St. John’s hard rock outfit The Hellfire Club are back in the jam space working on new material for their upcoming third release, which may be either an EP or a full length record. Following the release of the band’s second album, Volume II, the third release was announced to be in the works via a post to the band’s social media pages on December 16th, 2022. In the same post the band also revealed that they have recruited Jerry Martin as their new bassist following the departure of former bassist Todd Sauve.
July certainly ramped things up in terms of the stories we covered here at Heavy NFLD. There was a glut of huge stories like the introduction of ‘loading zone’ parking spaces all across St. John’s to help support gigging musicians, the unfortunate breaking and entering of Plan B Bar and Lounge, the announcement of Billy Talent and Death from Above 1979 playing this year’s installment of Iceberg Alley, and the reveal of Lawnya Vawnya 11’s lineup. Beyond the we were also treated to a bunch of new singles from the likes of Criss Rogers, Most Likely Forever, Rick Massie and others while Laxidaisy dropped their debut EP.
There was also an insane amount of new music promised from artists, including announcements of new EPs and LPs by Ratpiss, Slowpoke and Rick Massie while other groups like Vertebraeker and Chimp Apparatus hinted at what was to come. Read on below to discover what happened within our local scene in July 2021.
We also tried our damndest to catch up on the episodes of the podcast which we missed. We first did a make-up episode for May in which we did a deep dive into the underground metal, punk and rock history of Glovertown, which we followed up in August with two additional episodes. But for now you can have a listen to Episode 30: Glovertown Underground, through our Bandcamp embed below.
Albums Archived – Hung Up – Roadrunner ’70 [Skate Punk / EP]
The Hellfire Club – Volume II September 16th, 2020 Hard Rock Independently Released St. John’s, Newfoundland
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not as familiar with The Hellfire Club as perhaps I should be. These guys have been rockin’ up and down the Avalon Peninsula for half of a decade at this point, and in that time they’ve released two full length records of hard hittin’, no bullshit, rock and roll, and Volume II is no exception to that.
From the first notes of “WarBag” you get the sense that these guys are here to kick ass and chew bubblegum and they’re all out of bubblegum. The riffs on this album are all steeped in booze, weed and motor oil and it’s pretty easy to nail down the aesthetic that these guys are going for. While I’d hesitate to use the phrase “butt rock” for the insinuations that can be derived from it, The Hellfire Club do seem to draw influence from that realm of rock and roll. Artists like Hail the Villain and CKY come to mind, but what holds the group back from becoming part of that wave of artists is the soulful and powerful voice of Todd Wall.
Wall’s vocals are the most unique aspect of this band. He has a bit of a higher register than what you’d expect of a band like this, which is part of what makes his contribution to these pieces so interesting. He almost sounds like a cross between Maynard James Keenan of Tool and Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die (though in this instance I’m thinking more of his vocal performances in The Damned Things), and lends himself incredibly well to the heavy as balls riffage on this record.
Speaking of riffs that are heavy as balls, did I mention that this album is absolutely dense when it comes to guitar work? I think a lot of it has to do with the production, but even though there’s only one guitarist, Chris White, who is accompanied by bassist Todd Sauve, the axemanship on this album stands out as being particularly sludgey. Songs like the opening “WarBag” and “The Struggle” seem to hearken back to the post grunge era of the early to mid-2000’s when bands like Nickelback and Disturbed were at the top of the charts while Avenged Sevenfold were just blowing up, but other songs like “Black Sky” and “Justice Through Healing” seem to tread more stoner-ish territory, embracing the Sabbathry of the genre.
Sauve’s bass playing does get a few moments to shine, such as during “The Upside Down”, when the guitars quiet down a bit and allow the bass to come through the mix a little easier. When the bass does take the spotlight it sounds fantastic. The crystal clear production on the bass allows it to have this really rustic quality to it, as if you can hear the strings reverberating against the solid wooden body of the instrument like it’s not even plugged into an amp, and is simply amplified by the wooden body of the instrument itself. My favourite bass part, however, comes during the song “Robin Graves” where it definitely steals the show with these super deep and punchy open notes that give the song this feeling of melancholic dread outside of the already mournful guitar and vocal melodies.
Drummer Pete Hanlon isn’t anything to slouch at either. While most of this album sees him wailing away at his various assortment of crash cymbals in standard, mid-tempo beats, other songs like “The Struggle” have him showcase different techniques like adding these little flittering flourishes on the ride cymbal or, during the bridge, picking up the pace to more of a fast, punk-style beat. Meanwhile “The Upside Down” contains some tricky playing on the hi-hats during the verses. Regardless of what he’s doing, Hanlon sounds like a monster on this album, as if every smash of the cymbal is performed with the weight of a dying sun.
In terms of this production this is perhaps one of the best produced loud rock records I’ve heard come out of Newfoundland in quite some time. While I’m not always the biggest fan of this style of production, I think it works really well for this kind of music and what The Hellfire Club is trying to achieve. The guitars and drums are so goddamned beefy on this album that even though I’m not partial to this particular breed of hard rock, I can’t help but get into it and bang my head a little while listening to it.
While I can’t give enough praise to the performances on this record and the production, my biggest gripe with it really comes down to personal taste and a feeling I’ve had regarding a lot of music that I’ve heard come out of the Newfoundland loud rock scene since I became a part of it. There isn’t really much originality to this album, and it oftentimes feels like something that rocketed out of the past decade into the modern era. These songs are fine for what they are, and there’s certainly an audience for them, but I can’t really say with any honesty that that audience includes me. This isn’t me coming down on any of the guys in The Hellfire Club either because, hey, I think a lot of rock and metal musicians are stuck in the past, and that includes myself. It just feels a little strange to me hearing a new album in 2020, made by a relatively new and underground artist, that sounds like the kind of stadium rock you’d hear at the halftime show at a football game in 2005.
Despite this criticism, I think that people who are seeking out this kind of shit-kickin’, beer-drinkin’ rock and roll are really going to enjoy this record. It’s got a lot to offer to the right kind of crowd, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think it was executed well. While it might not be for me personally, I’m sure there are plenty of people out here who will find themselves getting into this record as well as The Hellfire Club’s debut record, which came out several years beforehand.
Final Verdict:7/10 Good
Favourite Tracks: “WarBag” “Black Sky” “Robin Graves” “Justice Through Healing”
Despite the fact that Newfoundlanders have been dealing with an outbreak of the UK variant of COVID-19 since the early days of February, this month has been particularly active in terms of new music being released. We’ve got some new singles including the much hyped “Scorn” by Ultimata and “Deadman Control” by Aeria, along with a brand new live album from Jim Jones and the Kool-Aid Jammers and the debut demo from hardcore band Hollow Grave. We also did a ton of interviews this month to coincide with the Music NL Awards, of which Qyn was the ultimate winner of the Loud Artist of the Year Award. Head down below to see what happened this past month in the Newfoundland and Labrador heavy music scene!
We also recorded our 27th episode of the Heavy NFLD Official Podcast this month in which we laser focused on thrash metal. Check it out on our Bandcamp page!
Albums Archived – Kyle Gryphon – Isolation [LP / Folk]
St. John’s hard rock outfit The Hellfire Club released their sophomore record Volume II in the latter half of 2020 to a warm reception in the local metal and rock community, leading to the band being nominated for the Loud Artist of the Year Award in the 2020 Music NL Awards. To further promote the record the band has now unveiled a brand new lyric video for the song “Pretty Possessions” which was released through the band’s Facebook page on February 16th, 2021. You can check out the video through the embed below.
The Hellfire Club are a four piece hard rock band from St. John’s consisting of Todd Wall on vocals, Chris White on guitars, Todd Sauve on bass and Pete Hanlon on drums. The band released their second album, Volume II, in 2020 which has resulted in them being nominated for the Loud Artist of the Year Award in the 2020 Music NL Awards.
First off, tell the people who we’re talking to!
Chris White, guitarist for The Hellfire Club.
Todd Wall, vocals for The Hellfire Club.
Can you give us a bit of information on the history of the band? How did you guys meet?
Chris: Actually the band was started by a couple of guys who aren’t in the band anymore! I heard that they had Todd up for a jam and I knew Todd’s vocal style from other things he did around town. I was a fan of what he does so I asked if I could come up and sit in for a jam. After a little while that configuration of the band disappeared and we all lost touch for about a year. It kind of ticked me off actually because I knew there was something special there. So, I called up Peter (drummer) and asked if he wanted to start fresh with only me playing guitar and Todd singing and the rest is history.
Why did you choose the name ‘The Hellfire Club’?
Chris: We had a bunch of names on a dart board….just kidding. To be honest with you I have no idea! I think Todd came up with the name.
Todd: The Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high-society men in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century. Such clubs were rumored to be the meeting places of “persons of quality” who wished to take part in socially perceived immoral acts. I thought it would be a great name.
Can you give us a bit of insight into how you write your music? Who handles the lyrics? Is there one primary songwriter or do you guys take more of the ‘jam it out’ approach as a group?
Chris: I’m always writing music at home….I have so many ideas recorded that it’s ridiculous. I’ll pull together a little demo of what I’m thinking with some guitars, bass and drums on there. Something simple just to get the tempo’s and feel figured out. If I think it’s suitable for The Hellfire Club I’ll send it to the guys to see what they think about it and most of the time they think it’s great. We’ll get together and jam through those demo ideas. Todd is the lyric and vocal melody man.
Todd: Sometimes I glean lyrics from books I’ve read. Or they come from different relationships and experiences I’ve had. Sometimes they come easy, other times it can be frustrating. I then sit on the edge of my bed with my headphones on trying to fit them into what Chris has written. He’s so talented it makes my job a lot easier.
What bands would you cite as primary influences on your sound?
Chris: For me I love all the 90’s hard rock and metal bands. Things like Alice in Chains, Tool, Soundgarden, Helmet, Deftones, Quicksand etc. I’d like to think our sound falls somewhere into that category….with a helping of Black Sabbath on the side because who doesn’t like Sabbath? But to be honest everyone in the band has such diverse taste it would be hard to pin down a primary influence.
Todd: I’m along the same lines as Chris. Tool, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, The Tragically Hip and Blind Melon are my major influences. I love artists like Tori Amos, St. Vincent, and Florence and the Machine too. So, I’m all over the place also.
Your self-titled album came out in 2016 and it took until 2020 to release your sophomore record Volume II. What happened in those four years? Were there any big changes during that time that had an impact on your sound or the dynamics of the band?
Chris: After we released the self titled album we never played, jammed or seen each other for over a year. I think it was a difficult time for us as a band and once we got those songs out we needed the space to be honest. During this down time we got asked to play a benefit gig for a really good cause. There was no way we were going to miss contributing to it. Unfortunately, our bass player at the time couldn’t commit to the gig, so we asked Keith Foley if he wanted to do the gig with us. Keith had jammed with us in the first version of the band and I played with him in Sheavy so he was a great fit. After that gig we asked him if he was interested in sticking around. We were really happy with Keith’s playing and he was a great guy. Keith played with us for well over a year but life happened and he had to leave the band because of work commitments. We were cluing up the writing of the new material for Volume II and needed a bass player. We had a bunch of really talented guys inquire about the gig and come up to jam. In the end we chose Todd Sauve as the new bass player for The Hellfire Club. Of all the guys that auditioned he had all the qualities we were looking for and had a fantastic bass sound.
Todd: Like Chris said life sometimes happens and you need to work around that. We’re very happy where we are now.
How has the reception been to Volume II?
Chris: I think the reception we’ve gotten for our album has been fantastic. Everyone who hears it seems to really genuinely dig it.
Todd: It’s been great. We knew when we finished the record it was really good. It’s very satisfying to have that validated when people have a listen.
How do you think Volume II compares to your self-titled debut?
Chris: I think Volume II captures the band sound really well. The song writing is tighter then on our debut and the sound quality is a step above for sure. It’s a much more mature sounding record for sure!
Todd: Don’t get me wrong volume one is great in it’s own right. But the second record is much better crafted all the way around. We really up our game on that one.
You worked with Krisjan Leslie at Lab of Chaos Studio to record, mix and master the new record. What was it like working with them?
Chris: Krisjan was an absolute pleasure to work with! We’ll be working with him again for sure. He put a lot of work into our album and really got the best performances out of us. There was zero pressure from him and he made everyone feel extremely comfortable. I would recommend him to anyone!
Todd: I can’t wait to work with Krisjan again. Nothing but great things to say about the man. An amazing ear and a hard worker. He’s the best.
Of course since the pandemic started things have been a bit rocky in terms of live music. Do you plan on taking these songs to the stage as soon as the music world is in the clear?
Chris: Yes, absolutely! Playing live is always a blast and I think it’s one of our greatest strengths.
Todd: We can’t wait to play live again.
You guys have been nominated for the Loud Artist of the Year Award in the 2020 Music NL Awards. How does it feel to be nominated?
Chris: You know, when you make music you’re doing it for yourselves. You try to make something out of these ideas that you have in your head. When people gravitate towards that music you’ve written and genuinely like it…well that’s a special thing. It’s an honor to be nominated to be honest, especially considering the caliber of the other artists who are nominated as well.
Todd: It’s totally an honor to be nominated with such great artists. We write because it’s something we need to do or we’d explode. It’s for the love of it. If people like and enjoy the end product then that’s a major plus too.
What’s next on the horizon for The Hellfire Club?
Chris: New songs! I have 4 new songs written and we have jammed 2 of them so far. I think I’d like to go back in the studio as soon as we can and do an EP. That depends on a lot of different factors to be honest but I think we could certainly pull it off!
Todd: Nose to the grindstone writing new songs. It’s something we love so it never seems like work. I’m sure we’ll be back in the studio whenever we’re ready.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us here at Heavy NFLD and good luck in the 2020 Music NL Awards!
Chris: Thank you guys for taking the time to speak with us! \m/
December 2020 was perhaps the most uncharitable month in Newfoundland heavy music history. While the world at large has been heavily marred by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Newfoundland and Labrador have remained relatively untouched by comparison. Yet it seems that the untimely snare of fate wasn’t willing to let us pass by without inflicting its own breed of tragedy upon our scene. We lost three members of the metal scene’s old guard this month: the legendary Johnny Fisher of Last Soul Down, Rod Wills of Sacrament A.D., and Colin Smart of Oberon. These passings were further supplemented by the later death of Dean Locke, Johnny Fisher’s bandmate in Tough Justice, in January of 2021. This is an unprecedented amount of loss for one scene in such a short period of time, and while most of these guys hadn’t been actively making music for years, with the exception of Fisher, it’s still sad to have to bear the brunt of so much death in such quick succession. Our hearts go out to the families, friends and bandmates of these four men who will forever be remembered in the annals of Newfoundland alternative music history.
While December was a time of mourning for many that isn’t to say that there weren’t other things going on within our scene. New music from Artach, Nemophilist, Everose, Rick Massie and Matthew Cadigan was released, and we even managed to snag an interview with the aforementioned Artach. On top of that, a lot of local community goodwill was generated when all proceeds from this year’s edition of 709 Fishfest were donated to the Cochrane House, a local community center.
Check out all the happenings within our local scene through the links below.
We also did the customary second edition of our Christmas themed Heavy NFLD Official Podcast. You can find it through our Bandcamp page as well as our YouTube channel.
Albums Archived Amer Ali – “Memories” [Heavy Metal / Single] Amer Ali – “Pathogen” [Heavy Metal / Single] Artach – “She Gathers Leaves” [Black Metal / Single] Darshiva – Live @ Halfway to Hell Studio [Grunge / Live Demo] Everose – “Falling” [Alternative Metal / Single] The Hellfire Club – Volume II [Hard Rock / LP] Icefog – “You Can See Your Breath” [Dark Ambient / Single] Kaspam Cult – “My Sharona” [The Knack Cover][Hard Rock / Single] Kaspam Cult – “One Trillion Straws” [Hard Rock / Single] Mantra – Lucid [Grunge / LP] Matthew Cadigan – “Stand Still” [Metalcore / Single] Monroe / Withered Crops – Split [Screamo / Split EP] Most Likely Forever – “Dead and Bloated” [Stone Temple Pilots Cover][Groove Metal / Single] Nemophilist – “Home” [Dark Ambient / Single] Nemophilist – “Laura Palmer’s Theme” [Angelo Badalamenti Cover][Dark Ambient / Single] Rick Massie – “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” [Progressive Metal / Single] This Day – This Day [Progressive Metal / LP]
This is a huge deal for us! This year we’ve been selected as of the sponsors for the 2020 Music NL Awards. Specifically we’re sponsoring the Loud Artist of the Year award and honestly we’re incredibly honoured to be in this position. This year there have been five nominees for the award including as follows:
The Hellfire Club – Volume II
Qyn – Archetype
WasteCase – An Act of Defiance
Winterhearth – Riverbed Empire
Yes, Officer – Autobiography of a Naysayer
No matter who wins I just want to congratulate all of these artists for being nominated and for releasing some seriously killer music over the course of the last twelve months. It’s been a rough year but music has helped a lot of people get through it. We’re happy to be a part of this community.
The frigid chill of autumn is in the air as we come into the spookiest month of the year and begin to carve the jacks to keep the spirits of the underworld at bay. But before the most metal holiday of the year commences lets take a look back at the month that preceded it, the month in which the last throes of summer die as the slow wasting away of the verdant greens sets in for the equinox.
September was a busy month. Our very own compilation album Burn the Leeches topped the Earshot Charts, the chart system used by Exclaim Magazine to deduce the popularity of music across Canadian radio stations. On top of that we saw Ratpiss announce that they have finally found a guitar player and the one and only Trash Juice reunited after a year of floundering in obscurity.
New music from The Hellfire Club, Monroe, Withered Crops, Artach, Rick Massie and Most Likely Forever graced our ears while Grole, the new side project of Spectral Wound’s Illusory, was also dropped, offering the town of Marystown some much need representation in our scene.
Veritable tons of merch were released this past month, including our very own Heavy NFLD shirts! Speaking of which, if you’d like one, send an e-mail to heavynfld@gmail.com with your shipping address and your preferred size and we’ll get one to you as soon as possible!
We also released the 22nd episode of our Official Podcast which we unfortunately had to cut short due to time constraints, but it’s still available for your listening pleasure. This episode focuses around some of the prog metal that has come out of Newfoundland in the last few years. You can listen to it through our Bandcamp embed below.
Albums Archived Artach – Cold Day in Hell [Single, Black Metal] Artach – Cryoseism [Single, Black Metal] Artach – Ice Raven [Tech Noir Mix] [Single, Black Metal] Artach – Lords of a Frozen Domain [Single, Black Metal] Artach – Night Songs[Cinderella Cover] [Single, Black Metal] Artach – Northward Leading [Single, Black Metal] Artach – Shimmer [Single, Black Metal] Bad Milk – Spitt [LP, Grunge] The Birchmen – Hot L.A. Nights [LP, Progressive Metal] The Hellfire Club – The Hellfire Club [LP, Hard Rock] The Knifes – Pop Country Single (Poisons) [Single, Hardcore Punk] Most Likely Forever + Decay – Natural Born Killers [Single, Nu Metal] Various Artists – A Heavy NFLD Compilation: Burn the Leeches [Compilation] Winterhearth – Riverbed Empire [LP, Black Metal]
HeavyNFLD 