Articles

The Great Sabatini Find Their “Holy Mountain” with ‘Matterhorn’

Posted on Monday, April 23rd, 2012 at 2:34 pm.

Originally written for Exclaim.

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Canadian independent metal warriors the Great Sabatini are used to moving mountains. Their do-it-yourself approach to touring and steering their musical career comes is a major theme onMatterhorn, released digitally and on vinyl via Winnipeg purveyors of noise No List Records on March 25.

On this latest record, the band’s strength and determination are represented in Matterhorn‘s lyrics. Guitarist, vocalist and lyricist Sean Arsenian tells Exclaim! that he “had been watching Jodorowsky’s Holy Mountain as a stimulus for the lyrics. I really like the idea that …

Alcest Delve into the Journey of the Soul with ‘Les Voyages De L’Âme’

Posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 at 5:37 pm.

Originally written for Exclaim.

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While critics have often stated that French ambient metal/romancecore band Alcest‘s music is based on an internal or introspective journey, singer/founding member Neige recently shed some light on just how deep that rabbit hole leads.

Alcest have just released their third studio album, Les Voyages De L’Âme, via German label Prophecy Productions. The record is an uplifting, energetic translation of their trademark sound, characterized by a sweeping forward momentum that belies its softer, dreamier elements.

But in a recent Exclaim! interview, Neige is quick …

Metal 2011: The Year of Tradition vs. The Year of Innovation

Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 10:09 pm.

These two duelling articles were written as part of Exclaim’s 2011 year-end coverage.

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The Year of Tradition

Between revivals of classic heavy metal genres and iconic bands’ reunion tours, it’s clear that a love of tradition still runs deep in aggressive music culture. Metalheads are infamous for their Klingon-like loyalty to the bands and styles they love; many metal heads don’t just let their musical tastes inform their listening habits, but everything from their style of dress to their …

Tags: Articles, Metal

The Wrecking Ball: A Scream UnFestival Event

Posted on Saturday, November 12th, 2011 at 4:50 pm.

A piece I originally wrote for Canada Arts Connect, discussing the origins of the Wrecking Ball hybrid performance series.

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A few short weeks ago, Bill Kennedy, the Artistic Director of the Scream, announced the Festival’s demise. This obituary came in the form of an open letter to the literary community — artists, administrators, volunteers — who had supported the Scream during the 18 years of it’s vibrant, iconoclastic life. The announcement was also a call to action, a request to have the Scream go …

Tags: The Wrecking Ball

Listening

Posted on Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 at 11:52 am.

You can read the original version of this article here, on Canada Arts Connect Magazine.

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This Saturday, I interviewed Toronto metal band Sylvus. The interview itself is currently under construction, and will shortly appear on Hellbound.ca (Note: You can now read this interview here). I sat directly across from guitarist Anastasia Ikonnikova. Sylvus play a wonderfully peculiar kind of black metal, with folk and spacey-ambient influences. The other band members credit Ana’s guitar-playing for creating their sound’s strange, ethereal quality.

“So,” she says cheerfully, …

Tags: Feminism, Love, Metal