Gruesome Greg

My patriotic punk/metal Olympic playlist

Well, unlike Vancouver 2010, I can’t truly say that I’m sick of our national anthem by now–Canada’s only won one gold medal this time around. But that said, while watching some exciting Olympic action, I still prefer to have the following blasting in the background…

Way to kill the buzz for your acoustic tour, Wino!

I first heard about Wino doing an August acoustic tour at least a couple months ago; twas announced well in advance. Turns out this tour, which kicks off tonite in Seaside, CA, hits Cleveland on a Saturday nite, and even has a Buffalo date(!), albeit he won’t be crossing the border. I haven’t been the biggest fan of his unplugged stuff, nor can I say I’m digging this recent trend of sludge/doom singers (Scott Kelly, Mike Scheidt et al) picking up acoustic guitars, but man, Wino is a legend, and I was definitely contemplating heading down to the States to see him–until recently, when a much more momentous occasion made me change my mind…

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…

High on Fire – The Art of Self-Defense

Though the original contained just six tracks, Southern Lord has beefed this edition up with a trio of demos and a Celtic Frost cover. But really, that’s just the icing on the cake (if you’re into vanilla frosting). These tunes stand alone without the added filler.

Maiden pulls out all the stops to make Seventh Son number one!

Truth be told, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son isn’t my favourite Iron Maiden album, by any stretch. More synth-heavy and progressive-sounding than their previous releases, even singles such as “Can I Play With Madness” or “The Evil That Men Do” fall flat compared to the likes of “2 Minutes to Midnight” and “The Trooper.” But does that mean I’m skipping their Seventh-Son-heavy summer tour? Awwww hell no!

COC still sounds good to me!

Alas, while they’re neither classic rockers nor 80’s hair band royalty, Corrosion of Conformity has been going strong now since 1981. And I gotta say, the three founding members, they’ve still got it–and then some!