In 1996, Hellbound’s Sean Palmerston was offered the chance to do the first ever in-person North American radio interview with Quorthon, leader and visionary behind legendary Swedish black metal act Bathory. They also went out for dinner together beforehand, and here are Sean’s memories of that fateful night some seventeen years ago, shared in public for the first time since.

Day three of this year’s 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise started off at Grand Turk with fun in the sun and continued into the late hours, with live sets from Metal Church, Helloween, Nile, Immolation, Doro and many, many more

Live review by Adrien Begrand; Live photos by Marc Hansen, Michael Jagla, Ag Babin, and Adrien Begrand.

In fact, there used to be two categories, Best Hard Rock Performance and Best Metal Performance, before the academy decided to combine the two last year for the first time since 1989. What was so special about ’89? Well…

After attending Barge to Hell in December, I had absolutely no idea that I’d be returning to Miami some five weeks later to the same port, the same ship, the same crew even, to cover the third annual 70,000 Tons of Metal. But as anyone will tell you, when you have a chance to go on the craziest cruise around, let alone one of the very best metal festivals in the world, you don’t pass it up.

Live review by Adrien Begrand; Live photos by Marc Hansen, Michael Jagla, and Ag Babin.

Review by Ola Mazzuca
Reading, England technical death metal up-and-comers Sylosis recently toured the US with Lamb of God. And what a fine time it is to do so; Obama was just re-elected and they are supporting arguably one of the most prolific bands of New American Metal. It’s no surprise after listening to their third studio release, Monolith, as the record lives up to its apt title with strong melodies and mind-blowing sweep picking.
Commencing with “Out From Below,” Sylosis nod to their roots in Bay Area thrash metal with strong elements reminiscent of Metallica’s …

As December’s gift-buying chaos falls upon us, rest assured that shopping for your favourite metalhead doesn’t have to be a taxing chore. Whether you’re a bewildered dear one, a metal fan buying for a fellow metal lover, or looking for a treat for yourself, we Hellbounders have a few holiday shopping ideas that might make your task a little easier.

On November 14th the awesome double bill of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and ROYAL THUNDER played just down the street from Hellbound HQ, performing an intimate show at Hamilton’s Corktown Pub. Here is a review of the night by Sean Palmerston, with cool black and white photography by Adam Wills.

“Prior to Corrosion of Conformity embarking on a North American tour, on which the Kingston, Ontario date had just been canceled (re-booked for Barrie), I had the chance to have a conversation with bassist/vocalist Mike Dean. We discussed this year’s self-titled release, influences old and new, touring in Canada, and even the NHL lockout.”

Interview by Matt Hinch