Greetings, my fine readers, and welcome to the July edition of Pitch Black Magazine.
You may have noticed this issue is a wee bit lighter than usual. Do not fear: you can still expect all the categories you’re used to and the same high-quality of content you’ve come to expect from us, just a little less of it.
But, due to the vacations and other commitments of our volunteer contributors throughout July and August, we figured it might be a good idea, rather than stretch ourselves too thin. We also decided that …

Greetings faithful friends and loyal readers,
It’s hard to believe that May has come and gone. Perhaps it’s all that celebrating we did in honour of our first anniversary. Maybe it’s the snow outside that’s steering me away from the belief that it’s actually June.
I’m more inclined to think it’s all the work we’ve been doing, getting ready for the upcoming Alberta Metal Awards and putting together a new issue for you to read and, hopefully, enjoy!
This month we chatted with San Francisco’s Slough Feg. The guys were here last year …

When the idea for Pitch Black Magazine first started to take form, we had no idea what to expect. Would anybody find us in the vastness of cyberspace? Would anybody stick around long enough to read if they did? And would they come back?
A test site was launched in April 2009, allowing us to publish a fraction of our imaginings, sucker our friends and colleagues into checking it out and giving us some much needed feedback, and then further develop our goals before unleashing the magazine full force on May …

You know, I need to perfectly honest and tell all you fine folk that I never really know what to write here. Sure, I could ramble about the weather or the state of extreme music in Alberta, but I did the former last month, and the latter is just asking for a debate, and this is not the forum. There are just too many opinions on that subject, and too little bandwidth!
That being said, we hit some record numbers last month in the reader department. Yes, my darklings, I am …

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 …

Love is in the air, or maybe it’s all the pollution. Kinda depends on your perspective, I guess.
I’m not much one for the mushy stuff, but either way you look at it, Valentine’s Day is upon us, or VD, as I like to sarcastically refer. I’m more of a Victorian kinda girl. That intriguing era from which came all those really ridiculously insulting cards that come with a shot of vinegar in your Valentine. Never seen ‘em? You’re missing out. I really wish they’d make a comeback so I could …

‘Tis the season of treacherous weather, ignorant drivers and wasteful spending. Okay, so maybe I just had a “day.” It took an hour and a half to drive what’s normally a 10-minute cruise home; it never ceases to amaze me that every winter, snow falls and thousands of Alberta drivers suddenly forget what they’re doing behind the wheel. Seriously? We get snow in July. Calgary drivers can be excused… to an extent. They only drive in the snow about 25 per cent of the time in winter, thanks to those …

We have some really exciting news this month from the Pitch Black office. The highly-anticipated 2010 Alberta Metal Maidens calendar is now available! The 13-month calendar features a number of the Metal Maidens featured on the webzine throughout 2009, as well as some you’ve never seen before. The calendar’s official launch took place at Sacred Ally’s fourth anniversary show at Big Al’s in Calgary, Alta. on Halloween night and everyone was so supportive, I can’t begin to tell you all how grateful we are for the support of our readers.
If …

October always has that icy snap in the air and the haunting feeling that snow could happen at any moment – if you’re lucky enough to live in a part of the world that has four seasons, which, in Alberta, we are.
I evolved from the komatiite of a dormant Canadian volcano, and have been in the Great White North ever since, so for me, October just wouldn’t be the same without that imminent frosty threat. And I really like the crunchy sound of dead leaves under my feet. And, naturally, …

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 …

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 …

Power Metal Invasion @ The Den
Well, sort of… a show that originally had Brazilian power metallers Hibria as the headliner had the hard-working folks of Scarab Productions scrambling last minute to find a replacement after the quartet’s van broke down somewhere in B.C. But, as us musician’s can well attest to, the show must go on. And with nary a minute behind schedule. Kudos to Terese and your quick-thinking team for putting on a great show that saw not just power metal, but a variety of sights and sounds with …

Summer is a funny thing. The days get longer, yet it seems like there’s less time to get things done. Well, less time to get the work done, I suppose. Our editors have been crunching the deadline with our third issue due to midnight bonfires and all sorts of outdoorsy shenanigans. It’s the price we pay for getting to enjoy palatable weather for such a short time here in Alberta, and this year is no different. Hell, it seems like just last month we had snow. Wait a sec, we …

All-Ages Auditory Assault at The Den
It was an onslaught of thrash, hardcore, folk and death metal at The Den in Calgary on April 25, courtesy of Scarab Productions. The all-ages event kicked off at 6 p.m. and attendees were treated to a variety of sounds from an all-Calgarian line-up. Seven bands hit the stage, including newcomers Moradin and Thrashomatic, Akakor, Norrath, Epi-Demic, and veterans Kilyakai – who have, until recently been tied up in the studio putting the finishing touches on their full-length debut album – and Exit Strategy, who …

There’s no easy way to spend long periods of time out on the road with other people, no matter how awesome they are. Hell, you could be Mary friggin’ Poppins and I’d probably still want to crush your skull and throw your stinky feet out the window after a couple of days. But when you’re in a band, road trips are a reality – or at least an inevitability, depending on which stage of the game you’re at.
And trust me, it is a game. Ever watch “Survivor?” That’s nothing. We’re …

Cannibal Corpse
Children of Bodom
Exodus
Neuraxis
The Merciful
The Order of Chaos

Salutations, and thank you for tuning into Pitch Black.
As many of you are aware, this is the first official issue of Alberta’s hard rock and metal magazine and I am delighted you have decided to join us, even if you were lured here by a search engine gone awry.
At Pitch Black, our focus is on Alberta artists and the international acts that call Alberta home, even if for just one stop along the tour route. Through these efforts, we hope to put Alberta music on the map and become your …

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 …

An exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the spring 2009 Metal Maidens shoot in Northern Alberta!
Photographs by Becca Stone, Pamela Porosky and Sherri Robertson.

Cradle of Filth and Satyricon