Altar of Oblivion – Grand Gesture of Defiance
I must say, this record kinda snuck up on me, not having heard any of Altar’s previous work. But man, this is some high-quality epic doom, right here. Perhaps the best stuff to come outta Denmark since…
Candlemass
The Courthouse might be Toronto’s best doom metal venue–when it’s not hosting dance parties, that is…
Last summer, when I first heard that YOB was playing some dance club at Church and Adelaide, I must admit, I had my reservations about the Courthouse. But that changed almost as soon as I walked into the place–or perhaps, more accurately, once local legends Sons of OTIS took the stage and I could feel the bass hit my face. Last nite’s HOMTGOS tour only served as confirmation–this is probably the best place in town to catch a doom metal gig, though the going rate seems to be about one a year here…
Anvil: No longer bottom feeders with success that’s well deserved
“This is a mutual strength for Kudlow and Reiner, who are sons of Holocaust survivors. Kudlow believes that “no matter how much money you make, there is never a means to an end” as it is not something one can derive satisfaction from.
Being thrown into a heavy metal abyss in the 80s without a producer, manager or financial support, the band needed extra assistance, but faced challenges with a resilient independence.
“We didn’t have all of that but we still had to survive,” Reiner says. “Through struggle, we enjoyed it.””
Hellbound contributing writer Ola Mazzuca interviews Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner from Canadian metal legends Anvil about how endurance, never giving up and sticking to their guns has helped the Toronto band regain the success they so rightfully deserve. All photography by Frank Mazzuca.
Spirit Descent – Seven Chapters in Minor
if this band’s MO is to copy Candlemass and Argus as closely as they can, they’ve hit the mark. I gotta dock ‘em a couple points for originality, but full marks for execution are well-deserved.
Pilgrim – Misery Wizard
Misery Wizard is the first full-length release from this Rhode Island trio, though it’s clear from the first note that they’ve taken a few classes at the University of Doom Metal.
Maryland Deathfest Preview #1: Thursday, May 26
This upcoming weekend marks the return of the biggest underground metal festival in North America, the Maryland Deathfest. Quite a few Hellbound contributors are making the pilgrimage down to Baltimore for the four day festival, which starts this Thursday and carries on through Sunday, so we have picked some of our most anticipated bands to see each day and will be running daily previews every day between now and Thursday.
Here are some bands that Sean and Adam are excited to see on Thursday night.
Argus – Boldly Stride the Doomed
Boldly strides Argus, lookout!
Hellbound.ca’s TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2010, Part Three
We asked all of the contributing writers here at Hellbound.ca to submit their Top 10 albums of 2010, which we then compiled into a master list, assigning points to all their choices (10 points for #1, down to 1 point for #10). After tabulating the results, we have created Hellbound.ca’s Top 20 Albums of 2010. For part three of our continuing series, here is albums #10 through 6…
Atlantean Kodex – The Golden Bough
With a handful of underground EPs, splits and live albums under their belts, this first full-length studio offering from Atlantean Kodex will
have the armour-clad, sword-wielding power-metal warriors and the downtrodden doomsters slow-motion headbanging in unison.
Therion – Sitra Ahra
Even with turnover amongst the ranks of its members over the years, Therion has the foundation of Johnsson and (unofficial) Karlsson and continue to write and record some of the most creative albums in the symphonic metal genre. The epic album Sitra Ahra ranks among their very best works.