POWERCHORD RADIO PODCASTS!!!

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Here is the link to all of the Powerchord radio podcasts. If you want to know what bands we are spinning or find out about awesome contests and request songs, like us on Powerchord radio on Facebook.

Some of my favourite shows so far:

Three full hours of CANADIAN METAL from 2014:

I spin my favourite albums of 2014:

An all DOOM/SLUDGE SPECIAL in anticipation for Sleep (I spin the whole Dopesmoker album) playing Vancouver:

I am joined by Cam Pipes from 3 Inches of Blood for a special 2 hour takeover:

Silliness ensues: I am joined by Erik, Coleman and Steve and we get drunk and sing along to random 90’s songs all while playing crushing metal:

I am joined by Chris, my partner in crime, as he spins some of his favourite new bands:

Fam-Jam special: I am joined by my mom, Debbie, and my sister, Katie and we play some of their favourite traditional blues/rock and roll as a family tribute to the roots of heavy metal:

Thanks for listening in and if you ever want to request songs, please do! We are always live on Saturdays from 1pm to 3pm on CITR or 101.9FM in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada!

Wolves in the Throne Room, Nommo Ogo, Neck of the Woods at The Venue – July 13th 2014

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The Venue – July 13, 2014

Wolves in the Throne Room (WITTR), a Washington black metal duo, released Celestite, an experimental synthesizer album on July 8th and followed with a North American tour. Nommo Ogo, a California psychedelic electronic band and Vancouver’s own Neck of the Woods (NOTW) were also on the bill.

NOTW is a band that showcases many different styles of metal and it is obvious why the were Wacken Metal Battle Canada finalists. Progressive bass rhythms accompanied the double kick and wailing guitar while Jeff Radomsky, a hardcore vocalist, spent most of his time pacing around the audience screaming. “Two Smokes” ended the five-song set and was set ablaze by two guitars and slowly grooved into a fast melodic double kick crusher.

Nommo Ogo walked on stage hidden behind beekeeping hats and their electronic equipment. They created an ambient experience full of crashing high pitch noises among low deep rhythms. Their most recent album, The Sea of Night is aptly named as this music seems to be best suited for staring off into the abyss.

WITTR did not play any songs off their newest album and instead stuck to their black metal. Distortion rang out and it was loud as they played their first song, “Thuja Magus Imperium.” The only light came from lit candles as the stage was dark. The band did not say a word to the audience for the almost hour-and-half set, except for the screeching growls of the singer. Heads were drooped for the popular “Vastness and Sorrow” and Venue filled with atmospheric black metal that Wolves in the Throne Room innately create.

By Serena Navarro

Thanks to The Skinny Magazine for publishing this review and thanks also to Beatroute for providing the opportunity to review the show.

Red Fang, Black Mastiff, We Hunt Buffalo at The Venue – October 8th 2014

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The Venue – October 8th 2014 

Vancouverites seem to have a fond liking for Portland and lately everything that has been popping out of its crispy, sweet, music filled city. Red Fang is no exception and people flocked to see them perform at The Venue on a Wednesday night.

We Hunt Buffalo started off the evening right with some awesome rocking tunes. This Vancouver based stoner rock threesome cover their riffs with enough fuzz to make your ears turn into peaches. No complaining here.

Black Mastiff might be a breed of a dog but it’s also a name of an awesome soulful rock band from Edmonton. Ruled by the bass and drums, Black Mastiff created groovy 70’s inspired songs soaked in gritty guitar and it had me swooning, literally.

Red Fang was up on stage in a matter of minutes after Black Mastiff finished their set and Red Fang set up their gear. No rock star status here.  They continued on in their humble tradition of shaking hands with each other before getting into it. The comradery of this band seeps into the community of fans they attain. A down to earth band playing good old heavy metal infused the crowd on Wednesday and had people shouting out the lyrics to “No Hope”.  “Doen” was played and people got the heavy sound they so desperately wanted and moshing ensued. Several folks found their way to the stage to crowd dive and subsequently someone hit the lead vocalist, Aaron Beam, in the mouth but it didn’t faze him and he kept singing. Crusty and catchy, David Sullivan started the “Wires” opening riff and the excitement of the crowd started to build. Aaron’s beautiful singing lead to the crescendo of the evening and consequently to my ears ringing.

By Serena Navarro

Thanks to The Skinny Magazine for publishing this live review.

Anciients, Black Wizard, Skull Vultures, Destroy All at The Biltmore Cabaret – June 18th 2015

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GUEST SPOT ON VANCOUVERMETAL.NET: ANCIIENT’S TOUR KICK OFF WITH SERENA NAVARRO

10474167_10154288016850273_883546322_nI walked into the Biltmore Cabaret for the first time to find a red, deep glow about the venue. I have only really known small venues in Calgary and it was a comforting and hazy place to host Anciients’ kick off Canadian tour.

Destroy All were the first band up and started on time. This 4-piece was not any ordinary metal band, showcasing 3 different vocalists all with their own unique sound. The main vocalist/bassist, Aron, was seemingly a fan of Venom as he was screeching out some killer vocals with their first song Leviathan Rise. Deep and high vocals from the other two guitarists fit well with this all-encompassing range of metal styles. Emerge Now From the Ashes was their second song and was laid down with some progressive drum beats. The end of the set was a crushing song named Long Live the New Flesh and was fun to thrash out to. Destroy All played a short but sweet 25 minute set.
10474362_10154288019545273_1910036_nSkull Vultures were second on stage and were hard hitting and beautifully constructed. With sounds that emanated Neurosis and Gorguts, Skull Vultures are an up-and-coming band. Eli’s guitar wailing rang out clear with the first song,Reclaim. The drummer was a fill-in for the show, but proved he was worthy of being there by playing a drum solo for about a minute and a half which ended with the crowd cheering. Only Darkness started with a slow bass line of doom proportions and proceeds into Jason’s guttural war cry and speed which were a welcoming sound amongst the progressive drum beats and the beautifully high-pitched ringing of the guitar. Skull Vultures finished off their set with a song titled No Reason and it was over too quickly, in my opinion. They only played around 25 minutes, but I wish it was longer.
10466711_10154288023585273_418617790_nBlack Wizard came up on stage and all the hair came too. You could tell it was going to be a stoner-iffic time. This band was LOUD, and I mean feedback loud. I had to leave the pit because, even with my earplugs, my ears were getting fucked by this Clutch-inspired dual-guitar 70’s band. Hair was swinging everywhere! The drummer, Eugene, was exciting to watch, with his ever moving body and head banging. The crowd really got going when Eliminator was played: their only song on their Bandcamp website. Vocalist Adam gave some crushing growls amongst his pure clean vocals and it worked quite well. About 3 songs into the set, Adam had some troubles with his guitar but the band kept playing until he fixed it. The following song began with a dual guitar riff of epic proportions and proceeded into a lovely slow and sludge orientated song. Black Wizard was overall a really good band, but the sound/venue was not working in their favour.
10470663_10154288025825273_1715283770_nBlack curtains were draped around the front of the stage in anticipation of Anciients playing. An ambient sound started coming from the monitors and around 120 people began making their way to the front of the venue. The curtains were drawn back and southern metal riffs rang out with their first song, Raise the Sun. The second song, Overthrone, started fast, but ended slow and people were starting to groove. After the second song it seemed the crowd was in a weed coma as Kenny, the lead guitarist and vocalist, had to spur the crowd asking “How you guys doing?” with the crowd cheering again. The intro to the next song, Faith and Oath, picked up speed and the crowd followed by head banging. The Longest River took us on a 9 minute progressive, stoner-metal journey and no one in the crowd was complaining as bodies were swaying. Anciients ended the show with a new song that began harder and faster than the previous ones, but progressed into a beautiful slow head drooping sludge that covered the crowd. Anciients played just shy of an hour and the band was really thankful everyone came out and supported them on a Tuesday night. Anciients, Black Cobra and Black Wizard are touring Canada right now. Check out Anciients.ca to find out when they will be in your city!

Words and photography by: Serena Navarro

Edited by : Bailey Macabre (Vancouver Metal)

Deafheaven, Sumac, Balance at Rickshaw Theatre – December 4th 2014

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VANCOUVER — Thursday night started off with beers at Buick 6, a bar down the street from the Rickshaw Theatre. My friends and I were waiting with excitement to hear Sumac and Deafheaven take over the Rickshaw Theatre. Balance, a band from Vancouver, took the stage a little after 9 p.m. and got the crowd going with a hardcore sound.

Sumac is a supergroup with Aaron Turner (Old Man Gloom & Isis), Nick Yacyshyn (Baptists) and Brian Cook (Russian Circles). Sumac was a treat to watch and Aaron moves and shakes with excitement with every scream and guitar riff. Sumac officially played their first-ever live show and graced our ears with gradual progressive riffs that lead into sludgy crevices but kept the listener afloat with high pitch guitars. It was lovely.

Deafheaven (George Clarke and Kerry McCoy) came up on stage and started setting up their guitars and mics themselves. They then left the stage for a more ambient entrance with dimmed lights. They played songs from Roads to Judah (2011) and their most recent full length, Sunbather(2013).

Heavy metal music is a staple in my diet and Deafheaven walks that metal line well. Their live show was entertaining mostly because frontman Clarke convulses with the passion and love of his music. There is no doubt in my mind that music is his life. McCoy played the guitar with little movement or excitement in his face, a major contrast to George.

The crowd busted over with excitement when George announced they were to play their single, “From the Kettle Onto the Coil.” This fast black metal-laced song with crushing drums, vocals and beautiful guitars ended the night on a high note.

Photo and review by Serena Navarro

Thanks to Beatroute for the opportunity to review this show.

Numenorean: What’s in a name, eh?

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CALGARY — “In Tolkien’s Middle Earth, The Black Númenóreans were a race of men who eventually died out because they let greed and power ultimately corrupt them. We have destroyed our earth for that very same reason. Our full-length will be based around those themes and on the collapsing human condition.”

Numenorean started as a two-man project by brothers Byron and Brandon Lemley in 2011. They’ve since grown to a quintet and are officially releasing their two-song demo in December, a self-titled affair released by Winnipeg’s Filth Regime Records. Written and played by Byron with all vocals by Brandon (save for a touch of help from Aiden Crossley on track one, “Let Me In”) the release is their first, a cathartic exercise in post-black metal that conveys a grand emotionality. Well-placed acoustic guitars and fast high-pitch electric guitars create a bipolar crux of deep crevices and high summits.

“Working on our first release I was dealing with depression and a longing for something I don’t think even exists,” explains Byron. “The music is written in a way that you feel the different stages of grief and sorrow throughout, be it calm, ethereal clean parts… then into a wall of aggressive melancholy, similar to the ups and downs one must go through after such a devastating change to their life. Both songs end in similar ways, a climatic change of tone and feel that takes you into not necessarily a happy place but a place where you have accepted who you are and what you’ve become.”

Given Calgary’s heavily saturated thrash and death metal scene, finding members to round out their line-up was a difficult task. After two years of passing around demos, they finally cemented one, featuring Roger LeBlanc on guitar, Steven Tillapaugh (Vaalt) on bass, and David Horrocks (Moradin) on drums.

A full-length album is in the works with all members contributing. For now, however, performing live takes precedent.

“[It] can be an exorcism or a baptism through fire, that’s the joy of putting yourself up in front of people, you invite them into your emotional landscape and they will either explore or experience what we have to offer or vandalize and spit on it,” says LeBlanc.

Inevitably, Numenorean’s “baptism through fire” and demo release show will be vulnerable and destructive; don’t miss it.

By Serena Navarro

See Numenorean at the Nite Owl on Friday, December 12th.

Thanks to Beatroute for publishing my article.

Ogroem: Shit-stained goregrind

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CALGARY — Ogroem would like to inform you “no one is safe.” Stop reading this article and continue down the secure and unfettered path if you don’t want to get literally shit on, because this Vancouver band is venturing across Western Canada on the ‘Getting Shitty in Every City’ tour.

“We like playing both genres of music [grind and death metal] and have some material that is straight death metal, some straight grind and others bastardized into multi-genre masterpieces,” explains the band of their musical inclinations.

Ogroem currently consists of Earl Clackston on vocals, Kretin McGormick on guitar and John Grindall on drums. Their former bassist, Taylor Lipton, was present for five months but he evidently “died from tea bagging… and the word on the street is they reanimated his corpse and he plays guitar in some band in town called Abriosis.” As such, they looking for the right candidate to eventually replace this zombified ex-bandmate, but “we can hold our own as a power trio.”

After being born in late 2012, the band’s debut EP PLACENTE.P. was released in October 2013. Alongside conjuring the usual suspects of Dying Fetus, Pig Destroyer and Napalm Death, the recording features sound bites that will most likely make you laugh, question life or maybe both. Similar to Crackwhore, a seriously controversial Vancouver goregrind band whom Clackston is filling in on vocals for (to which Vancouverites responded to so vehemently that it resulted in the cancellation of the Grindcore Pizza Party festival after the band was announced), this is music that pushes the boundaries of taste while bashing your skull in. Expect as much on the follow-up to their debut. Initial tracking is complete and they are just waiting to hear the mixes.

“We are searching for label support and hoping to have the full-length out this fall,” they elaborate.

For now, the focus is on the tour. Ogroem explain they “are all about playing punishing deathgrind, delivered with a live show that will melt your minds and hearts.” Although a “tour is a perpetual anxiety-filled adventure,” they aren’t complaining.

After all, it’s all about the wild parties, going insane from sleep deprivation and “making at least one person hate us everywhere we go.”

By Serena Navarro

See Ogroem with Kataplexis on September 4th at Broken City and on September 5th at the Blarney Stone in Red Deer. 

Thanks to Beatroute for publishing this article.

Ogroem ruined Christmas special.

First published article: Auroch’s Taman Shud stands alone.

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VANCOUVER — Music can be twisted and warped; what once was in pure form is now cut a million times over. Yet Auroch continue to strive towards an uncooked perfection with their new album, Taman Shud. “We don’t believe in cheating,” Auroch’s guitarist and songwriter Sebastian Montesi says against cut and paste methods of modern recording. “We want it to be authentic and genuine…and really struggle to get it done.”

After releasing their first record, From Forgotten Worlds, in October 2012 on Hellthrasher Records, Auroch were readied for change. Profound Lore Records, a Canadian label and home of Dead Congregation, Agalloch, Leviathan, and Mitochondrion, was a first choice for the band. Together they released Taman Shud, Auroch’s second full-length album, on June 24th.

Montesi and bassist Shawn Hache were joined by drummer Zack Chandler in 2010 inspiring a major change in the band. “We started to be more focused and cohesive as a unit,” Montesi recalls. “And our sound shifted towards death metal…we started to write material that wasn’t just throw away demo material.”

“I don’t have any problems with having a label or classification,” Montesi tells me about Auroch’s genre or sound, “but I will leave that to other people to figure out.”

Taman Shud is a fast-paced, no-fat kind of record, understandable since Auroch wrote it in six months and recorded it in 10 days. “The element of struggle or suffering is stripped from it if you take the time to do it over and over again…there should be the raw passion in it,” Montesi explains of the recording process.

Art and music can be about discovering that creation on your own terms, defining your own experiences and finding them in the music. “There are themes and stories, allegories and mysteries in [Taman Shud] that are there to be solved,” Montesi explains. “We don’t want people to solve them. Whether someone solves it is up to them, but it’s not really something that we’re going to go and spend all this time masking, all this time making sure that everything is meticulously done, and all the lyrics are exactly as they should, all the formulas precise, and then reveal it in an interview.”

Exploring Taman Shud might lead you into calculated chaos of dark and violent technical metal. If you like searching out the horrific then this album is for you.

Auroch kick off a European tour/album release party at the Biltmore Cabaret on August 22nd.

By Serena Navarro

Thanks to Beatroute for publishing my first article.

Septicflesh, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Black Crown Initiate, Necronomicon at Rickshaw Theatre – July 4th 2014

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VANCOUVER — Conquerors of the World Tour arrived at the Rickshaw lead by Septicflesh from Greece and Fleshgod Apocalypse from Italy. Black Crown Initiate, a progressive metal band from Reading, Pennsylvania, and Necronomicon, a blackened death metal band from Montreal started the night.

“Stench of the Iron Age,” a track from Black Crown Initiate’s first EP, was being played when I found my way to the stage. It began slowly with a beautiful guitar riff and clean vocals but surged into death growls and fast drums. This band knows how to create a balance and the crowd dug it.

Necronomicon brought the windmills, the noise and the makeup. The set consisted mostly of their new album, Rise of the Elder Ones, and a couple old songs as they have been active for over 25 years. Necronomicon had a clean, heavy sound with lots of double kick, which reminded me of Behemoth.

Fleshgod Apocalypse, a technical symphonic death metal band, began their set with soprano singer Veronica Bordaccini eerily walking onto the stage in a mask and a Victorian dress. They sounded grand and atmospheric which was extremely present in the song “Minotaur.” They ended their set with “The Forsaking,” with a piano driven melody and melodic drumbeat that infused the crowd and got heads swaying.

Suns, moons and skinless bodies adorned several white banners for Septicflesh’s arrival. This Greek symphonic death metal band played songs off their last three albums. Titan, their ninth studio album, has arrived faster and heavier than the ones that preceded it and the crowd wasn’t complaining as a circle pit arrived. The climax of the night came when “Persepolis” was played and the crowd arranged for a wall of death.

By Serena Navarro

Thanks to Beatroute for the opportunity to review this show.

I am really digging Black Crown Initiate

Powerchord Podcast-June 14th 2014

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Powerchord Radio is rocking and silly as hell with Erik, Coleman and I!

Podcast

Playlist:

Kylesa – Insomnia for Months – Static Tensions
Mortillery – Despised in Blood – Origin of Extinction
Iron Storm – Take the Wheel – Wraithwind
Dark Forest – Winds and Waves – Aurora Borealis
Bloated Pig – Age of Slavery – Ways to an Early Grave
Bison BC – Finally Asleep – Lovelessness
Gatekrashor – Sign of the Gatekrashor – Gatekrashor
Ritual Dictates – Track 2 – demo 2
Fuck the Facts – Vent du Nord – Amer
Sepultura – Beneath The Remains – Beneath The Remains
Eyehategod – Medicine Noose – Eyehategod
Gruesome – Savage Land – demo
Skull Vultures – Reclaim – Skull Vultures
Kvelertak – Sultans of Satan – Kvelertak
Bongripper – Satan – Satan Worshipping Doom
Tombs – Thanatos – Savage Gold
Pallbearer – Gloomy Sunday – 2010 demo
Kyuss – Green Machine – Blues for the Red Sun
Immortal – Norden on Fire – All Shall Fall