FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
On August 30th a terrific foursome of current folk metal acts descended on Toronto’s Opera House that included Korpiklaani, Moonsorrow, Tyr and Metsatoll. Laura Wiebe documents the evening’s activities, with live photography by Adam Wills.
Kyle Harcott is going to Calgary at the end of the month to the Noctis Valkyries V Metal Fest and is pretty excited about it. Not only does he get to see Venom, Pig Destroyer and Manilla Road, but he also gets to partake in the metal conference during the day. Here’s Kyle’s explanation about why he’s stoked to be going this year.
Recently The End Records acquired the rights to the catalogue of Music For Nations, an excellent British label which closed its doors in 2004. When the label folded into Zomba Music, which was owned by BMG which is now owned by Universal, many of the ‘smaller’ releases were discontinued or lost. The End Records has jumped in and brought many of these releases back to North America, some for the first time as domestic releases. Since there are so many of these, I’m going to break them up into a few different articles (hope you don’t mind) and keep the reviews relatively short.
Review roundup by Jason Wellwood
Earlier this summer Hellbound’s Jay H. Gorania hit the road in the USA with England’s Dragged In Sunlight. Here is the first part of his tour diary accompanying the band on their US tour with Cough.
Live photos by Luna Duran and Albert Mansour.
When Hellbound caught up recently with Scott Kelly the Neurosis co-founder and solo artist was returning from camping in the Oregon woods. He wasn’t looking forward to working later that evening. “I’m not that excited to get back into the world again,” Kelly said. If anyone has earned some down time this year it’s Kelly. He’s released an acoustic album with The Road Home (The Forgiven Ghost In Me) and was one of three artists featured on a Neurot collection celebrating folk artist Townes Van Zandt. The new Neurosis album Honor Found In Decay will be released in late October, and Neurosis is likely to emerge for a few select shows this winter. We talked to Kelly about playing solo and the power of a man alone in the universe – whether in a fighting cage or on a stage.
By Justin M. Norton
“This show was a long time coming. A few years after making their Canadian debut in Hamilton, Hammers of Misfortune finally made it all the way to Toronto – and brought The Gates of Slumber with them to boot! These two combined made this a must see for me since I love both bands and had never seen TGOS live before. And what a show it was!”
Live review by Sean Palmerston; Live photos and video by Adam Wills
“I first saw Musk Ox perform in southern Ontario in the late spring of 2009. I was struck by the contrast between ambient acoustic music and a vibe that is perfectly resonate with that of many progressive, folk, and black metal bands. Musk Ox inhabits a place within two different styles of music, and gives us cause to appreciate both and ask questions about the relationship between them. My interactions with Nathanaël Larochette have always been easy due to his being such a friendly and approachable person, and I am thrilled that he took the time to answer my questions.”
Interview by Jonathan Millard-Smith
” For years this album felt like the last thing I would ever do, before ultimately killing myself as well. Unfortunately for my enemies, that ended up not happening; instead, the disc was completed. “What doesn’t kill you…,” I guess, right?”
On the eve of the release of his third album, Laura Wiebe interviews Canadian digital hardcore artist SCHIZOID
“We get approached by people who measure years in terms of success and how you’ve risen on the proverbial ladder. Even some friends and relatives ask question why we are not more successful. We put twenty years into this band and they ask us why don’t have fancy cars and fancy houses, but that was never the goal of our band. Our goal is that we still exist after 20 years and we’re still going strong. Many bands nowadays don’t even have any more original band members within their ranks.”
Raymond Westland in conversation with Anders Nystrom of Katatonia.
“The relationship between musicians and the music they play comes in varying kinds. Some artists are clearly intent on displaying their mastery of the musical tools they wield. Others are more willing to relinquish control, letting the music itself dictate the ways it’s conveyed. Agalloch’s latest visit to Toronto was of the latter type, a night of musical channelling and possession, with all three bands performing as conduits between primal source and receptive fans.”
Live review by Laura Wiebe