Canadian Metal

Vow of Thorns – Farewell to the Sun Review

By El Cuervo on July 11, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Forest Dwellers Inc., Post-metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Post-Metal, 15 comments

“There is a hole in North American metal. The Great Cold Death of Agalloch was abrupt though not unwarranted given the air of similarity by the release of Marrow of the Spirit and the questionable success of the experimentation in The Serpent and the Sphere. It’s preferable to leave your audience wanting more than ultimately tiring them. But such was their influence that there are many bands, particularly from the Cascadian scene, which bear clear lines of affinity to them.” The mourning has not broken.

Thrawsunblat – Metachthonia Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on July 4, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Folk Metal, Ignifera Records, Melodic Black Metal, Reviews, Black Metal, Folk Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 93 comments

“Thrawsunblat is a bit more related to black metal than the last two Woods of Ypres records were, but the late David Gold’s influence is certainly felt here. It’s easy to hear some similarities to Ensiferum along with newer Winterfylleth, but there’s a very Canadian element that sets Thrawsunblat apart.” The Woods live on….

Neige et Noirceur – Les Tenebres Modernes Review

By Grymm on June 17, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Reviews, Sepulchral Productions, Black Metal, 14 comments

“Beginning with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the atrocities brought forth from the first World War were heinous and grotesque. People getting killed in trenches (sometimes mistakenly by their own allies), the introduction of chemical warfare, and the starvation of both prisoners of war and civilians rounded up by the Central Powers would make for some fertile ground for metal bands to sow. One such band, Quebec’s Neige et Noirceur, decided to take one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the world and create a 40-minute tale of war, death, and various repressed emotions in the form of their fourth album, Les Ténèbres Modernes.” War metal from Canada? That just seems weird.

Forteresse – Thèmes pour la Rébellion Review

By El Cuervo on June 15, 2016 in 2016, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Reviews, Sepulchral Productions, Black Metal, 17 comments

“I’m largely done with black metal as it was in Norway in 1993. That raw, lo-fi, stripped-back approach to black metal had its place and developed metal in so many ways but it’s definitely had its time. Bands such as Ulver, Emperor and Enslaved were already beginning to move the sound into unprecedented regions in the mid-late 90s. Now in 2016 it’s rare that I listen to that sort of no frills attached, no genre cross-over, nothing added to that furious, godless formula.” But there are always exceptions.

The Schoenberg Automaton – Apus Review

By Kronos on June 8, 2016 in 2016, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Deathcore, Lifeblood Inc., Reviews, Death Metal, Deathcore, Technical Death Metal, 17 comments

“After three years plagued by seemingly perpetual setbacks, The Schoenberg Automaton’s second full-length Apus has finally made the journey from a studio in Australia to my speakers in Chicago. The Brisbane-cum-Vancouver-based technical death metal outfit caught my eye with their first EP and took off in 2013 with Vela, which built on their progressive and extreme roots, expanding their unique and abstract sound quite successfully. Yet early-release tracks from Apus had me worried that the band had abandoned just what made their previous releases so interesting and vital. Had the sophomore slump stymied their songs?” Is The Schoenberg Automaton on autopilot already?

First Fragment – Dasein Review

By Kronos on May 26, 2016 in 2016, Canadian Metal, Death Metal, Progressive Death, Reviews, Unique Leader, Death Metal, Technical Death Metal, 41 comments

“I’d like to begin this review by discussing the gigantic fucking roll that French-Canadian guitarist Phillipe Tougas is currently on. Starting with last year’s release from Serocs, he has played on three downright kickass albums, all favorably reviewed on this very website. His work with Zealotry gained my notoriously stingy tech/prog-death approval, and his bizarre Timeghoul and Demilich-inspired project Chthe’ilist is almost certainly going to make the Kronos year-end list. And as if all of that wasn’t enough, his longest-running band, the neoclassically-inspired tech-death outfit First Fragment, is finally dropping their first full-length album.” Kronos is so cute when he’s not bashing tech-death production techniques.

Thor’s Hard Rock Odyssey Live in New York City

By Steel Druhm on May 22, 2016 in Blog Posts, Canadian Metal, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal, 12 comments

“He did it. Almost 40 years after the release of debut album Keep the Dogs Away, rock/metal legend Thor finally fulfilled a personal quest to perform the entire album on stage in the Big Apple as part of his “Hard Rock Odyssey” mini-tour. After a career of ups, downs and reinventions spanning 5 decades, the man, the myth, the demigod was there at the Highline Ballroom in all his armor plated, hammer wielding glory.” Thor on the floor!

Mortillery – Shapeshifter Review

By Dr. A.N. Grier on May 19, 2016 in 2016, Canadian Metal, Napalm Records, Reviews, Thrash Metal, Thrash Metal, 49 comments

“I would be a goddamned liar if I said I were a longtime fan of Canadian thrashers, Mortillery—and those who commented on last year’s Unleash the Archers review can contest to this. However, after diving deep into the band’s back catalog, I can wholeheartedly admit that, in a single week’s time, I am a diehard fan of this band. And for the first time in awhile, I will not be sent to the AMG basement for my poor taste in metal or forced outside to scrape the dead armadillo carcasses hanging from the grilles of the staff’s Prius’.” We’ve actually moved your desk down there.

Yer Metal Is Olde! Voivod – Angel Rat

By Dr. Fisting on May 18, 2016 in Uncategorized, Yer Metal Is Olde, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, 39 comments

“Released just a few months after Metallica’s self-titled record, Angel Rat finds Voivod among the earliest adopters of the slower, stripped-down approach that most thrash bands took in the 1990s. The album could almost qualify for our ’90s Metal Weirdness column, except for the fact that Voivod have always been weird (and would get even weirder as the decade continued).” Let that freak flag fly!

Phobocosm – Bringer of Drought Review

By Kronos on May 6, 2016 in 2016, Canadian Metal, Dark Descent Records, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 29 comments

“One of the complications of writing about and conceptualizing metal in the past – well, almost a decade – has been the music’s incredible diversity and availability. With bands able to record and distribute music so easily, scenes and trends have become less important and less centralized. Sure, there’s been a huge interest in nostalgia-core – occult rock and retro-thrash albums arrive in AMG’s inbox monthly – but it’s doubtful that in 2026 we’ll think of the first half of the ‘teens as being dominated by musical throwbacks. Metal as a whole lacks a zeitgeist, and in some ways that’s frustrating, because it’s hard to keep up with such a decentralized and broad genre – but death metal, as a smaller and more manageable entity, does indeed seem to have direction.” And that direction is interesting indeed.