Who needs Grammy nominations when you’ve got the Grindhouse? Crank the volume, break off the knob and force-feed your neighbours a faceful of this slamfest. And the winners are:
Striker | Circle Of Evil
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Canadian shredders Striker invite fans to enter their Circle of Evil, the latest single off the forthcoming album Ultrapower, which has moved from its previously announced release date of Jan. 19 to Feb. 2. This punishing classic metal track brings Striker back to their roots of speed and power. “Secret societies, shape-shifting reptilians, and evil forces? You’d be running for your life too. We’ve got the nuclear codes and we are launching heavy metal nukes directly into your ears,” add the band.
Judicator | Mandy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Strap on your bullet belts and gird up your loins! American power metal quintet Judicator have a sweet and sassy new track: A cover of Barry Manilow’s Mandy, presented with a crimson video. This track was recorded during the same time period as their last album The Majesty of Decay and is a majestic sendoff to guitarist Balmore Lemus and drummer Jordy Elcess. Vocalist John Yelland adds: “Mandy combines the tenderness of Barry Manilow’s 1978 hit with the ominous soundscape of Panos Cosmatos’ 2018 film of the same name. I like to think of this song in terms of the relationship between Red (Nicolas Cage) and Mandy (Andrea Riseborough)… Although the lyrics don’t totally match the circumstances of these characters, the love and regret expressed certainly relate and resonate.”
Hatred Reigns | Awaken The Ancients
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Metalheads, brace yourselves for a transcendent tech death experience as Ottawa’s Hatred Reigns prepares to release their concept album Awaken The Ancients on Dec. 1. This captivating offering delivers more than your standard technical death metal fare as it bridges the journey from 2018’s Realm I: Affliction to the perilous and unrevealed Realm II: Affirmation. The band comment: “Awaken The Ancients stands as a testament to years of unwavering dedication and unyielding determination. The album’s thematic inspiration derives from an eclectic mix of films, literature, and the visceral experience of facing a spectacular demise. Divided into two realms, Affliction and Affirmation, the album offers a profound navigation of the protagonist’s perspectives and trials as they embark on their voyage to Necropia.” Watch and listen to the video for the title track now.”
Human Missile Crisis | Too Long
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After releasing their debut album Liquor Store Stories this past August, Dartmouth’s Human Missile Crisis have a new video for their track Too Long, a song written around being in a self-medicating and self-destructive mindset. Guitarist/vocalist DJ Vaters explains further: “Whether it be with drugs or alcohol or whatever. Using substances to numb the real problems and emotional trauma of whatever happened in life that brought you to that point. It’s about that night in your life when you go out and party or indulge a little too much, honestly because you just don’t care about yourself anymore. You’re out and having fun, but you start to question why you’re there and why you are even doing this, to begin with. Maybe it was a self-destructive downward spiral that brought you to this point, you’re in a place where you don’t know if you’re going to get to sleep again or maybe if you do fall asleep. Will you ever wake up again? All the while, having friends and family who love you at home and they are worrying about you. You know you need to pull yourself out of that place but you don’t know how. I was there before to a degree and know others who have been there much deeper, others who haven’t made it back.”
Saint Asonia | Wolf
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hard rock juggernaut Saint Asonia — comprised of heavy hitters Adam Gontier (former Three Days Grace frontman) and Mike Mushok (Staind guitarist / founding member), along with Cole Gontier (bass) and Cody Watkins (drums) — have shared the lyric video for the new version of their song Wolf. The original appears on the Introvert/Extrovert album. “We’re super fired up to share this new version of Wolf with all of you,” says Adam Gontier. “We are absolutely honored to have our good friend John Cooper from Skillet guest on this one; he is such an amazing person and an incredibly talented artist. Hope you all enjoy it! Let’s goooooo!”
Immortal Guardian | Unite & Conquer
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Immortal Guardian have released their latest video for the title track off their new album Unite And Conquer. A masterclass of progressive and power metal, Unite and Conquer, like 2021’s Psychosomatic, was written and recorded by the band, with credit going to guitarist/keyboardist Gabriel Guardian and bassist Joshua Lopez, who mixed the album at his Widowmaker Studios. “We definitely took a new direction with our writing process and overall sound on the new album. We tried some new things Immortal Guardian has never done, but also kept a taste of our classic sound in the process,” explains Guardian. “We were all going through some crazy experiences in our lives while making this album and I think it really reflects in the music. As we did during our Psychosomatic album, we were writing these songs in real time as we lived through these major events in the world and in our personal lives.”
Pessimystic | Burnt Offering
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Prepare for an unrelenting aural assault from Canadian trio Pessimystic and their debut song Burnt Offering, the title track off their first studio effort produced by Topon Das at Apt 2 Recording (Fuck the Facts, Deformatory). Showcasing their intricate chord arrangements, harsh vocals with melodic outbursts, and complicated drum patterns, the single is the culmination of Pessimystic’s resolve and lyrical theology. “Burnt Offering is about sacrifice through immolation of the self and absorption into absolute unity with God,” they say. “Instrumentally, this track showcases the diversity of the band’s sound; weaving tense, bewildering dissonance into ominous psychedelia, and finishing with cathartic release. This moment in the record marks the plummeting descent into lunacy, far from the uplifting elements of the first two tracks, and the last trace of melodic respite before what is to come.”
Stone Horns | Chrysalis
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Set to release their third full-length Chimaira in January, Stone Horns unveil the second single Chrysalis, which ventures into uncharted vocal territory for frontman David Viard. With its big Machine Head inspiration, it’s a track whose verses are almost rapped, with a groove that’s always very present, right through to the melodic chorus. Founded in 2016 in Marseille, France, Stone Horns have been unleashing groove death metal since 2018. Chimaira features seven groove-laden hell-bent tracks, that tell the story of an odyssey of being rejected by all and thirsting for revenge. It explores life’s thirst for recognition, whatever its form. “We’re all chasing a chimera, but isn’t it the chimera that’s chasing us?” say the band. “That’s the question this album tries to answer, combining freshness and warmth, violence and peace, waves, and digressions.”
Marble Ghosts | Alone
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Marble Ghosts are a fresh band out of Ottawa, composed of a death metal drummer, an old-school metal bassist, a singer heavily influenced by ’90s grunge, and a metalcore guitar player. Armed with conviction, they have their first single Alone ready to grab listeners by the throat. It has special meaning to the band, as they explain: “Alone was written seven years ago and was sitting idle on a dying laptop. Adam (guitarist) resurrected the riff, adding pre-programmed drums and bass, providing the perfect canvas for Dylan (vocalist) to provide a vocal sample. From the first listen, Dylan knew he wanted to work with Adam. This was one of the first tracks the two worked on that would eventually become the project known as Marble Ghosts. Lyrically, Alone represents both imagined and real fear. It was originally titled ‘No one can hear you scream’, and the idea behind it is how our own minds can create scenarios to frighten us, but our minds can also save us at the same time when real danger is present.”
Ecology: HomeStones | Perfect Francis
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “First surfacing online in 2020, Ecology: HomeStones is a mysterious audio-visual project, allegedly created by The FPPC, an organization whose sole known member is Philadelphia sculptor and video director Dylan Pecora. Confounding, grotesque, and hilarious, Ecology: HomeStones’ short videos suggest an elaborate order of arcane processes and corporeal obsessions, calling to mind the works of Matthew Barney and David Lynch, among others. (Those familiar with Pecora’s work will see the artist’s fingerprints all over this; their credits include helping create props and puppets for Saturday Night Live and Mystery Science Theater 3000, and birthing wonderfully surreal music videos for artists such as Merzbow.) Ecology: HomeStones is a cartoon-industrial noise project following the dramatization of past and future events concerning the mutilation of eight carrot farmers, all coincidentally named Robert.”
