Natalie Zed

Postcards From Natalie Zed, Set #10

Hey Hellbound Readers, welcome to the second edition of Postcards From Natalie Zed for 2011. We met Natalie just about a year ago now when she won our big year end contest, taking home more than 50 CDs, records, posters and t-shirts. In a surprise move, Natalie then asked us if she could review her winnings for us. How could we say no?

Well, Natalie is all done with her original batch but has decided to keep on doing her postcard sized reviews for us. So, without further adieu, here is part nine of her ongoing series which we like to call “Postcards From Natalie Zed”. This set includes reviews of MITOCHONDRION, GRAF ORLOCK, THE MEADS OF ASPHODEL and more.

Postcards From Natalie Zed, Set #9

Hey Hellbound Readers, welcome to the first Postcards From Natalie Zed for 2011. We met Natalie just about a year ago now when she won our big year end contest, taking home more than 50 CDs, records, posters and t-shirts. In a surprise move, Natalie then asked us if she could review her winnings for us. How could we say no?

Well, Natalie is all done with her original batch but has decided to keep on doing her postcard sized reviews for us. So, without further adieu, here is part nine of her ongoing series which we like to call “Postcards From Natalie Zed”. This set includes reviews of DAWNBRINGER, CASTAVET, KYLESA and more.

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.

This Week in Metal!

King Diamond and Nergal going under the knife (all of us at Hellbound wish them all the best and a speedy recovery), Metal Film Festivals, Year End lists and more make up “This Week in Metal”, a weekly feature that features what has gone by the past week.

Dimmu Borgir / Enslaved / Blood Red Throne / Dawn of Ashes @ The Sound Academy, Toronto ON, December 12 2010

“The intense lighting, dominated by greens and purples lancing through the heavy smoke, gave the impression of the underworld crossed with an alien landscape. Their sound was massive and heavy, reverberating straight through me. Shagrath’s vocals were mixed quite low from where I was standing (front and centre), but the intense, symphonic instrumentation more than compensated.”

Natalie Zed absorbs the recent performance from Dimmu Borgir, Enslaved and more at Toronto’s Sound Academy on December 12th. Concert photos by Adam Wills.

Postcards from Natalie Zed, Set #8

Hellbound readers, you know Natalie Zed, right? Natalie was our big grand prize winner way back in January, taking home more than 50 CDs + and shortly after she received her huge box ‘o CDs, Ms. Zed asked us over at Hellbound HQ if we’d be interested in running reviews of her winnings if she did postcard sized reviews of the albums. How could we say no?

She’s reviewed all the original CDs and is now reviewing newer things that have made their way to her. Here is part eight of her ongoing series which we like to call “Postcards With Natalie Zed”.

Blind Guardian / Holy Grail / Seven Kingdoms @ Kool Haus, Toronto ON, November 26th 2010

“The moment the overture of “At the Edge of Time” began, the Kool Haus erupted. The audience was no longer a collection of discrete individuals; the room was suddenly occupied by a single entity, one cacophonous voice entirely at Blind Guardian’s mercy for the entire two-hour set. Very few shows can inspire this kind of intense, unifying energy, but this was such an event.”

Natalie Zed reviews the recent Toronto performance from power metal legends Blind Guardian, who were joined by Holy Grail and Seven Kingdoms.

Forbidden/ Evile/ Gama Bomb/ Bonded by Blood @ The Mod Club, Toronto ON, November 23rd 2010

“When headliners Forbidden stepped out onto the Mod Club’s stage, the excitement in the room was as palpable as it was audible. The crowd was somewhat modest in number but incredibly passionate and vocal in their support. Forbidden played a long set, slightly over an hour and a half, which was as unsurprising as it was welcome.”

Natalie Zed travels to Toronto’s Mod Club to check out Bay Area thrashers Forbidden, supported by Evile, Gama Bomb and Bonded by Blood. Photos by Albert Mansour.

Darkest Hour/ Veil of Maya/ Periphery/ Revocation @ The Mod Club, Toronto ON, November 17th 2010

“As Darkest Hour vocalist John Henry pointed out: “Some of you have been supporting us all along, and some of you here tonight weren’t even born when we started out! That’s crazy!” While they definitely seemed more interested in hosting a celebration (with as many circle pits as possible) than performing a perfectly programmed and orchestrated set, their performance was definitely entertaining and their musicianship tight.”

Natalie Zed reviews the November 17th appearance by Darkest Hour, Veil of Maya, Periphery and Revocation at Toronto’s Mod Club.

Postcards from NatalieZed: Set #6!

Hellbound readers, we’re sure that by now you are all familiar with our Natalie Zed, right? Natalie was our big grand prize winner way back in January, taking home more than 50 CDs + and shortly after she received her huge box ‘o CDs, Ms. Zed asked us over at Hellbound HQ if we’d be interested in running reviews of her winnings if she did postcard sized reviews of the albums. How could we say no?

Well, with her last installment (reviews #41 – 48 for those keeping stats at home) Ms Zed actually finished up her prize and has now started to review newer CDs. So, without further adieu here is part 6 in what Hellbound likes to refer to as “Postcards From Natalie Zed”…