It’s March in Alberta. Depending on which part of the province you’re in, that could mean warmer weather and the permeating stench of evaporating dog muck, or it could be that you’re still in for a few more weeks of winter.

Here at Pitch Black, our office is located mere blocks from a cattle pasture, and as the warms winds come in, we’re somewhat overwhelmed, but also grateful that we live somewhere that has space for all to roam. Lucky, I guess, that in less than five minutes, we could be out on the open road, heading north for a gig in Edmonton or Red Deer, or making a short drive into downtown to check out a show at one of Calgary’s venues. And as the weather warms, I’m thinking about camping, sitting around a fire, rippin’ out some tunes on the ol’ acoustic, with not a streetlight in sight. I’ll definitely raise a pint to that.

No matter where you find yourself this month, most of you probably will be raising a pint or two yourselves, with visions of green food colouring and four-leaf clovers in mind. Yup, St. Paddy’s day. Love it or leave it, it’s one of those staple holidays that most people don’t realize is actually a holiday. For some, it’s a chance to test the boundaries of their gluttony and enjoy every minute of it with friends. For the more traditional, it’s an observed religious day. For me, it’s a good excuse to wear something green. It would really bring out my eyes, if I actually had iris,’ that is.

Still, March 17 in Canada is often the scene of many parades, many parties, and lots of high energy gigs from bands like the hard rocking Scottish-inspired punk act The Real McKenzies, who will be performing in Calgary at The Republik on the day itself.

In honour of St. Patrick’s Day, Vinland Radio host King provided us with a short list of notable and noteworthy Irish metal bands, which are listed below. Some of them might take a little luck to find, but, according to King, they’re definitely worth looking for.

As some of you may know, we’ve been making a few changes around here lately, one of which is that Vinland Radio’s co-hosts, King and Dr. Gore, will be taking over the Soundcheck section, starting in April. In previous issues, this category was reserved for interviews with Alberta artists releasing albums in that particular month. Due to the inability to always predict when independent releases would be officially released, and requests from you, dear readers, to incorporate a review section, this seemed the best route.

“Myself and Dr. Gore are stoked to join the team here at Pitch Black,” King said. “We are really looking forward to taking an in-depth look at some upcoming new releases, and maybe we can even stop arguing long enough to provide you with a decent review!”

In no particular order, here’s what King has to say about some of his favourite Irish metal bands:

Primordial – Combining elements of black metal, doom and folk, these guys are, in my humble opinion, the quintessential Irish metal band.

Gama Bomb – Straight up old school thrash. Earache Records released their last album Tales from the Grave in Space as free digital download.

Mael Mordha – Old school doom in the Candlemass vain, with touches of Celtic mythology, it’s a little obscure but worth a listen.

Cruachan – Celtic folk metal at its best. This group has a real knack for putting new and interesting spins on traditional Irish classics.

Thin Lizzy – Probably not considered metal by today’s standards, but their influence on the genre is undeniable.

So get listening, keep reading, and stay tuned for even more cool changes to Pitch Black Magazine in 2010!

Mistress Morwyn

The Keeper of the Lair

P.S. Obviously our colour scheme has changed rather dramatically. We hope you like it! We do, except we’ve encountered a few kinks along the way, specifically in the field of photo captions. The text in those boxes is the same colour as the box itself, so pretty much enreadable. Eek! We’re doing our best to get this fixed as soon as possible, and apologize for any inconvenience.