Calgary

Blogs, Featured, Gruesome Greg June 4, 2011

Ride the dragon to the Sled Island…

Sled Island, a four-day, multi-venue fest, has been Calgary’s answer to NXNE since 2007. Seeing as the actual NXNE takes place the week beforehand, I’ve never had much interest in a lineup that often features many of the same bands as the Toronto event. But this year, while my initial impressions of the NXNE lineup are a little underwhelming, the Cowtown organizers have scored a major coup: they’re bringing Sleep to town for an exclusive Canadian performance, and just one of three gigs on the marijuananauts’ calendar this year.

Articles, Features, Headline, Staff Picks December 30, 2010

HELLBOUND’s TOP 10 CANADIAN METAL ALBUMS OF 2010

Since Hellbound.ca is a Canadian-owned and operated metal publication, we do things a little bit different than most. As 2010 quickly is coming to a close, we asked all of our contributors to pick their Top Canadian metal albums of the year. We then tabulated up their responses and have created our second annual Top 10 Canadian Metal Albums writers poll. Please enjoy.

Blogs, Featured, The Editor's Blog September 23, 2010

Noctis Valkyries Returns This Weekend!

This Friday and Saturday sees the return of Canada’s most unique metal festival – and I’m happy to say I am a part of it this year! Calgary, Alberta plays home to the fourth edition of the Noctis Metal Fest and Conference this weekend and I am about to jump on a plane on Thursday to be an active participant as a panelist during the Conference segment. It is something I have always wanted to do in a metal context – I’ve had the chance to participate in a few non-metal music conferences before, but never one to do with my real passion – and this this is going to be a pretty interesting time on Friday during the day.

Articles, Blogs, Featured, Headline, Jay Gorania September 13, 2010

Cephalic Carnage Tour Diary: Part 2

“Late afternoon in Helena, members of several bands embarked on a hike toward some lush, mountainous terrain next to a lake. Granted, a sign did indicate the lake was technically closed, but we drove up the hill quite a distance before getting out to hike. When we finally arrived at the lake, it was beyond satisfying. It wasn’t the most breathtaking body of water by any means, not that it was bad, but compared to the daily atmosphere of a smoky bar with ear-exploding metal music, the serenity offered a welcomed change of pace.”

Jay H. Gorania returns with another installment of his tour diary with Cephalic Carnage. In today’s feature, he discusses Denver businessmen, the landscape (and womanscape) of Salt Lake City, vigilante justice and campfire stories. Enjoy!

Articles, Features, Headline August 11, 2010

Introducing: Mares of Thrace

Guitarist/vocalist Therese Lanz and drummer Stefani MacKichan have been part of Calgary’s music scene for a while now, Lanz as frontwoman for grindcore band Exit Strategy and the pair most notably comprising two-thirds of the hard rock trio Kilbourne, but since forming Mares of Thrace it feels like they’ve stumbled upon something special. One album in, they already have a very strong identity, as The Moulting (Arctodus Records) is a blistering combination of the massive riffs and rhythms of Neurosis, the angularity of Unsane and the Jesus Lizard, the intricacy of the Dillinger Escape Plan, and some well-timed melodic passages to boot.

Adrien Begrand speaks to one of Canada’s most exciting new bands, the Calgary based duo known as MARES OF THRACE.

Headline, Reviews, Reviews - Live October 26, 2009

Noctis Metal Fest 2009: The Concerts

Part two of Hellbound.ca’s coverage of the Noctis Metal Conference and Festival that happened earlier this year in Calgary, Alberta, in this segment Rob Hughes reviews the musical performances of the festival with a recap of the two nights worth of gigs. The first night featured sets by Ares Kingdom, Slough Feg and Novembers Doom, while the Saturdaynight included Aura Noir, Destroyer 666, Suffocation and Cynic amongst others.

Articles, Headline October 9, 2009

Meeting of the Metal Minded: The Noctis III Metal Festival and Conference

In terms of metal fests, you’ve got your Milwaukees, your Maryland Deathfests, your Wackens, your Holes in the Sky, Dudefests, Hellfests, and so on—all of them well out of range of western Canadians. Thankfully, a new metallic mecca has sprung up in Alberta, at Calgary’s Noctis Festival. The third gathering (full title: Noctis III: Tritagonist) featured two days’ worth of gigs and a full-blown conference peppered with esteemed guests and international acts brought in exclusively for the event. The concert lineup, which included Slough Feg, Novembers Doom, Aura Noir, Destroyer 666, Suffocation and Cynic, was more than impressive enough to get me onto a WestJet flight from Vancouver to witness the carnage in Cowtown.

Rob Hughes gives a fascinating overview of last weekend’s Noctis III Metal Music Conference in Calgary, Alberta.