Children of Bodom - 'Morrigan' Video

Children of Bodom's latest offering, "I Worship Chaos" is due out on October 2nd, a mere few days away. I definitely haven't minded what I've heard so far, and I will be getting myself a copy of the album.

The video for 'Morrigan' was posted a few days ago and seems to have met some pretty mixed reviews. Honestly, I almost wish I hadn't watched this video as it taints what I liked about the song itself. I am definitely not a fan of the video; it seems really cliche without offering anything interesting. I get the concept, but I don't like the execution. And using an MMA fighter in the video? I just hope it doesn't attract more douchebag fans to this particular band as there already seem to be enough of those. (Can you tell I'm not a big fan of the type of person that is stereotypically attracted to MMA?)

If you're looking for a little background on the video, take a look at this article:
http://www.songfacts.com/blog/writing/behind_the_video_morrigan_by_children_of_bodom/

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. 

Villainizer Bids Farewell: Review

Villainizer Final Show with BLEED, Bloated Pig, Tylor Dory Trio and Tales Of The Tomb

September 11th, 2015

Starlite Room

One could feel the anticipation for Villainizer’s farewell show in the days leading up to this particular night. Upon arrival at the venue, even before doors were scheduled to open, several metal heads were already lined up, eager to get their hands on some of the limited Villainizer merchandise being offered. 

Stated on social media as ‘psychological horror metal / death metal / murder metal, Tales of the Tomb opened the show to a steady trickle of arriving metal heads. With lyrical themes revolving around serial killers such as Robert Pickton (check out ‘The Pig Farmer’), cult leaders such as David Koresh, and various other murders and criminal acts, this band offers macabre death metal with a real-life twist. Proving to be a good opener for this particular show, they played an energetic set, preparing the crowd for what was still to come. 

Described by guitarist/vocalist Tylor Dory as the ‘least metal band of the night’, Tylor Dory Trio proved to be an impressive display of true musicianship. Dory has been a talented mainstay in the local metal scene for years, also playing with Villainizer on this particular night (as well as Death Toll Rising the following night). Not having listened to Tylor Dory Trio’s material previously, I was sincerely impressed even though the style is not typical of the sub genres of metal I usually listen to. Always having been impressed with Dory’s guitar abilities, I was also very pleasantly surprised to hear him sing lead vocals. This is definitely a band worth keeping an eye on. 

Bloated Pig were another band that I had not previously seen. While I found them interesting to watch, I also found them to be a touch on the doom-y, sludgy side for my preferences. It seemed as though they were well-appreciated by the crowd though. 

BLEED: the second most hype-inducing band of the evening. (They would have been in close contention with Villainizer for most-anticipated of the night for many if it were not Villainizer’s farewell show). With a brand new album, ‘The Hatred Inside’, set to be officially released at the end of the month, I was excited to see what this band had on offer this evening. When you go to a BLEED show, you know you will be entertained. Horrifically awesome costumes, often hand-constructed by BLEED vocalist Robert Kreed, wicked props, spewing blood, all backed backed by headbanging tunes; what more could you want? As far as I’m concerned, BLEED has earned a place amongst western Canada’s finest live acts and this night was no exception. 

Villainizer has been a band surrounded by hype from its inception in 2009. Project mastermind Rob ‘the Arab Villain’ Abinader has always been heavily involved in the local metal scene, contributing in several less-illustrious aspects than as the frontman of this terrorist thrash metal act. However, this evening was dedicated to showcasing the career of Villainizer and saying good-bye with a bang. If you missed your chance to catch Villainizer live, you seriously missed out. This was the first full Villainizer set that I managed to catch, but what a set it was. The infidels were out in full force, packing Starlite Room to bid a fond farewell. Abinader is a pure entertainer, as evidenced by a larger than life stage presence, provoking lyrics dripping with satire, and more energy than one would think possible. The fans fed off this and the pit didn’t even seem to slow down for the rest of the night. 

Overall, this was one of the best shows, local or otherwise, that I have witnessed in a while. I’m sure there were quite a few hung over metal heads the next morning, made worth it by knowing that this is something that will not be seen again. Villainizer will be sorely missed in the local scene; thank you to the band for creating such a fantastic experience over the last five years for all of thrashers who listened to the albums, bought merchandise and attended shows. 

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')

10 Albums That Introduced Me To Metal

Some of the following albums can’t necessarily be considered in the sense that most of us think of, but they served to pique my interest in the genre that I subsequently delved deeply into. In order to provide some background for this list it’s probably best that I explain how I got into metal. I ended up taking a bit of a roundabout path for someone my age. I grew up listening to country; that was all that was played in my home although there was constantly music in the background. I feel fortunate to have grown up in a rural setting. Not isolated by any means, but rural enough that I only had access to dial-up internet until I was well into my first year of university. 

Dial up internet wasn’t exactly conducive to discovering music. Most people the same age were discovering (and downloading) music at the time, but it wasn’t really an option for me. I started listening to classic rock due to a friend’s dad having a massive collection of classic rock albums with a few metal albums in the mix. I found radio stations that occasionally played a metal song or two. I quickly discovered re-runs of Power Hour on MuchMusic. (A TV show that aired in Canada from 1986 to 1991in its original form, featuring hair metal, hard rock and metal music videos). Every once in a while I’d catch an episode of Loud, which featured heavier music and also aired on the MuchMusic channel. 

From that point, I started buying CDs of bands that interested me, or that I had read about in magazines or on the internet. I’m not sure about the availability of online ordering for CDs at that time, as I had very little idea of what was even on the internet. Most of my CDs came from A&B Sound, which ceased to exist in 2008. HMV was the next option. CDs cost a hell of a lot more then than they do now, especially for a kid. Album purchases were few and far between, and each album I did buy got listened to a lot. 

While it was a bit of a pain to discover metal, I think it made each discovery that much more exciting. I imagine this was akin to how people felt in the tape trading days, or when vinyl was the only readily available format. Access to music has certainly changed quite a bit, even in the relatively short time that I’ve been seriously listening to and buying albums, but that’s a different discussion for a different day. That being said, these are the first albums that formed my introduction to something a little heavier than classic rock:

Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast

Released in 1982, The Number Of The Beast still remains my favorite Maiden album. ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ is the first metal song that I recall truly taking notice of. ‘Run To The Hills’ has been (horribly) attempted at drunken karaoke more than once. The Number Of The Beast is one of those classic albums that every metal head should listen to from start to finish at least once. 

W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P & The Last Command

Naming two albums is a bit of a cheat, but I somehow managed to acquire a vinyl of WASP’s debut, self titled album at roughly the same time that I got my hands on The Last Command. I would still love to see them live. I almost managed to sneak into a bar underage years ago to catch them, and missed them live by a single day both trips I made to Finland. (Which I’m still kicking myself for). WASP always seemed a bit more sinister than other similar bands. They have catchy songs and I still like the uniqueness of Blackie’s vocals.  

Metallica - Kill ‘Em All

Out of all of the Metallica albums I could have chosen as the first album to buy, I ended up with Kill ‘Em All. Until that point, it was probably the hardest, most aggressive I had ever heard. When I still played a little bit of bass as a young teenager, I thought it would be a brilliant idea to learn “(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth”. Considering lack of any kind of natural musicianship and my neglectful attitude towards practicing, that would have been quite a feat. Needless to say, it definitely didn’t happen. 

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

I think it would be difficult to call oneself a metal head without having at least some knowledge, or having to have listened to, some Black Sabbath. After listening to a fair bit of classic rock, Sabbath seemed like a logical step. While I’m not much of a doom metal fan, it’s difficult to deny Black Sabbath’s influence on the subgenre. 

Alice Cooper - Love It To Death & Killer

In hindsight, these may have been strange Alice Cooper albums to start my collection with as there are certainly more well known releases. ‘Ballad Of Dwight Fry’ (from Love It To Death) is still one of the most chilling songs I can think of, detailing a narrative descent into madness. I listened to both of these albums over and over again. Especially during class when I probably should have been listening to the teacher. 

Mötley Crüe - Shout At The Devil

Shout At The Devil, to me, is Mötley Crüe’s most metal album when taken into consideration the time that it was released and the fact that Mötley Crüe tends to fall more into the spectrum of ‘hair metal’ than the metal I listen to now. Admittedly I used to be a huge Mötley Crüe fan. When I was young, this band (and album) offered the perfect amount of sleaze, and a touch of danger. 

Guns N’ Roses - Appetite For Destruction

Appetite For Destruction remains as one of the most solid albums from start to finish that I’ve listened to. There isn’t a weak song on this album. At one point, I probably had all of the lyrics memorized. Appetite For Destruction is a fitting name as this is an angry album, full of attitude. 

Children of Bodom - Hate Crew Deathroll

Hate Crew Deathroll was one of the first ‘metal’ albums that I bought. Metal in the sense of not being able to really be categorized into any other genre (hair metal, classic rock, etc). This album really kickstarted my foray into a lot of the bands and metal subgenres that I listen to now. It still remains as one of my favorite albums and Angels Don’t Kill is still one of my favorite COB songs. Hate Crew Deathroll was a lot heavier and faster than much of the stuff I’d previously listened to and I was hooked. 

Grave - 'Redeemed Through Hate' track

This year is shaping up to be a good one for Swedish death metal. I recently became aware that Grave will also be releasing a new album in October. Entitled “Out Of Respect For The Dead”, this will be another that I’ll be adding to my collection. 

‘Redeemed Through Hate’, a track that will be on the upcoming album, has been released as an introduction to what can be expected from “Out Of Respect For The Dead”. I like this track. It’s angry, it’s heavy, and it’s what I would hope for from Grave. I like their last release (Endless Procession of Souls), and subsequently found myself getting more engrossed with Grave after catching them live on the Barge to Hell cruise several years ago. This track promises a solid album; you can check it out here:

Grave - Redeemed Through Hate

Firespawn - 'Lucifer Has Spoken' Video

Firespawn is a newly formed death metal band featuring several well-known and highly respected musicians from the Swedish death metal scene. With members from Entombed, Unleashed, Necrophobic and Dark Funeral, this is another new project with some serious credentials to back it up. Firespawn’s debut album will be released in November although the band has chosen to put out a limited release EP to precede this date. (The EP was released on August 7th). 

Watching the video for ‘Lucifer Has Spoken’, the feeling of blasphemy that Firespawn will be aiming for is apparent. Between the stellar lineup of musicians behind this project and the debut video, I’m intrigued enough that I will be picking up the album upon its release.