When Graham Harris made the cross-Atlantic move from Scotland to Calgary, Alta., he had no idea where to see a good live metal band, let alone join one.
“I did some searching on the Internet and came across Alberta Metal,” he recalls of the locally run forum for metal fans and bands across the province.
As it so happened, guitarist Don Stenhouse, who formed Reverend Kill in 2004, had just posted an ad looking for a new vocalist. The band had decided to pursue a heavier, more death-influenced sound, and needed …

Calculating Collapse are about to take take their ferociously metal blend of thrasy hardcore on a cross-Canada tour, drawing on the many invaluable lessons learned since the band first formed in the winter of 2006 to help get them ready for the journey.
“We have toured through parts of British Columbia and Saskatchewan before. The last time we went on tour was a year and half ago, before we began prepping for our upcoming album,” says guitarist Arjun Roy, one of the founding members of the Grande Prairie-based quintet.
“A few days …

As the owner of Scarab Metal Productions, a Calgary-based concert production company, Terese Fleming has to stay up-to-date with the goings on of the music industry and the trends that drive it on a global scale, then take that and apply it to the music community closer to home. It doesn’t hurt that she holds close a passion for music and the metal artists across Alberta.
As a result, Fleming has seen her business grow, and the annual metal festival Noctis Valkyries approach its third year, growing bigger and better …

*Warning: Article contents may not be suitable for all readers. Discretion is advised.

“I’m so terribly sorry,”grunts Oderus Urungus, arriving late for our interview after what he calls “a minor crisis in the Slave Pit.”
He’s one busy frontman, er… alien, and GWAR is no ordinary band.
“I’ve been doing all kinds of ridiculous things. I wrestled this big redneck dude named Tracy Smothers. Choked him the fuck out,” Oderus says of the IWA pro wrestler he sparred with back in June for some reason unbeknownst to the majority of humankind.
“And for some …

To say that 3 Inches of Blood tour a lot would be a bit of an understatement.
“That’s our modus operandi,“ states guitarist Shane Clark, with the kind of gusto one hears only from those so passionate about their craft, it’s something they live and breathe.

“The last time I averaged it out, during an album cycle, we toured for 12 out of 14 months. Not all exactly in a row: there would be two weeks home here, two weeks home there,” continues Clark, who has been part of the Vancouver-based …

“Devastate Insisted Existence” Track List:
1. Blackwing
2. Return Of Mars
3. Tracks Of Red
4. Buried Alive
5. Without Warning
6. Infidel
7. Long Way Home
8. Slaughterhouse
9. Ravenous
10. D.I.E.

It’s been a long and challenging year in the making, but Kilyakai’s full-length debut is finally ready for release.
On October 23, the hardcore influenced death metal juggernaut from Calgary, Alta. will unleash Devastate Insisted Existence on a local audience, followed by a cross-province series of shows to further spread the metal fury, before taking it online.
“We did extensive amount of writing and a lot of practicing, a lot …

Falsetto Overpowers the Sirens of Forest Lawn
Big Al’s in Calgary’s Forest Lawn is not a usual place for metal shows, but Sacred Ally secured show there in February, and made such a good impression they were invited back to headline a power metal show on Aug. 2. Sacred Ally knows how to engage a crowd no matter how diverse it might be and their music and stage antics are always well received.
HROM, playing their first bar show, kicked off the night. HROM had the crowd singing along …

First metal album bought: Pantera, Vulgar Display of Power [Atco Records, 1992]
Favourite local band(s) that never gets old: Dead Jesus and Death Toll Rising
Favourite metal band across the board: Zimmers Hole
Daily metal fix: Lead vocalist for Order of Chaos

One of the most unemphasized facts in the music business today is that it is, in fact, a business.
Sure, most bands and individual musicians start their musical journeys with fun and creativity and all that wonderful feel-good stuff at the core, but the reality is, if you’re really serious about taking your music to the next level, you have to start treating it like a business.
“A lot of bands don’t understand the business of it. They just think play some local shows and rock out and that’s all it takes, …

I don’t think it matters if you’re still under the confines of the institution that is our educational system, or if you’ve done for years. There’s something about September that has a slight air of sadness, of finality, of, “Oh great, now I have to work?”
Students go back to school, those in the workforce reflect on why they didn’t at least save a couple vacation days to use on those upcoming mornings when it’s just too cold to get out bed, and you can get some really good deals on …