Calgary’s WIDMORE Lists Their Top 5 Upcoming Canadian Metal/Metalcore Acts

Calgary’s Widmore (check out their website here) are a metalcore six-piece who meld soaring melodies with pinpoint instrumentation and pummelling breakdowns while attempting to break down genre barriers and create their own unique niche. With their brand new EP, Hostile (pre-save now on Spotify), due out June 28th, the band says, “The apocalyptic soundscape of the record is meant to represent the feeling of loss due to factors out of your control, and the eventual acceptance that the best way to affect change in your own world is to look inward.”

In the spirit of one great act shedding light on another, Widmore is joining us for this Top 5 session to list their favourite upcoming Canadian metal and metalcore acts.

“The End” is the lead single from Hostile, along with the introductory track “Welcome.”

01. KEN mode (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
– Verified veterans at this point, this band still deserves a shoutout for their new record Loved. The Winnipeg band’s latest album blends the sounds of noise-rock, punk, metalcore and hardcore into a sludgy onslaught that is almost as terrifying as the artwork! To anyone that wants to be bludgeoned to death for half an hour, give KEN mode’s newest album a pulverizing listen.

02. WAKE (Calgary, Alberta)
– WAKE’s Misery Rites was one of metal’s most consistent and underrated albums of last year. Wake are our hometown heroes and we can’t get enough of the band’s insane blend of grind, black metal and metalcore at local shows. It is also great to see the band enjoying success outside of Canada, touring lots out of the country and playing some notable festivals in the United States.

03. Spiritbox (Victoria, BC)
– Spiritbox is a technical metalcore band from Victoria, BC that we have been following for some time. Their lineup consists of old members from iwrestledabearonce, which explains the group’s brain-melting instrumentation and vocals. These guys constantly blow our minds with their winding song structures and incredibly skillful playing. We highly recommend the band’s three part music video trilogy “The Mara Effect.”

Part One of the three-part “The Mara Effect.”

04. The Kodiak (Vancouver, BC)
– This group opened for Widmore the last time we played Vancouver and we were blown away by the sheer energy of this band. The Kodiak delivers an invigorating mix of southern hardcore and metalcore in the vein of Every Time I Die or The Ongoing Concept, but the band definitely has their own nuance. Absolutely hoping to see a lot more music from these guys in the near future, and we totally suggest enjoying The Kodiak’s barn-burning first single “Hyde Howitzer.”

05. Gutter King (Calgary, Alberta)
– Our good friends in Gutter King began releasing music in the fall of last year, and it warms our icy Canadian hearts to watch the band grow and succeed. Gutter King has a pretty classic take on the traditional combination of metalcore, hardcore and post-hardcore, but their strong songwriting and sense of groove keeps the band’s sound fresh. Gutter King’s new unreleased material expresses these qualities even more so, but for now we implore you to check out the band’s latest EP Beyond Grief.

Here’s the appropriately hostile artwork for Widmore’s new EP.