Live from the Pit: Apriliis Fest 2024

Apriliis Fest 2024w/ Fuck the Facts, Fuck Toute, Cell Press, Bhatt, Autre Part@ La Sala RosaApril 5th, 2024Montreal, Quebec, Canada Admittedly, Apriliis Fest is something that's a bit out of my wheelhouse when it comes to genre. Focusing more on noise rock and abrasive genres of that nature that are often considered a bit more …

EP Review: Occult Blood – The Room in the Ground

Occult Blood - The Room in the GroundAugust 18th, 2023Blackened Punk / Black MetalIndependently ReleasedEugene, Oregon, USA I first happened upon Occult Blood when I was listening to some other band that falls within the purview of blackened punk and blackened heavy metal. It may have been Darkthrone. It may have been Devil Master. I …

EP Review: Clayman – Enter: Clayman!

"Open wide! Open wide! Open wide! Open wide!" Clayman - Enter: ClaymanMarch 29th, 2024Noise Rock / Experimental PunkGeomorph RecordsMontreal, Quebec, Canada Arisen from the fine-grained soil, Clayman has arrived to deliver unchained sonic terror to the masses from the depths of the Doom Room. This new trio featuring the rhythm bombast of Zilbatar, the electroshock …

Album Review: meth. – Shame

“I am the weight of my hands, I am the knots in your voice, I am shame.” meth. - ShameFebruary 2nd, 2024Sludge Metal / Experimental / Noisecore / Post-MetalProsthetic RecordsChicago, Illinois, USA meth. is a hard band to pin in terms of genre. Pulling inspiration from mathcore and noise, post-metal, sludge, grind, scramz and hardcore, …

Demo Review: Lobotomite – Anatomy is Violence!

Lobotomite - Anatomy is Violence!January 26th, 2024Powerviolence / GrindcoreIndependently ReleasedMontreal, Quebec, Canada Lobotomite is a brand new project from bassist, vocalist, and audio engineer Julien Levesque and Øbelisk drummer Ousamah Yassin. Consisting of only bass, vocals, and drums, along with noise ambiance interspersed throughout, one might initially expect this initial offering from the project to …

EP Review: Mulch – Nothing Grows Out of Dried Flowers

Mulch - Nothing Grows Out of Dried FlowersFebruary 19th, 2024Hardcore Punk / Noise RockIndependently ReleasedMontreal, Quebec, Canada Montreal seemingly has no shortage of new hardcore punk bands these days, and Mulch are one of the latest to join the fray. Consisting of photographer extraordinaire Rose Cormier on vocals, William Trottier-Jackson of Typeface and Freezerburn on …

EP Review: Glowing Orb – Subterranean Prison

"I love my inner world." Glowing Orb - Subterranean PrisonNovember 10th, 2023Hardcore PunkIndependently ReleasedMontreal, Quebec, Canada If the above cover artwork done by Cain Cox is anything to go by, you've already got an idea of what to expect from this blisteringly brief EP from Montreal hardcore punks Glowing Orb. Clocking in at just around …

EP Review: Carnage – Free at Last

"No importance held, never will, wait forever, suffer still." Carnage - Free at LastJuly 23rd, 2023Hardcore / Beatdown / PowerviolenceIndependently ReleasedSt. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada As far as capital H "Hardcore" goes, I've never been the biggest fan of the genre. I've been a fan of NYHC bands like Sick of it All and …

EP Review: Knarl – Bad Luck

“I don’t give a fuck about what you have to say. It’s my fucking life. I live it my way.” Knarl – Bad LuckMay 5th, 2023Hardcore / PowerviolenceIndependently ReleasedSt. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada Knarl are one of the bands at the forefront of the post-pandemic hardcore explosion that occurred in Newfoundland between 2021 and …

Akhenaten’s Best EPs of 2023

While 2023 was full of tons of incredible full length releases, it was also a great year for EPs. I found myself digging through a cornucopia of excellent short form releases that came out, many of which are from right here in Montreal where I'm based. Read on to discover the top five extended plays …