Albums Archived – 6000apez – The Consequential Mudhole [Demo / Hardcore Punk] – The Beer Patrice – Dead on the Ship [Live LP / Punk] – Blender – D03s 1t Bl3nd? [Demo / Cybergrind] – Clocked In – Clocked In / Year of the Rat Split [Split / Hardcore] – Coward – King Rat [Demo / Pop Punk] – Coward – Split [Split / Pop Punk] – Evan Watton – RPM 2021 [LP / Progressive Metal] – Kick Gut – Kick Gut / Don’t Split [Split / Garage Punk] – Kick Gut – The Peter Album [LP / Garage Punk] – Kristopher Crane – Piss Drunx Theme [Single / Hard Rock] – Make Mean Everything – Gamma Rays [EP / Progressive Rock] – Make Mean Everything – Make Mean Everything [EP / Progressive Rock] – Moss Heather – Summer Flu [Single / Garage Punk] – Of Wilds – A Ghost at the Strid [EP / Progressive Rock] – Personal Space Invaders – Eat Your Meat [LP / Experimental Rock] – Ratpiss – Four Humors [EP / Powerviolence] – Sarra Cenia – Good News [Single / Stoner Rock] – Solar Tongue – Consideration [EP / Drone Metal] – Sons of an Eastern Moon – Borealis [EP / Folk Metal] – The Strangled – Never Forget [LP / Skate Punk]
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]
Having returned from tour with my band Ratpiss in the United States this past week I encountered a ton of cool bands who definitely deserve mention on this here segment on the Heavy NFLD blog. If any of these band names, album covers, or descriptions entice you then you definitely need to check them out!
Black
Atomic Cretins – Day of Torment April 12th, 2022 Blackened Thrash Metal Independently Released Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Standout Song: “Day of Torment”
Emerging from the depths of Philadelpha to join the ranks of other Philly metalpunk rebels like Zorn and Devil Master, Atomic Cretins are exactly what I want from blackened thrash metal. Their debut EP is both heavy and ripping while maintaining a spooky, vampiric atmosphere, the perfect mixture for this style of extreme music. The riffs are fast and unrelenting, the vocals are absolutely atrocious (complimentary) and the drumming is pulverizing. All of this is combined with devilish guitar solos that conjure comparisons to Sarcofago and early Mayhem, while the occasional synth passage drapes the EP in a morose quality. With a name like Atomic Cretins it’s no surprise that the band sounds as nuclear as they do, with comparisons to Teutonic thrash outfits of old like Sodom and Kreator also being apt. Don’t sleep on this Philly four piece.
Death
Aroma – Adenocarcinoma July 14th, 2023 Goregrind / Slam / Death Metal Independently Released Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Standout Song: “Desiccated Scalp Slowly Rotting”
Upon my band’s return route to the frozen northern wastes of Canada we made a stop in the city of West Chester, about 45 minutes west of Philadelphia, where we played in a VFW hall called The Moose Lodge. Among the bands that graced this bill was Aroma, who opened up the show. Their brand of slamming goregrind was honestly a lot more interesting than most bands who I’ve heard in this genre. Instead of relying exclusively on slow, downtuned chugs and pig squeals or gurgles like most slam does, Aroma had a lot of variety in their music. They mixed higher tempo death metal riffs in with the chugs, changing things up on a dime, while the vocals transformed back and forth between deep guttural lows and pained mid-range highs. They were easily one of my favourite bands we played with on this tour.
Doom
Messe – Connemara PL May 1st, 2021 Psychedelic / Stoner Rock Independently Released Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada Standout Song: “Cette Étoile Inconnue”
Not a band that my band played with on this tour, but a band that one of my other bands played with on a previous tour from last year. Messe, hailing from the far eastern town of Bathurst in New Brunswick, are pure Acadian rock and roll through and through. Mixing elements of Black Sabbath together with other groups from the same era like Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer, and more, these guys really embrace that old school 60’s and 70’s sound on this debut EP. While the band has released a new EP this year, this is the one I’m more familiar with so I chose to represent this one instead. It’s loud as hell, with the guitars reverberating and echoing across the boreal landscape all the way to the coast. While the music is all sung in French I think anglophones can still find a lot to enjoy from the instrumental aspect regardless.
Prog
Serling – The James Bevis Chronicles August 16th, 2021 Mathcore / Technical Deathcore Independently Released Bowdoin, Maine, USA Standout Song: “Time Enough at Last”
Admittedly this isn’t usually the kind of thing I’d be into these days. I had a huge phase in which I was super into mathcore and progressive / technical deathcore about 10 years ago, but the style doesn’t do much for me these days. However we did play alongside a band called Serling at a huge beachside fest in Boston called Weedviolence Fest during this tour, and when I found out that their whole deal is that their music is all inspired by The Twilight Zone I knew I’d have to give them a fair shake. It’s still not really the kind of stuff I personally go out of my way to listen to, but this is music that was made for people who love bands like The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, Car Bomb, Rings of Saturn, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and The Red Chord. Mathy and heavy as fuck.
Punk
Corrupt World – Watch it Burn December 16th, 2023 Crust Punk No Time Records Burlington, Vermont, USA Standout Song: “How Can You Justify?”
Ratpiss’ old touring mates in Corrupt World were kind enough to set up the final show of our recent run in the ol’ U.S. of A. in Burlington, Vermont and it was a pleasure to share the stage with them again. If you like noisy as hell, relentless, d-beat crust punk that incorporates elements of grindcore and harsh noise into the mix then this band is for you. This is unrepentant and raw as fuck music that pulls no punches when it comes to grinding your eardrums to dust against the pavement. Just because it’s noisy as hell, though, doesn’t mean that Corrupt World is without a degree of catchiness to their music. Quite the opposite. Many of the songs on this EP have fairly catchy guitar riffs and ripping solos that are derived straight from the Motorhead-adjacent rock and roll stylings of old school hardcore punk.
Thrash
Artificial Scarcity – Empires to Ashes July 14th, 2023 Grindcore / Thrash Metal / Death Metal Independently Released Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Standout Song: “Free the Land”
While Artificial Scarcity are definitively a grindcore band, it would be remiss of me to ignore the copious amount of thrash metal influence in their music. Perhaps given that guitarist Sam Agnew has played in thrash bands before, it’s a bit unsurprising. It would also be remiss of me to not mention the band that I had just spent the past week and a half on the road with, ripping up venues all across the east coast of the States. Do not skip out on Artificial Scarcity. Not only are they musically impressive, featuring unabashed ripper after ripper across this debut record, but politically they hit the nail on the head. Appropriately calling out the state-imposed capitalist depravity of the modern world, from minimum wage slave labor to the government’s ignorance towards indigenous sovereignty, to the genocide of the Palestinians, to fighting back against state oppression. It’s all gloriously wrapped up in unbridled shred.
Trad
Goblet – Bastard Thrash September 25th, 2020 Speed / Thrash Metal Independently Released Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA Standout Song: “Wing Fling”
While Goblet’s music is also undoubtedly rooted in thrash metal, there are elements of other genres present here as well. We get the occasional black metal tremolo-picked riff, while some of the riffage veers into death metal territory. They’re somewhere at the intersection of multiple genres while still feeling very much like just a Capital M “Metal” band. The music contained on here feels just as much influenced by bands like Municipal Waste and Metallica as it does 3 Inches of Blood and other power metal bands that draw upon that NWOBHM sound. We performed alongside these guys at the aforementioned Weedviolence Fest in Revere, Massachusetts and they were easily one of my favourite bands of the night. If you want fucking killer riffs, over-the-top vocals, and speed that kills, then Goblet is for you.
Non-Metal
The Pentagram String Band – Blood Blood Blood August 9th, 2023 Bluegrass Independently Released Kansas City, Missouri, USA Standout Song: “Mother of Babylon”
Perhaps one of the most interesting bills on this tour was a show we played in Atlanta, Georgia with a couple of bluegrass and folk bands at a venue called The Catacombs. It turned out that both our tours were hitting the same city on the same date so the bookers put us together for a bit of a mixed bill, which I was skeptical of at first, but came to enjoy quite a bit by the end. We performed alongside Johnny Lawhorn, the frontman of The Pentagram String Band, who performed his band’s material solo that night. His music was honestly kickass as hell. This man can play the banjo with a speed I’ve never before witnessed. Describing themselves as “suspicious of traditional bluegrass”, The Pentagram String Band draws inspiration from Satanism, the occult, and traditional Appalachian folk music to create a pastiche of darkness over the typically upbeat genre.
This one is coming to you a day late because life got in the way this past week and I didn’t get as much time to hammer out which albums I wanted to recommend to you all on Friday. I was also busy hosting a show at The Traxide in Montreal featuring some rather excellent bands from the Maritimes, namely the blackened death metal stylings of Paratomb and progressive metal wizardry of Omnivide, along with local thrashers Grimhold and death-sludge riffologists Obelisk. Now that I’ve got a few moments of free time to myself this Saturday (between recovery) I’m going to make up for it. Read on for some of your (somewhat) regularly scheduled riff recommendations!
Black
Pakkt – To Brocken Heights Where Witches Dance December 24th, 2021 Black Metal Ván Records Germany Standout Song: “Three Desecrated Hosts”
The first time I heard this record I was absolutely floored and to this day it continues to shock me. I’d like to thank Devon Milley for this recommendation as it was through him that I discovered this band. I’ve never heard a band so perfectly emulate the sound of Darkthrone’s early material. Everything on this record from the guitar tone to the drum approach to the production to the vocal approach is the closest I’ve ever heard a band mimic that style, and they do it wonderfully. The riffage is so pure and kvlt and trve and devoid of any bells and whistles. Even the vocals sound eerily similar to the range and tone of Nocturno Culto on those classic black metal albums as well as the post-Panzerfaust era of the band. All you have to do is listen to the first track here, “Three Desecrated Hosts”, and you’ll see what I mean. If you’re at all a fan of that style of Norwegian black metal, then Germany’s Pakkt is a must-listen, especially for Darkthrone die-hards like myself.
Death
Human Remains – Using Sickness as a Hero August 27th, 1996 Deathgrind / Grindcore / Death Metal Relapse Records Hazlet, New Jersey, USA Standout Song: “Weeding Out the Thorns”
I first discovered this band through a video made by the YouTuber known as The Punk Rock MBA. I think that guy sucks but I’d be lying if I said he hadn’t put me on to some cool music over the years. Human Remains is definitely one of those bands. The first time I put this record on I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. “A deathgrind diamond” as one Bandcamp reviewer named Brett put it, this thing is fucking weird. There are sounds on here that I didn’t even know a guitar could make before I listened to this thing. It’s exceptionally brutal, uncompromising, relentless, and unapologetically experimental. There’s plenty of moments where the music remains firmly rooted in brutalizing the listener with blast beats and atonal guitar riffs before launching into interludes that feel like they’re drawing upon bands like Mr. Bungle and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Of course Dillinger was probably influenced by this band considering that Human Remains predates them.
Doom
Wardehns – Now Cometh the Foul December 21st, 2018 Stoner Metal / Sludge Metal / Crust Punk Independently Released Wausau, Wisconsin, USA Standout Song: “Denim Dogs”
I was put onto this band through a friend of mine who just happened to be playing them out loud on a Bluetooth speaker while I was hanging with some pals at their house. I was pretty much immediately hooked by the quality of the riffage, the production value, and just how similar it felt to the kind of sludge metal that I am really drawn to: bands like Mastodon, Kylesa, and Black Tusk. The ones who are a little artsy but aren’t afraid to get deep, down, and dirty with their music. Wardehns certainly scratches that itch for me and I’ve had this record on repeat ever since that initial encounter. It’s monolithic in size, with every song imparting the image of a group of intrepid travelers and warriors climbing their way to the top of a frostbitten mountain, surviving blizzards and avalanches, and fighting horrible beasts all along the way. The album cover is indeed a perfect representation of what kind of music you’ll hear on this thing. It comes highly recommended.
Prog
Omnivide – A Tale of Fire March 22nd, 2024 Progressive / Symphonic / Technical Death Metal Independently Released Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada Standout Song: “Holy Killer”
I brought up Omnivide in the intro to this article not just to tell you about the show I was at last night, but also as a genuine recommendation for a band that kicks fucking ass that doesn’t live all that far from Newfoundland. This New Brunswick progressive metal outfit just released their debut album, A Tale of Fire, last month, and are currently embarking on a tour across Canada in support of it. Having seen them live a couple of times now as well as having listened to this thing all the way through time and time again I can attest to this band absolutely ruling. If you want your brain to be disassembled and then put back together wrong then this is the record for you. Their music certainly draws heavy influence from big-name prog bands like Between the Buried and Me, but there are also shades of groups like Cynic, Obscura, and Beyond Creation to be found within. If you like any of those bands you’ll almost certainly like this.
Punk
Flower – Hardly a Dream December 26th, 2022 Crust Punk Profane Existence New York City, New York, USA Standout Song: “Lethargy”
I was lucky enough to catch Flower at Varning Fest last year, an annual underground crust punk and metal festival that occurs in Montreal. They came up from New York City to play here and absolutely tore the place apart. I thought their live performance was already great but it was checking out their recordings after the fact on my own that really sold me on them. This right here is the kind of punk I like the most. It’s loud, aggressive, angry, and dirty as fuck. All the best crust punk is only a few steps removed from speed metal and black metal and Flower really embrace that vibe on this LP. The album opens with an atmospheric blackened guitar riff that reminds me extensively of Gallhammer and Darkthrone, before the unruly punk ripping starts at full force. It’s so gross and nasty, from the raw guitar tone to the punchy drums to the pissed off vocals. Flower are fantastic, and this LP absolutely slays.
Thrash
Phantom – Handed to Execution October 27th, 2023 Thrash Metal Inframetal Records Guadalajara, Mexico Standout Song: “Reaper’s Bane”
Mexico’s Phantom are pretty much everything I want from modern thrash. Their sound is supremely old school, drawing clearly upon the bands of the 80’s, with the Teutonic sound in particular being a primary influence. If you like Sodom, Kreator, or Destruction, or at least the way those bands used to sound back in the day, then Phantom may be for you. That’s not to discount the American influence in their sound either, because notes of Slayer and Metallica definitely crop up from time to time, but ultimately they keep things rooted in that more aggressive sound that veers on the edge of black metal without ever stepping forth into the blizzard. What makes this album even more impressive is that the dudes in this band are really young, most of them being around the ages of 18 to 20. For being as young as they are they’ve got a fantastic grasp of their instruments and their songwriting capability is excellent. I’m stoked to hear what they put out next.
Trad
I am the Intimidator – I am the Intimidator March 8th, 2024 Speed Metal / Traditional Heavy Metal Miserable Pyre Portland, Oregon, USA Standout Song: “Eat My Smoke”
I never thought I would unironically enjoy a NASCAR-themed metal band but then I am the Intimidator came out of nowhere and showed me the errors of my hubris. This is the new solo project of former Poison Idea guitarist Andrew Stromstad and the entire thing is lyrically and aesthetically based around the final day of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt’s life. If that wasn’t already enough to sell you on the concept, then I’m happy to report that the music contained within is just as fucking awesome. It’s old school speed metal that draws as much influence from Metallica, Motorhead, and King Diamond as it does from a blackened speed metal act like Venom and an epic doom metal band like Candlemass. While the record may be all over the map in terms of influence it is surprisingly consistent all the way through, featuring fabulous riff after fabulous riff and vocals that’ll put hair on your chest.
Non-Metal
Shpongle – Tales of the Inexpressible March 29th, 2001 Chillout / Psychedelic Trance Twisted Records Chobham, England, UK Standout Song: “Star-Shpongled Banner”
I discovered Shpongle years ago when I was still in high school. While sick and staying home from school one day I went down an enormously long musical rabbit hole on YouTube (this was back in the day before algorithms ruined everything) which eventually led me to a fan-made animated music video for the song “Star-Shpongled Banner”. I was so enamored by the combination of the music with the visuals I was experiencing made that song stick with me for years to come, and to this day I still revisit this record from time to time. While I don’t often find myself listening to electronic music, when I do I prefer the kind of stuff that’s outside the realm of the typical club fare. I don’t go to clubs often, mind you, but I have a hard time imagining that this is the kind of thing played anywhere outside of a hippie drug den. It’s not for everyone, but if you like weird electronica you should definitely check this one out.
Welcome back, dear readers, to The Scrolls of Akhenaten, the weekly segment in which I, your titular host, deliver unto you recommendations of brazen, heavy, and aggressive music spanning across seven different sub-genres, as well as one non-metal recommendation for those of you who don’t like to bludgeon your ear drums into pulp on the regular (but who am I kidding, we all do that all the time anyways, right?) Read on, and consider giving some of these albums, both old and new, a listen. Perhaps you’ve already heard of them? Well, in that case, why not consider a re-visit?
Black
Valdrin – Throne of the Lunar Soul November 24th, 2023 Melodic / Blackened Death Metal Blood Harvest Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Standout Song: “Seven Swords (In the Arsenal of Steel)”
Cropping up right at the tail end of last year, this record almost squeaked right by me. When I saw the frankly beautiful album art though I knew I’d have to give it a shot, and I’m so glad that I did because this album rules. It isn’t pure black metal, but neither is it pure death metal, resting somewhere in between, both genres in pure harmony with one another. This album contains a great deal of symphonic elements but never do they feel unwelcome or overbearing as they so often do in the midst of other projects that attempt this sound. It feels rather like an addition to the metal rather than forcing the guitars to take a back seat. Speaking of guitars, the riffs on this thing? God damn. They’re glorious. If you’re a fan of old school melodic black metal like Dissection or even folksy melodeath bands like Wintersun then this record is absolutely for you, though perhaps is significantly darker in tone than the latter.
Death
Concrete Caveman – Feral November 10th, 2023 Death Metal / Grindcore Strange Mono / Frozen Screams Imprint Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Standout Song: “Mental Epidemic”
If the album art and logo are anything to go by then you’ve probably already got an idea of what you’re getting into with this record. I first became aware of Concrete Caveman when my own band was booked on a bill with them during a tour last year that brought us to Philadelphia, and woah did they ever blow my mind. Easily one of my favourite bands that we shared the stage with during that run, they were energetic, violent, brutal, charismatic, and ultimately just a hell of a lot of fun. Musically the ape-like creature on the cover art is a pretty accurate depiction of what you should expect from this thing: utterly heavy and ignorant, knuckle-dragging riffs with a bit of a grindy, punk-adjacent edge that gives them the extra oomph to stand out in the crowd. Every riff, every guttural vocal, every scream, every pulverizing punch of the drums, feels like getting smacked upside the head with an iron shovel. Brutal.
Doom
Seum – Double Double February 2nd, 2023 Sludge / Doom Metal Independently Released Montreal, Quebec, Canada Standout Song: “Razorblade Rainbow”
Eschewing the standards laid down by the godfathers of rock n’ roll, Montreal’s Seum forgo the typical addition of an electric guitar in their mix, relying solely on the smooth tones of a fuzzed-out bass guitar to provide their bombastic, heavy riffs and catchy songwriting throughout this sophomore effort from the trio. While all three of the band’s members, Gaspard, Piotr, and Fred, originally hail from France, they have settled in nicely to life in Canada, a fact which comes across in their music. Both their first record, Winterized, and this 2023 follow-up, contain references to Canadian culture, as well as the culture of Montreal specifically both in the music itself as well as their artistic direction. Outside of that though, I cannot emphasize just how gosh darned catchy their music is. For a band who relies exclusively on the bass to lay down the foundation of their sound, they absolutely crush every track on this record.
Prog
Cave Sermon – Divine Laughter January 18th, 2024 Progressive / Technical Death Metal Independently Released Melbourne, Australia Standout Song: “Beyond Recognition”
This album sort of came out of nowhere for me when I was first recommended it by somebody on the metal side of Twitter. The second full length effort from Australian multi-instrumentalist and solo musician Charlie Park, Divine Laughter is a monumental slab of progressive and technical death metal that occasionally straddles the line between death metal and post metal. It feels like their are equal shades of both Cynic and Isis at war with one another behind the Jackson Pollock-esque cover painting that represents the chaos contained within this record. I’ve always had a bone to pick with tech death as a genre for so many bands having a stunning lack of ability to write memorable parts. Cave Sermon does the opposite. This record, for all its disharmonic, atonal, experimentation, has so many riffs that stand out and get stuck in your head. It’s not exactly an easy listen, but every time I go through it I find something new to love.
Punk
Zorn – Zorn March 25th, 2023 Crust / Blackened Punk / Metalpunk Sorry State Records Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Standout Song: “The Spell of the Fairy Tree”
Around the same time that I was getting into Devil Master (2018/19, shoutout to Adam Giles for that life changing recommendation) I was also put onto a few other bands from the New England metalpunk world, Zorn being among them. Their brand of sci-fi and horror-themed metalpunk was instantly addictive, to the point that when their first full length record came out I played it almost on repeat for months. Little did I know that my own band would get a chance to open for them not long afterwards. Seeing these guys live was an unforgettable experience, but even so I still come back to this album time after time. Nothing else really scratches the itch for this type of blackened punk that has ridiculously shreddy guitars, quick and to the point, no-nonsense song structures, and vocals that sound like an unhinged madman just going brazenly feral on the mic. This was easily one of my favourite records of 2023 and it should be yours too.
Thrash
Dissimulator – Lower Form Resistance January 26th, 2024 Progressive / Technical Thrash Metal 20 Buck Spin Montreal, Quebec, Canada Standout Song: “Automoil and Robotoil”
Montreal is a city that has long been known for the cornucopia of progressive and technical extreme metal bands that have emerged from it, to say nothing of being the home of legendary prog-thrashers Voivod who originated from neighbouring Jonquière. Dissimulator are the latest in this long tradition of Quebec prog and tech metal, though they’ve taken a noticeably thrashier edge than some of their contemporaries. Evoking comparisons to other tech-thrashers like Vektor and Watchtower, Dissumulator absolutely floored me with this debut record of theirs, which only dropped in January of this year. When looking at the body of work from the various members of this band, which includes such lauded acts as Chthe’ilist, Beyond Creation, First Fragment, Worm, and Phobocosm, it should come as no surprise that the music here is made by musicians at the top of their craft, combined with a catchy edge.
Trad
Sonja – Loud Arriver September 23rd, 2022 Traditional Heavy Metal / Goth Rock Cruz del Sur Music Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Standout Song: “Nylon Nights”
Forged by Melissa Moore following her departure from the black metal band Absu, Sonja is a significant departure from her work in the previous band, but one that is completely and totally welcome. Loud Arriver feels like the perfect mixture of old school heavy metal with goth rock, twisting the heavy, fist-pumping awesomeness of the former with the moody brooding atmosphere of the latter to forge a sound that is, in my opinion, wholly unique within the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal movement. The second I heard the first single from this record, “Nylon Nights”, I was immediately hooked and have not looked back since. This album is filled to the brim with absurdly catchy hooks, brilliant melodies, and an infectiousness that I just can’t shake. Everything about this album just kicks fucking ass. I literally get goosebumps when listening to it sometimes. If that isn’t enough to get you to check it out, I don’t know what is.
Non-Metal
Holy Locust – Beneath the Turning Wheel June 17th, 2023 Folk Punk / Gothic Country / Dark Folk Flail Records USA Standout Song: “Dead Wake”
I have long been a disliker of folk punk. The vast majority of the stuff I’ve heard from the genre did not appeal to me in any way, leaving me longing to either never hear the genre again or to hear something that would truly catch my ears. Enter Holy Locust. While not the first folk punk band I’ve found myself enjoying in recent years, they are the most recent that I’ve been put onto, and I can confirm that they absolutely rule. This newest album of theirs is an incredible piece of modern folk music that, unlike most of the folk punk I’ve heard, is incredibly dark and mournful, brooding in its apocalyptic misery and commands that you take it seriously. It’s less of a folk punk record and more of a proper folk album, in my opinion, drawing upon the same sort of dark, gothic atmosphere as a band like Wovenhand, who I’ve shared in this segment before. If you’ve got a hankering for banjos, accordions and fiddles, this may be the album for you.
Montreal powerviolence / grindcore band Ratpiss has released their third EP, Four Humors. The new EP dropped on Friday, March 1st, 2024, and features four tracks with explicit titles. Four Humors features cover art designed by the band’s bassist and vocalist Erin Faeth, and was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Julien Levesque at JL.LV Audio.
You can listen to Four Humors through our Bandcamp embed below.
Montreal powerviolence / crust punk band Ratpiss have announced their third EP, Four Humors. The EP was announced on Wednesday, February 21st, 2024, along with a reveal of the EP’s artwork designed by the band’s bassist and vocalist Erin Faeth. Four Humors is due out on March 1st, 2024.
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.
We also released our 61st episode of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast, which is the fourth installment of our holiday-themed Merry Fucking Solstice series. Listen to it at the Bandcamp link below!
Albums Archived – Amer Ali – Pathogen [Remastered] [Single / Hard Rock] – Ashen – Demo [Demo / Black Metal] – The Crevice – 11th Hour / Valley of Flies [EP / Stoner Metal] – Elder Caius – Alien Space Bats / From Below [Single / Progressive Rock] – Elder Caius – Kailash, When It Rises [Single / Progressive Rock] – Mistwalker – War on Christmas [EP / Black N’ Roll] – Ninth Quarter – Below Knee [EP / Metalcore] – Pouch Dweller – Goes to the Movies [EP / Dungeon Synth] – Phil Gallant – Demos [Demo / Sludge Metal] – The Skeats – Torch [Single / Hard Rock] – Sought – Samqwan [Single / Black Metal] – Triskelyon – Artificial Insanity [LP / Power Metal] – Vomit Denial – Demo ’23 [Demo / Hardcore] – Vomit Denial – Vein! [Demo / Hardcore] – Winterhearth – Winter Punks [Single / Blackened Death Metal]
Feral Cat Records is a brand new underground independent digital record label and artist collective that cropped up at the tail end of 2023. The label / collective emerged with the release of new music from emo / hardcore project Injection and anti-music / experimental project Bloody Wallop. Since then the label has dropped its first compilation record.
This compilation, entitled Fogtown United, Vol. 1, was released on January 5th, 2024 through Bandcamp and features 16 tracks from 8 different artists, including Glass Jaw, Vehement Slaughter, Bloody Wallop, Injection, Rot, Guntmold, Bankrobber, and Cerebral Palsy.
You can listen to Fogtown United, Vol. 1 through our Bandcamp embed below.
HeavyNFLD 