Kataklysm Release First Track from New Album

Canadian death metal veterans Kataklysm released the lyric video for the song 'Guillotine' off of their upcoming album today. The new album, titled "Meditations", will be out on June 1st. Kataklysm are always a good bet to release a heavy, well done album and I doubt their thirteenth effort will be any different.

Necrophobic - 'Pesta' Video

Necrophobic have very recently released the official video for the track titled 'Pesta', from this year's Mark of The Necrogram album. This band represents some of the best aspects of a blackened approach to death metal, and this video is worth watching. 

Kalmah: New Songs from Upcoming 'Palo' Album

The date is fast approaching when Kalmah is set to release 'Palo' upon the world. It's been a long wait since 'Seventh Swamphony'. With a band as proficient at melodic death as these Finns, I'm excited to see what's in store on this one. I wasn't overly enthused after hearing the first release, "Evil Kin", but the second song released, "Blood Ran Cold", has upped the ante.

Belphegor - The Devil's Son Video

There's something about the imagery that Belphegor conjures that most bands struggle to match...

Swedish Bands To Deliver The Goods In February

Two very different sounding bands, both hailing from Sweden, are set to release new albums this February.

First out of the gate is Grimner, a folk metal band from Motala. They play a style similar to Månegarm while adding their own unique elements. 'Frost Mot Eld', which was released in 2016 was easily one of my favourite albums of that particular year. 'Vanadrottning' will be available on February 9, 2018.

Stockholm's Necrophobic will be dropping their new album on February 23rd, 2018. Titled 'Mark Of The Necrogram', it promises to be a proficiently solid blackened death metal release. This is one band that hasn't managed to achieve much recognition, but has none-the-less put out some fantastic albums. With nearly five years in between albums, I'm certainly looking forward to this one.

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)

Shared From Transcending Obscurity: Swedish Death Metal Highlights

Maybe it's the increasingly cold and snowy weather, or maybe I'm just feeling in need of delving deeper into some Swedish death metal lately due to being stuck at home. Either way, I ran across this article on the website of the Transcending Obscurity record label/online magazine a while ago and felt it was well-worth sharing:

https://tometal.com/special-highlights-swedish-death-metal-highlights/

I know absolutely nothing about Transcending Obscurity itself, but after seeing some of the bands they've signed and doing a bit of browsing on their site, it definitely seems like a good place to check out once in a while. This article gives a good round-up of what has been going on in the Swedish death metal scene recently, focusing on bands that are probably a little more obscure than some of the 'big' names of the sub-genre.

I haven't had a chance to listen to probably half of the bands mentioned in the article, but would agree in recommending Interment, Entrails, and Cut Up. A few of the others, such as Under The Church, Paganizer, and Vangheld are on my radar but I don't feel like I know any of their material well enough to comment about it other than liking what I've heard. As for the rest, it leaves a hell of a lot of bands I've either never heard of, or heard of in passing to check out!

If you're interested in Swedish death metal, I'd recommend giving this article a quick scan (at the very least). You'll probably find something to pique your interest.

Loud As Hell, Broke As Fuck: A Weekend At Drumheller's Loud As Hell Festival

August 4-6^th, 2017

“Loud As Hell, Drunk As Fuck” seems to be the official moniker for this fantastic metal festival held just outside Drumheller, AB. Even the little kids in attendance were shouting this with fervor by the end of the weekend, probably much to the dismay of their teachers when asked what they did over the summer when it’s time to go back to school. Anyways, if you’re in Western Canada and looking for a festival to hit up, this is the one to check out. I’ve been to a few Western Canadian festivals (with plans to check out a few others in the future), and Loud As Hell is my favourite.

The venue is perfectly suited to this kind of event. With an indoor stage, it doesn’t matter if it’s pouring rain. Which, like all festivals, it’s almost guaranteed to do. The indoor venue also provides a welcome relief from the sun and actually remains a pretty reasonable temperature even when packed with sweaty moshers. There’s plenty of room for vendors to set up and the band merch table was well stocked and well-run by volunteers. A second small stage allowed for short clinics by some of the musicians and various talks from industry professionals such as promoters. The festival grounds provide plenty of space for tents and for those camping with motorhomes and trailers, as well as easy entry and exit if you choose to make the quick trip into Drumheller to grab something you forgot, to have a shower, or to check out all the neat stuff the town has to offer. Of course you can drink your own booze in the camping areas, but alcohol inside the venue was also reasonably priced with a decent selection if you didn’t want to miss out on any of the action.

Friday night saw a torrential rainstorm come through the area. Most people seemed prepared with raincoats and waterproof footwear, which is a must considering the ground around Drumheller doesn’t absorb water and quickly turns into a greasy mud pit. (Kudos to the festival staff who somehow managed to keep the floor inside the venue clean despite pounds of mud being tracked in). Edmonton thrashers Mortillery and death metallers Eye Of Horus were the highlights of the night for me, with Eye of Horus filling in last minute for a band that was unable to make it.

Saturday morning dawned spectacularly foggy for anyone who was up early enough to witness it. I never thought I’d be complaining about humidity in Drumheller, but Saturday proved to be sunny and humid, which didn’t stop the party from continuing. With plenty of great and varied bands on the bill, there was something for everyone. I tried to check out as many as I could, enjoying The Lucifer Project and Tyrant’s Demise in the early evening. Travelling from Winnipeg, it’s bands like Tyrant’s Demise (and the fans who also travel hours to festivals) that prove that the Western Canadian metal scene is alive and well. Taking the party into the later stages of the evening, The Order of Chaos and Planet Eater both played great sets. They were followed by a performance from Permafrost Suspensions, which if you like things to get a little strange (a relative term, I might add) and aren’t squeamish, was worth checking out. The headliner of the night, Vancouver’s mighty thrash veterans, Aggression, played a blistering set, leaving me half deaf for the rest of the weekend. A reasonable crowd stuck around until after three in the morning to enjoy an impressive range of eighties metal covers performed by Shocker. Seriously, any band that plays a WASP cover and nails it is good in my books.

Sunday saw more than a few hangovers, and plenty of people still ready to drink more booze and enjoy more great metal. Dead Asylum proved to be my favourite ‘undiscovered’ band of the weekend. Scythia played a set that was very different to any of the other sets I’ve witnessed them perform, bringing Brian Langley (better known as the vocalist of Aggression) on stage to play guitar for a few songs. I’d bet some of us didn’t previously know that he actually played in Scythia for a short time. To cap off the weekend, Battlecross finished the night to a packed house. Flying in to play, they managed to re-energize a crowd that had just spent the entire weekend drinking, partying and headbanging.

Overall, I can’t say enough about how well organized and smoothly run Loud As Hell was. The venue was fantastic, the volunteers did an amazing job and the bands played outstanding sets. Although I’m now completely broke (hence the title of this post), Loud As Hell was worth every nickel spent.

Evocation - 'Condemned To The Grave' Video

As a frequent listener of the Swedish variety of death metal, I have a hard time believing I haven't listened to more of Evocation's material. They're set to release a new album titled "The Shadow Archetype" on March 10th. After hearing the already released tracks, 'Condemned To The Grave' stands as my favourite so far.

Give 'Condemned To The Grave' a watch:

Vampire Set To Release Their Latest Offering

Vampire will be releasing their latest offering, titled 'With Primeval Force', on April 21st. When I want stripped down, raw, uncompromising death metal, I look to Vampire. Having thoroughly enjoyed their self-titled debut, I'm looking forward to the upcoming second album from these Swedes.

For a taste of what's in store, take a few minutes to listen to "Ghoul Wind", which will appear on 'With Primeval Force'.

Black Mourning Light Festival: What to Expect

I wanted to share this article from Beatroute Magazine regarding the Black Mourning Light Festival taking place in a few short days:

http://beatroute.ca/2016/10/17/extreme-metal-black-mourning-light-festival-grows-bigger/

I missed the inaugural edition last year, and judging by the excellent feedback, this is not an event I can totally miss again this year. Both days boast a pretty solid lineup of underground black, doom and blackened death metal. Certainly enough to satiate the appetites of Edmonton's metalheads for a little while, at least.

With two nights of bands, October 21 & October 22, plus a VIP breakfast on Sunday morning, this is a promising event for those who are able to clear their schedule for any portion of the festival.

For more on this event, check out the official website:
https://blackmourninglight.wordpress.com

On The Radar: Eye Of Horus

I first caught Eye of Horus opening for 3 Inches of Blood and Goatwhore back in 2013, and was immediately impressed, One of my favourite local bands, they bring a tightly constructed style of melodic death metal. In the vein of Bloodbath and At The Gates, this is a band that should continue to do great things. They typically pack any show that they headline and become favourites at any festival they play.

'Infernal Calling', their debut album, was released almost exactly one year ago. Crushingly heavy, I would highly recommend it for any death metal fan. Eye of Horus have just released a video for one of the album tracks, "Hexagammatron".

Check out the official video here.

On The Radar: Tartarus

While I haven't found much motivation to write lately, I've still managed to find a few new bands to check out. Tartarus managed to catch my attention. A black/death metal outfit from Pittsburg, they have recently released an album. A little more black metal influenced than what I typically listen to, I was intrigued by the video for the song 'Thanatos':

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.

Kalmah: Worth The Wait (A Live Review)

Kalmah with Vesperia, Trollband, Mongol

April 19th, 2016

Starlite Room

The Starlite Room contained a surprisingly decent sized crowd early in the evening to witness local support acts Mongol and Trollband. Mongol, in typical fashion, played an energetic set that was genuinely enjoyed by the audience. Rising through the folk metal ranks, they also shared a new song with the horde (The Mountain Weeps). Trollband further pumped up the crowd, many of whom were already quite familiar with the band’s interesting mix of blackened folk metal. Vesperia, hailed as “epic death metal from the frozen north” were a perfect segue from the more folkish stylings of the first two openers to the more deathish stylings of Kalmah. 

After waiting nearly ten years to see Kalmah live, the Finns didn’t disappoint. Emerging from the swampy depths of Oulu (which is probably not that swampy at all, but it sounded good), they tore up the Starlite. While one typically doesn’t think of a melodic death metal band and a sense of humor going hand-in-hand, vocalist Pekka Kokko cracked a few jokes throughout the night and genuinely seemed to be enjoying the gig. Kalmah played a good mix of old and newer material. This was to the liking of many of the fans although Kalmah is one of those bands who has never released an album that could be recognized as anything less than strong. ‘Pikemaster’ came off sounding particularly awesome as the energy of the band never seemed to wane through the set. 

Personally, I would have loved to hear ‘Wings Of Blackening’, but with such a strong repertoire of material to choose from, it would have been impossible to fit all of the favorites into the length of a single set. Perhaps it was one of those songs Pekka Kokko forgot how to play, which was another humorous quip from the frontman. Amidst a dismal spring filled with uncertainty for many metalheads in this province, Kalmah provided the perfect dose of melo-death, proving that the wait to see the Finns live was more than worth it.

Eye Of Horus, With Malice, Tales Of The Tomb Review

Eye Of Horus, With Malice, Tales Of The Tomb

December 5, 2015

Rendezvous Pub

The Rendezvous Pub played host to what promised to be one of the sickest local death metal shows of the year. Dethgod, the only band on the bill not from Edmonton, was forced to drop off the bill due to a family emergency. Although a little disappointing, the reason was perfectly understandable and many of the local metal heads are hoping to see them make it to Edmonton in the new year. 

The Rendezvous was already rocking with the sounds of Tales Of The Tomb as I arrived. Boisterous and frenetic, they proved again why they are a good pick for an energizing opener. 

With Malice played a blistering set, supporting their album ‘Hail Kraken’. The band’s Facebook page states that “their live show is nothing but pure, raw intensity from start to finish” and it’s an apt description. I’ve only caught this band a few times, but each time has involved an intense, energetic, near-perfect thrashy-death metal experience. 

Eye of Horus promised a unique set of cover songs and definitely delivered. They brought an intensity typical of their own material to each of the covers played, including songs from other death metal greats such as At The Gates, Cannibal Corpse, Bloodbath, and Behemoth. Mixing a few of their own songs in, it’s not hard to see why Eye of Horus has quickly risen to the top ranks of Alberta’s death metal bands. 

The beer was flowing, multiple birthdays were celebrated by band and audience members, the temperature was much more appealing than what could be expected from a December night in Edmonton, and all three bands were on point, playing ear-shredding sets. All in all, it was a great, intimate show. 

Article: Possessed's 'Seven Churches' - 30 Years Later

The Metal Crypt posted an article compiling opinions of other musicians on Possessed's 'Seven Churches' album in honour of its 30th anniversary. I found the article linked from Possessed's Facebook page:

http://www.metalcrypt.com/pages/interviews.php?intid=455


It's definitely a long read, but worth it to gain insight into just how influential this album became. I can't personally speak to the evolution of 'Seven Churches' influence, nor can I speak to the impact it had when first released as I have found Possessed relatively recently. The first time I truly took notice of the band was on the Barge To Hell cruise, and I consider myself lucky to have caught them live again at Noctis Festival a few years ago.

Even all of these years after Possessed began, I was blown away by the intensity of their live show. Especially considering that I did not even realize Jeff Becerra is in a wheelchair until the band took the stage. Live, they managed to be one of the most evil sounding bands I've seen without having to use theatrics. 'Seven Churches' has become an album that I thoroughly enjoy, and one that I believe anyone studying the roots of death metal should own.

Belphegor - 'Black Winged Torment' Video

One of my favourite blackened death metal bands, Belphegor, released a new video yesterday. Taken from the 'Conjuring The Dead' album, released last year, 'Black Winged Torment' is the latest in a series of strange, fucked up videos from this band. Featuring blood, feathers and all sorts of other strange things, the video has a bit of an esoteric feel.

Eye Of Horus CD Release Show: A Short Review

Eye of Horus CD Release with Death Toll Rising, AfterEarth, Mongol, Wolfrik

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Rendezvous Pub

Tired and sluggish from the insanity of Villainizer’s farewell show the night before, I headed out to the Eye Of Horus CD release show, knowing this was another one not to be missed. The Rendezvous Pub is a small venue and it was definitely quite full by the end of this rainy evening. Fighting through my own somewhat grouchy mood, it was still a night of music well worth attending. 

Wolfrik opened the show and while quite a few people seemed to thoroughly enjoy their style of metal, it’s something that isn’t to my taste. Mongol, on the other hand, play a uniquely themed style of folk metal that’s aways enjoyable. On a night where new material was the theme, Mongol had a new song to offer titled ‘The Mountain Weeps’. If this is any indication of what’s to come from the Mongol camp, it’s worth looking forward to. 

AfterEarth, from Calgary, played an excellent set of melodic death metal on the heels of their newly released CD, “In The Shadow Of Destiny”. This was the second time seeing this band, and I’m hoping to have the opportunity to see them again. Death Toll Rising has been a staple in the local death metal scene for years and once again proved exactly why. Always high energy, always packed with great musicianship, tonight was no different.

Of course, the highlight of the night came from Eye of Horus. Officially releasing their latest offering of brilliant brutality, they killed it. This is a band that sounds as if they crawled right out of Sweden with some of the best that particular country has to offer. Fresh off of a western Canadian tour, they were on point yet again. Crushingly heavy, with insurmountable energy, it was a great set. If you haven’t picked up a copy of their new album, “Infernal Calling”, do it. If you get a chance to see Eye of Horus live and you like brutally tight, heavy death metal, take the opportunity. You will not be disappointed. 

BLËED - 'Committed' (New Song)

I'm immensely excited for the release of BLËED's full length album, "The Hatred Inside", which is due in late September. Bravewords.com is currently streaming 'Committed', which is the first single from the album. It sounds nice and gritty; an in-your-face bombast of the kind of metal I love from this band.

Links:
Bravewords Article
(Link to stream 'Committed')