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.

Amon Amarth Kills It In Calgary - A Live Review

Amon Amarth with Entombed A.D. & Exmortus

May 14th, 2016

MacEwan Hall, Calgary

“The Vikings have landed!” might as well have been the war cry heard throughout the province on the evening that Amon Amarth prepared to play their only Alberta date on the tour. With an amazing lineup, this particular show was highly anticipated and drew metalheads from hours away. Met by chainmailed and helmeted viking sentinels upon entering the venue, the anticipation was tangible. 

Exmortus opened the show, shredding their way through a blistering set. Touring on the back of their latest album, ‘Ride Forth’, it was unfortunate that many fans were still trying to get into the venue or caught up in the merchandise line for their set. Although only being afforded a rather short set, Exmortus proved that they belong with the other heavy hitters in the lineup. 

Entombed A.D., still somewhat synonymous with the original Entombed, played to a fuller house even though people were still trying to get in the doors halfway through their set. For the old-school death metal fans in the audience it was quite a treat to witness L.G. Petrov and crew playing a few classic Entombed songs as well as some of the newer, more death n’roll styled material. 

Photo by the talented Dana Zuk.

Amon Amarth stormed onto stage, ripping into “Pursuit of Vikings”. The Swedes played to a packed house with a well-rounded set of older and newer material. Although more focus was placed on material from ‘Jomsviking’, enough of the classics were played to keep even long-time Amon Amarth fans satisfied. The elaborate stage props, consisting of a giant viking-helmet drum riser and several different backdrops, added to the ambiance of the set. Chainmailed vikings battling with swords and shields enhanced many of the songs from the ‘Jomsviking’ album. “First Kill” seemed a crowd favorite, while “Runes To My Memory” was one that proved a favorite with certain segments of the audience. While it would have been wickedly awesome to witness L.G. Petrov handling some of the vocals to “Guardians Of Asgaard”, as he did on the ‘Twilight Of The Thunder God’ album, it wasn’t to be. Amon Amarth demonstrated yet again why they have gained popularity in recent years. Playing a tight set, carried by the powerful vocals of Johan Hegg, these vikings once again kicked some serious ass. 

The first all-ages Amon Amarth show I’ve witnessed was truly packed with those of all ages. From little metalheads dressed in chainmail with battleaxes to old-school metalheads who were likely listening to Swedish death metal when Entombed A.D. was known as Nihilist and before the release of ‘Left Hand Path’ this show represented multiple generations of metalheads. From the frenzied, mixed stylings of Exmortus, to the classic-death metal influences of Entombed, to the never disappointing and always energetic, perfectly melodic death metal viking anthems of Amon Amarth, it was a show that wasn’t to be missed.

On The Radar: NordWitch

As a recent discovery, NordWitch is a band I'll be keeping my eye on. What I've managed to hear is hauntingly put together blackened death metal, complimented perfectly by Masha's vocals. Set to release their debut album, "Mørk Profeti", this summer, NordWitch may just become an underground band to watch. 

A good article (with a link to the title track from the upcoming album) can be found here: http://welcometothedarkside.org/a-darkside-original-ukraines-nordwitch-is-beautifully-blackening-scandinavian-style-melodeath

For another taste from NordWitch, take a listen to 'Lady Evil':

Mortillery - 'Torture' Official Video

Edmonton's own thrashers, Mortillery, have just released the video for 'Torture'. A track from their upcoming album titled "Shapeshifter", set for release on May 27th, it serves as a preview for what promises to be more thrashy goodness from this band. With a few international tours under their belts supporting some pretty big names, this is a band worth giving a listen if you enjoy in-your-face thrash.

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.

Fejd - Härjaren Video

Having only discovered Fejd recently, I'm quite excited about their upcoming album titled "Trolldom" which will be released toward the end of May. Leaning a bit more towards the folk side, with the perfect amount of metal mixed in, it promises to be good for those of us who enjoy folk metal. 

A video for one of the tracks, Härjaren, was recently unleashed upon the world:

Review: Amon Amarth - Jomsviking

Track Listing:

1.  First Kill

 2. Wanderer

 3. On A Sea Of Blood

 4. One Against All

 5. Raise Your Horns

 6. The Way Of Vikings

 7. At Dawn’s First Light

 8. One Thousand Burning Arrows

 9. Vengeance Is My Name

 10. A Dream That Cannot Be 

 11. Back On Northern Shores

‘Jomsviking’, Amon Amarth’s latest offering, is based on a screenplay written by vocalist Johan Hegg. Which then, coincidentally, became a full-fledged concept album. While viking themes are nothing new for Amon Amarth, a concept album is new territory for the revered Swedes. After the departure of long-time drummer, Fredrik Andersson, drummer Tobias Gustafsson (of Vomitory fame) was recruited for the recording of ‘Jomsviking’. 

‘Jomsviking’ is perhaps Amon Amarth’s most melodic offering to date, venturing far from their early, death metal roots. More epic than brutal, this album is a further progression of the direction that Amon Amarth has taken on their last few releases. The first few tracks set the scene for the epic story that follows. “Raise Your Horns” offers delightfully awkward verses, followed by an incredibly catchy chorus. It might actually be the most anthemic song of the entire album. ‘One Thousand Burning Arrows’ is reminiscent of a few earlier, very memorable Amon Amarth songs. At least in theme, if not in sound. It also seems to represent a turning point in the story woven throughout ‘Jomsviking’. “A Dream That Cannot Be” is a wickedly brutal song when listening to the lyrics. It proves to be the ultimate kick to the teeth in the game of pursuing an unrequited love. Which feels somewhat strange to be coming from a band that doesn’t typically sing about such a theme, but it’s woven nicely into the idea of a concept album. Having Doro Pesch singing vocals throughout the song doesn’t hurt either. 

Containing some spoken elements, this aspect of ‘Jomsviking’ might be a first for Amon Amarth. It is certainly something that further differentiates this album from previous efforts. It’s difficult to pick a song that has potential to become a live favorite, unlike other albums where this proved an easy task. ‘Jomsviking’ seems to lack the element of an epic live song. It also seems to lack the thundering, relentless, in-your-face feel of some of the band’s previous material. If you vastly prefer earlier Amon Amarth, this probably isn’t the album for you. However, if you enjoy an epic story with sentiment, and don’t mind some more mellow elements, this will be a good listen. 

Best Tracks: First Kill, On A Sea Of Blood, One Thousand Burning Arrows