“We built a bomb shelter, you know, stuff like that,” jokes Hucifer, frontman for Montreal’s latest musical export, Fattooth, as the group embarks on their North American Natural Disaster Tour.
All kidding aside, the band has been rehearsing constantly in preparation for their first cross-country tour, a 19-show journey that will lead them from Thunder Bay, Ont. to Vancouver, B.C.
“We work hard at bringing it for the crowd and putting on a performance. It’s all about the performance and the stage show for us, and we’ve refined it. We’ve played a …

Five years worth of energetic shows and festivals prove Necrobiosis are no strangers to the stage. And with the upcoming release of their as-yet untitled third album, and a cross-Canada tour that they’re keeping hush-hush for the time being, all the hard work and determination are finally starting to pay off for the horror-grinding-death metal quintet from Edmonton, Alta.
Founding members and dual guitarists Josh Fell and Curtis Vanderham gave us a peek into the world of Necrobiosis, taking time to reflect on where they’re headed, where they’ve been, and how …

Since its inception in 1995, Vans Warped Tour has been associated with punk music. Over the last few years, however, the sounds coming from the festival’s multiple stages have grown more diverse, including genres of the indie rock, hip hop and reggae persuasions.
And because out of punk have the metalcore and hardcore styles emerged, it only makes sense that bands like Underoath and Dillinger Escape Plan have showcased their talents with the festival in recent years.
The 15th installment of the touring festival seems even more diverse, with even more metal-influenced …

“Little Ineffectual Nothing” Track List:
1. Mental Anorexia
2. Beyond Shut Eyelids
3. Shuddercase
4. The Harlot Prophecies
5. The Hate That Binds
6. Choke Out Your Pride
7. The Sardonic Blast
8. Beyond Despair
9. Untouched/Unspoiled
Up-and-coming Red Deer metal act Awkward Silence is fast gaining credit and fans across Alberta.
On the eve of the band’s debut album official re-release, vocalist and bassist J Michalski offered a little insight on how the Little Ineffectual Nothing [Awkward Silence, 2007] came to be, and the band that eventually followed.
You see, most bands form, write a while, play a few shows, and …

Summertime brings warm weather, and plenty of outdoor shows and festivals at which music fans can soak up some song and a little vitamin in the key of D. For musicians, it’s a great opportunity to expand your experience and fanbase, but it can also be a cause for frustration when it comes to sound and the vast expanse into which it can dissipate.
As I looked into the problems involved in mixing sound for outdoor venues (humidity, temperature, wind, etc.), I realized that in the vast majority of outdoor venues, …

When Scale the Summit was announced as a replacement act for this year’s Progressive Nation Tour, they were completely unknown to me. But halfway through “Bloom,” the opening track from their latest release Carving Desert Canyons [Prosthetic, 2009], I was convinced Dream Theater drummer and Progressive Nation founder Mike Portnoy had made a great decision.
The songs throughout the melodic and completely instrumental album focus more on composition and fluidity than on blistering chops and maniacal time signatures, although those don’t fail to make the occasional auditory appearance, reminding listener’s of …

Favorite Aspect of Metal Shows: The mosh pit, for sure.
Favorite Alternative Clothing Store: It used to be Cabbages and Kinks in Vancouver, but it burned down a few years ago. Now, I would have to say Sanctuary in Edmonton. It’s where I got my wedding dress.
First Metal Show: Queensryche at the Coliseum in Vancouver when I was 12. My Dad took me from Merritt, B.C. to Vancouver on the Greyhound to go to the show. I swear we were the only ones there dressed in gortex.

The name Teitan conjures all sorts of wonderfully dark imagery.
The ancient god Kronos of Greek mythology as he overthrows his father, only to be defeated by his own son, Zeus.
Through mystical numbering systems, the name adds up to 666.
A mythical two-headed beast from the sea whose visible head was Saturn, and whose invisible head was Teitan.
According to Homer, one of ancient Greece’s most famous yet ambiguously known authors, all the gods of hell were called Teitans, while the 8th century Greek poet Hesiod excuses them as sons of heaven who …

Live Slaughterfest 2009
This year marked the third annual Live Slaughter Fest in Edmonton, Alta., and the first time the event darkened Calgary soundwaves. On July 17, The Underground played host to five Canadian metal acts.
Unfortunately, the promoter was unable to make the journey from Alberta’s capital due to unverifiable circumstances, but local videographer Michele Sinclair, who is about to embark on a nationwide footage gathering journey for an upcoming metal documentary, stepped up to make sure that things ran as smoothly as possible.
Also a little disappointing was the notable absence …

With spots in the line-up at the recent Live Slaughterfest, which massacred black metal fans over a weekend in both Edmonton and Calgary last month, and the three-day Harvesting Hell Festival in Drayton Valley, Alta. later this summer, Begrime Exemious certainly know how to bring metal to the masses in true festival format, whether indoors or out.
“We place great importance on every gig we play,” says bassist Alasdair Rintoul (aka R – Judas Cradle Heresy).
“Personally, I feel playing outdoors during the witching hour suits Begrime Exemious more so than an …

It’s that time of year when festivals abound. And while there are some truly fabulous sights and sounds to behold, there are some that make it difficult to imagine people subjecting themselves to 30C windless heat and cloudless skies for, but that’s just me.
Of course, there really is something for everyone: for every outdoor fest there is an indoor one; for every fest during the day, there is one at night. And, regardless of where you are in Alberta, there’s sure to be something within driving distance.
This month, we’ve got …