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.

cynic reviewed (live)

I've been enjoying much live music this spring and summer, but last night's Cynic concert may have been my favourite of the lot. It seemed to be the night of the drummer, with the percussionists from all three bands (Cynic, Intronaut, Dysrhythmia) being all over their kits plus one Intronaut guitarist banging on a few extra toms at the end of their set. With a perpetual interplay of complex rhythms the drummers were the ones propelling the machine, keeping up a driving momentum where the multiple layers and (self-indulgent? nerdy?) experimentation might have ground that forward power to a halt. Normally I'm more intrigued by vocal and guitar textures, melodies and harmonies, but this show had me drum kit focused.

I've listened to a bit of all three bands before, Cynic much more than the other two. Dysrhythmia bowled me over in the best way possible, but revisiting their recorded stuff today I find it doesn't quite match up. Intronaut was a little more hit and miss for me, winning me over then completely losing my attention till they won it over again. As for Cynic, I'm surprised by how much their newer material has wormed its way into my brain, so that their special presentation of Focus in full felt like just a warm up to the tracks off Traced in Air, Re-Traced and Portal. Even now I've caught myself singing "The Space for This" and "Integral Birth" repeatedly throughout the day.

The Mule wrote an excellent review of the Vancouver show here. And the always entertaining Natalie Zed has a review up on Hellbound with photos by Adam Wills. But if you want to read my own 'professional' account of what went on last night, exclaim has it up here.

and the adventure continues (welcoming in June with Entombed)

Hypocrisy @ Toronto's Wreck Room, May 29
Originally uploaded by kill eat exploit the weak

June 1 is an exciting day for me this year. For one, this is my first time getting to see Entombed! I've been dying to see them since the early 90s and have two distinct and disappointing memories of missing out on them before. Finally that's all gonna change.

And two, Hellbound.ca - the metal webzine I'm proud to be involved with - turns one year old today! Join in the celebrations and post your comments here.

And of course, this comes after what (surprisingly, for me at least) turned out to be a really good May, closed out by an awesome metal weekend. Friday night was my third time making it out to DJ Miss Barbrafisch's Fistful of Metal night at Disgraceland - I highly recommend this monthly event (and should get out to it more often myself). Then Saturday... Hypocrisy! It took seeing them headline at the Reverb many years ago for me to clue in to the fact of how much I love this band and seeing them finally headline again was a helluva treat. You can read my review for exclaim.ca here, but be sure to keep an eye out at Hellbound.ca for Natalie Zed's review and photos by Adam Wills, plus you can check out Mark Coatsworth's photos for Metallus Maximus here.

Happy June 2010!

May concert madness: Covenant, Hypocrisy and more

Covenant0114
Originally uploaded by kill eat exploit the weak

Okay, maybe not madness, but my concert drought is finally over and I'm seriously making up for lost time this month.

Things started off with Porcupine Tree (and Big Elf) at Sound Academy. It was my first time at the venue and I was impressed - great sound, good view from where we were standing, clean bathrooms. The last time I saw Porcupine Tree they were playing with Opeth on the acoustic tour, and this was a rather different vibe, with Porcupine Tree being the main event. I loved it, but then my months of concert withdrawal (and a few other extraneous reasons) might have contributed to an uncritical appreciation of what was going on. Either way, I had a blast. Check out Natalie Zed's review on Hellbound with some great shots by Adam Wills.

My next concert was only two days later: the 16 Volt/Chemlab show at Neu+ral. Very different music and venue (and sketchier washrooms). Openers Promonium Jester sounded great but were a little short on stage presence. Left Spine Down had enough stage presence for both, but it wasn't until their second last song that they really started to win me over. But then, in terms of personality, Chemlab cranked things up even further (part of it had to be the silver jacket). And finally, for 16 Volt it was back to sound over spectacle. I saw the show with Melissa Andrews, so you can read her proper review of it at Hellbound. A couple of dudes were taking pictures but you'll have to seek those out on your own.

Since we didn't make it to Montreal for Kinetik fest, we made up for it with another electronic show on May 17: Covenant and Decoded Feedback with DJs Skin and Lazarus at the Mod Club. I actually wrote up a real review for this one, so if you're so inclined, read it over at exclaim.ca.

Up next: Hypocrisy and more at the Wreck Room on May 28, and then as the month turns over Entombed/Obituary at the Opera House on June 1. May is turning out to be a good month after all.

keew still kickin' (in spirit, if not through the ether)

It's approaching the one-year mark since Kill Eat Exploit the Weak went off the air. Which means it's time for a few reminders that we're still alive in some dimension!

Recently Coral, formerly of Coral-FM, sent me the print version of an on-air interview she conducted with the bitter sidekick and me last July. So one year later, here's a little context and back story for the curious.

I haven't done anything about getting back on the air yet, but I still haven't ruled it out. For now (as you know if you've been reading recent posts), I'm putting in my volunteer time at the Burlington Humane Society. So far I've been cleaning cat cages and providing clean litter, food, water and a little attention for the cats. Next week I start my training to work at the reception desk, which is cool since I want to learn more about how the organization works.

On the music front, you can still read my reviews and/or interviews in Unrestrained! and Exclaim! (and in a much more informal context, here). Or check out the odd concert photo here.

I'm still keeping up with Niagara Action for Animals as well. Here are a few NAfA updates/events:

• Liberty Over Violence demonstration about the horrors of factory farming: Saturday July 12, 3pm - 4:30pm at the SE corner of Bloor and Spadina.
• NAfA Yard Sale: Saturday July 19, 9am - 1pm at 36 Thorndale in St. Catharines.
• Party for the Paws: Proceeds to SNIP (Spay/Neuter), Friday August 8 at Club Richelieu in Welland.

And if you're in Toronto tonight, stop by the Savage Garden for some live digital hardcore with Schizoid and Combat Exhaustion.