Avichi – Catharsis Absolute
By Matt Hinch Dark times call for dark music. So it happened that following my grandmother’s passing last week Catharsis Absolute by Avichi came…
Postures – Postures
By Gruesome Greg The album cover of this Swedish quintet’s debut reminds me of a 70’s prog rock record, and both female vocals and…
Alcest – Shelter
The Prophecy Productions write-up for Alcest’s fourth full-length album, Shelter, states that the record is “about the concept of shelter as a safe place that allows everybody to escape reality for an instant, to reunite with what we really are, deep down.” For myself, Shelter is like a vacation. At first it’s exciting and enthralling to be in a carefully curated hotel in a new place, but the longer you’re away, the more you’re reminded that a vacation is really just a temporary, transitional state towards a return to some other place.
Katatonia / Cult of Luna / Intronaut / Tesseract @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 27, 2013
When you’re into foreign underground bands who are often slotted into short opening slots because they’re not widely known… well, you get used to enjoying one of your favs for about half an hour before the higher profile but sometimes less interesting headliners take to the stage. In the case of Katatonia and Cult of Luna’s co-headlining tour stop at the Opera House in Toronto this September, ‘interestingness’ wasn’t the issue. Nevertheless, openers Tesseract were the highlight of the night.
STAFF PLAYLISTS: August 2013
Back again by popular demand!
You keep asking when it’s coming back, so here it is. Here is what the staff of Hellbound.ca has been enjoying during the months of July and August 2013.
Heavy Metal, Popular Culture, and Academia
“Importantly, the presentations often approached a generalized assumption that some group or groups of people hold about metal music or culture only to complexify the issue, demonstrating how research in particular locations, milieus, and demographics reveals the diversity in the ways people understand and engage with metal.”
Laura Wiebe reports back on the first North American academic heavy metal conference.
Opeth / Katatonia @ Guelph Concert Theater, Guelph ON, April 26, 2013
Hellbound Metal: “I was delighted when they opened the set with an excellent rendition of “The Devil’s Orchard”, but I was absolutely over the moon when they followed it up immediately with “Ghost of Perdition” and, this was a real shocker, “White Cluster” off Still Life. I wasn’t expecting anything that old to be played at all, so witnessing this live was a wonderful thing.”
Live review by Sean Palmerston; Special concert photos courtesy of Mike Bax / lithiummagazine.com
Death to All / Anciients @ Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto ON, April 28, 2013
“Though revisiting Schuldiner’s musical legacy meant the sense of collective loss was strong, the sense of fellowship was stronger. In the end it was less for sadness than a cause for celebration.”
Laura Wiebe reviews the April 28th Toronto performance by Death To All and Anciients. Concert photography by Adam Wills.
Clutch / Orange Goblin / Lionize / Scorpion Child @ Sound Academy, Toronto ON, April 18, 2013
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.
Absu/Sylvus/Empyrean Plague @ Annex Wreckroom, Toronto, ON, April 15, 2013
On April 15th, Absu visited Toronto once more with local guests Sylvus and Empyrean Plague. Here is a recap of the evening; photos and words by Danielle Griscti