The Scrolls of Akhenaten: April 12th, 2024

April 13, 2024 / Akhenaten / Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

~ Akhenaten

Metal Maniacs: Andrew Marsh

May 11, 2022May 8, 2022 / Akhenaten / 2 Comments

On this new segment on the Heavy NFLD blog, we’re asking local metal and punk musicians to tell us about ten albums that influenced them as both a musician and a music fan. For this first installment of ‘Metal Maniacs’, Andrew Marsh of the bands Winterhearth and Dead Inner Youth, who originally came up with the idea for this segment, will kick things off!

Hey everyone! This is Andrew Marsh from WinterheartH! Today I have picked 10 albums that have undeniably influenced my musical playing as well as song writing executions. I have excluded anything from the local scene in Newfoundland as well as Atlantic Canada as I don’t want to seem biased because we have an amazing scene with amazing talent. I have also included 10 other honorable mentions that I just had to list and not say “man…. should have at least acknowledged that album as well”. So here we go!

Black Sabbath – Never Say Die

I know some people may be surprised by this choice. Last album to feature Ozzy (until 13 came out). The title track is one of my all time favourite Sabbath songs. So energetic I hope to cover it myself one day. If I’m having a hard day, that song will always turn my spirits around. “Johnny Blade” is quite the journey as well. “Air Dance” is also a really awesome track and so is “Over to You”. It’s just an album you wouldn’t expect from Sabbath and sadly you can feel a sense of change now looking at what album came after. Sabbath was the working class band in the 70’s. Was recorded in Toronto too I do believe!

Diamond Head – Lightning to the Nations

Legendary debut album from a legendary NWOBHM band. I have 2 copies of this album. It’s literally taking Sabbath, Zeppelin and Deep Purple and mashing it altogether. So many amazing riffs. “The Prince” is such a killer song. All the songs I can listen to on repeat for hours and never be tired of it. Brian Tatler is a huge reason why I love Flying Vs so much (along with Schenker, Mustaine and Amott to name a few others in that department). You listen to albums like Kill ‘Em All by Metallica or Countdown to Extinction by Megadeth, they’re basically sped up Diamond Head albums. This album in 1980 was definitely a foundation / blueprint of what was coming next!

Dissection – The Somberlain

Dissection are notorious for a unique blend of technical and melodic black metal. Jon Nodtveidt is definitely considered a controversial person. You can hear the darkness of his soul in his music. Dissection has a sense of nihilism I’ve never heard in other bands. Unfortunately he made some choices that had massive consequences and ultimately when he got out of prison he eventually committed suicide. Considering Dissection are a Swedish black metal band you can definitely hear a precursor to what would morph into the Gothenburg melodic death scene here. Slaughter of the Soul by At the Gates would definitely be considered ground breaking in that department to.

Sepultura – Beneath the Remains

Moving on we have arguably the most successful metal and rock act to ever come out of South America. This was also the album that gave Scott Burns his start as producer. Scott Burns and his Morrisound Studio would become a champion in death metal production. The musicianship of the Cavalera brothers as well as Paulo’s bass playing and Andreas’ amazing lead skills are all over this album. I can see how people in countries in South America as well as places like Spain or Mexico would be so into Sepultura. Their music spoke to those who thought their voice never mattered. I always saw Sepultura and Sarcofago as the warriors of, for lack of better words, “third world countries”.

Carcass – Heartwork

On the topic of producers who defined a genre we have Heartwork. Produced by Colin Richardson. Another world renowned producer. Heartwork was easily 15 years ahead of it’s time. Carcass being known as grindcore with gore influence as you seen from precious albums like Symphonies of Sickness. Now you have an album that uses borderline radio song writing formula but still have fantastic extreme metal riffs. It’s also complimented so well with Steer and Amott’s bluesy 70’s metal style solos. Another album that laid the blueprint for melodic death metal and even what became 2000’s metalcore. Phenomenal album.

Venom – Black Metal

What can I say about the first two Venom albums that hasn’t been said? Legendary is just putting it lightly. Venom, when I was a kid, actually used to scare me. I remember having “Sacrifice” on as a teen and my mother flipping out cause of the lyric “lightning strikes, a virgin dies, Satan smiles”. Venom in their day, there was nothing heavier and more sinister happening until you started to hear the likes of Hellhammer and Bathory. Like you had very sinister songs like “Heroes End” by Priest or “Baphomet” by Angel Witch but not a whole album of pure sinister evil. To this day the hair on my arm stands as soon as I hit play. The album defined a subgenre!!! Who else did that besides Possessed with the song “Death Metal”?

Immortal – At the Heart of Winter

Finally moving into the notorious Norwegian black metal scene. This was the fifth studio album by Immortal. It’s such an amazing blend of unique ambiance, meets second wave black metal meets the kind of riffs you’d expect Randy Rhoads or Ritchie Blackmore to play if they were black metal musicians. Abbath and Demonaz never get the credit they deserve for their musicianship and song writing. You can listen to this album without one word being said and you will understand what the music is portraying. For the “true raw” fans of the genre you may not like this album as much as Pure Holocaust but the riffs and structures are second to none.

Mayhem – Live in Leipzig

Another album from the notorious Norwegian black metal scene and the only live album on the list. What a raw lo-fi album from the legendary tour Mayhem did with Dead. This album will always make me wonder how different Des Mysteriis would have been if Dead never committed suicide. Dead wasn’t playing a character, that is who he was. Also, listen to “Necrolust” on Deathcrush then listen to “Necrolust” on this album. Manheim was a great drummer but what Hellhammer transformed the song into here was incredible. Easily one of the greatest drummers in Metal history.

Windir – Sogneriket

The only demo on this list. This demo tape really changed how I constructed music back in my teenage years. Windir was such a one of a kind in black metal I’m all about a mixture of amazing soundscapes with catchy riffs. This demo has it all. Valfar was as young as 16 when he released this demo tape. Listen to “Norron Seier” and you will understand what I’m having a difficult time explaining why I love this demo tape. It hits me in the heart like no other.

Mercyful Fate – Melissa

Here we have the authors of metal rhythm guitar if you will. This album is truly incredible like all Mercyful Fate or King Diamond. The structures are like taking metal and giving it a classical spin without the classical flashy lead playing. It’s progressive without being a 20 minute opus. This band also use to scare me as a kid with King Diamond being a member of Church of Satan. When you know that you feel the music itself is more than just Halloween. I would get a spiritual sense from some of the tracks. The twists and turns in songs like “At the Sound of the Demon Bell” or “Satan’s Fall”. You’d get riffs that were harder than Priest and then BAM, a really cool bluesy rock riff. Shermann and Denner are an unbelievably underrated guitar duel. More people need this album in their life. The title tracks is an eerie ballad about a witch being executed!

Well I hope you enjoyed my take on 10 albums that greatly influenced my music. Here are 10 more albums that I have to mention! Even now I’m rotted because I never mentioned a Kreator or Sodom album!

Ozzy – Diary of a Madman
Kat – 666
Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?
Metallica – …And Justice For All
Master’s Hammer – Ritual
Cardinal Sin – Spiteful Intents
Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion
Slayer – Show No Mercy
Bathory – Blood Fire Death
Tormentor – Anno Domini

~ Written by Andrew Marsh
~ Edited by Akhenaten

Album Review: Artach – Sworn to Avenge

November 9, 2021November 7, 2021 / Akhenaten / 1 Comment

*“…to find the elusive Northwest Passage.”*

Artach – Sworn to Avenge
June 25th, 2021
Black Metal
Depressive Illusions Records
St. John’s, Newfoundland

The notorious St. John’s black metal duo of Artach have returned to the wintry wilds of the extreme metal world with this sophomore offering. Sworn to Avenge is the second album from this ever more raw and destructive force from the Newfoundland wilderness, released through Ukrainian black metal label Depressive Illusions Records in the summer of this year. I’ve had quite a bit of time to digest this rather monolithic release, which clocks in at just over an hour, and am finally ready to divulge my thoughts on it to you all.

Opening with the sound of gusting winds careening across a desolate tundra as the roar of a beast and the laugh of witch pierce through the ambiance, you get the feeling that what awaits you on this record is not for the faint of heart. Indeed, the opening track, “Tuiteam an Duine”, which is Gaelic for “The Fall of Man”, wastes no time assaulting the listener with a rather frantic riff playing over blast beats and coupled with the tortured screams of vocalist and percussionist Fiochmar. This opening track rumbles onwards for just over seven minutes, and showcases numerous tempo and time signature changes throughout, showcasing the group’s lack of respect for conventional songwriting standards. We even get a brief moment of cowbell playing on this track to emphasize just how little Artach wish to adhere to the rule books of black metal. Who cares about the rules anyways? Fuck the rules, says I.

Perhaps “Tuiteam an Duine” is a portent for what to expect from the rest of the record, as the songs that follow see Artach experimenting more with tempo and time signature changes, as well as invoking riff and melody ideas from across the spectrum of the metal world. “Ice Throne” involves some pretty flashy death metal riffage in its opening before launching into a kind of epic black metal galloping sound that wouldn’t sound out of place on an old school Immortal record. Similarly, “Into the Frozen Woodlands” conjures foggy remembrance of old school thrash bands like Slayer and Megadeth in the way the riffs are composed, but when the song comes together it feels like more of a melding of these disparate worlds together into a sort of blackened thrash sound.

Vocally this record sees Fiochmar stay mostly within his typical range of throaty rasping that sounds like an imprisoned demon trying desperately to break free from its chains while being possessed by the spirit of an even bigger, more insane demon. But there are some moments when he breaks free from this typical style and tries something different. I particularly like the “woah-woahs” that pop up on “Ice Throne”, which hearken back to some old school folk-infused black metal projects like Isengard. On the song “Shimmer” he even lets himself get slightly more melodic during the bridge, if only for a few lines, while he engages in a more spoken word style of delivery in the intro to “Endless Tundra”.

The guitars, however, are doing all sorts of different things on this album. While some songs may feel more grounded in the realm of epic black metal a la the previously mentioned Immortal, or even Taake, it’s clear that axeman Sruthan takes influence from many different areas. Elements of the track “Shimmer”, for example, invoke the memory of groups like Mercyful Fate or King Diamond during some riffs, before launching into more conventional, Darkthrone-esque tremolo picking. While Immortal seems to be a fairly obvious influence on Artach’s songwriting and Sruthan’s guitar playing (much like fellow St. John’s black metal alumni Winterhearth), it wouldn’t be too far fetched to bring up old school death metal acts like Death or Possessed as influences as well, especially when you hear those pinch harmonics present on tracks like “Endless Tundra”. The riffs also don’t shy away from melodic death metal influence here and there, especially on the song “She Gathers Leaves”, a Halloween-inspired ripper that I would say sounds like At the Gates meets Dethklok, albeit much more lo fi.

In regards to the drumming I think Fiochmar has upped his game here, involving lots of different types of beats throughout the record, from blast beats to slower, more plodding gallops, to war-like tom beats to thrash-style one-two one-twos. In the past I’ve felt like Fiochmar’s drumming was a bit too flashy, like he couldn’t decide which cymbal he wanted to be the backbone of any particular beat he was laying down. While I think there are still some points where he engages in this kind of playing, it feels like he’s reigned that in a bit more. Most of the songs on this record seem to have a more consistent approach to the drum tracks, which, as a drummer myself, I can appreciate. There are, however, also some moments where it seems like the drums and guitars go out of sync. For some people this can add character to a recording since it makes the performance feel more human. However, from my perspective, it feels amateurish. I can tell because I’ve done the same thing in the past. I don’t know if Artach eschew the idea of recording to a metronome, but if they do then perhaps they should consider doing so on their next full length, if only to tighten up these few instances where synchronicity seems to be an issue.

Lyrically I can’t discern what each song is about on here since the band has only posted lyrics for a few of the tracks online. By and large this collection of tracks seems to mostly about typical black metal subject matter: warriors, ice, storms, battles, kingdoms, winter, forests, tundras, etc. You get the idea. However, there are a few exceptions. The track “Endless Tundra” is a 21 minute odyssey about the many failed attempts throughout the 1800’s to locate the elusive Northwest Passage, a trade route connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Canadian Arctic. I’m a slut for songs about historical subject matter like this, and I think Artach do a good job of evoking the feeling of being lost in a desolate Arctic wasteland after your ship has become trapped in the pack ice, only to die of exposure in the middle of nowhere, never to be found.

Instrumentally I think Artach have pushed the boundary of what they achieved on their previous record. The structure of the songs here are more experimental and incredibly diverse, especially with the aforementioned “Endless Tundra”. The guitars push up against the limits of what one would typically expect from black metal while also keeping a foot firmly planted in that world, so as not to stray too far from the conventions that make the genre what it is. It’s an interesting middle ground and I’d like to see Artach continue to push these ideas further on their next release. This album as a whole sees the band try different things and generally improve upon the formula established on their debut, and I look forward to seeing what they do next.

Final Verdict: 8/10
Great

Favourite Tracks:
“Ice Throne”
“Shimmer”
“Endless Tundra”
“Into the Frozen Woodlands”

For Fans Of:
Immortal
Darkthrone
Celtic Frost
Bathory

~ Akhenaten

Members of Mistwalker Perform Live with Glen Drover (Ex-Megadeth)

August 26, 2019 / Akhenaten / Leave a comment

Glen Drover, former guitarist of classic heavy metal bands such as Megadeth, King Diamond, and Testament, hosted a guitar clinic at Piranha in Montreal, Quebec this past Sunday, followed by an “open jam” with local musicians in the Montreal metal scene. Musicians from local bands such as Leather Up Your Ass, Running Free, Painkiller and Ex Deo performed alongside the Ontario guitar player, playing a setlist of traditional metal classics from Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and more.

Amongst the lineup of local musicians included members of Newfoundland-originating blackened thrash band Mistwalker. Band frontman Greg Ravengrave and bassist Erin Faithless performed rhythm guitar and bass respectively as the lineup performed the Exodus thrash classic “Bonded by Blood”.

Unfortunately we weren’t able to catch the entire set on video, however, a short cell phone clip was attained courtesy of fellow Newfoundlander and Doom ‘An Blue guitarist Lee Heache.

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King Diamond

The Scrolls of Akhenaten: April 12th, 2024

Metal Maniacs: Andrew Marsh

Album Review: Artach – Sworn to Avenge

Members of Mistwalker Perform Live with Glen Drover (Ex-Megadeth)