Canadian Metal

Big|Brave – Nature Morte Review

By Cherd on February 23, 2023 in Reviews, Drone, Noise, Post-Metal, 56 comments

“It has taken some time for me to warm up to Big|Brave’s brand of noise/drone/doom. I didn’t love 2017’s Ardor, but it did pique my interest. Minimalist formalism in music doesn’t offend me the same way it does others, but their single-chord experiments didn’t resonate at the time. Still, the pairing of Robin Wattie’s waif-ish vocals with heavy drone was something new, so I kept an eye out for them. I warmed up to the stark elegance on follow-up A Gaze Among Them, but it wasn’t until Leaving None But Small Birds, their collaboration with The Body, that the appeal became revelatory.” Bigly braveness.

Dead Soul Alliance – Spiraling to Lunacy Review

By Steel Druhm on February 18, 2023 in Reviews, Death Metal, 12 comments

“The gruesome twosome behind Dead Soul Alliance first crossed my path back in 2021 with their Behind the Scenes debut. I found it a competent if somewhat generic dose of lo-fi, old school death, entertaining but ultimately non-essential. 2023 sees the Canadian duo return with Spiraling to Lunacy, which finds them upping the aggression factor while managing to refine and focus some of their caveman cesspool scrapings.” Lunatic fringe.

Lüger – Revelations of the Sacred Skull Review

By Crispy Hooligan on February 15, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Speed Metal, 14 comments

“Montreal moshers Lüger have certainly taken their time crafting their follow-up to their 2018 debut, Hellraisers of the Waste. Such a long gestation between first and second albums often brings dark portents—with the infrequent exceptionally brilliant album. What such a gap most rarely brings is mediocrity. Revelations of the Sacred Skull squarely takes aim at Crispy’s heart with its blend of punk, trad, and doom, wrapped together in a delightfully sordid smut package.” Dead shot or major misfire?

Seum – Double Double Review

By Thus Spoke on February 3, 2023 in Reviews, Sludge Metal, Stoner Rock, 42 comments

“They say you should never judge a book by its cover, so I didn’t. Even though the cover of Seum’s sophomore Double Double set off alarm bells in my head concerning the quality and style of the music contained therein. But garish as the art is, it might be the best thing about the album. Seum’s brand of stoner-sludge here is (almost literally) one-note.” Double over.

Flidais – Pathogen Review

By GardensTale on February 1, 2023 in Reviews, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, 20 comments

“I have been waiting for this one for a long time. Way, way back in late 2016, when I had only been with the staff for less than 6 months and reviewing EP’s was not yet outlawed, I picked up Kazador by Flidais, a bite-sized portion of energetic prog-power with a cover so lilac as to be blinding. I enjoyed it quite a bit, thanks to the snappy hooks and enthusiastic vocal performance, and ever since I’ve been on the lookout for a proper debut full-length. Well, a plump 6 years in the making, that release is finally upon us.” Monkey pawed.

Orphique – Consécration Cadavérique [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Felagund on January 29, 2023 in Reviews, Black Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 9 comments

“Consécration Cadavérique is a relatively brief album, clocking in at just over 38 minutes, but that’s across only five tracks, meaning it boasts both a tight runtime and lengthy compositions. I generally avoid the latter in my black metal, as trem-heavy, blast-beaten repetition can quickly grow tiresome, my mind begins to wander and the unrelenting wall of sound quickly becomes indecipherable background noise. Yet Orphique make it work.” Long and short of it.

Tribunal – The Weight of Remembrance Review

By Steel Druhm on January 18, 2023 in Reviews, Doom Metal, 106 comments

“The new year brings a fresh fervor to search out and seize interesting things from the ghastly promo sump. Having heard a bit of low-level buzz surrounding the debut by Vancouver-based gothic doom act Tribunal, I was interested to see what the fuss might be about. The promo sheet name drops My Dying Bride and boasts the presence of a classically trained cellist, and so I dove into The Weight of Remembrance hoping for something a bit more interesting than a MDB clone. And boy did I hit the goddamn motherload!” And justice for all.

Gevurah – Gehinnom [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

By Thus Spoke on January 10, 2023 in Things You Might Have Missed 2022, Black Metal, 12 comments

“I was unaware of Gevurah prior to this year, and I’ve really been missing out. The mysterious Quebecois duo utilizes an eerie, dissonant flavor of black metal to explore Jewish mysticism and the esoteric left-hand path. Their name, Gevurah, refers to one of the emanations of the infinite—to be reductive, God—specifically the ‘left hand’, denoting judgment. Previous LP Hallelujah! traded in the dark obscurantism and enigmatic melodies of the esoteric, and looked upward in awe. But Gehinnom—whilst retaining notes of dark atmosphere—has the force, bleakness, and inevitability of the unfathomable eschatology that follows with the divine.” Blackened pathways to the obscure.

Detherous – Unrelenting Malevolence Review

By Holdeneye on November 29, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Thrash Metal, 52 comments

“Not much has changed for Detherous on the style front. Last time I referenced the early thrash of Kreator and the early death of…Death, but the most fitting returning comparison belongs to Demolition Hammer. As if the increased groove profile of Unrelenting Malevolence wasn’t enough to convince you that Detherous worships Demoliton Hammer’s Epidemic of Violence, the band has even included a cover of that album’s incredible opener.” Unrelenting hammer smashed facing.

Sword – III Review

By Itchymenace on November 22, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 25 comments

“For you angry metal toddlers out there who have never heard of them, Sword (not to be confused with Austin doom stoners The Sword) is a Canadian band that swung hard with their 1986 debut, Metalized. The album generated a decent amount of attention and even landed them opening slots for Motorhead, Alice Cooper and Metallica. Their 1989 follow up, Sweet Dreams, was another energized plate of trad metal but the band’s edge never penetrated very far beyond their Canadian homeland. It’s not clear why they broke up in the early 90s but according to their website, they’ve been happily playing in cover bands, raising families and working their 9-5 jobs. III seemingly picks up where the band left off 30 years ago.” Reforging the steel.