Greetings, our dark and dear readers,
I hope the early chills of autumn are inspiring you to get out of the comforts of home and find your way into a mosh pit. There’s nothing like some good, old-fashioned headbanging to get the blood pumping and save on those pesky heating bills.
There are some great shows coming up and we hope to see you out there. We caught up with System Divide, Bison B.C. and The Devil’s Blood, all passing through Alberta this month. We have some excellent coverage from the Alberta …

Festival season is upon us, and whether outdoors or inside the confined walls of a non-air-conditioned venue, we hope you’re having one metal of a summer. Alberta has a few festivals going on this month, including Metal Mountain up by Hinton. You can find details on that and other shows around the province in the Alberta Bullet.
We’ve got our own little show happening this month, and while it’s not a festival, we’re still planning one hell of a celebration. In this issue, you’ll find the official nominees for the 2010 …

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 …

I’d love to write something deeply profound and inspiring as we step forth into this new decade, but I’ve had way to much sugar, which makes it really hard to focus on just one thought.
On the one hand, I’m astounded. Remember when all that Christmas candies and chocolates went on sale on Boxing Day and you could run down, fight the crowds for those last few boxes of truffles? Well, not only has the last decade brought us Boxing Week, where stores offer deals all week, but don’t stock enough …

‘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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …