Tag Archives: canada

Album Review – They Grieve / To Which I Bore Witness (2023)

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A two-piece Canadian band will take you on an introspective journey to the sound of their new album, a cold embrace of Post-Metal colliding with Ambient Drone meant to be dark and depressing.

A two-piece Sludge/Drone/Post-Metal band formed in 2015 by former members of Alaskan and Stay Here, those being Gary Thibert on vocals, guitars and bass, and Deniz Güvenç on vocals, drums, piano and synths, in Ottawa, Canada’s capital located in the east of southern Ontario, They Grieve hope that their music fills a niche not quite like other Post-Metal acts who are currently active, and their first full-length opus, titled To Which I Bore Witness, is a clear step up for them. Engineered and mixed by Topon Das at Apartment 2 Recording, mastered by Dave Williams at Eight Floors Above, with additional piano recorded by Alex Jakimczuk at Uppercut Studios, and displaying a stylish artwork and design by Pascale Arpin, the album takes the form of an introspective journey, meant to be depressing, while the listener is confronted with sad, loud music that’s not meant to cross into anger, a cold embrace of Post-Metal colliding with Ambient Drone recommended for fans of The Body, Cult of Luna and Bell Witch.

A slow build grows in intensity until all hell breaks loose in Wither, showcasing melancholic, grim lyrics (“Failure knows no bounds and makes its home here within me / Endless is the night of its becoming / Nothing returns / Cower, collapse, wither”) while the sluggish beats by Deniz make an interesting paradox with his own synths. Then investing in a sinister Sludge/Doom Metal sound, the duo will hammer our heads and pierce our minds with their dirty riffs and pounding drums in Under the Weight, also showcasing a phantasmagorical passage to the synths by Deniz, sounding heavy and atmospheric from start to finish; whereas If Light Should Appear is another seven-minute ode to darkness and doom where Gary is devilish with his raw riffs and low-tuned bass, resulting in the perfect depiction of what Atmospheric Sludge Metal is all about. The title-track To Which I Bore Witness will drag your damned soul to endless darkness while the duo roars in anger and pain, again showcasing their slow and steady guitar lines and drums, being therefore not recommended for the lighthearted. After such intense and Stygian tune, it’s time for a soothing instrumental interlude titled Guided, with its minimalist sounds setting the tone for Weakness, presenting deep, melancholic lyrics (“I am bound to only the quiet call of ruin / And weakness holds me / Weakness alone holds me”) while the music is as atmospheric, savage and obscure as possible until the very end.

In case you want to know more about Gary, Deiz and their They Grieve, and therefore show them all your admiration and support, you can start following the duo on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on, stream more of their music on Spotify, and above all that, purchase To Which I Bore Witness from the Silent Pendulum Records’ BandCamp page or webstore, or simply by clicking HERE. “This album, both lyrically and musically, tries to capture the uncomfortable juxtaposition between weakness and weight. We are constantly trying to express the ways in which the ugliness and decay we see in the world sets itself down and plants its roots inside of us – how the weight of the world transforms into our own weakness once it has done so. We try to capture this feeling of juxtaposition and tension within the music itself by oscillating between ambient, textural drones and heavy, doom-laden riffs,” commented the duo about their newborn spawn, an album that will certainly cement their name among the best bands of the current Post-Metal scene worldwide.

Best moments of the album: Under the Weight and To Which I Bore Witness.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Silent Pendulum Records

Track listing
1. Wither 7:12
2. Under the Weight 7:23
3. If Light Should Appear 7:00
4. To Which I Bore Witness 6:43
5. Guided 3:18
6. Weakness 8:01

Band members
Gary Thibert – vocals, guitars, bass
Deniz Güvenç – vocals, drums, piano, synths

Album Review – Apollo / A Divine Comedy EP (2023)

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An up-and-coming Canadian Deathcore beast will embrace your soul with its debut metal opera, revolving around the classic story of Dante and his descent into hell.

The solo side project of Canadian guitarist and bassist Kyle Prusky, with the support of Canadian vocalist Adrian Parcioaga, the newborn Deathcore entity Apollo has just released its debut concept EP, titled A Divine Comedy, revolving around the classic story of Dante and his descent into hell split into five distinct acts. Produced by Kyle and Adrian themselves, mixed and mastered by Kyle, displaying a classy artwork by Adrian, and featuring guests Alex Rudinger on drum programming, Layne Murdoch on the guitars, and Lucas de la Rosa on keyboards, the album is according to the duo a Progressive Death Metal opera, unabashedly dynamic and ever-shifting, taking the listener on a cathartic journey through breakdowns, growls and aggressive riffs, therefore being recommended for fans of Slice the Cake, Between the Buried and Me and Rivers of Nihil.

The gentle keys by Lucas kick off the first act of the EP, I: Dark Woods, exploding into a dark and pensive Metalcore extravaganza where Adrian’s roars match perfectly with all of the song’s Stygian elements, morphing into a Deathcore attack titled II: Abandon All Hope, where Kyle is on fire with his piercing riffs and metallic bass, consequently resulting in a violent, headbanging tune tailored for admirers of the genre with over six minutes of adrenaline, fury and heaviness flowing nonstop. Following such epic tune we have the melodic III: Interlude, with the guitar solo by Layne creating a stunning paradox with Lucas’ piano, flowing into IV: Deeper, Darker, blending elements from Deathcore and Metalcore with Progressive Metal nuances. Furthermore, Kyle once again slashes his guitar in great fashion while the drums programmed by Alex couldn’t have sounded more organic, presenting several layers, passages and climatic moments. Lastly, closing the EP we face the imposing V: Ascendance, where Kyle kicks some ass armed with his guitar and bass in a lesson in Deathcore supported by the always venomous screams by Adrian, resulting in a neck-breaking conclusion to properly send Dante to hell.

“This EP has been in the works for a long time, and I could not be happier with the result. This EP is for those who have ever doubted themselves, have fallen apart to the demons in their head, felt like giving up, and needed guidance. Don’t give up. Keep fighting. Keep climbing. Trust the ones who stick by your side. Eventually, you’ll find your path. Every single choice, every note, and vocal take was absolutely deliberate and meant to evoke a specific response. Throughout the journey, the listener will be presented with soaring melodic solos, somber but beautiful keys that guide the self to introspection, crushingly heavy 8-string guitars, pounding drums, and vocals that dance with the music like a soliloquy to an audience of one,”​ commented a proud Kyle about his newborn beast, and if you want to show him all your support you can stream the EP in full on YouTube and on Spotify, grab a copy from Apple Music, and also follow the project on Facebook, on Instagram, and on YouTube. There’s nothing better than enjoying some first-class heavy music while witnessing Dante’s descent into the pits of the underworld, and Kyle and his Apollo more than succeeded in that with their striking debut effort.

Best moments of the album: II: Abandon All Hope and V: Ascendance.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Independent

Track listing
1. I: Dark Woods 3:59
2. II: Abandon All Hope 6:19
3. III: Interlude 1:19
4. IV: Deeper, Darker 6:22
5. V: Ascendance 6:56

Band members
Adrian Parcioaga – vocals
Kyle Prusky – guitars, bass

Guest musicians
Alex Rudinger – drum programming
Layne Murdoch – guitar solo on “I: Dark Woods”, “II: Abandon All Hope”, “III: Interlude” and “IV: Deeper, Darker”
Lucas de la Rosa – keys on “I: Dark Woods”, “II: Abandon All Hope”, “III: Interlude” and “IV: Deeper, Darker”

Album Review – Vale Of Amonition / Immortalizing the Lugubrious, or Those Of Evolving Despair (2023)

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Feast on the most ambitious, detailed and thrilling album by one of the driving forces of the extreme music scene in the Mother Continent.

Formed in 2009 in the city of Kampala, Uganda, molded and shaped in Kenya, and drawing from traditional and extreme doom sources such as Black Sabbath, My Dying Bride, Katatonia and Type O Negative, to name a few, the unrelenting Doom Metal entity Vale Of Amonition, whose name by the way refers to a place, a “sanctuary for warmakers” of sorts, with most of the lyricism being centered around happenings in that place, has just released their third full-length opus, entitled Immortalizing the Lugubrious, or Those Of Evolving Despair, the follow-up to their 2017 album Those of Tartarean Ancestry and their 2019 EP Ancient, Evil & African. Recorded and engineered by Nick Wathi at Andromeda Music, mixed and mastered by Luc Chiasson, and displaying a cryptic artwork by Ben Dickey, the new album rounds out the band’s ambitions thus far and provides us all with their most complete record yet, showcasing the undeniable talent and passion for heavy music by Victor Rosewrath on vocals and guitars, Solomon Dust also on the guitars, Mordecai O. Ogayo on bass, and Jude Bulinda on drums.

In the imposing opener Where They Gathered And Suffered, the band brings forward elements found in the crushing Doom Metal blasted by renowned acts the likes of Black Sabbath and Celtic Frost while Jude darkly smashes his drums accompanied by the Stygian riffs by Victor and Solomon; whereas their incendiary riffs keep penetrating deep inside our minds in Sons Of The Moribund, with Victor declaiming the song’s lyrics with tons of passion in this Progressive Doom Metal aria. My Firstborn Will Surely Be Blind is a beautiful song crafted by the quartet both musically and lyrically, with the sluggish, doomed beats by Jude and the rumbling bass by Mordecai adding an extra touch of obscurity to the overall result, and in Drink The Poetry Of The African Wretch we’re treated to the guest vocals by Nelecc (of Euphoric Decay, Nelecc, Krummholz and Void of Sorrow), bringing even more rage and anger to the music while Victor, Solomon and Mordecai offer our ears a thrilling stringed attack. Terminus is another dark and pensive tune by the band that reminds me of the Doom Metal played by My Dying Bride with Progressive Metal nuances, with Victor sounding utterly somber on vocals accompanied by the sinister, slow drums by Jude. Finally, closing the album we face eight minutes of first-class African metal titled At Evolution’s End, with the quartet blasting their visceral sound mercilessly spearheaded by another poetic vocal performance by Victor. Needless to say, there isn’t a single second left empty in this ode to darkness and doom.

The fantastic Immortalizing the Lugubrious, or Those Of Evolving Despair, which is by the way available in full on YouTube, is one of those must-have albums for anyone who’s a diehard fan of doom or African metal, or both, and if you consider yourself one of those fans you can purchase the album from the band’s own BandCamp page. Don’t forget to also follow Vale Of Amonition on Facebook for news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details about the band, and to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their music. Always forward-thinking and progressively inclined, Vale of Amonition have shifted into utterly bleak territory that is gloriously underscored with tribal menace since their inception, with their new album representing the coronation of this African quartet as one of the driving forces of the current metal scene in the Mother Continent.

Best moments of the album: My Firstborn Will Surely Be Blind and Drink The Poetry Of The African Wretch.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Independent

Track listing
1. Where They Gathered And Suffered 9:16
2. Sons Of The Moribund 6:09
3. My Firstborn Will Surely Be Blind 7:35
4. Drink The Poetry Of The African Wretch 6:09
5. Terminus 6:58
6. At Evolution’s End 8:04

Band members
Victor Rosewrath – vocals, guitars
Solomon Dust – guitar
Mordecai O. Ogayo – bass
Jude Bulinda – drums

Guest musician
Nelecc – vocals on “Drink The Poetry Of The African Wretch”, guitar solo on “Sons Of The Moribund”

Concert Review – Walter Froebrich Memorial Show (The Rockpile, Toronto, ON, 01/07/2023)

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A beautiful tribute to the life of the Metal Mayor of Toronto and his undisputed passion for heavy music. 

INTRODUCTION: AM HERE…

If you have no idea who Walter Froebrich was, let’s say he was the Metal Mayor of Toronto, as I’ve seen many people referring to him as. He was in pretty much every metal concert we all attended i the city in the past 20 years, from Heavy Metal to Death and Black Metal, from Thrash Metal to Deathcore and Viking Metal, and so on, always holding a few beers, always raising the horns, always surrounded by friends, and always supporting metal music no matter what. He even had his own motto, “AM HERE.” Sadly, in November 2022 due to lack of proper healthcare by the Toronto authorities Walter passed away at home after several visits to the hospital, and that brought a lot of grief to all metal fans in the city. If he had received a proper service, if he had been through the required scans and so on, he would still be around us. He will be extremely missed by the metal community in all upcoming concerts in Toronto, no doubt about that. I was going to use the common expression “may his soul rest in piece”, but I’m sure Walter himself would prefer a slight adaptation of it, “may his soul rest in metal”.

WALTER FROEBRICH MEMORIAL SHOW

That’s why on January 7 the Toronto scene came together to celebrate Walter’s life and his passion for heavy music at The Rockpile with the Walter Froebrich Memorial Show, an event organized by Steve Hoeg, Drew Masters, Junior Jr LeClerc and Jake Disman, among others, with no more, no less than TWENTY SEVEN bands playing from 1pm until midnight to a sold out venue, while money for Walter’s family was raised through a silent auction and a 50/50 draw. Unfortunately due to personal reasons I could not attend the celebration, but my friend and photographer Keith Ibbitson of Lower Eastside Photography was there to capture some amazing shots of the entire show, and to provide us with a sense of how awesome everything was and how happy Walter must be whenever he is right now with his homage.

In Keith’s own words, “we raised over 17,000 dollars for Walter’s family. It was a sold out show. All the bands were absolutely amazing! Drew Masters was the MC for the evening. The friends Walter made over his concerts outings just blew my mind! Each one is family, the metal community is one big family, they come together for each other like no other.” And as you can see from the photo gallery below, it was indeed a night to remember, a celebration of life and metal, exactly how Walter would have liked it to be. Here are all the fantastic bands that were on the bill, and as many people have said Walter would have certainly taken a selfie with each one of them…

The House of Haunt
Snake River Redemption
Dominant Species
Madam
Anger by Design
GFU
Dawn Vally
Cowboys from Hell (Pantera tribute)
Disciple (Slayer tribute)
King Moonracer
Byrdy
Fury 44
Sons Of Sabbath
Freeloader
Spades GT
MLC
Omnivert
Devil Witch
The Dominion
The Android Meme
Burdizzo
Crème Flesh
Pillars of Eternity (Down tribute)
Red Lowe (circus performer)
Phear
Chainfall
Gen-X (90’s rock cover band)

In the Facebook page to the event you can find a lot more details about the whole thing, see other photos taken by different attendees, other posts and discussions around Walter and the metal community in Toronto, and so on, as well as a very nice summary of the night on the video below. RIP WALTER! AM HERE!

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Album Review – Orphique / Consécration Cadavérique (2022)

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***Review by Luke Hayhurst, writer for Morbid Wings (Print) Zine, VM Underground Fanzine and Doom-Metal.com***

Quebecois one man Black Metal project Orphique has unveiled a debut album entitled Consécration Cadavérique, which has been independently released on cassette, but has also seen a CD release via Sepulchral Productions.

The first of five tracks, Onirique has a steady, composed feeling to it; a methodical sound that breaks into blast beating fury in a mature and controlled way. Vocally, Monsieur Potter has a powerful snarling style, whilst his song-writing technique leans towards the intricate and thought provoking. He’s also a very talented guitarist and some of his guitar based melodies are extremely beautiful to behold, as are his stark, cold undertones. As for his bass playing technique, it is again deliberate, strong and pronounced, and each instrument has been given its time to shine on this opening track, which just like the whole album is recorded and mastered smoothly.

Whilst this album is technically very sound, there is a spark missing in my opinion. So, whilst the album is more than listenable, it also fails to set the blood pumping in a way that a truly great album would. If anything, Consécration Cadavérique feels very much like a paint by numbers album, right down to the subtle use of synth and the obligatory tremolo picking. So whilst everything fits well together, the album flows nicely and there is plenty of bleak melody involved, it still feels a little formulaic.

With all of that being said, Consécration Cadavérique is still a very enjoyable album, just not an exciting one.

Best moments of the album: The overall fluency and technicality of the musicianship.

Worst moments of the album: There are no worst moments especially.

Released in 2022 by Sepulchral Productions

Track listing
1. Onirique 10:15
2. Vampirique 8:31
3. Chromatique 6:04
4. Chimérique 5:23
5. Sporadique 8:43

Band members
David Potter – vocals

Guest musicians
Marc-Antoine Lizotte – guitars
Arnaud Fillion – bass
Michel Bélanger – drums
Cyril Tousignant – acoustic guitars, additional vocals
Conor Campbell – additional vocals

Links
Orphique Facebook | BandCamp

Concert Review – Amon Amarth (History, Toronto, ON, 12/02/2022)

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A beautiful night where all Vikings of Toronto put their backs into the oar and rowed in the name of heavy music together with the one and only Amon Amarth. 

OPENING ACTS: Cattle Decapitation, Obituary and Carcass

The last concert of 2022 (at least for me) couldn’t have been any better, as Toronto had the pleasure of hosting The Great Heathen Tour 2022 at this amazing new venue called History, which was by the way inaugurated in November 2021 and belongs to Toronto’s own rapper Drake, with the bands CATTLE DECAPITATION, OBITUARY, CARCASS and the unstoppable heathen horde AMON AMARTH. The venue is in a nice area of the city, near the beaches, with plenty of parking options and decent places to eat nearby such as The Burger’s Priest, making the whole experience a lot more enjoyable than going to a concert at Rebel, for example.

And everything was so well-organized, from the line to get into the venue to the merch booths, bars and coat check, that between the doors opening at 5:30pm and the first concert I had time to do all that and still had 15-20min left before American Progressive Death Metal/Grindcore outfit CATTLE DECAPITATION hit the stage at 6:30pm sharp with their vicious sonic attack. Still promoting their 2019 album Death Atlas, the band spearheaded by frontman Travis Ryan needed less than a minute to inspire the crowd to create a massive circle pit in the middle of the floor section, and that circle pit went on and on until the very end of their concert (and of the entire night, I might say). Moreover, although their setlist was extremely short, it was solid enough to put a smile on the faces of their diehard fans, with the pulverizing Bring Back the Plague being the icing on the cake of their great performance.

Setlist
Anthropogenic: End Transmission
The Geocide
Vulturous
The Great Dying Pt. II
Finish Them
We Eat Our Young
Time’s Cruel Curtain
Bring Back the Plague

Band members
Travis Ryan – vocals
Josh Elmore – lead guitars
Belisario Dimuzio – rhythm guitars
Olivier Pinard – bass
David McGraw – drums

If you’re familiar with the laws, rules and regulations in Toronto you know that most concerts must finish by 11pm depending on the neighborhood where the venue is located, so you can imagine that with four amazing bands like the ones from last night there weren’t any huge breaks in between bands. That being said, I had time to grab a quick beer before one of the biggest Death Metal institutions of all time, the unstoppable OBITUARY, began their insane performance led by the iconic vocalist John Tardy and the crushing drums by his younger brother Donald Tardy. It was again a short but precise and infernal performance by those American death metallers, blending their old school stuff the likes of I’m in Pain with a brand new song from their upcoming 2023 album Dying of Everything, the demolishing The Wrong Time, and by the reaction of the crowd to each and every song played by Obituary we know they’ll keep moving forward no matter what for many years to come. Needless to say, I can’t wait for Dying of Everything next year.

Setlist
Snortin’ Whiskey (Pat Travers Band song)
Redneck Stomp
Sentence Day
A Lesson in Vengeance
Visions in My Head
Circle of the Tyrants (Celtic Frost cover)
The Wrong Time
I’m in Pain
Don’t Care

Band members
John Tardy – vocals
Kenny Andrews – lead guitars
Trevor Peres – rhythm guitars
Terry Butler – bass
Donald Tardy – drums

Another short break, another beer, and then it was finally time for my first ever face-to-face meeting with England’s own Melodic Death Metal/Death ‘n’ Roll trailblazers CARCASS, one of the very few bands I’ve always been a fan of but that I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing live. Still promoting their fantastic 2021 album Torn Arteries, Jeff Walker, Bill Steer, Tom Draper and Daniel Wilding put on a marvelous show for the delight of all fans at the venue, igniting some sick mosh pits to the sound of Incarnated Solvent Abuse, This Mortal Coil, Genital Grinder, and my favorite Carcass song of all time, Heartwork. Hopefully, Carcass will keep delivering amazing material such as Torn Arteries in the coming years, which means more world tours of course, because Toronto loves Carcass and we’re eager to see them again in a not-so-distant future.

Setlist
The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (Intro)
Buried Dreams
Kelly’s Meat Emporium
Incarnated Solvent Abuse
Under the Scalpel Blade
This Mortal Coil
Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1 in B)
Genital Grinder
The Scythe’s Remorseless Swing
Corporal Jigsore Quandary
Heartwork
Carneous Cacoffiny (Outro)

Band members
Jeff Walker – vocals, bass
Bill Steer – guitars, backing vocals
Tom Draper – guitars
Daniel Wilding – drums

AMON AMARTH

At long last, just like what happened with Cannibal Corpse, the unparalleled Swedish Melodic Death Metal horde AMON AMARTH was finally able to return to Canada after three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the wait was beyond worth it as their concert yesterday in Toronto was superb to say the least. Those Swedish Vikings kicked some serious ass from the very first second of the classic Guardians of Asgaard (and yes, they’re starting their shows this tour already with a bang), with frontman Johan Hegg being on fire with his deep roars and a very respectful beard. All songs form their 2022 album The Great Heathen Army sounded fantastic live, in special the title-track The Great Heathen Army, adding an extra taste to their incendiary setlist full of classic songs including Destroyer of the Universe and Shield Wall.

The most memorable moment for all fans at the venue was undoubtedly when the band played their new hit Put Your Back Into the Oar, when halfway through it the whole floor section sat down and began rowing like in a Viking ship. That was amazing, really, really fun, proving Amon Amarth are one of those bands that know exactly how to captivate their audiences and interact with each and every fan in the most exciting way possible. If you’re attending one of their upcoming concerts, don’t forget to join the rowing. Their music is awesome, their stage is getting better and better with each tour, but the rowing is something so unique I think it should be mandatory for anyone who purchases a ticket to participate. I can’t wait for the next time Amon Amarth takes the city of Toronto by storm, and I’ll surely be there to put my back into the oar again! ROW! ROW! ROW!

It’s always great to enjoy a night of heavy music in Toronto, to share a few beers with your friends, and to see several familiar faces in the crowd. However, there was one of those familiar faces missing, and it was THE MOST familiar face of the Toronto metal scene. Our beloved super metal fan Walter Froeberich passed away on November 26 after trying to get help for nearly ten days for a serious abdominal pain, but he was allegedly sent home with just some antibiotics and, sadly, died at home in the end. His closest friends organized a protest in front of St. Joseph’s Hospital today demanding justice for Walter, and I really hope something is done to make sure that type of situation doesn’t ever happen again with anyone else in Toronto. I didn’t formally know Walter, but I’ve shared the pit with him many, many times and I’ll miss him in all future concerts in the city. When Amon Amarth played the excellent Raise Your Horns, I raised my horns for Walter, and I’m sure one day I’ll say hello to him in person when we meet in Valhalla again.

Setlist
Run to the Hills (Iron Maiden song)
Guardians of Asgaard
Raven’s Flight
Deceiver of the Gods
Oden Owns You All
The Pursuit of Vikings
The Great Heathen Army
Get in the Ring
Destroyer of the Universe
Put Your Back Into the Oar
Cry of the Black Birds
The Way of Vikings
First Kill
Shield Wall
Raise Your Horns

Encore:
Twilight of the Thunder God

Band members
Johan Hegg – vocals
Olavi Mikkonen – lead guitar
Johan Söderberg – rhythm guitar
Ted Lundström – bass
Jocke Wallgren – drums

Album Review – Detherous / Unrelenting Malevolence (2022)

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***Review by Luke Hayhurst, writer for Morbid Wings (Print) Zine, VM Underground Fanzine and Doom-Metal.com***

Following on from their debut album Hacked to Death in 2019, Calgary, Alberta based Death Thrashers Detherous have returned with an all new bout of sickness in the form of their Redefining Darkness Records released second opus entitled Unrelenting Malevolence.

Opening with the rampaging Interminable Mutilation, Detherous are quick to show off their savage chops, spewing forth with an undiluted barrage of feral old school Thrash vocals, maniacally sadistic and engaging riffs and guitar leads and punishing, inhospitable drum tones. It may be lazy to liken Detherous to early Slayer but the comparison nevertheless holds true, in both the bands relentless violence and forthright vocal delivery.

Where Detherous differs from Slayer can be heard as soon as Suspended in Agony kicks in. With a far more groove laden Death Metal vibe, as well as the odd plunge back into gnarly skull rattling Thrash, Detherous mould and crush their two main influences together brilliantly.

Unrelenting Malevolence is a truly savage sophomoric album, displaying a band who are at home delivering brutalizing force as well as technical wizardry. This is also an album that burrows deep to extract the very best qualities of both Thrash and Death Metal in order to create the best sound they possibly can, and the album is powerful and absorbing as a result.

Best moments of the album: You can’t ask for a stronger opener than Interminable Mutilation, nor a stronger follow up in Suspended in Agony.

Worst moments of the album: I’m hard pressed to find any!

Released in 2022 by Redefining Darkness Records

Track listing
1. Interminable Mutilation 4:27
2. Suspended in Agony 5:10
3. Gruesome Tools of Torture 4:01
4. Encased in Gore 4:30
5. Wretched Formations of Flesh 4:05
6. Reek of the Decayed 5:44
7. Erosion of Reality 3:10
8. Tormented by the Dead 5:02
9. Cataclysmic Devastation 3:48
10. Skull Fracturing Nightmare (Demolition Hammer cover) 5:26

Band members
Damon MacDonald – vocals, guitar
Ryan Hunter – lead guitar
Scott Cressman – bass
Dimitri LaRose – drums

Guest musician
Chris Monroy – additional vocals, guitar solos on “Skull Fracturing Nightmare”

Links
Detherous Facebook | Instagram | Linktree | Spotify | BandCamp | YouTube

Album Review – Reanimator / Commotion (2022)

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This unrelenting Canadian Thrash N’ Roll beast returns to action after seven years with their strongest effort to date, offering us all an overdose of heaviness, rage and rebelliousness.

Since the creation of the band in 2005 in the beautiful city of Montreal by Patrick Martin and Maxime Cormier, the unrelenting Thrash N’ Roll beast Reanimator dug an important place in the Quebec metal scene, offering incendiary Thrash Metal dotted with old school and more contemporary elements, kicking some asses wherever they go. Now in 2022 the band currently comprised of Patrick Martin on vocals, Philippe Lemire and Joël Racine on the guitars, Frédérik Bizier on bass and Francis Labelle on drums strikes again with their third full-length opus, entitled Commotion, the follow-up to their excellent 2015 album Horns Up. Recorded, engineered, mixed and mastered by Jef Fortin at Badass Studio, produced by Carlos Ponte and Dany Soucy at Bam&Co-Heavy, and displaying a sick artwork by the band’s own bassist Frédérik Bizier, Commotion will certainly please all diehard fans of thrashing masters the likes of Exodus, Megadeth and Municipal Waste, bringing to our ears an overdose of heaviness, rage and rebelliousness with a vibrant Québécois twist.

The strident guitars by Philipe and Joël ignite the title-track Commotion, exploding into ass-kicking Thrash Metal to the demented screams by Patrick while sounding very classy and violent at the same time, also presenting some electrifying guitar solos. The Ditch is another song perfect for slamming into the mosh pit, with the metallic bass by Frédérik walking hand in hand with the rhythmic beats by Francis in a nonstop thrashing extravaganza for lovers of the genre; whereas instead of burning the witch, it’s time to be Burnt By The Witch, drinking form the same fountain as Bay Area monsters such as Exodus and Anthrax. Moreover, simply bang your head nonstop to the razor-edged riffs by Philippe and Joël. Then putting the pedal to the metal the band offers the infernal Terry Fire, a play word with “terrifier” as you might have noticed, where Patrick sounds utterly enraged on vocals accompanied by the massive bass punches by Frédérik; and L’Appel Du Vide (or “the call of the void” from French) is a great song entirely sung in French with Patrick being nicely supported by his bandmates’ backing vocals, sounding frantic, dirty and visceral as expected.

Necronomicunt carries a beautiful name for another explosion of old school Thrash Metal by Reanimator where the band’s guitar duo is on fire from start to finish, slashing our ears mercilessly while Francis dictates the pace with his unstoppable drums; and grab a cold beer and head into the circle pit to the sound of Anti-Sobriety, offering us all more of their thrilling riffage, bestial drums and deranged vocals. After such high level of insanity, the band slows things down a bit and brings forward Wretched Affliction, presenting some interesting breaks and variations while Patrick keeps roaring like a beast (despite being a bit below the rest of the album). Back to a more direct, venomous sonority it’s time for the crushing Heads Or Tails, with Philippe and Joël once again stealing the spotlight with their refined riffs and solos; and lastly, let’s bang our heads and raise our horns together with such talented Canadian squad in Out For Justice, with Francis hammering his drums in great fashion while the roaring by Patrick sounds more insane than ever.

If you have what it takes to face this Canadian raging bull of Thrash Metal, you can enjoy Commotion in full on Spotify, and of course purchase the album by clicking HERE or from Boiteamusique.ca. Don’t forget to also check what those metallers are up to on Facebook and on Instagram, and to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their inebriate, thrashing music. As aforementioned, Horns Up was already an amazing effort by Reanimator, but the evolution in their music from then to Commotion is beyond awesome, therefore placing them among the best metal bands of the current Canadian scene. And may the heaviness of the Thrash Metal blasted by Reanimator keep hammering us all for many years to come, always fierce and dauntless like the “abominautors” they are.

Best moments of the album: The Ditch, Terry Fire and Necronomicunt.

Worst moments of the album: Wretched Affliction.

Released in 2022 Bam&Co-Heavy

Track listing
1. Commotion 5:36
2. The Ditch 3:26
3. Burnt By The Witch 4:49
4. Terry Fire 3:32
5. L’Appel Du Vide 4:05
6. Necronomicunt 3:22
7. Anti-Sobriety 5:14
8. Wretched Affliction 3:58
9. Heads Or Tails 3:20
10. Out For Justice 4:56

Band members
Patrick Martin – vocals
Philippe Lemire – guitars
Joël Racine – guitars
Frédérik Bizier – bass, backing vocals
Francis Labelle – drums

Concert Review – Cannibal Corpse (The Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON, 11/06/2022)

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And there we had another fantastic night of sheer brutality and blasphemy in Toronto spearheaded by the Corpse. 

OPENING ACTS: Black Anvil, Immolation and Dark Funeral

What a fantastic night of sheer brutality and blasphemy at The Danforth Music Hall yesterday in Toronto! If you’re a diehard fan of Death and Black Metal you must attend one of the concerts of the North American Tour 2022 this fall with the bands BLACK ANVIL, IMMOLATION, DARK FUNERAL and the unstoppable, unparalleled CANNIBAL FUCKIN’ CORPSE, with the sold out night yesterday in Toronto proving how strong extreme music still is even with all the bad music that’s dumped onto us everyday by the “specialized” media. The weather was perfect and the line to get into the venue started to form really early, maybe even before 4pm, showing it was going to be indeed an unforgettable night to all 1,500 fans who were lucky enough to get a ticket.

The first band to hit the stage was New York-based Black/Thrash Metal outfit BLACK ANVIL, but I had to miss the first few minutes of their setlist due to the massive line to buy merch. Unfortunately, the never-ending merch lines seem to be the new norm as that has happened in every single concert I’ve been to after the end of the pandemic, which makes me wonder if the fans are willing to spend a lot of extra money with shirts and other merch fearing that a new pandemic might hit anytime, or that the organizers have no clue what they’re doing and can’t put together a decent way to serve all fans that want to buy some merch. Anyway, back to the music, as soon as I was able to get into the main hall I could enjoy Black Anvil’s straightforward, no shenanigans performance, with their drummer stealing the spotlight with a solid performance. They’ve just released a new album this Friday, entitled Regenesis, which was basically everything they played last night, so if you know nothing about them and are attending one of their concerts opening for Cannibal Corpse you must listen to their new opus. Well, you should listen to it even if you’re not attending any concert, as those guys are great.

Setlist
The Gates of Brass
In Two
The Bet
29
8-Bit Terror
Grant Us His Love
Castrum Doloris

Band members
P.D. – vocals, bass
Sos – guitars
Travis Bacon – guitars
R.G. – drums

After a very short break (and the main reason for that is because all four bands had to finish their concerts by 11pm at the latest due to the neighborhood where the venue is located), it was then time for American Death Metal masters IMMOLATION to crush our souls with their extremely aggressive and technical creations, blending songs from their newest album Acts of God, such as the title-track An Act of God, Shed the Light and the closing song Apostle, with old school stuff including one song from their 1991 debut album Dawn of Possession, the fulminating Burial Ground, which ignited one of the most ravenous mosh pits of their infernal performance. Vocalist and bassist Ross Dolan was on fire throughout their entire set, while his bandmates made sure the electricity kept flowing between the band and the crowd. I’m sure it won’t take long for Immolation to return to Toronto,  and whenever that happens I’m sure I’ll be there to slam into the pit once again to the sound of their visceral music.

Setlist
Abandoned
An Act of God
The Age of No Light
Swarm of Terror
Noose of Thorns
The Distorting Light
Overtures of the Wicked
Burial Ground
Shed the Light
Of Martyrs and Men
When Halos Burn
Apostle

Band members
Ross Dolan – vocals, bass
Robert Vigna – guitars
Alex Bouks – guitars
Steve Shalaty – drums

Of course I was at The Danforth Music Hall last night mainly to see the headliners Cannibal Corpse, but I was also very excited to witness the scorching Black Metal by Sweden’s own DARK FUNERAL for the very first time live, and let me tell you it was indeed a unique experience as the band spearheaded by the talented frontman Heljarmadr delivered endless obscurity and blasphemy to their avid fans. Promoting their awesome new opus We Are The Apocalypse, Dark Funeral fired a great fusion of their early days and more contemporary creations, with songs the likes of Leviathan, The Secrets of the Black Arts and Let the Devil In receiving a huge roar back from the crowd showing all their admiration for the band. It was also funny seeing Heljarmadr asking every single fan at the venue to scream “HAIL SATAN!” together with him, and I can’t imagine what the girls at the bar and the guys from security felt during such inspirational moments. The top moments of their performance for me were the neck-breaking, evil tune My Funeral, and the closing song Where Shadows Forever Reign, turning Toronto into the worldwide Black Metal capital for one night and, therefore, guaranteeing Dark Funeral will return to the city to darken the skies once again with their undisputed Black Metal in the near future.

Setlist
Unchain My Soul
Hail Murder
Leviathan
My Funeral
The Secrets of the Black Arts
Open the Gates
When I’m Gone
Nail Them to the Cross
Let the Devil In
Where Shadows Forever Reign

Band members
Heljarmadr – vocals
Lord Ahriman – guitars
Chaq Mol – guitars
Adra Melek – bass
Jalomaah – drums

CANNIBAL CORPSE

And finally there they were, three years after their hammering performance at The Opera House back in 2019 (which was by the way my last concert before the world went to shit with the pandemic), Buffalo, New York’s one and only Death Metal institution CANNIBAL CORPSE took the city of Toronto by storm once again with their rage, speed, heaviness, precision and groove, driving the entire floor section mental and, consequently, igniting a massive circle pit that lasted for their entire performance. Frontman George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher (armed with his monstrous neck and his beyond cool T-shirt “Respect the Neck”), guitarists Rob Barrett and Erik Rutan, the bass phenom Alex Webster, and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz were in absolute sync from start to finish, turning up the eat at the venue to the point you would sweat even if you were not moving at all.

What I love about Cannibal Corpse is that their setlists are always a journey through all of their phases, mixing classics the likes of Unleashing the Bloodthirsty and Stripped, Raped and Strangled with newer stuff such as Kill or Become and Inhumane Harvest, this one form their most recent album Violence Unimagined. Corpsegrinder had the crowd in his bloody hands instantly, delivering not only a savage vocal performance but also interacting in a very fun way with all fans, either by throwing bottles of water to them or by challenging everyone to try to beat him in a headbanging duel during I Cum Blood (and of course, we all failed miserably as Corpsegrinder himself predicted). Another fun moment with Corpsegrinder was before Fucked With a Knife, when he dedicated it to all women and instead of hearing guys cheering that, he actually listened to A LOT of women screaming at the venue. He commented on that by saying there are usually only 20 women in their concerts, which is already a lot in his opinion, and when he asked the ladies to scream again they were even louder. Well, after such nice moment, the circle pit kept moving ferociously to Fucked With a Knife, as expected.

Every single time I write anything about Cannnibal Corpse I need to say how much I admire Mr. Alex Webster and his wicked bass lines, and yesterday in Toronto he proved once again why he’s the best bass player of the entire Death Metal universe. That man is a beast on bass, and the best part is that you can actually listen to each and every note coming from his bass clearly. And while Mr. Webster was demolishing our ears with his bass during masterpieces the likes of Devoured by Vermin, A Skull Full of Maggots and Hammer Smashed Face, the rowdy crowd in Toronto kept having a very good time inside the circle pit in the name of first-class metal music. It’s so nice to be a fan of a band like Cannibal Corpse, as not only all of their albums are amazing, but their live performances are a thing of beauty. There should be a law for the band to play here at least once a month, but as that’s not possible I’m happy if they kept releasing ass-kicking albums and keep coming back to Toronto every couple of years. LONG LIVE THE CORPSE!

Setlist
Scourge of Iron
The Time to Kill Is Now
Inhumane Harvest
Code of the Slashers
Fucked With a Knife
The Wretched Spawn
Gutted
Kill or Become
I Cum Blood
Evisceration Plague
Death Walking Terror
Condemnation Contagion
Necrogenic Resurrection
Unleashing the Bloodthirsty
Devoured by Vermin
A Skull Full of Maggots
Stripped, Raped and Strangled
Hammer Smashed Face

Band members
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher – vocals
Rob Barrett – lead and rhythm guitar
Erik Rutan – lead guitar
Alex Webster – bass guitar
Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums

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Concert Review – Trivium (Rebel, Toronto, ON, 10/25/2022)

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The awesome night where Trivium switched from being an Orlando band to a Toronto band. 

OPENING ACT: Khemmis, Whitechapel and Between The Buried And Me

My last concert of such intense month of October couldn’t have been any better, as the city of Toronto hosted a fantastic night of modern-day metal with the Deadmen And Dragons Tour at Rebel, with the bands KHEMMIS, WHITECHAPEL, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and the al-freakin’-mighty TRIVIUM proving that heavy music is still alive and kicking as opposed to what several “experts” say about it. It was a very comfortable night temperature-wise and the venue is awesome for concerts like that, with the only problem being as always their parking lot, which made several fans wait for over one hour to be able to get out of it as soon as the concert was over. Well, it is what it is, so let’s focus on the music which is what really matters in the end.

The first band to hit the stage at around 6:55pm was Denver, Colorado-based Doom Metal act KHEMMIS, which also opened for Mastodon and Opeth a few months ago, still promoting their 2021 album Deceivers. Their setlist might have been short but it was very cohesive and electrifying, inspiring an already big crowd to slam into the pit to their doomed and heavy creations. It was my second time seeing Khemmis, this time from the very beginning, and not only I must say I was impressed with their energy throughout their entire set last night, but I also think everyone at the venue felt the same chemistry with the band. If that’s not an invitation for Khemmy to keep coming back to Toronto, I don’t know what would be.

Setlist
Avernal Gate
Three Gates
Sigil
Isolation
A Conversation with Death

Band members
Ben – vocals, guitars
Phil – vocals, guitars
David Small – bass
Zach – drums

After a quick bathroom/beer break, Knoxville, Tennessee’s own Deathcore outfit WHITECHAPEL began their sonic attack for the delight of several diehard fans of the band at Rebel, and it was indeed a ferocious performance by frontman Phil Bozeman and his horde. From the opening tune I Will Find You, from their 2021 album Kin, to the closing moments of Doom Woods, Whitechapel drove the fans insane into the pit, with the whole band sounding on absolute fire specially during newer songs the likes of Lost Boy and A Bloodsoaked Symphony. Excellent performance by a band that I’ve never been into that much, but that I will surely give a few more listens in more detail in the near future.

Setlist
I Will Find You
Anticure
Lost Boy
Orphan
This Is Exile
A Bloodsoaked Symphony
Doom Woods

Band members
Phil Bozeman – vocals
Ben Savage – lead guitars
Alex Wade – guitars
Zach Householder – guitars
Gabe Crisp – bass
Ernie Iniguez – drums

The most “meh” moment for me of the entire night was the performance by Raleigh, North Carolina-based Progressive Metal band BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, which despite being very technical and precise in what they do, their setlist sounded a bit confusing and tiresome. The songs Revolution in Limbo and Never Seen/Future Shock, from their latest album Colors II, were played to perfection, but at least for me they lack that spark or special element that would make them truly entertaining live. There were a lot of BTBAM fans at the venue enjoying the show, though, maybe due to a different type of connection they have with the band, but as I said several people at the venue didn’t enjoy the band as much as they had fun with Whitechapel.

Setlist
Sun of Nothing
Revolution in Limbo
Extremophile Elite
Never Seen/Future Shock
The Future Is Behind Us

Band members
Tommy Giles Rogers – lead vocals, keyboards
Paul Waggoner – lead guitar, backing vocals, additional lead vocals
Dustie Waring – rhythm guitar, additional lead guitar
Dan Briggs – bass, keyboards
Blake Richardson – drums, backing vocals, additional lead vocals

TRIVIUM

Finally, at around 9:50pm, the lights went out and the DJ played Iron Maiden’s hit Run to the Hills through the speakers, inspiring everyone at Rebel to sing its iconic lyrics as a cool warmup for Orlando, Florida’s own Heavy Metal institution TRIVIUM. It was a nice moment for me personally as I had just seen Iron Maiden live in Newark last Friday, so that “bridge” from one band to another sounded really awesome to my ears. Then after the intro IX, Matt Heafy, Corey Beaulieu, Paolo Gregoletto and Alex Bent began kicking some serious ass with the excellent What the Dead Men Say, winning the hearts of everyone at the venue instantly.

In case you might be asking yourself why the tour is called Deadmen And Dragons Tour, that’s because when What The Dead Men Say was released back in 2020 we were in the middle of the pandemic, so there wasn’t a proper tour to promote that album before they released in 2021 the brilliant In the Court of the Dragon. That being said, their setlist was a fusion of both albums with a few old school hits the likes of Like Light to the Flies and To the Rats, resulting in a much better and obviously longer setlist than the one they played in Toronto opening for Lamb of God and Megadeth back in May.

Matt was really, really excited with the amount of people that went to see them last night and of course with the warm reception they had, reminding us all about their early days when no one knew what Trivium were in Canada. He kept saying in between songs he’s amazed with what the band and their Torontonian fans have built together, saying the crowd was so rowdy and vibrant to the point Trivium could switch from being an Orlando band to a Toronto band. I have no idea how loud their fans were in Calgary and other Canadian cities, nor how loud they’ll be tonight in Montreal, but yesterday was indeed a very special night for the band based on all mosh pits, screams and horns raised while they played pulverizing songs such as Amongst the Shadows & the Stones, In the Court of the Dragon and A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, which by the way wasn’t played in most (or any) of their dates this tour.

By the way, Matt asked the band to stop playing In the Court of the Dragon right in the middle of it due to two stupid idiots that were about to start a fight in the circle pit. He asked them to split and stop with the fighting just like what he tells his four year-old twins, which was a funny moment that I’m sure no one at the venue will ever forget, in special those two idiots. Another thing that I find impressive is that their fans love their newest songs just as much as their old ones, with The Heart From Your Hate being one of the most special moments of the night alongside Shogun and In Waves. So now as promised, Matt, as Trivium “became” a Toronto band we want to see you guys playing ten or more concerts only in Ontario on the next tour, alright? We will be waiting for you with open arms, no doubt about that.

Setlist
Run to the Hills
IX
What the Dead Men Say
Into the Mouth of Hell We March
The Sin and the Sentence
Like Light to the Flies
Amongst the Shadows & the Stones
Chaos Reigns
The Shadow of the Abattoir
X
In the Court of the Dragon
To the Rats
The Heart From Your Hate
Shogun
A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation
Capsizing The Sea
In Waves

Band members
Matt Heafy – lead vocals, guitar
Corey Beaulieu – guitar, backing vocals
Paolo Gregoletto – bass guitar, backing vocals
Alex Bent – drums, percussion