. While the floor area in front of the stage is quite small, this setup seems to work well for this venue. If you like being in close proximity to the stage, this is offered as you can literally stand right against it, close enough to have the performing musicians step on your fingers if you’re not careful. There is reasonable ventilation in the building, so unless you’re at the very front of the floor, you might not even feel the need to remove a jacket or hoodie. While the washrooms could use a little bit of fixing, this is my only real complaint about the Pawnshop. It seems to have become the premier venue for lesser-known metal bands (and other acts as well), hosting numerous shows each month in an intimate setting. It’s easy to meet band members both outside and mingling with the crowd and generally has a good atmosphere. 

Overall, The Pawnshop gets a 4.5 out of 5. 

Rendezvous Pub

Located on Stony Plain Road, the Rendezvous Pub is a small venue, located out of the way, that hosts a number of local metal shows. The charm of this bar is that some of the staff, and I believe one of the owners, are metal-heads themselves. It’s small and a bit of a dive, but a reasonable place to see smaller, local acts. The stage is small, but it allows for an intimate, pub atmosphere. Even during shows, one side of the bar seems to be taken up by neighborhood regulars, but they do not seem to mind that a metal act takes over for the night. Drinks are reasonably priced and there is a small parking lot out front. There are several tables available for those who would rather not be part of a pit, or who would rather have a conversation with friends. This is more of a place for metal-heads to hang out with acquaintances while catching a local show than anything else, but it works for what it is. Be aware that this venue is not in the greatest area of the city, evidenced by the number of adult-oriented stores mere blocks away. With the closure of a few other similar small venues in the city, it isn’t a bad option to see a local show.

Overall, the Rendezvous Pub gets a 3.5 out of 5. 

Avenue Theatre

While the Avenue Theatre’s website advertises it as being located in the ‘arts driven’ community along 118th Avenue, this seems like a stretch for those of us who remember 118th Ave before the city took massive steps to re-brand the area. In all honesty, this is still one of the worst areas of the city, and not a place that most people feel comfortable in after dark. There is no dedicated parking area for the venue, making street parking in the surrounding blocks the only real option. (And leaving some to wonder if they will come back to an intact vehicle). The entrance area to the venue is one big, confused, crowded mess with limited space in which to display merchandise, let patrons in and out, perform security checks and have bars set up. Located in a huge room that began life as a movie theatre in the 1950’s, it seems impossible that the stage and floor area can feel so crowded and unwelcoming. Cement floors are always somewhat scary in a venue, due to how slippery they become when covered in spilled alcohol and inevitable bruises they cause if one gets knocked down in the pit. Whether it was the neighbourhood, or the venue’s past as the Avenue Skatepark, I found the patrons to be some of the rudest, sketchiest people I have personally ever encountered at a metal show. Security is non-existent when they need to be, which is somewhat understandable when the security staff seem to be a crowd of volunteers without any real training. Perhaps it is saying something to the crowd and the venue itself when the ‘best’ beer offered for sale is Pabst Blue Ribbon. Unless a metal band plays here that I absolutely have to see, this is a venue that I am not likely to visit again. The layout just did not work for what they tried to set up at the show I attended. While there is merit in trying to create a good venue in an awful neighbourhood and draw good shows, the Avenue Theatre still has lot of work to do. 

Overall, the Avenue Theatre gets a 1.5 out of 5. 

For those of you in the local scene that may have read this and visited any of these venues, do you agree? Do you disagree? Anything pressingly urgent that has been left out?

Image from the Pawn Shop's website.