The Best Of 2017

I was far from diligent in reviewing new releases in 2017; that much is evidenced from the serious lack of posts doing just that. With all of the "top releases of 2017" lists coming out in December, and my difference of opinion from most of them, I wanted to share my top picks of last year. Keep in mind that these are my FAVOURITES, highly subjective to my own personal taste in metal.

Top Five (from well-known bands):

Belphegor - Totenritual
Blackened death metal (Austria)

Entrails - World Inferno 

Death metal (Sweden)

Cut Up - Wherever They May Rot

Death metal (Sweden)

Kreator - Gods Of Violence

Thrash metal (Germany)

King Of Asgard - Taudr

Viking metal (Sweden)

Local Picks:

My favourite releases from bands I've had the opportunity to see live and watch grow over the last few years. If you're into the style of metal they play, I'd recommend checking out these albums. Admittedly, there are a few of my Canadian favourites from whom I failed to pick up albums from in 2017. 

Körperlose Stimme

Blackened death metal (Canada)

Forsaken Rite 

Folk metal (Canada)

Körperlose Stimme: Making of 'Souls Of The Forest' video

Körperlose Stimme have just wrapped up a handful of tour dates supporting their debut full-length album, 'Souls Of The Forest', with upcoming dates in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton in the next few weeks.
Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this album as I've been following this blackened death metal act basically since their inception as a band. If you get a chance, I highly recommend going out to see Körperlose Stimme live. You won't be disappointed.

Körperlose Stimme Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/KorperloseStimmeMetal/

Körperlose Stimme Set to Release Their Debut Full Length

Canadian blackened death metal outfit Körperlose Stimme have announced that they will be releasing their debut full-length album this winter. Titled 'Souls Of The Forest', I'm looking forward to this album. They have previously released an EP titled 'The Dark Man', and have proven themselves as a live band to keep an eye on in the future.

Check out the trailer for 'Souls Of The Forest':

Körperlose Stimme At Metalocalypstick Fest: Video

One of my favourite lesser-known bands, Körperlose Stimme, have put together a neat video clip showcasing their experience at Metalocalypstick Fest this past August. Körperlose Stimme are a blackened death metal band from Edmonton, AB, Canada and I feel fortunate to be able to catch their sets on a fairly regular basis.

While I was lucky enough to catch a few great sets at this festival, I hope that in the future some changes are made to increase attendance, have better organization and provide a covered merch area for those bands who make the long trek out to play. With such a gorgeous backdrop, as evidenced in the video Körperlose Stimme has shared, it's a bit of shame that the inaugural edition of this festival lacked in so many areas. My personal thoughts aside, check out the video:

On The Radar: Körperlose Stimme

If you enjoy blackened death metal and you haven't heard of Körperlose Stimme, you're missing out. This newly released video provides some insight into the lyrics, themes and music of this wicked up-and-coming Canadian band. 'The Dark Man' EP is excellent; I'd recommend getting your hands on it if at all possible.

Körperlose Stimme - The Dark Man Video

Körperlose Stimme have quickly become a band that people are taking notice of in the local scene. Their sound can be described as blackened death metal with paranormal themes.

Just over a week ago, Körperlose Stimme released a music video for the song 'The Dark Man'. I quite like this video; it's just the right amount of creepy and very well put together.

Farmageddon Open Air 2015 : My Thoughts

The following will be a summary of my thoughts regarding Farmageddon Open Air 2015. I felt as though I should leave the reviews up to the professionals this time. Honestly, I didn’t take in the festival to the extent I felt that I should have in order to write a ‘review’. The last month of my life has been hectic, resulting in a feeling of exhaustion before I even made it to Farmageddon. Certainly not the best precursor to a weekend of beer and metal. I’m still recovering from the cold I caught over the weekend. Discombobulated thoughts, and some misguided advice follow: 

Edmonton Kick-Off Show

• Körperlose Stimme played an excellent set. This was their first show I have been able to catch, but am definitely hoping to see them again. The kick-off was also the first time the band has played live since vocalist Verteidigung was pregnant. I was certainly impressed.
• Ironstorm, with Farmageddon founder Tyson Travnik on drums, also played a solid set. I believe the last time I saw this band, they had a different vocalist (although I could be wrong on this point).
• Anyone who has followed this blog knows that I thoroughly enjoy BLËED. Although the album release was pushed back to a later date, BLËED still delivered with all the ferocity one can expect from this band. After returning from the Wacken Metal Battle Final in Toronto, it was disappointing to see that barely anyone hung around to watch. 
• I enjoyed the wonderfully sticky, slightly off-color ‘murder babies’ and all of the jokes that came with them. I’m glad I was one of the few who stayed to watch.

Farmageddon

• The weather turned out to the be the sore point of the weekend. I was optimistic that a forecast of rain might materialize into rain showers, or very little rain, but that wasn’t the case. At least, not for Saturday and most of Sunday. 
• I wish I would have managed to get my gazebo tarped. At least it would have provided respite from the rain in between sets. Mesh isn’t the best water deterrent. 
• Mesh also does not stand up to grease fires on a camp stove. (Although I was not the one who created the grease fire...)
• Friday night, and the camp set-up quickly turned into an utterly hilarious beer fest. 
• The camping and stage areas were significantly different from 2014. This year, the camping area was clearly distinguishable from the stage area. While I preferred last year’s set up, I understand that it would not have been possible to have the same set-up again.
• AGLC rules making the stage area a no-smoking zone, free from outside alcohol, sucked. Again, from the perspective of the organizers, it was an understandable necessity. 
• Idolatry played a good set of pure black metal on Friday evening, bringing the darkness with them. 
• I once again managed to miss most of Villainizer between eating donairs and deciding I was drunk enough that I should probably find my tent before it disappeared into the vast sea of tents. Another lesson reinforced: a donair cannot be eaten while drunk without making a massive mess. Which you will not notice until the next morning.
• Apparently you cannot leave beer unguarded outside your tent, even if it clearly is inside your cooler, or inside your gazebo. The beer goblins will strike. 
• Unlike some others, I was lucky enough to stay warm and dry while inside my tent. That, combined with a bit of social anxiety and a general attitude of unfounded irritation probably explained why I spent most of Saturday evening hiding in my tent. 
• I did not end up watching a single full set on Saturday. Which was a disappointment, especially considering I didn’t even venture out to watch Incantation, whom I was really looking forward to. At least they sounded good from inside my tent. 
• The weather made me seriously consider buying some good hunting/outfitting rain gear. I have decided this will be my next major purchase in order to make a rainy festival experience more enjoyable. 
• I should have dug my camera out to capture some of the moments, but I didn’t. 
• The donair truck, while a bit overpriced, was awesome. The fish and chips truck was fantastic. I really enjoyed being able to get a fresh, warm meal that I didn’t have to cook, and that did not consist of burgers or hot dogs. 
• Seagulls, seagulls and more seagulls on Sunday morning. I woke up to the sound of bird shit bombarding my tent. Which is more funny than it should be, considering it always seems to be my vehicle or tent that gets shit on by birds. At least the seagulls didn’t get me. 
• Aggression was phenomenal, inciting enough headbanging to make my neck sore for the next several days. While I had heard of these Canadian thrash pioneers, I hadn’t given them much of a listen. They played one of the most energetic, enjoyable sets I’ve seen recently. 
• Grim Reaper closed the festival on Sunday evening, and what an amazing choice to close a festival. The Brits played to a crowd who enjoyed every moment, and they certainly seemed to feed off the energy themselves. Steve Grimmet cracked a few hilarious jokes throughout the night. The cover of Dio’s ‘Don’t Talk To Strangers’ might go down as one of the most heartfelt, almost-magical, tribute moments I’ve ever witnessed at any concert or festival. 
• The attendance seemed to be double, or more, of what it was last year. While the vast majority of people were incredibly well behaved, I hope continued growth doesn’t attract the kind of people that detract from the enjoyment of the festival for those of us who manage to have fun without being idiots. 

Last, but certainly not least, thank you to everyone who put in an unimaginable amount of hard work to make Farmageddon possible. It is much appreciated to have an event of this calibre so close to home. 

Farmageddon 2015 Line Up

Farmageddon Open Air has just released the line-up for this year's event, and it looks great! There is something for almost everyone present, including bands from several sub-genres and even a few burlesque and performance artists to add a little bit extra. There are several bands in the lineup that I look forward to seeing again, and a few that I'm interested in checking out for the first time. Incantation and Grim Reaper anyone? 

This was a fantastic event last year, and I am hoping it will be the same this year. Being (somewhat) acquainted with some of the organizers and various band members of bands that will be playing, I know how much hard work and dedication goes into such an event.  Fingers crossed for good weather, a great time meeting up with plenty of friends, cold beer and metal! 

For more information:
http://www.farmageddon.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/Farmageddonfest

Körperlose Stimme: In The Studio

Local blackened death metal band, Körperlose Stimme, has been hard at work creating their EP over the last while. They have released a behind-the-scenes studio video detailing the recording of the upcoming EP. I'm looking forward to 'The Dark Man' video, the upcoming EP release and perhaps some live shows in the future.

Check it out: The Dark Man EP Behind The Scenes

A few Körperlose Stimme tracks: https://soundcloud.com/confrontor

Local Report: Körperlose Stimme & Mongol (New Music)

With an abundance of other things to do, I again find it a struggle to find the time to write something interesting, but two local bands have just released some new music to stream for free. I'd like to share their work, as I think it's worthy of being acknowledged and hopefully will allow both of these bands to gain a few more listeners.

The first, Körperlose Stimme, is probably best described as a blackened death metal band. (Körperlose Stimme means 'disembodied voice' in German, for those who are wondering). I'm still disappointed that I missed out on seeing them live when I had the opportunity, and hope a few shows are in the works for the near future. Featuring female vocalist/guitarist Verteidigung Frostkeit and guitarist Angrif Frostkeit, whom together seem to be the masterminds behind this band, they are worth listening to if you enjoy a bit of blackened death. They have just recorded and posted a few tracks for your listening pleasure:

Körperlose Stimme Soundcloud (new tracks)

Körperlose Stimme Facebook

The second band, Mongol, are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the folk metal scene. They have just released their second album, Chosen By Tengri, for free on one of their pages. This is one that I will be picking up hard-copy next weekend at the official CD release party. Mongol reminds me, at times, of a lot of folk metal bands that I love and yet they have taken quite a unique direction with their music. Another fantastic band, well worth giving a listen. I haven't even had the chance to give this a play through yet, as it was posted a few hours ago, but if it is anything like the first album, it will definitely be enjoyable. 

Mongol - Chosen By Tengri full album

Mongol Facebook