A few things come to mind when you hear the words “The Devil Wears Prada” and generally it’s one of three things… shitty movie, great book or awesome band. Of course I am talking about the band in this case. Album after album, The Devil Wears Prada has been exploding for the past few years; they got immense success after the release of their Zombie EP, a concept album about the zombie apocalypse. I had a chance to sit down with singer and guitarist Jeremy while on a stop in Toronto.
Hunter City Madness killed in Brockville at the end of November. They played an insane set, and as a special treat for the audience, were even joined by Today I Caught The Plague’s vocalist Dave Journeaux for a song. Amazing performance from all members! Images snagged on a Nikon D90, 14-24mm f/2.8.
These days there are almost as many sub genres as metal bands themselves. Things from metalcore to death metal to sludge, one of the newest sub genre is djent. Djent is a progressive metal styled coined by Meshuggah and brought to the forefront by Periphery. The name is an onomatopoeia for heavily palm-muted, distorted chords, one of the latest bands taking on the sound of Djent is TesseracT. TesseracT are 4 blokes from England and a newly recruited Yankee named…
There was no way I was going to miss a show by Steven Wilson. Combining everything from progressive rock to jazz, industrial, metal, psychedelia, experimental, drone and so much more in his music, he is definitely one of the more versatile musicians around. I deliberately stayed clear of uploaded videos of shows on this solo tour because I wanted to be surprised and sure enough, stepping into the venue, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.
Polarity put on an incredible show on November 10th in Ottawa. Lead by vocalist Jasmine Virginia, the band really impressed the crowd with a killer performance. Through their set they truly created an amazing energy within the room.
I was able to catch up with guitarist Daniel Taylor of the melodic hardcore band Stand Your Ground to speak with him about the group’s new disc, Despondenseas. Since 2007 Stand Your Ground has been constantly touring, crushing all those in their path! Now they are once again back out on the road in support of the aforementioned new release. Here is how the conversation with Taylor went.
Fresh off the release of their third record, American thrash metal band Warbringer’s bass player Andy Laux took some time out from his busy schedule to discuss the new album, Worlds Torn Asunder. Andy talks about how the writing process was very different for World’s Torn Asunder compared to the band’s first two albums, and how new drummer Carlos Cruz was actually the group’s first choice to fill the open void. He also diffuses rumors that have been going around about tensions in the band.
Canadian singer/songwriter LIGHTS stopped here in Ottawa to perform a killer set on November 23rd. The energy was amazing and the crowd was absolutely ecstatic to see her perform. Her set included both songs from her latest album Siberia as well as her first full length The Listening, and fans got to enjoy an encore which included an acoustic version of “Cactus In The Valley”. Insane show!
Drummer Chris Allan-Whyte of the British metal band Malefice took a moment to speak with me about his Pearl snare drum he uses to obtain that hard hitting, brutal Malefice drum sound. Here is what Allan-Whyte had to say.
On Monday, October 17th, 2011 Cavalera Conspiracy came through Toronto, Ontario rocking The Mod Club. They were touring in support of their second album Blunt Force Trauma. Our very own Chee Kam sat down with guitarist and vocalist Max Cavalera to discuss the new album, his amazing career and maybe some stuff about Soulfly.
Lifestory : Monologue headlined at Cafe Dekcuf earlier this month and truly blew the whole crowd away. Amazing energy, amazing stage presence, one of the best sets I have seen in a long time. They really got the audience going and absolutely killed it. The slaughter was caught on a Nikon D90, 14-24mm f/2.8.
Vocalist Joe Sherman of the band Currents spoke with me about their new self-titled EP. This disc is a multi-layered, multi-dimensional CD that is a very enjoyable listen. The musicianship is top-notch and the songs are fresh, innovative and highly creative; they’re at times powerful and at others convey an almost ethereal mood. The aspect of this disc that I found the most interesting; however, is that while there are different layers at work in songs, nothing feels unnatural or haphazardly thrown in. The album as a whole works well, inviting the listener to sit back, contemplate and draw their own meaning from the work. Here’s what Sherman had to say.
The Flatliners, one of my personal favourite bands, played an amazing show on the night of October 16th, co-headlining with Living With Lions. They played a solid set, balancing older with more recent songs, and totally killed it. Amazing energy from both the band and the crowd! Photos taken with a Nikon D90, 14-24mm f/2.8.
Hailing from Pickering, Ontario, guitarist Nick Perovic, and vocalist Dylan Cooper provided insights for their band, Constellations. They have an EP coming out very soon, and a strong local fan base that is on the rise! Constellations have no limits and are willing to step out of the box musically, and for their fans. I got a real sense of passion and drive while talking with these boys. They have a defined notion of what role music plays in society and on the individual, and had some real in depth comments to make regarding the decorum of music, and stressed the malleability which they try and aim for.