Greetings, my beautifully putrescent metal-addicted readers, and welcome to the lair where I shall be waiting every month to invite you to the latest issue of Pitch Black, your ultimate source for Alberta-bred hard rock and heavy metal, and all the latest details on your favourite bands visiting in our little corner in West.

Now you, my dear metalheads, you’ve stumbled across this publication in the midst of her infancy. Which – come to think of it – really is such a fabulous thing… We do have some goodies lurking in the shadows before the official first issue rains down May 1 and plagues both the province and all the channels the Internet goes through to let all this reach you.

My darlings, we have some titillating photos of some of the edgiest, most exceedingly attractive women of Alberta in our METAL MAIDENS section. This month’s gallery will give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at some of the über hotties we’ll be featuring each month, and in the upcoming Alberta Metal Maidens 2010 calendar. You might even recognize some of ‘em from shows: many are fans, some are in bands, and some just wanted to help support Alberta music and the crazy team here at Pitch Black.

We also have the deets on We Found the Body’s debut album in SOUNDCHECK. The Calgary-based group spent countless hours in the studio before recruiting infamous producer and studio engineer Tue Madsen to do the final mixing and mastering. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Madsen’s work, he’s the man behind the board on Himsa’s 2006 release “Hail Horror” [Prosthetic Records], Sirenia’s latest “The 13^th Floor” [2009, Nuclear Blast], Dark Tranquillity’s “Fiction” [2007, Century Media] plus fellow Calgary act Divinity, who hired the Dane for the debut that landed them a deal with Nuclear Blast, “Allegory” [2008, Nuclear Blast]. Can you tell we’re stoked to share it with you?

We’re also in the process of creating the event listings on THE ALBERTA BULLET, so if you’re not seeing all the shows you’re looking for, patience, my minions. We’re working on finding a plugin that will make the event experience even better. But hey, if you know of any shows coming up that we should add in the meantime, and always, fire me an email to mistress@pitchblack.ca.

You may also send in your questions, comments, gripes, complaints and/or female dogs. If your question intrigues me and seems like something that would be of interest to the metal community, just might merge from my lair long enough to find you the answers and print them here.

If you don’t send a question, well, I like letters to. If I like it, I might run it. But please, don’t be profane. I do enjoy it, but vulgarity is not for everyone; also, try to keep it under 100 words, and sign it. Unsigned letters will line the bottom of my amphibian’s pool, where he’s currently shedding his skin. That Mr. Blake is always trying to get more tail.

Now, my new dearest friends, I must leave you. But please, do creep around before you leave us, come back often throughout the month of April to see what’s new and improved, and put a big dark star on May 1.

Until then…

Yours in metal,

Mistress Morwyn

The Keeper of the Lair