This installment of Metal Maniacs features Adam Sharr, vocalist for sentimental death metal upstarts Grenadier and multi-instrumentalist for raw black metal project Nocturnal Prayer. Sharr has been in a myriad of different bands throughout the years, spanning multiple genres and styles and performing multiple different instruments.
Greetings. My name is Adam Sharr and I’ve been apart of the St. John’s metal and punk scene for the
past 18 years, playing in my first band at age 14. I’ve played in a multitude of black metal, death metal,
and grindcore bands throughout my run but currently do vocals for GRENADIER and am the sole driving
force behind NOCTURNAL PRAYER. Here is a list of 10 albums that have greatly influenced me as a
person and as a musician.
Metallica – …And Justice for All
Metallica is the band that truly introduced me to heavy metal and this album was my first taste in
experiencing the unrelenting mistress. My older brother moved to the mainland when I was around 11
or 12 and left some CDs behind for me. One of these was …And Justice For All and it truly changed the
way I felt about music. Heavy, catchy, and fucking pummeling, this album still holds very dear to me.
Dead Kennedys – Plastic Surgery Disasters / In God We Trust, Inc.
I found myself more drawn to punk music while in my mid teens, listening to bands like Misfits, The
Clash, Blatz, and Minor Threat, but the band that had the biggest impact on me was Dead Kennedys.
This album is the perfect punk album in my eyes. The mix of surf rocking guitar, groovy bass, fast as fuck
drums and snarky, sarcastic vocals, as well as themes that confronted all the terrible things constructed
by greed and power, created the perfect outlet for my young mind.
Agalloch – The Mantle
This is my favourite album of all time. It introduced me to the beauty of nature and pagan themes. This
album perfectly combines black metal, neofolk, doom, and post rock which takes you on one hell of an
emotional roller-coaster ride. This album taught me about tranquility made me fall in love with
melancholic music.
Burzum – Det Som Engang Var
I used to think Burzum sounded horrible when I was a young teen who listened to punk and grind. How
fucking wrong I was. As I got more into black metal in high school, Burzum kept sticking out more and
more to me. I absolutely love every album from the self titled to Hliðskjálf, but Det Som Engang Var is
my favorite by him. This album conveys the anguish, anger, and mysticism that would influence so many
black metal bands to come , as well as ambient and depressive black metal in general.
Anal Cunt – It Just Gets Worse
This shit blew my young little mind. Hilarious song names, utter nonsense music, and a logo that would
make your parents and teachers scowl in disgust. A lot of the early stuff is pure noise, but as I explored
more of their discography, I noticed that a lot of their songs were catchy certified bangers. My first band
even covered 3 of their songs. Fond memories.
Death – Symbolic
This was an important band for me as a guitarist. Trying to decide which album to pick was tough but I
think Symbolic is the one that had the most impact on me. Death is the band that pushed me to better
my guitar chops. Especially for practicing alternate picking. One of those bands that me and friends
bonded over and jammed to just for fun.
Bathory – Hammerheart
Not only the father of black metal, but also “viking metal”. I find it confusing because this album
arguably created viking metal with its themes of Norse mythology and epic choirs, yet most bands under
the term “viking metal” sound nothing like it. I love all eras of Bathory but Hammerheart is the album
that made me fall in love with them. Quorthon was never the best singer but the tenderness of his
quaking voice backed by grand choruses truly conveyed themes of strength and hardship.
Defeated Sanity – Psalms of the Moribund
Gods of brutality and masters of technicality. Defeated Sanity are quintessential for any death metal fan
looking to explore beyond the realms of Cannibal Corpse and Death. Psalms of the Moribund may just
seem like noise with the first few (or 20!) listens, but when it clicks it fucking clicks. Scattered about are
ferocious riffs, brutal slams, lightning speed drums, and unearthly vocals. Lyrical content playing with
themes of religion, archaism, and barbarity really make the album feel like a relic from ancient times.
Sol Invictus – In the Rain
I came about Sol Invictus after hearing Agalloch do a cover of the song “Kneel to the Cross”. This was my
introduction to neofolk. In high school I became obsessed with the genre and started listening to artists
like Death In June, Forseti, Rome, and The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud. The one that always
stood out the most to me though was Sol Invictus. Tony Wakeford’s wise and gentle vocals backed by a
variety of acoustic instruments makes In The Rain an enlightening and somber listen. His influences
spanning from European history and literature made Sol Invictus more appealing to me than the
American singer-songwriter comparative.
Drudkh – Blood in our Wells
When I hear the term “atmospheric black metal” I think of Drudkh. Blood in our Wells is a monumental
album that exposes the grit of pastoral life while tugging on the heart strings with a spine tingling display
of melancholic black metal. Incorporating Ukrainian poetry into their lyrics and playing sorrowful guitar
solos also paint pictures of strife and struggle. Most seem to state Autumn Aurora as their best work,
but to me that title goes to Blood in our Wells.
Honourable Mentions:
Rhapsody – Legendary Tales
The Pogues – Rum Sodomy & The Lash
Manilla Road – Crystal Logic
Dahmer – Dahmerized
Peste Noire – L’Ordure à l’état Pur
Thergothon – Stream From The Heavens
Hate Forest – Purity
Velvet Cacoon – Genevieve
~ Written by Adam Sharr
~ Edited by Akhenaten