Finnish metal in Toronto

When the Finnish Metal Tour 2011 (Finntroll, Ensiferum, Rotten Sound, Barren Earth) hit Toronto this week I was there for exclaim.ca:

Finntroll / Ensiferum / Rotten Sound / Barren Earth: Opera House, Toronto ON (February 22).

It was also my first chance to shoot a show in a while. I'm out of practice, but I got a few neat-looking shots anyway (see the killeatexploittheweak flickr page). Those Finns know how to pose!

Next up: Cradle of Filth, Nachtmystium, Turisas (more Finns!) and Daniel Lioneye at the Phoenix on Saturday, February 26.

winter metal on Hellbound (free stuff included)

I try to enjoy winter. I do. But I don't like being cold. And last week's warm spell gave me a yearning for spring. I'm ready for the seasons to change – and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this one.

I can't do much about the weather, but I can pass along a little good news: Hellbound.ca is holding another contest! The Hellbound folks can't do much about the weather either, but we can at least give someone's music collection a late-winter metal boost. Read and post to enter. Spread the word and enter some more.

And...

You may have noticed a fair bit of activity in the Motörhead camp lately, including a couple of local shows (Kitchener and Toronto) this weekend. Hellbound has been featuring a ton of Motörhead-related content this month in celebration. My part in the coverage went up last week – some thoughts on a book of artwork by Motörhead artist Joe Petagno.

live folk metal and thrash in Toronto: Eluveitie, Death Angel and company

Feels strange to be into February already and experiencing my first concerts of the year.

Friday night was jazz, better than I had anticipated. I had heard Michael Occhipinti before but his new Sicilian Jazz Project has a dark, almost post-rock vibe, emerging from the fusion of traditional Sicilian songs (most of them rather melancholy) and jazz.

The traditional cultural influences continued Sunday night but in a very different kind of fusion - the folk metal kind. Pop by exclaim.ca for my review of Eluveitie's Toronto set (with an excellent shot of the band's frontman by Adam Wills). But here are a couple more thoughts that didn't make it into the review...

On 3 Inches of Blood:

After a couple familiar tracks the self-described "traditional heavy metal" band from Vancouver introduced a new song, their raw energy easily enough to get much of the audience clapping along. A little bass heavy but with leads rising to the top, they temporarily dropped a guitarist to play Rush’s “Anthem,” displaying their patriotic love of Canadiana (also extending to hockey and beer).

On Death Angel:

An acoustic intro welcomed Death Angel on stage, but the San Franciscans’ thrash onslaught quickly and drastically cut the niceties short. The classic act’s high-octane set was professional without artificial polish, whether reaching deep into their catalogue or hitting contemporary tracks. Between-song banter leaned on nostalgia with a strong dose of Toronto audience appreciation, recalling a show at the El Mocambo in 1987 plus a long-ago meeting with Danko Jones, who joined the band on stage for “Thrashers.” They played more off The Ultra-Violence, but Mark Osegueda’s channelling of Dio for an interlude of “Heaven and Hell” might have been the coolest moment.

Next up? Maybe Emily Autumn, but probably Finntroll with Ensiferum, Barren Earth and Turisas.

Feb 5 is fundraising day: NAfA and Deaflympics (cont'd)

Two attention-worthy fundraising events going on this Saturday, February 5.

If you're in the Thorold, Ontario, area and you like karaoke, think about dropping by Niagara Action for Animals (NAFA) "Sing Your Heart Out for Animals" karaoke fundraiser. $10 gets you vegan snacks and prizes, starting 7:30pm at Brooklyn's restaurant.

In another corner of Ontario (Simcoe), Saturday's local fundraising has a more international goal: sending Dustin Wills and his snowboarding teammates to Slovakia for this year's Deaflympics. According to the Simcoe Reformer, "February Family Funfest (Help Send Dustin to Slovakia)" is planned as an afternoon-long winter carnival from noon till 4pm, including "street hockey on Sydenham Street and a snowboarding demonstration by Dustin in the Brick parking lot."

And then, if you're in need of something louder to reward your good deeds, you might head into Toronto on Sunday, February 6, where you'll find me checking out the Death Angel/Eluveitie show at the Opera House.