Hellbound Metal: “As Clutch tore into a blistering rendition of “Crucial Velocity” off of this year’s excellent album Earth Rocker, the crowd began its metamorphosis into one singular entity; a living, breathing cyclone of energy. For the next 90 minutes Neil commanded the stage like a preacher gone mad, pointing his fingers wildly in the air while delivering lines about who stole his rock and roll in a sermon-like fashion.”

Live review by Renee Trotier, concert photos by Albert Mansour.

For a moment there, I thought I had hit the jackpot. All these attractive young women were adding me on Facebook–and they appeared to be into heavy rock too, what with names like Lilly Rockgrrl and Rocksy Stoner. But then I found out it was all a ruse, perpetrated by the management of an Austrian stoner rock band…

“Graveyard had tapped into a human condition that made a roomful of strangers no longer seem strange. It’s not something you can experience every day, but it’s certainly something worth waiting for.”

Live review and photography by Renee Trotier

Overheard at the bar at the Blood Ceremony gig the other night: “Dude, you know Fu Manchu? Blah blah blah stoner rock blah blah Kyuss … They’re playing Lee’s Palace March 15th, you should check it out.”

While I initially joked that the price of the Kyuss Lives New Year’s Eve gig was a joke, I eventually gave in and bought myself a 200-dollar ticket. I don’t normally go out for NYE–frankly, I think it’s a rather pointless holiday–but I figured that for the founding fathers of stoner rock, I could make an exception. And I certainly don’t regret it, especially since a couple months later, Kyuss would live no more…

You gotta give it up for Small Stone, one of the few labels out there still specializing in stoner rock on these shores. Tonite, some of their finest wares are on display at the Radio club in Somerville, MA, with names like Gozu, Lo-Pan, Roadsaw and Freedom Hawk on the bill. Mind you, a last-minute flight from Toronto to Boston will set ya back about $620…

Last nite was the first time I’d been to the Bovine Sex Club in nearly 10 months.  I can’t say I really missed the place, but I do miss some of the bands I used to see there regularly from 2006 to 2008.  Though it was never really known as the home for Toronto’s heavy rock scene, it was a place where some of these bands could play to a couple more people than they usually do–whether or not those folks would go out and buy their record was a …

So, before I get into my top albums of the year, it’s time for some Christmas cleaning. These reviews have been sitting on my hard drive for a while, and chances are you haven’t heard of most of these bands–but some of them are worth checking out.