Venom

Chicken Dinner with Quorthon

In 1996, Hellbound’s Sean Palmerston was offered the chance to do the first ever in-person North American radio interview with Quorthon, leader and visionary behind legendary Swedish black metal act Bathory. They also went out for dinner together beforehand, and here are Sean’s memories of that fateful night some seventeen years ago, shared in public for the first time since.

Noctis Valkyries 5: Hell Comes To Cowtown

“I cannot stress how fantastic it was to attend Noctis V. To get to see three nights of amazing shows from a lot of bands who would never come to this part of the world otherwise; to spend afternoons rubbing elbows with those same bands, esteemed members of the metal literati, and like-minded fans, all of us just there to bask in the glory of metal, welcome and free to discuss the music we love so much with people just like us. It just might be that Calgary is the new metal capital of Canada”

Noctis 2012 wrap up article by Kyle Harcott

Hellbound’s Getting Stoked For… NOCTIS VALKYRIES 5!

Kyle Harcott is going to Calgary at the end of the month to the Noctis Valkyries V Metal Fest and is pretty excited about it. Not only does he get to see Venom, Pig Destroyer and Manilla Road, but he also gets to partake in the metal conference during the day. Here’s Kyle’s explanation about why he’s stoked to be going this year.

Voivod – To the Death 84

Despite the rough-hewn quality of the demo’s performances and recording, it reveals that the essence of Voivod was present at the outset. While in 1984 it seemed unlikely that these four rivet-heads from Jonquiere would become prog-metal pioneers, it was obvious from the abrasive, alien nature of Voivod’s early material that this band was truly a breed apart.

Darkness Shade Records Round Up

Once upon a time, not so long ago, before the internet turned much of the western world’s population into isolated recluses, the tape-trading network was the lifeblood of the underground metal scene. In this spirit, Darkness Shade Records has produced three fine cassette releases.

Paul Speckmann: The Hellbound Interview

Paul Speckmann has been playing death metal longer than many fans of the genre have been walking the planet. The Chicago native started his long-running project Master in 1983. He’s also played with other bands including War Cry, Abominator and the Czech death metal band Krabathor. Dark Descent Records recently reissued his early band Death Strike’s demo Fuckin’ Death. Speckmann recently talked to Hellbound’s Justin M. Norton about the early days of Chicago death metal and his new life in Eastern Europe from his home in the Czech Republic.