Ihsahn: After
From the bleak opening riffs to the lingering saxophone notes that close it, After is a fascinating listen that gets better every time it’s played.
black metal
Nifelheim: Self-titled/Devil’s Force
With a sound rooted more in earlier bands like Bathory and Venom rather than later Norwegian cuts, both Nifelheim and Devil’s Force are blasts of thrashy black metal that stick to a plan and rarely deviate.
Nazxul: Iconoclast
Despite Nazxul’s more arid southern hemisphere imagery, Iconoclast has a traditional but ferocious sound that is anything but dry.
Pestilential Shadows: In Memoriam, Ill Omen
With a sound strongly reminiscent of Emperor’s Wrath of the Tyrant and low-fi musicianship of the early black metal scene, Pestilential Shadows prove that their third full-length release is a reasonable listen.
Drudkh: Forgotten Legends
The first of several Drudkh reissues from Season of Mist, Forgotten Legends captures the band’s early rumblings – a small collection of long songs recorded in the summer of 2002 and released as the band’s official debut.
Album review by Laura Wiebe Taylor
Bacon, Eggs and Sacrilege: Toronto’s Most Blasphemous Brunch
What do you get when you mix home-style, hearty cooking with extreme music? Kensington Market’s very own Black Metal Brunch; your weekly serving of bacon, eggs, and a side of Venom’s Welcome To Hell.
Ola Mazzuca’s newest entry into the Blasphemous Blog goes into her love for Toronto’s best Sunday brunch, the long-standing Black Metal Brunch at Graffiti’s in Kensington Market.
Dark Funeral: Angelus Exuro pro Eternus
The latest effort from Swedish black metal veterans Dark Funeral continues the band’s tradition of brutal assaults on the ears of its listeners and fans. While Angelus Exuro pro Eternus has its strong points and memorable moments, it offers little to differentiate itself from the band’s back catalogue and never quite develops its own identity.
VIDEO INTERVIEW: Adam Wills interviews Woods Of Ypres’ David Gold (Part 1)
On the weekend of November 6th, Hellbound.ca’s own Adam Wills made the three hour trip up north to North Bay, Ontario to meet with Woods Of Ypres mastermind David Gold about his band’s new, then unreleased new album W4: The Green Album. In a Hellbound.ca exclusive, here is the first part of Adam’s interview with David about the band and their new album.
Merrimack: Gray Rigorism
Grey Rigorism is the third full-length album from French black metallers Merrimack. The record starts out strong, but over the course of the hour-long running time things become somewhat inconsistent at points.
Marduk/Nachtmystium @ Annex Wreckroom, Toronto, ON, November 22, 2009
Late November seems as good a time as any to take in a performance by Swedish metal veterans Marduk. A concert centered around a black metal band known for its own distinct take on imagery and songs centering on everything from war machines to religious blasphemy to paganism seems strangely appropriate for a grey month squashed between the twin commercial juggernauts that are Halloween and Christmas.
Concert review by Jonathan Smith