Chokeslam is a relatively new beatdown hardcore band from St. John’s, Newfoundland comprised of Jake McGuire on vocals, Nick Hudson on lead guitar, Kyle Crotty on rhythm guitar, Ryan Thornhill on bass, and Brad Ivany on drums. The band released their very first single, entitled “Moneybags”, through Bandcamp on Saturday, June 8th, 2024.
You can listen to “Moneybags” by Chokeslam through our Bandcamp embed below.
~ Akhenaten
St. John’s hardcore outfit Carnage have released their long awaited and much anticipated second EP. Entitled Dead Mans Shoes, this new EP dropped on Friday, May 17th, 2024 through Bandcamp and streaming services, and features four tracks. It was recorded and produced by Liam Ryan and mixed and mastered by Jacob Cherwick.
You can listen to Dead Mans Shoes through our Bandcamp embed below.
~ Akhenaten
Halifax hardcore outfits Thousand Knives and Helsreach as well as Cape Breton powerviolence group Fear and Filth have announced an East Coast tour centered around the upcoming Heavy NFLD Fest 2024. The bands will be performing at a preliminary show in Halifax on July 17th before making their way to the island of Newfoundland for several shows between Corner Brook and St. John’s.
The dates are as follows:
~ Akhenaten
The first round of band announcements for this year’s edition of Heavy NFLD Fest is here! We’re proud to bring you three touring acts from our neighbours in Nova Scotia to the island in 2024. Coming to you from Alba Nuadh are the hardcore / metalcore outfit Thousand Knives from Halifax, the death / thrash metal-infused hardcore outfit Helsreach, also from Halifax, and the powerviolence quartet Fear and Filth, hailing from Cape Breton.
Along with this announcement we’re happy to bring you a reveal of which shows are happening where. On Friday, July 19th, there will be an all ages show as well as a 19+ bar show at Retro Arcade and Sports Bar in Corner Brook. That same night we’ll be having a 19+ bar show at The Rockhouse featuring a slew of local metal outfits. On Saturday, July 20th, the touring bands from Nova Scotia will be performing at The Rockhouse supported by local hardcore and powerviolence acts. Following that up on Sunday, July 21st, we’re going to have an all day all ages bonanza at Pavlov’s Electric Verandah.
Stay tuned as more announcements for which local bands will be taking part in this year’s fest, and follow the Heavy NFLD Fest Instagram (@heavynfldfest) to stay up to date with announcements as they roll out!
~ Akhenaten
With January 2024 out of the way let’s revisit all of the happenings from February 2024. March and April 2024 will be coming soon!
Biggest Stories
– Nameless Friends to Play The Rockhouse on February 27th, 2024
– RPM Challenge 2024 Starts Today
New LPs Released
– Bodydouble – Lullabies for an Anxious Mind
New EPs Released
– Floorwalker – Floorwalker
– The Lurk – The Lurk
– Metaphora – Metaphora
New Singles Released
– Blitzgeek – “Flux”
– Killer9000 – “My Least Favourite Things”
New Live Albums Released
– Mistwalker – Basement Dwellers
New Demos Released
– Disciplinary Action – R.N.C. Demo
– QLOI – The Tuvaq Demos
New Music Videos Released
– Disposition – “Crisis Averted”
Album Announcements
– Guntmold – Untitled New LP
– Jigger Reveals Artwork for Upcoming New LP
– Ratpiss – Four Humors
– Securitron – Post-Apocalyptic Eras
Reviews
– C.A.R.E. – Creating a Righteous Energy [by Akhenaten]
– Carnage – Free at Last [by Akhenaten]
– Falter – Salt in the Soil [by Akhenaten]
New Merch
– Heavy Metal Karaoke Reveal New T-Shirts and Tote Bags
We also released Episode 63 of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast, New Metal from Newfoundland IV, in which I recount some of the newer releases that have dropped from Newfoundland and Labrador bands in the past few months.
Albums Archived
The Beer Patrice – Can’t Talk to Fish [Single / Punk]
The Beer Patrice – Who are the Beer Patrice? [LP / Punk]
Breaker – Breaker [EP / Pop Punk]
Breaker – Do It Yourself [EP / Pop Punk]
Death Ray – Murder Mouth [Single / Sludge Metal]
Fennway – Demo 2015 [Demo / Melodic Hardcore]
Fennway – Julianne [Single / Melodic Hardcore]
Hot x Proxy – Fake It [Single / Hard Rock]
Hot x Proxy – Mean to Me [Single / Hard Rock]
Hot x Proxy – The Operator [Single / Hard Rock]
Hot x Proxy – Tonite [Single / Hard Rock]
Mistwalker – Basement Dwellers [Live EP / Black N’ Roll]
Not Friends – Demo 2012 [Demo / Hardcore Punk]
Not Friends – Stowaway [EP / Hardcore Punk]
Securitron – Post-Apocalyptic Eras [LP / Thrash Metal]
The Strangled – Dead Music [EP / Punk]
The Strangled – Disconnected [Single / Punk]
The Strangled – Straight to Ghost [EP / Punk]
Twerp – Just a Little [EP / Grunge]
~ Akhenaten
Glitterglue – Friends Club
September 13th, 2023
Powerviolence / Beatdown
Independently Released
St. John’s, Newfoundland
Last year there was a lot of activity in the Fogtown punk scene. One of the stand out releases was Glitterglue’s Friends Club. This EP dropped September 13th, 2023 and is a brief, brutal surge of violent hardcore coming from a place of true aggression.
Glitterglue is raw, angst-ridden powerviolence with the approach of beatdown hardcore. Each track is a flurry of pummeling, high velocity blasts and stomping breakdowns. The vocals and attitude also show a skramz influence that while subtle gives their sound an additional edge.
Two highlights of Friends Club would be “What Is The Need?” and “Eat This Vegan Dick”. These two tracks really capture the overall sound of the EP as well as the group’s views and sense of humor.
Friends Club is a solid debut from a very exciting new group. 10 minutes of fresh, ferocious hardcore for those that want their punk fast and heavy. With a Friends Club like this, who needs enemies?
Final Verdict: 8.5/10
Awesome
Favourite Tracks:
“What is the Need?”
“Eat This Vegan Dick”
~ James Titford
We check out some songs from new heavy releases that have dropped over the past couple of months!
Released February 29, 2024
Tracklist:
01. Disciplinary Action – “Nice Hustle, Ton o’ Fun, Next Time Eat a Salad”
02. Casualty – “Track 1”
03. Brandon Monkey Fingers – “Morally Unethical”
04. The Lurk – “Sewage Kid”
05. Guntmold – “Skinwalkers”
06. Bonewing – “Shit Outta Luck”
07. Disposition – “Decomposed”
08. Ratpiss – “Spit”
09. Nuclear Casket – “Vale Tenebris”
10. The Skeats – “Twitch”
~ Akhenaten
Nameless Friends are a hard rock band from London, Ontario with elements of punk, glam, and prog woven into their music. The band is currently on tour in support of the release of their first full length record, Blasphemy, and one of the stops on that tour is at The Rockhouse in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The band will be performing tonight, Tuesday, February 27th, 2024, with the show kicking off at 7:00 PM. The group will be joined by local power metal outfit Category VI and beatdown upstarts Chokeslam. Tickets are $12 in an advance and $15 at the door.
~ Akhenaten
Floorwalker is a new lo-fi hardcore project from Steve O’Keefe and Kendrick Roberts of the beatdown / powerviolence band Carnage, amongst numerous other bands and projects. The band released their first EP, a self-titled effort, on February 7th, 2024 through Bandcamp. The EP contains six songs, was recorded by Spencer Walsh, and mixed by Kendrick Roberts. Steve handles drums and vocals while Kendrick handles guitar and bass.
You can listen to Floorwalker through our Bandcamp embed below.
~ Akhenaten
2023 has been over for a little over a month now so I think it’s time we took stock of all the cool stuff and not so cool stuff that happened over the course of the last year. Let’s dive in!
This year was another rough year for businesses as both Bar None and The Abbey were forced to shut down, nixing two venues for live music and other events from the underground music community in St. John’s. Aside from that, things got rougher as members of the music community mourned the loss of Will Hapgood, the owner of The Deck who passed away suddenly earlier in 2023. His loss sent shockwaves throughout the community and resulted in an enormous show happening at the Bowring Park Amphitheater to celebrate his life and memory.
An absurd amount of new music was released throughout the year, perhaps more so than any year prior since I’ve been involved in this scene. A slew of new records from bands like The Skeats and Category VI were joined by a cavalcade of EPs from the continuously exploding hardcore punk crowd that seems to churn out new bands at the same frequency that rabbits reproduce.
There were also a ton of mainlander bands who came through Corner Brook and St. John’s this year, including Montreal black metal bands Akitsa and Infernach, Halifax d-beat warriors Black Dog, long time Newfoundland expats Brutal Youth, Montreal hardcore group Deadbolt, New Brunswick stoner punks Diner Drugs, Montreal death metal power trio Obelisk, Toronto thrashers Ammo and Californian NWOTHM upstarts Night Demon, as well as Halifax deathcore ensemble Pale Ache. For a province that sees precious few touring acts pulling through, this past year was exceptionally great.
We also held the very first edition of the Heavy NFLD Fest this past year! This was something that was a long time coming, and has always been my ultimate goal for this project, so finally seeing it come to fruition was a triumph. We’re hoping to do it again this year so stay tuned for Heavy NFLD Fest Vol. II!
Here’s hoping that this year brings with it more good news and less of the bad. Here’s to a kickass 2024.
Biggest Stories
– Bar None Closes Its Doors
– Big Space Win Jazz Recording of the Year at the ECMAs
– Da Slyme Wins Music NL ‘Loud Artist of the Year’ Award
– The Deck Renamed to Pavlov’s Electric Verandah
– Friends Hold Raffle for Sheavy Frontman Steve Hennessey’s Recovery Following Cancer Diagnosis
– Grenadier Release Trumpets Blare in Blazing Glory on Vinyl
– Heavy NFLD Fest Vol. I
– Ken Power Tattoo Company Reopens at New Location
– Lawnya Vawnya 13 Announces Lineup
– Madison Strip Calls it Quits
– Memorial Show for Will Hapgood to Happen at Bowring Park Amphitheater July 9th
– Precious Blood Announce 2023 Maritimes Tour
– Precious Blood and Da Slyme Nominated for Music NL Loud Artist of the Year
– R.I.P. Will Hapgood
– Stanley’s Pub Now Hosting Heavy Metal Karaoke Nights
– Triskelyon Signs to Moribund Records
– Triskelyon Resigns to Moribund Records in Two-Album Deal
– Yes, Officer Signs to Scilly Cove Records
Come from Aways
– Akitsa and Ifernach to Perform at The Rockhouse in September with Grole and Grenadier
– Black Dog (HFX) to Play at First Light CPAC on July 15th
– Brutal Youth to Return to the Rock for Two Shows in August
– Deadbolt to Play The Rockhouse & First Light CPAC on September 8th and 9th
– Diner Drugs to Play The Deck and The Abbey on May 12th and 13th
– Mistwalker and Øbelisk Announce 2023 Tour with Shows in St. John’s, Corner Brook, and Glovertown
– Night Demon and Ammo to Perform at the Bella Vista Events Venue on August 25th
– Pale Ache Announce Fall Tour Including Multiple Dates in Corner Brook and St. John’s
– Slaughter, Quiet Riot, and Great White to Perform at Iceberg Alley Performance Tent 2023
New LPs Released
– 6000apez – January 12
– Beereaucracy – Beereaucracy
– Beereaucracy / Catshit – Split
– Brutal Youth – Rebuilding Year
– C.A.R.E. – Creating a Righteous Energy
– Category VI – Firecry
– Chris McGee – The Strange Ritual of the Golden-Faced Man
– Count Cromulent – Thrillhouse
– Desperta – Desperta
– Falter – Salt in the Soil
– First Frost – It’s Dangerous to Go Alone
– Lithops – ((BendeR))
– Mike Fisher – Diary of a Psychic Vampire
– Mistwalker – Oceanic Heritage
– Mistwalker – Under the Fallen Sky: 10 Years in the Mist
– Needle Crafts – Frow’d Up
– Neko Suicide – Bound by Chains and Ripped in Half
– Neko Suicide – Midtown
– Neko Suicide – St. Georges, Hell 3:00 AM
– Nfrared – Under the Stairs
– The Skeats – The Skeats IV
– Triskelyon – Artificial Insanity
– WXO – Waxsongs
– Zack St. John’s – Prince of Fogtown
– Zackary Anderson – Graveyard Filled with Snow
New EPs Released
– 6000apez – Farmlife
– 6000apez – Glauchoma!
– 6000apez – Mule Touch
– Adam Sharr – To the Woods
– A Body Without Organs – Broken Terminal III: Milk Blood
– Bog Rot – Sex, Drugs, Bog N’ Roll
– Canvas – Down Horrendous
– Carnage – Free at Last
– Cerebral Palsy – Seas of Bloody Mist
– Chimp Apparatus – Sober
– compareyourself – Mary and the Misanthropic Buzzard
– Cortex Strikes Back – Cortex Strikes Back
– The Crevice – 11th Hour / Valley of Flies
– Foundation Chain – Sanrio-core
– Fucked to Death – The Penile Code
– Glitterglue – Friends Club
– Jaded Truth – Bitter
– Knarl – Bad Luck
– Lil Dirtbag – It’s Been Too Real
– Love Letters to Lewis – Letter One: Vemödalen
– Mistwalker – Pumpkinsmasher
– Mistwalker – War on Christmas
– Neko Suicide – Cross
– Ninth Quarter – Below Knee
– Nuclear Casket – Irascible
– Of Wilds – A Ghost at the Strid
– The Order of the Precious Blood – I No Longer Wish for Salvation
– Pouch Dweller – Goes to the Movies
– Ratpiss – Misanthropy Now!
– Roach Smoking Buddies – Roach Smoking Christmas
– Sex Hole – Kill or Be Killed
– Shit Dildo – Odes to the Fecal Phallus
– Skreeched In – Skreeched In
– Smoke Signals – Send Me Flowers While I’m Still Here
– Sons of an Eastern Moon – Borealis
– Winterhearth – Beyond the Frosted Graves
– Winterhearth – Rape of Eden
– Wiremouth – EP2
– WXO – Albert Rolling Down the Magical Infinite Hill
New Singles Released
– Amer Ali – “Face in the Clouds”
– Amer Ali – “Forever”
– Amer Ali – “Never Say I Don’t Care”
– Artach – “Black Metal Drummer Boy”
– Artach – “Hell on Halloween”
– Bonewing – Assorted Singles
– Category VI – “Firecry”
– Cerebral Palsy – Assorted Singles
– Chimp Apparatus – “Garfield”
– Choplicker – “Brigandine”
– Choplicker – “Heliouroboros”
– CR – “Last Address”
– Dendron – “The Glass Spire Redux”
– Disposition – “Decomposed”
– Disposition – “Slow Haze”
– Drop Your Trust – “Hacked”
– Drop Your Trust – “Think for Yourself”
– Elder Caius – “Alien Space Bats” / “From Below”
– Elder Caius – “Kailash, When It Rises”
– Everose – “Flourish”
– Ex Press – “The Island”
– Guntmold – “Menstrual Shark”
– Guntmold – “Munging”
– Guntmold – “You Suffer” [Napalm Death Cover]
– Homesick N’ Wanderlust – “When I Grow Up”
– Jaded Truth – “Bottom of the Bottle”
– Jaded Truth – “Samsquanch”
– Jaded Truth – “The Shake-Up”
– Last Cigar – “Pitchforks”
– Love Letters to Lewis – “I, the End”
– Needle Crafts – “Worried Sick”
– Neko Suicide – “2015”
– Nemophilist – “Aurora”
– Nemophilist – “Failure, Goodbyes. Isolation”
– Nemophilist – “Put Me on a Ship That is Sinking”
– Nemophilist – “Tragedy and Loss Never Known”
– Nerve Shack – “Ash”
– Nerve Shack – “Forever in Your Lie”
– Nerve Shack – “Yellow Teeth”
– Nfrared – “Betrayed for the Better”
– Nfrared – “Innocent Criminal”
– Nfrared – “Piece of Mind”
– The Order of the Precious Blood – “Suffer and Die”
– Qyn – “Ideologue”
– Rot – “Rupture” / “Delight”
– Sex Hole – “Stay Out of My Way”
– The Skeats – “Fine Wine”
– The Skeats – “Torch”
– The Skeats – “Twitch”
– So Violento – “Elegia Moderna”
– Sought – “Samqwan”
– Sought – “Valorous Asinus”
– This Day – “Euphoric State”
– Triskelyon – “Visionaires”
– Vertebraeker – “Buried Again”
– Winterhearth – “Winter Punks”
– WXO – “A.I. Instincts”
New Demos Released
– 6000apez – The Consequential Mudhole
– Bazooka – Demo 2022
– Beereaucracy – Vote for Us
– Blender – D03s 1t Bl3nd?
– Choplicker – Rollercrisis
– Disciplinary Action – Floor Demo 2023
– Doberman – Shed Demo ’23
– Glitterglue – Shed Demo ’23
– Guntmold – Guntmold
– Kicker – Kicker Demo
– Kris Butt – Old Path Demos
– Life Jolt – Floor Demo ’23
– Malpractice – We Don’t Go to Church
– Nerve Shack – Sheep Kill
– Paranoia – Paranoia
– Vehement Slaughter – Demo
– Vomit Denial – Demo ’23
– Wannabe Erudite – Remembered Demos
– Winterhearth – The Rehearsal Session
New Compilations Released
– Aeria – The Deadman Collection
New Live Albums Released
– Defense Force – Live Like Death
– Killer9000 – Live at The Deck 02/11/23
– Malpractice – Live June ’89
– Smoke Signals – Live at The Rockhouse 01/28/23
New Music Videos Released
– Artach – “Hell on Halloween”
– Beereaucracy – “Beerboarded”
– Category VI – “Coven”
– Category VI – “Valkyrie”
– Hakapik – “Don’t Make Me Laugh”
– Jaded Truth – “Bottom of the Bottle”
– Jaded Truth – “Riders”
– Jaded Truth – “The Shake-Up”
– Jaded Truth – “Worthless Meek”
– Nerve Shack – “Forever in Your Lie”
– Nerve Shack – “Yellow Teeth”
– The Order of the Precious Blood – “Bastard! Rejoice!” [Live]
– The Order of the Precious Blood – “X You Out”
Album Announcements
– Artach – Untitled New LP
– Bog Rot – Untitled New EP
– Da Slyme – If There’s No Rubble, You Haven’t Played!
– Grole – Untitled New LP
– Guntmold – Blackened Infection
– The Hellfire Club – Volume III
– Jaded Truth – Bitter
– Mistwalker – Oceanic Heritage
– Nocturnal Prayer / Funeral Fullmoon – Disciples of the Moonlight Worship
– The Order of the Precious Blood – I No Longer Wish for Salvation
– Qyn – Untitled New Release
– Riproar – Untitled New Release
– The Skeats – The Skeats IV
– Smoke Signals – Send Me Flowers While I’m Still Here
– Triskelyon – Artificial Insanity
– Wendigo – Untitled New Release
– Winterhearth – Rape of Eden
– Yes, Officer – Untitled New LP
Live Sets Filmed
– Bazooka – Live Set @ Peter Easton Pub – December 23rd, 2022
– Defense Force – Live Set @ The Dank Basement – August 17th, 2023
– Dendron – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 19th, 2023
– Everose – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 18th, 2023
– InfectDead – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 18th, 2023
– Jaded Truth – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 19th, 2023
– Kaspam Cult – Live Set @ Gower Street United Church – August 19th, 2023
– The Mill – Live Set @ The Corner Pocket – August 16th, 2023
– Mistwalker – Live Set @ The Dank Basement – August 17th, 2023
– Mistwalker – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 18th, 2023
– Mistwalker – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 19th, 2023
– Needle Crafts – Live Set @ Peter Easton Pub – December 23rd, 2022
– Obelisk – Live Set @ The Corner Pocket – August 16th, 2023
– October Wasp – Live Set @ The Corner Pocket – August 16th, 2023
– Shit Dildo – Live Set @ The Dank Basement – August 17th, 2023
– Sick Puppy – Live Set @ Peter Easton Pub – December 23rd, 2022
– The Skeats – Live Set @ The Rockhouse – August 19th, 2023
– Tunnel Vision – Live Set @ Peter Easton Pub – December 23rd, 2022
– Wretched Fiend – Live Set @ The Dank Basement – August 17th, 2023
New Merch Drops
– Artach Reveal New T-Shirts
– Everose Reveal New Patches
– Fog Coffin Reveals New Pins
– Fog Coffin Reveals New Stickers
– Grole Reveals New Hoodies
– Grole Reveals New T-Shirts
– Guntmold Reveals New Stickers
– Heavy Metal Karaoke Reveals New Stickers and Pins
– Metaphora Reveal New T-Shirts + Other Merch
– Mir Reveals New T-Shirts
– The Order of the Precious Blood Reveal New T-Shirts
– Ratpiss Reveal New Black on White Patches
– Ratpiss Reveal New White on Black Patches
– Sea Shanty Studios Now Offering Patch Services
– The Skeats Reveal New Hats
– Skreeched In Reveal New Patches
– Smoke Signals Reveal New Circular Patches
– Winterhearth Reveal New Diamond Patches
Album Reviews
– Category VI – Firecry [by Akhenaten]
– Count Cromulent – Thrillhouse [by Akhenaten]
– Dead Inner Youth – Dead Inner Youth [by Stephen]
– Jaded Truth – Take a Seat [by Akhenaten]
– Triskelyon – Triskelyon [by Akhenaten]
– Vertebraeker – Spinal Sword [by Akhenaten]
EP Reviews
– Bog Rot – Sex, Drugs, Bog N’ Roll [by Akhenaten]
– Chimp Apparatus – Sober [by Akhenaten]
– The Crevice – 11th Hour / Valley of Flies [by Akhenaten]
– Glitterglue – Friends Club [by Akhenaten]
– Foundation Chain – Sanrio-core [by Akhenaten]
– The Order of the Precious Blood – I No Longer Wish for Salvation [by Akhenaten]
– Ratpiss – Misanthropy Now! [by James Titford]
– Ratpiss – Vermin Urine [by James Titford]
– Sick Puppy – Haunt the Hill [by Stephen]
– Skreeched In – Skreeched In [by Akhenaten]
– Sons of an Eastern Moon – Borealis [by Akhenaten]
– Winterhearth – Rape of Eden [by Akhenaten]
We also released twelve new episodes of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast this past year. We did our typical installments such as the RPM Re-Cap in March, Heavy Halloween in October, and Merry Fucking Solstice in December, but we also had genre-specific episodes focusing on grindcore, hard rock, hardcore, and grunge. Other episode topics included focuses on metal and punk from Prince Edward Island, a smattering of new metal and punk released in Newfoundland and Labrador over the past year, bands who have come to Newfoundland from elsewhere in recent years, a re-cap of artists that my own band played with during the Atlantic Annihilation Tour, and a re-cap of the bands who played this past year’s installment of Heavy NFLD Fest. You can listen to all these and more on the Heavy NFLD Bandcamp which will be linked down below.
2023 Podcast Episodes
– Episode 050: January 2023 – Newfoundgrind
– Episode 051: February 2023 – Hard Rock from the Rock
– Episode 052: March 2023 – The RPM Re-Cap MMXXIII
– Episode 053: April 2023 – NLxHC
– Episode 054: May 2023 – P.E.I. Punx
– Episode 055: June 2023 – New Metal from Newfoundland
– Episode 056: July 2023 – Come From Away
– Episode 057: August 2023 – The Atlantic Annihilation Tour Re-Cap
– Episode 058: September 2023 – Heavy NFLD Fest Vol. I Re-Cap
– Episode 059: October 2023 – Heavy Halloween
– Episode 060: November 2023 – Newfoundgrunge
– Episode 061: December 2023 – Merry Fucking Solstice IV
~ Akhenaten
HeavyNFLD 