Deicide - The Pyramid Cabaret March 12th, 2012

The day of Deicide, tickets for the show were selling like hotcakes at War on Music- which is a pretty exciting prospect, all things considered. I was looking  forward to the show at the Zoo, which always offers a very metal atmosphere and good angles for pictures. Mid-afternoon, however, Cory came in asking about whether we had anymore tickets, and restocked us as well as taking his hard-earned cash. He then informed me of the unfortunate reality of the border officers being dick-faces and not accepting the work permits that the bands possessed, so the show might have to be moved. In the end, the show was moved from our beloved Zoo, to the Pyramid. You know if Cory has to change the venue the day of show, he has had a baaaaad day. Poor Cory!

Not only did the venue change, but the show time too... 9pm doors, and the show started at 9:30 sharp. Lecherous Nocturne were up first, and what a good opener! They were a generous helping of technical and impressive death metal. Their bassist James O`Neal used a Spanish guitar style of picking for the bass. Finger picking not only up, but down as well, to get the quick six-note progressions he doled out like they were nothing but the blues.  Their vocalist, Brent, didn`t do a hell of a lot of talking between songs- more just song titles then the metal began again. Sometimes that`s nice, when all you want to hear is some head-bangingly awesome metal, but in this case, it might just have been due to lack of charisma or even fatigue! After all, the bands and crew spent six hours at the border that day. Bad day for everyone. At one point, the vocalist for Abigail Williams did the vocals for a song, and it was a treat! Over all, I would recommend seeing Lecherous Nocturne, and they were generous enough to give me two of their CD`s, which I will gladly promote on Rock n` Roll Damnation and Radio Active METAL.

No faces - Just hair

One thing I can say about Abigail Williams was that they were really freaking loud. It was different depending on where you were standing, but they were the band that likely hurt my hearing the most. They didn`t sound bad, they were just cranked. Atmospheric and doomy as well as shrouded in mist, Abigail Williams played an interesting set with only three members of their expected five member group. I was not very familiar with their work, so my expectations were non-existent. They disappointed friends of mine, but personally, I thought their delivery was strong and really spoke to the doom metal fan in me that enjoys the slow glowing production of eerie sounds. For me, it was wave after wave of smoke machine and hard-hitting mysticism that I have only gotten once before with the band Russian Circles, whom also had a diminished group with no vocalist. Awesome!

 Jungle Rot was the band I came that night to witness. I had heard so many good things, and any time we had a Jungle Rot CD at War on Music, it was either sold immediately, or put on hold. I wasn't too sure of what to expect, since I had only heard a scant amount of their extensive discography- with Kill On Command being supported for this tour, and incidentally, the only one they had for sale.

So I strapped in and prepared for a death metal barrage that I was sure my ears would be delighted with. I would like to point out that Dave Matrise is a mean looking and fitting frontman for a band with such attitude and a formidably austere and aggressive sound. He looks like the war part of the band, while Geoff Bub has hair like jungle vines and they both really struck me as being exactly how this band should portray itself. I can't discount the energy James Genenz put forth on stage as the bassist, and moved around and was actually interesting to take pictures of. Jesse Beahler, former drummer of like... five other bands is the newest to the group but fits right in and plays like the rhythmic and constant beating of a war drum should. War drummer, you could say. Jungle Rot was the whole package, in terms of stage presence fitting how they sound. I was personally extremely impressed- which is why I bought five copies of Kill on Command afterwards! The whole room was booming and thrashing while Jungle Rot played. They really got the crowd riled up before Deicide took the stage, and they're the right kind of band to have supporting any old school death metal veteran band. Jungle Rot has been around since 1994, so why hadn't I heard of them before? I'm still baffled at their relative obscurity, despite their obvious strengths as a metal presence. I urge any one of you who might read this, to go pick up a copy of one of their albums, or steal it from the internet, then buy it. They're awesome, and they're the right kind of stuff to have in your death metal collection.

Ahh, Deicide... a band that has eluded my interest since I got into death metal. It's not that their sound is poor, it's just that I've never really cared for it. I'm being very honest, when I say I was excited to see the explosive crowd more than the band itself. Everyone who likes Deicide REALLY likes Deicide, and that makes it enjoyable either way. When they first started, I knew I had permission to get on stage and take pictures, but I was going to wait until there was a break before another song, so that when they started playing, I knew I had at least a few minutes of actual music to cover, just in case they abruptly stopped and I was caught on stage like an asshole. I saw that there was actual security, so that also prompted me to wait before hitting the stage. They played for about fifteen minutes before stopping, and then I made sure the security guy behind me knew what I was up to, before he deemed me dangerous and dragged me, half-nelson, off the stage. Steve Asheim is probably one of the coolest drummers I have ever photographed, and he's also wicked to hang out with- very friendly! I literally only had to go on stage once to take about five pictures of him- all of which were freaking awesome.  Without a guard rail typically provided at the Zoo, it became a pretty volatile place for me to take any pictures. When a mosh pit forms, I know enough not to try and get to the front for fear of being slammed and losing my camera. The room was getting pretty warm by the time it was half way through Deicide's set, and everyone was fairly randy and riled up. So the crowd became a swarm of moshing, violent, surly and yet angrily affectionate metalheads who came out to see some death metal bands. It was a good night, even if I don't particularly care for Glen and the gang.

Good times had by all

All Pictures found here ---->

https://picasaweb.google.com/113056343942734663331/DeicideThePyramidCabaretMarch12thWithJungleRotAbigailWilliamsAndLecherousNocturne 

Manitoba Metal Festival, Night One

The night was a buzz that ebbed and flowed, with lots of fun and some misfortune- but mainly metal! I had mentally prepared for the gamut of photographing five bands in one evening, but I couldn't be sure how tiring it would be. I helped Charley Justice select, pack and transport some excellent metal titles to sell at Metal Fest, alongside the merchandise of the performing groups. I was totally stoked about the giveaway of a drum set and guitar and the fact that Metal fest had actual sponsorship this year from Quest Musique and the shirts were awesome and reasonably priced! The show didn't start until 9:40, which was already pretty late considering there were to be five groups performing.

First up was Annex Theory whom played a pretty enjoyable and killer set of rather technical and fast-paced sort of prog death metal, if I can even be permitted to generalize and tag a band as any sub-genre. Going from one vocalist, Trevor, to two, was effective and entertaining musically, and they clearly had a blast doing this together. Their guitarist, Wade, although a shred-meister, was pretty stoic and boring to photograph. The two vocalists, one of which was a guest, were exceptionally amusing to record on single images, as well as their eclectically dressed bassist Jordan, whom was fondly referred to as Spiderman for his tattoes. This certainly wasn't their first manitoba metal fest either- these guys have been doing it for several years, and it shows! Both their guitarists shred like madmen and their keyboardist, Matthew was also superbly entertaining to photograph. Not a small band by any stretch, as they have six members. I'm impressed by their ability to coordinate so many people to make such an awesome sound. The Despised Icon influence is obvious, and it works! I would recommend seeing Annex Theory and checking out their stuff. They have a relatively new EP out called Beneath The Skin which was physically released in December.

This time around, I thought Abhorupt played even better- not to say they played poorly at battle of the bands. They were slightly more interesting to take pictures of this time as well! Trying not to beat a dead horse with too many words, you should just come out and see them, to get an idea for their brand of technical death metal.

The most disastrous and horrifying part of my night came when the irrevocably awesome band Seventh Sin hit the stage. I was minding my own business, taking some wicked shots of their Keyboardist, Dan Klakowich, and some crowd shots when my memory card stopped agreeing with my camera! I was shocked, angry and all sorts of confused. I thought my night of photography was over, and that would not impress my "boss" Cory Thomas. So I scrambled to come up with a way to get back in the game. I couldn't secure another memory card in time to get the rest of Seventh Sin's set, which was stellar in a very 70's heavy metal influenced sort of way. This is also Shane Barron's other band, aside from Grand Master (whom I RAVE about all the time). Shane puts on a different persona as a guitarist for Seventh Sin, with different garb and movement, but all the while still just as charming as when he's nerding it up- Grand Master style! However, I must apologize greatly to Seventh Sin, because I really wanted to capture their professional essence on camera, and I couldn't do that for metal fest- so next time they play, I will make it up to them with some pro-bono photography, and play the hell out of their new material on Rock n' Roll Damnation.

It's always a blast seeing The Legion of Liquor perform, even if it's the same catchy drinking tunes every time, always starting off with Hops. Jared Weiss, whom I spoke with before, is the mastermind behind this titillating notion of a drinking and singing choir of men with some very talented musical accompaniment. The Legion are very much a crowd pleaser, and you can't help but sing along. I really, REALLY hope they get an actual album out soon, because that would just be the only thing playing at my next beer pong tournament. Oh shotgunnin'! I would also like to add that they have new shirts! I know I love mine.

Loving the Legion, clearly

The War on Music merchandise got a primo table to set up on, right next to Into Eternity's, where a very pretty young lady in a leopard print jacket and shiny black pants was working. I didn't think much of her, and of course just made short polite conversation. Little did I know, that when she got on stage and got behind one of the Into Eternity banners, that this was the Amanda Kiernan I was so eager to see and hear that night. There was no way she was much older than I was, and I went up to her saying "Hey, pretty lady. I am so excited to see you perform!" and she just glowed and had one of the nicest smiles. I know I sound like I have a crush on her, but she was just one of those remarkable people you only meet a couple of times in your life. She had an aura or energy about her, and I knew that this was going to be something extraordinary and special. Amanda fucking slayed on stage. She hit all the notes, was louder than anticipated, which was awesome, and just had all the chemistry with the rest of the band that you would see with thirty-year stage vets. Amanda had been a part of her other band The Order of Chaos for some years, so she obviously isn't completely new to the stage.

I took some wicked pictures, and thoroughly enjoyed the amazing new beginning of Into Eternity. Although Amanda is currently listed as their touring singer, I think they would be fools not to record with her. I was told they will be, so that's even more exciting! Stu Block was quoted saying that Iced Earth is home to him now, so let the two bands move in amazing new directions, and perhaps down the road the two shall meet. And so ended night one, with new excitement in the metal community and a wonderful turnout that promises, perhaps someday, the Manitoba Metal Fest will be something to stop into Winnipeg for! Like, actual tourism! Thanks again to Cory Thomas, who perpetually kicks ass by drumming and bringing amazing bands to this frozen shithole.

ALL of the First night's pics can now be viewed here!
https://picasaweb.google.com/113056343942734663331/ManitobMetalFestNightOne

Warbringer, Iced Earth and Symphony X @ The Garrick Feb. 9th, 2012

A few weeks ago, one of the metal show hosts at CKUW, Tyson, approached me with the rad notion of having none other than WARBRINGER on my show for the day they were to play with Iced Earth and Symphony X. This was pretty much a dream come true, having an internationally acclaimed band on my silly little metal show at a university. The guys in Warbringer aren't much older than I am, so it wouldn't be hard to connect with them and compare the trials and tribulations at our age.

The excitement boiled over for me, and I was determined to make this a special interview for them and to bring them food to show my gratitude. I spent the day of and day before layering lasagna for them, baking banana bread and baking German rolls. I even made my new pad immaculate, in case they had time to hang out and jam. The time had almost come to prepare at the station for their arrival, when I was informed that they had hit a deer carcass and wrecked the rear axel of their tour bus. Few times has such anguish and fury come over me... I almost tore Tyson a new one simply because the situation sucked so bad, and I was sure my efforts were ruined. Tyson decided he would still co-host with me, which was excellent! And so I paid a visit to my record store first, which is War On Music, to go pick up my prize pack for the fundrive show at CKUW.

By the way... donate to that shit if you want to keep metal on the radio in Winnipeg... you can also listen to us from anywhere in the world!
http://ckuw.ca/donate

and listen to Rock n' Roll Damnation here! ---> http://ckuw.ca/programs/detail/rock-n-roll-damnation/

Talking to Charley Justice and getting that promo sleeve for Sacrifice's 198666 double LP helped calm the dragon that was still threatening to breathe fire from me, but I still couldn't help but feel screwed over. I began to walk from Albert street to the U of W via Ellice, and I happened to just pass the Garrick when... I see tour buses parked in the alley; So I look at the time, and decide I still have some to investigate. I walk over and see some guys, and simply ask where Warbringer is, to which they reply "Dunno. Go ask Andrew, in there." Now, I don't know who this Andrew guy is, but taking an invitation to simply walk into the back of the Garrick while the bands are getting set up for the show tonight, now that's a sweet offer. I go in, and right off the bat, some gentlemen from the stage asks if I need anything, and so I go up, wondering, of course, about Warbringer, because they were supposed to be on my show. The man in the bandanna shakes my hand and introduces himself as Stan, and takes me along to find Iced Earth's tour manager, Theo. We find him at the back of the main theater, and there's some chat about being surrogates on my show, but they assure me they don't talk to Warbringer until they actually reach the gig. Bunk, man.

I told Stan and Theo about the buttload of food I made for the boys, and they simply say "It won't go uneaten!" Which actually perked me up a bit. Stan asked what cheese was in the lasagna, to which I replied "Feta and mozzarella."

"Will you marry me?" was what Stan said to me, which was a good sign, I would say, and I said no, simply because the man in my life (yes, I'm going to say it) is the one for me. Taken, frankly.

Anyhow, I was told to be back there at 5 pm with the food, and so I took that with much joy and went off to do my show without the band, and apologize to Tyson. The show itself went very, very well but we had to let Dustin Clyde know, there was going to be no Warbringer to interview for his moshing documentary. So we all decided that it would be best to spend some time at War on Music before heading 'er to my apartment to haul the food to the show.

Fast-forward a few hours- Dustin and I haul the food and the video equipment to the Garrick, let it be known we have lasagna! I stand around for a bit in the Garrick, and Jon Schaffer and Micheal Romeo are just walking around, and I sort of eye them a bit, a little in astonishment. So they stand around, looking at the stage being set up, and I asked them if I could just have a picture with them. Bam. Pic with the main guys from Iced Earth and Symphony X makes a very happy Liz. Troy is also just chilling out, and then Stan finds me and takes me to the tour bus with Dustin to preheat their convection oven and sit for a bit with their drum tech. He technically babysits us, but gives us his lonely perspective on the tour and tells us how he's qualified as well as how fucking trashed everyone got on their night off on Wednesday. Good times had by all, we thought.

I stick the lasagna in the oven, spread some banana bread, which pleases Stu Block and his fiance' as well as Freddie, and then I head back into the Garrick. Tyson gives me a call and informs me that Warbringer is there, which is awesome! We see John Laux by his guitars, so we simply ask if we can conduct an interview about moshing with him, and of course he agrees. So we head to the back part of the theater, watch him restring his jackson, and ask him some questions about the related subject of metal and moshing. The interview goes fabulously and Iced Earth does their sound check and meet and greet. The lasagna was almost complete as well...

Back on the bus, when the lasagna is almost fully cooked, I inquire about whether I can have a press pass, and I'm told to find the chicken man, which is Theo. I find him, and he writes me a press pass, which pretty much says security can't fuck with me for taking pictures! Ecstatic and full of bliss, I head back to the bus to dine with Schaffer, Troy, Stan and Brent. Stan keeps saying how my significant other is a dead man, and everyone thoroughly enjoys the cooking. But soon it is time to start my methodical work of photo taking, and I head into the Garrick to see Warbringer's half hour set. The set was incredible, and they always end with Combat Shock, as well as playing Living in a Whirlwind and Shattered Like Glass. Regrettably, I informed Carlos of the lasagna that was intended for them, but also added Iced Earth was a bit protective of it now. Warbringer very eagerly made faces for me to take pictures of, and man, did the camera eat it up.

After Warbringer's set, I flitted around the venue with all the giddiness and alacrity of a six year old girl who just got an actual pony. I had left the bulk of my things on Iced Earth's tour bus, anticipating to hang out with them after their set. So I peeked at the merch, and delighted in some of the selection- but alas, no girly shirts for Warbringer... Seeing many of the people I know also brightened up this already amazing evening. My significant other just missed Warbringer's set, but was totally stoked about me being the only person with a press pass for Warbringer and Iced Earth... Now to mentally prepare for Iced Earth's set.

Generally, a press pass will only get you taking pictures for about three songs, then security tells you to jog on. I was fortunate enough to be allowed to take pictures for their entire set! The space between the guard rail, and the security guard thick stage was exhilarating, being the only one to occupy this typical no-mans-land.  I just marvelled at the already intimate area I occupied with Iced Earth on their tour bus, seeing them as normal rock gods, rather than suited up ones- and now I was seeing them in their real element, for the first time. This line-up of Iced Earth was glorious, especially with Stu Block fronting and doing every single song justice. After the show, John fortified this idea, saying that Stu absolutely belonged in Iced Earth, and brings his own thing to really makes the band great. I asked Stu's fiance' if she knew exactly how stoked Stu was to be in Iced Earth, and if he ever could have imagined... By the way, Stu's fiance' is a super duper nice lady! Congratulations to them both!

With my bounty of photo's, I was dying to look over them and see how well I actually caught the performances so far. But as I finished Iced Earth's set in pictures, one of the security guards informed me that I was not allowed to take pictures during Symphony X! Lame! So I talked to Theo, and he told me he would try, but generally, it was out of his hands and up to Symphony X's tour manager... I even asked Jason Rullo if I could take pictures, and he said likely not, and that it was something that needed to be arranged ahead of time, but he was very nice, and took a picture with me. Then he continued his warm up, and I was just happy that I was getting to see everyone from all three bands...

I said hi to Iced Earth again on the bus, and showed Brent some pictures, telling him I would send them soon.  I made it short and sweet however, because I wanted to attempt to capture some Symphony X on camera, but from a less prestigious place in the crowd, where I was actually more acquainted.

Not much really compares to the mind-blowingly crucial and technical playing of Micheal Romeo and his talented meat fingers. I mean, the guy plays with sausages for fingers, and still hits the frets like there's no tension. That isn't to say that the other band members are completely overshadowed- Mr. LePond really holds his own on bass, and I wish I had stuck around longer to look and listen.  I was in awe, and I couldn't help but share these moments with a certain local guitarist, but soon the good vibes ended when he overstepped his bounds, and I was forced to seek shelter by the merch table, away from this creep. I ended up speaking with the new guitarist from Warbringer for a while, and we talked about rights, libertarianism, and how he really doesn't like being cornered by chicks who want to bang him. He was a really nice guy, and had a lot of intelligent things to say- also, a worthy replacement and a step up from their last guitarist.

My cohort Charley made it into the show, and so we spoke of the show thus far, and then talked to John Laux about our record store. We decided we wanted a deal on the records they were selling at their merch, which were: limited edition splatter vinyl copies of Worlds Torn Asunder. I ended up throwing up my own cash for five copies. All of which are now available at War on Music. Soon, we were off to the record store itself to show John around and get him some records of his own for getting us such an awesome deal. Smoking cigarettes, pricing records and listening to Manilla Road's Necropolis off Crystal Logic was a pretty sweet time while Symphony X probably melted over a thousand faces. Back again to the venue, to see how the gig was going, and soon I found Christopher, because the band had stopped playing.

The best, or at least funniest part of the evening was about to unfold, and so I invited my significant other to come fetch my things with me on Iced Earth's bus. We entered to a big friendly greeting from the band, and I introduced Christpher to Iced Earth, and then Stan said with a chuckle "Is this the guy we have to strangle?" oh, Stan. Everyone was all comfortable after cooling down from their set, and Mr. Schaffer was a good bit through his bottle of Walker Whiskey, which he very graciously shared with us. Soon, the farcical antics of walky-talky talk ensued as Theo left to help the crew pack up the gear. Brent and Troy were also not present, and for some time, it was Chris, John and I sitting there, laughing about "Fuck your couch." Did I mention that this is now the "Fuck Your Couch" Tour for Iced Earth? John spent about fourty-five minutes haranging his crew by walky-talky. I won't get into details about what he said, but I laughed the entire time, and I couldn't imagine the playful harassment ever coming from someone like John Schaffer.

Fuck your motherfucking couch, motherfucker!

At the very end of the night, I ended up getting my Iced Earth CD's signed, and giving everyone hugs. John was quite randy and emptied his crystal skull with fervor. He didn't let me leave until he informed me of how attractive I was, despite Christopher being right beside me. All we could do was laugh, hug and shake hands. I really, really enjoyed hanging out with Iced Earth, and I would cook them another meal in a heartbeat. Sometime soon, I'll be doing a podcast with them, to find out how their tour is going, and perhaps get an idea of when they'll come back! So tune into Radio Active Metal with Snowy, Roch and Myself, for exclusive interviews and some generally interesting metal talk!

www.castironring.com/radioactivemetal

Clearly you will be able to see the entirety of all the good pictures right here!
https://picasaweb.google.com/113056343942734663331/IcedEarthFeb9thTheGarrick

Battle of the Bands - Jan 21st @ The Zoo

There was an excellent turn-out at the Zoo, that became a swarm of support for Winnipeg's local talent: Abhorrupt, Grand Master, Laika and Tyrants Demise.  The battle was for the prize of opening up for Metal Alliance, which features Devildriver and Dying Fetus. Excellent! The results were decided by the voting public, so if you didn't vote, then you're succumbing to what the political fat cats want! Which is voter apathy in their favour! SO VOTE- Even if it's just for a metal band.  All this for only $7! Could Winnipeg be any better for metal? Why, certainly, but we aren't doing bad.

The first band to hit the stage was Abhorupt, which had some decent band dynamics, and their short-haired front-man was consistent enough in his vocal style. What really struck me, was when he had to continually look at lyrics for a song, and would go to the edge of the stage and peer down at it during the song, and then get back into singing it, or gargling it or... growling it. Whatever. It wasn't bad, just rather amusing. "It's death metal, man." One shortcoming however, was that they would get into a tasty riff, and then cut it short instead of going with it. So the potential is definitely there, they just need to re-hash their song writing and riff sculpting process. Otherwise, it was a pleasure seeing and hearing them play.

Then, of course... there was Grand Master.... How much more can I love this trio? They're just the nicest dudes, and the vets of this gig. Playing an onslaught of about fourty-five minutes, non-stop, and competing with the rest of the bill, which is a lot more death metal. They really tailored their sound to fit this bill, and did it effectively with harsher vocals and even more energy than the last time I saw them. The bottom line is, Grand Master know exactly what they're doing, and even if the crowd wasn't their regular crowd, everyone still had a wicked time being in the presence of their raw talent. I may be slightly biased when it comes to Grand Master, but they are really something else when it comes to seeing these guys live. While taking pictures, I went right up to the corner of the drum platform, right in front of one of the cymbals which of course Matt hit. And I felt the gust of the impact, which was exhilarating, and I could tell Matt was worried the cymbal would hit me. Thank goodness for my excellent depth perception!

Laika came on, and I could finally form my own opinion on a band that I had only heard about. They had the unique feature of a keyboardist, who, despite not always having a musical bit, brought lots of energy on the stage and air-guitared and moved around. I've seen some pretty stiff band members who were ALWAYS playing a musical piece, but just lacked the enthusiasm to make it fun. Laika was mediocre in terms of sound production for this show, because their rhythm guitarist, with a stack I'd never seen called Framus, was WAY too loud, and had a shitty over-gated tone that really ruined their sound. Over all a very charismatic band, with just that unfortunate feature of bad sound. Their bassist commanded a good deal of attention for just being brutal and funny to see, and their lead guitarist had some excellent licks. Their drummer was pretty fun to take pictures of, and over all, I sort of enjoyed their set. Rhythm guitarist just needs to TURN IT DOWN, PLEASE.

Emerging from the mist, to blast your fucking ears until after 1 am were the might Tyrants Demise, which took the prize, rightfully. They were definitely the biggest draw, and it was clear from the beginning that they would win, simply by having superior death metal magic. It comes as no surprise that they tore up the place and lashed the crowd with some heavy sounds, and of course, the energy was always high. Tyrants Demise have an excellent tone, and you can't not enjoy seeing their visceral strengths on stage. This was a death metal concert, and they played the best death metal. They eat up the stage, tear up the night and make any metal fan bob and weave, and occasionally make people want to run into each other.

Twas a good night

I would just like to thank all the bands for allowing me to take pictures of them through their entire sets, because it could be very distracting. A special thanks to Cory for allowing me to take my band photography to the next level and letting these four bands loose all in one night! Looking forward to seeing Tyrants Demise open for Metal Alliance. The best of the best are available here--->  https://picasaweb.google.com/113056343942734663331/BattleOfTheBandsJan21st

Upcoming shows!

February 9th - Warbringer, Symphony X and Iced Earth
The Garrick Centre - $42.50
Doors at 6pm
Tickets available at Music Trader and online
http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/1100476176DE7658


Manitoba Metal Festival at The Zoo - February 24th - $13
Into Eternity, Legion of Liquor, Annex Theory, Seventh Sin


February 25th - $25
Suffocation, Dissolution, Alphakill, Hoarfrost, Untimely Demise


Tickets available at:The Zoo, Music Trader, Into the Music, War on Music, Into the Music



March 28th - Metal Alliance
Devildriver, The Faceless, Dying Fetus, Job For A Cowboy, 3 Inches of Blood, and Impending Doom
The Garrick Centre
Opening is Battle of the Bands winner Tyrants Demise!
Tickets can be purchased for $38.75 at www.artistarena.com and locally at War on Music, Music Trader, and Into the Music


April 18th - Sepultura, Havok, Death Angel 
The Zoo - More information soon!


April 19th - Kittie, Blackguard, The Agonist, Bonded By Blood 
The Parki Theater - All Ages - $20
Show begins at 7pm
Tickets available at War on Music, Into the Music, Music Trader and online http://www.enterthevault.com/

BUY YOUR TICKETS, MEOW

Goat Horn - Storming the Gates - 2003

Gracefully recorded entirely in analog- Storming the Gates is a Canadian heavy metal menagerie marked with doomier tones, but overly a straight metal record. This trio, consisting of visionary Jason Decay, drummer "Steel Rider" and guitarist Brandon Wars, really set a thick tone for this album, brandishing the metal with some very 80's sounding blackened thrash. Jason Decay's vocals could be described as Cronos-lite, but with more actual tune carrying. There is so much charm to this rather fun, and evidently British heavy metal influenced record, and it could have very well been produced in the 80's. The 80's seem to have a very strong influence and grip on metal in Toronto, just by seeing and hearing bands such as Goat Horn and Skull Fist. The entertainment flourishes with these talented groups, and even if their styles might be either more hair, or more doom- they are still essentially kin in a world where false metal still breathes.

The album opens to a very slow and muddy sounding rhythm in Gates of Oppression, but quickly picks up to a classic heavy metal pace and tone. Already the head-bobbing creeps on, and there is no denying the effectiveness and consistency of the meatier part of this tune. Sliding back into the sludgier bit, the picture becomes clear that this bands dynamics already hit home, from fast and furious to a distinctive slow and grudging mood. That sludge and British heavy metal can be so clearly heard in the same track, and can be transitioned to, back and forth, so effectively demands some form of praise. The sound moving on to Rotten Roll is so full and textured in tone, just the entire feel is infectious. The beat picks up and mixes- complimenting Jason's vocals, which are never overbearing or overreaching- just within the means of the music, and still rough and rugged. "We are the rotten roll revolution, with the ultimate solution!" The guitar is almost entirely without effects, and uses the full availability of tone to punch out some very tantalizing licks and solos throughout this track and the album.

The rhyming scheme isn't subtle, in that it's a predictable, but satisfying array of rhymning words, very uniformly sprawled out:

The time has come to do away,
Clear the waste, none to betray,
Destroy the false, imposters we will slay!

It sounds catchy, and after about three or four hearings, you can't help but sing along, and love every second of the vocals. However, there really isn't any excuse to rhyme more with more, which does happen on this album. This makes the heavy metal influence even more apparent and makes the album more fun and camp to listen to. To The Cliff has a groovy vibe and a solid wall of sound that makes this just another fantastic tune on this album. Softly plucked chords open up the ending track of side A, and then takes a darker heaving turn in Final Sentence/Finally Sentenced. It's also amusing to see the redundancy that is purposely placed with Goat Horn and future project Cauldron, also with Jason Decay. The subject matter of this song is easily to most in depth and thought out, the person in question has clearly been sentenced harshly without much thought, but the relief of a death sentence is a great release from the obvious injustices in the world. Finally!

The B side opens with a short but sweet little instrumental Storming In, which effectively sounds just like storming in. Fortress Doomed also sounds exactly like what it's describing, which seems to be a medieval siege on a fortress. Rhythmically battering and letting arrows fly, the siege sounds long and hard, attempting to curb whatever power holds the fortress. A little more than halfway through the track, someone, I assume Jason Decay, let's out this mosquito buzz-like scream that sort of fizzles out into hilarity. Even if Goat Horn is very British heavy metal influenced, Jason still lacks the pipes to belt it like Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford. As the song begins to close, it repeats the same quick tune from Storming In to tie up this part of the album very nicely. The pace for The Last Force continues to paint a picture of urgerncy, coupled with Jason Decay's relatively softened and subdued vocals on this track compared to the raw approach he has on the rest of the album. As the track climbs, Jason gets grittier and then lets out his mosquito buzz again- which must be a jocular aspect of this album. It has to be a facetious action to take, because Jason cannot really wail.

The guitar layering in this album is sometimes very well engineered, and nicely written such as in Re-Animation. Recording the chunky rhythm guitar and writing a catching lead lick over it likely took time, coordination and real commitment. Re-Animation is arguably the darkest track on Storming the Gates, not just with the subject matter, but with the over all feel of the track. This track is much like the tale of Frankenstein's monster with it's initial re-animation and confused birth. Sounding hard, and even enraged, the plot could be continued from Finally Sentenced where there is relief in death, but now being "synthetically revived" by chemical means, malice ensues from having the relief be retracted by unwanted new life. One part of the song with really slugdey shredding could be straight off of Darkness Descends by Dark Angel by how dark and aggressive it sounds. Resounding hate for being reborn and having the soul sent back from the flames very clearly comes through with this gem of a song. How ever well Re-Animation fits, it is still a Sacrifice cover, almost completely unaltered and raw. The choice was impeccable as it serves as a good track on the album to showcase the albums roots and influences.

The tale of  Fate Strikes is sort of a sad ending to the album, because the gates, although stormed, now become the end realized. The gates they come to see and besiege are actually now the gates of eternity into death. In what could be considered the alternate plot or idea, death is welcomed and achieved because the world is unjust, and it is even heinous to bring someone back to life. But through the main concept of the album, it would seem that the goal of overtaking the fortress is now lost, and the gates of light are now before the group.

Fate's brought us here tonight,
And now I see the light,
In through the gates we go,
On to the end where we don't know,
Our destiny finally told!

However still an awesome heavy track, it is still a lamenting one. The end so close, but now the struggle is over forever. Were they storming the gates into destiny all along, or were there really riches and power waiting for them inside a real fortress? This mirage of prestige and wealth may have been the prize all along. The music playfully uses reverb and softer picking bits with the familiar chugging that mark this album as a fatefully underrated album.
The rhythm of the album chugs along, with some very eclectic tones and parts that makes this a very unique listening experience that one hasn't quite heard anywhere else, despite the heavy and familiar influences. Some may argue it is a two-pronged concept album, but with some more inspection and thought, it might still be considered a solid single concept album. The subject matter is intrigueing, with some social commentating undertones, but overall a fun listen because of the raw approach. Recorded in analog and now re-issued on vinyl with a new cover, this is an album that shouldn't be left out of any heavy metal lover's collection.

Rotten Roll Revolution!

This is a War on Music record re-issue available on vinyl!

Gorguts - From Wisdom to Hate - 2001

The 2001 release from Gorguts is an overshadowed record following their climactic album: Obscura. Unfortunately, due to this recognition of Obscura as their magnum opus, so to speak, their album From Wisdom to Hate is a greatly under appreciated follow-up. All the elements of a pounding and solid record, are put forth and blasted through speakers of the damned. The main difference in tone for this album likely comes the change of line-up- which includes Voivod and Martyr's Daniel Mongrain and his distinct technical and crunchy tone. From listening to From Wisdom to Hate, I could immediately discern that Mongrain was their guitarist by how he approached soloing and his over all guitar complexion. The experimental difference is subtle, but apparent, by dabbling in the different sounds a guitar makes, as opposed to riff writing or even beat changes.

The album opens with Inverted, blasting with a popping snare drum and a very unique sounding pick slide that becomes a riff in itself, like an even more radical pinch harmonic. Eventually the song takes a break from the blast beats and drags itself into a sludgey and deep refrain. On some parts of the album, the band seems to intentionally drone to contrast between their unrelenting blast beats and brutally fast harmony. As well, the transitions between such parts are either choppy, just to showcase this contraposition in dynamics, or smooth and seemless; Such as the change from tracks Behave Through Mythos to From Wisdom to Hate. The two tracks could have very well been the same song, and one would have never known from just hearing the album.  Side A of the record ends with a chunky tune which opened with a foreboding synthonic and a doomily climbing bit.  Marked with bells of misery, which set up the full feel of the track- The Quest for Equilibrium felt like the perfect way to bring a slight intermission and let the first half of this album to settle in one's soul.

With Unearthing the Past it's back to brutal business, and nothing does this business better than the straight forward, but sanguinary sounding machination of this metal track. Elusive Treasures offers a myriad of things to listen for and might even be considered the gem of the album, of course this is subjective. It does offer resounding beauty in dynamics and left me on the edge with quick build-ups and bursting aggression. I am quite relieved that Gorguts did not abuse fade in's and fade out's, with only one fade-out on Das Martyrium Des... but that nicely lead into the outro track of the album which stomps to a similar sound as Inverted to tie up the album.

Luc Lemay's vocal style often reminds me of David Vincent of Morbid Angel, with deep growls and consistency in tone and range.  Lyrical content is strongly critical of theology and the bombastic praise of deities and the hypocrisy of irrational belief in higher beings. Conquest is also covered, in the way that those who wielded the sword and made great capital gains with land and wealth were able to twist history in their favour. This gain and brutality, will of course, garner impetuous terror on those conquered. The lyrics are very nicely constructed, and never seeming to repeat the same scheme of rhyme, make for an eye-widening read as one connects the lyrics to the vocals. 

The time signatures are jazzy, or can be described as "jazz-blasted technical death metal". This uncommon feature really sets Gorguts apart from other assumed "brutal death metal" bands, and makes them that much more of a joy to listen to. Once again, the jazz texture may be a mark of Mongrain, which also shines evidently in Martyr's music. The overall vicissitude of the album makes for a very good listen, and many repeat hearings, and there is always something more to take note of in terms of the fluctuation of the atmosphere. The fluidity from track to track on side B is astoundingly well produced, and one feels almost like this album slipped through their ears too quickly. However overlooked, this album offers a multitude of unwavering progressions and insightful flowing lyrics.

A War on Music vinyl re-issue!