Hosers United - Canadian metal in my head...
As a Canadian living in Germany it's always interesting talking to people in metal circles. When I meet them for the first time, regardless of whether they're biz folks or metal fans, when they find out I'm Canadian they immediately start rattling off their favourite Canuck metal bands, often with a sense of "Duuuude, you get to see / grew up with / drink with / act cool pretending you know those bands? Fuckin' eh!". It's kinda weird considering how many great bands there are out there, but no one can argue The Great White North has coughed up some amazing acts over the years. With that in mind, I've compiled a list of Canadian bands that I believe are currently worth checking out, in case anyone cares…
And for the record, the reason artists like VOIVOD, RUSH, KATAKLYSM and STRAPPING YOUNG LAD / Devin Townsend aren't listed is because hailing the genius of those acts at this stage of the game is redundant.
Furthermore, on behalf of Canada I'd like to apologize to the world for Celine Dion. We had no idea. Really...
Anyhoo…here goes, in no particular order…
TERROR SYNDROME: Featuring Ryan van Poederooyen, Dave Young and Mike Young from THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND, these guys are currently working on their debut album. Sorta like a faster, thrashier version of FEAR FACTORY without the industrial tweaking and über-polished sound. And they don't like sound like all those bloody SOILWORK / IN FLAMES wannabes currently running amok and getting signed by every label out to make a buck. Thank frickin' God. This is good new fashioned head-through-the-grindstone no holds barred metal without the boring ass monotone growls. Go to http://www.myspace.com/terrorsyndromeband and check out 'Stupidity For All' (gotta love them serpentine growling vocals, eh…) and 'When God Was Sober'.
ANNIHILATOR: Everyone's got their fave Annihilator records, but Alice In Hell and Never, Neverland are the classics that everyone loves. The new one, Metal, was a huge surprise for me 'cuz the two albums before it, All For You and Schizo Deluxe, had a few good songs each but more or less kinda washed over me. And when news got out that Jeff Waters was going to have all kinds of guest musicians on Metal, I guess the feeling was it was his way of using smoke and mirrors to cover up the weak spots. Um…no. In my humble and presently sober opinion the new Metal album is in one of the best Annihilator records ever. It's a HUGE mother of a shredfest from top to bottom, and never mind the guest spots from Alexi Laiho (CHILDREN OF BODOM), Jeff Loomis (NEVERMORE) and Michael Amott (ARCH ENEMY); Waters pulled out all the stops, writing some of his strongest songs ever. Faves of the moment are 'Clown Parade', 'The Haunted', 'Chasing The High', 'Detonation' and 'Downright Dominate'. Honourable mentione for 'Couple Suicide' 'cuz the idea of Angela Gossow (ARCH ENEMY) and Danko Jones on the same song is wonderfully perverse and musically brilliant.
http://www.myspace.com/annihilatorofficial
NEUROSONIC: I had to do a head check when I found myself playing the band's debut, Drama Queen, over and over. I actually wondered if I was getting soft, 'cuz the band sounds like a power pop infused version of NINE INCH NAILS crossed with THE BEATLES. Radio friendly? Only the ballads, because frontman/founder Jason Darr's voice on the heavy tracks has that over-the-top Devin Townsend-ish quality about them that scares the shit out of silly little pop tarts. What finally sold me on the band and convinced me I hadn't lost my mind entirely was their live show; easily one of the best club bands I have EVER seen when it comes to sheer intensity
.
http://www.myspace.com/neurosonic
SCARLET SINS: An all female act from my home town of Toronto. Gearing up to release their debut album later this year, which was produced by none other than Rick Chycki, who first put DREAM THEATER's James LaBrie into the spotlight with WINTER ROSE and has gone one to produce some small time acts like RUSH, AEROSMITH and THE ROLLING STONES. The band sounds like the now defunct Swedish all-girl act DRAIN minus the annoying grunge elements. I love the groove SCARLET SINS has and the prog-ish feel of the music. Their sound is also a hell of a lot darker than people expect of a "chick" band and hits like a bag of hammers (as Popoff would say). For the record, bassist Tanya is a BW&BK fan (always a plus ;-)), and I'd also have nothing against Sylvia singing the phone book to me…love that voice…
http://www.myspace.com/scarletsins
PROFUGUS MORTIS: Not sure how I stumbled onto these guys, but – and I've said this dozens of times already – they're further proof that French Canada is home to some of the best metal bands around. Extreme folk metal on par with a band like ENSIFERUM, which is saying a lot considering the whole folk metal thing has taken Europe by storm and ENSIFERUM are one of the best. There's no doubt in my mind PROFUGUS MORTIS could stand toe-to-toe with any of their European counterparts. They released a new album called …So It Begins in March; audio samples and order information at http://www.myspace.com/profugusmortis . Check out some live footage at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UVGxtVE_U4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf1z9r04oDA .
** In closing, I should also mention that every time I see their female violinist I'm reminded that I am indeed a dirty old man
.
BOBNOXIOUS: Yeah, frontman Bob Reid (of RAZOR and SFH fame) is a friend of mine, but that's not why he's on this list. Fact is, I heard their first album for the first time in 2004 on my annual trip home and it kinda translated my whole mindset at the time to music; I was there to party it up with friends and the band had supplied the soundtrack. Good old fashioned four chord party rock in the vein of MOTORHEAD on a few dozen kegs of Molson Canadian. The new album, Rockaholics, is more of the same and yet even better. And Bob is one of the most underrated singers/songwriters around. Yeah yeah, it's not RAZOR and it's not super heavy; get over it. Topping things off, these guys actually managed to put out a Christmas album worth listening to. Fuck that Twisted Sister crap.
http://www.myspace.com/bobnoxiousrock
** Note: I am not being threatened, coerced, bribed or harrassed in any way with regards to the claims above. Bob has mentioned something about going out drinking when I'm home in August, however, and I've always found it doesn't hurt to get on a person's good side when beer is involved.
ECLIPSE ETERNAL: I interviewed producer/ guitarist Fredrik Nordström last year for the DREAM EVIL album, United, and he mentioned at the time he was producing this band's new album, Ubermensch. He also went on to say that he'd had no idea Norway had moved to Canada (specifically Toronto), because ECLIPSE ETERNAL was, in his opinion, the most authentic black metal band he'd heard in years. Fact is, Nordström has seen, worked with and produced 'em all, and he knows the ins and outs of the tough as nails black metal scene. Basically, these guys are far heavier and ultimately a hell of a lot more creative than bands currently being touted as black metal nowadays. I still listen to their last album, Reign Of The Unholy Black Empire, which for the virgins out there makes CRADLE OF FILTH and DIMMU BORGIR sound like last year's American / Canadian / Finnish / Outer Mongolian Idol winners. As far as the genre goes it doesn't get any more epic than these guys
http://www.myspace.com/eclipseeternal
FRAZE GANG: Mention the band BRIGHTON ROCK nowadays to a Canuck that grew up in the '80s and chances are a fair number of them will be laughing in their beer when I mention FRAZE GANG features guitarist Greg Fraser and bassist Stevie Skreebs. Y'see, BRIGHTON ROCK was cursed with being a solid hard rock band with a killer live sound and energy that rose to fame via MuchMusic and radio through the worst songs in their catalogue. I mean, we're talking wretchedly bad radio piffle selected by the record label to cash in on the whole hair band ballad schtick that had the girlies creaming in their spandex. The debut EP and the first album, though, had some serious balls beyond the commercial fluff. FRAZE GANG doesn't pick up where Fraser and Skreebs left off so much as hint at the past. The debut isn't metal, more of a mood rock kinda thing falling somewhere between BRIGHTON ROCK and good old fashioned '70s no bullshit rock. And I swear Fraser sounds like David Lee Roth circa his Skyscraper album in places. Call me nostalgic, call me a pussy, but I actually like what I'm hearing. So there.
http://www.myspace.com/frazegang
E-FORCE: There are people that miss Eric Forrest fronting VOIVOD, and no disrespect to Snake or the band, but I'm one of 'em. No matter, though, because E-FORCE keeps the amazing brutality of VOIVOD's Negatron and Phobos albums alive. In fact, now that I think of it, Negatron was about 10 years ahead of its time; kinda funny how the rest of the world finally caught up. I'm lucky enough to have been living with some demos from the forthcoming E-FORCE album for a while now, and all I can say is that Forrest had a much bigger influence on VOIVOD than people give him credit for. Two albums in and the guy just frickin' kills . If you liked the Evil Forces debut you'll love the new one.
http://www.myspace.com/eforceband
REVOLVER: Fronted by former SLIK TOXIK vocalist Nick Walsh, this is one of those bands where people are prone to use dirty words like "maturity" and "modern" to describe them, particularly considering the band's founder's past, but the fact is Walsh has come a long way since his 'Big Fuckin' Deal' days. Good on him, too. For one thing, he's no longer the Baz clone everyone took him for way back when, not the least because he knows how to write a solid song and is working with folks on the same level. REVOLVER's first album, Turbulence, had some killer moments on it: 'Juggernaut', 'Jesus Wept', 'Pandora's Box', 'Blue Sky' and 'Nosebleed' are faves and I still listen to 'em. These guys are also killer live band deserving of much bigger stages than the ones they've been playing. One of those bands I'm looking forward to hearing more from, and not for nostalgia's sake. New stuff is up and running on their page, a new album is due out this year.
http://www.myspace.com/revolvercanada
**Note: These guys have doen a cover of RATT's 'Round And Round' that positively slays. Do me a favour and pressure them into putting it on an album…
And that's all fer now, eh. But trust me, I know what I'm talkin' aboot.
Check out Carl's Myspace here: CARL BEGAI
.
