It’s no secret that Canada has a long and storied history of producing quality Heavy Metal. From classic bands such as Anvil, Annihilator, and Exciter to more recent acts like 3 Inches Of Blood, Cauldron and Unleash The Archers, Canadians always seem to hit the traditional Metal mark. Continue reading
Tag Archives: 3 Inches of Blood
3 Inches of Blood Books First Show in Almost Ten Years
Trad Metal Flagbeaers 3 Inches of Blood have been much-missed in their almost 10-year hiatus as a working band. After much teasing on social media, the band has announced a one-off comeback show. Unto Others will provide direct support. The show will take place in their hometown of Vancouver Canada on January 13, 2024. The band will come full circle in the same place it ended, at the legendary Commodore Ballroom on Granville Street. Tickets officially go on sale September 15th at 10 am PST at livenation.com. Pre-sale tickets will be available on September 12th at 10:00 am PST. Check out the 3 inches of Blood Instagram and Facebook pages later on for pre-sale code.
ALBUM REVIEW: Gama Bomb – Sea Savage
For their seventh full-length studio release, Irish thrashers Gama Bomb return with a 19th-century nautical theme. Sort of like Moby Dick except with a Yeti, Sea Savage (Prosthetic Records) finds the band dressed like a hairier version of the cast of arthouse horror film The Lighthouse while presenting the album as a play split into two acts. Or at least try to anyway, as they inevitably end up getting sidetracked into songs involving movies and martial arts.
Cwn Annwn – Patron Saint
According to Welsh folklore, Cŵn Annwn (probably not pronounced the way you’re currently trying to say it) were spectral hounds from the mythical otherworld of Annwn. The creatures were dubbed “hounds of hell” by Christians, although Annwn was actually less of an infernal landscape full of pitchforks and torture, and more of a heavenly afterlife of eternal youth and plenty. Oh well. Christians gonna Christian.Continue reading
Unleash The Archers – Apex
Formed in 2007 by vocalist Brittney Hayes (aka Brittney Slayes), drummer Scott Buchanan, and former guitarist Brayden Dyczkowski, Canadian Power Metal act Unleash The Archers have been steadily gaining more attention for themselves with each release, and this upward trend looks set to continue with their fourth album Apex (Napalm). Continue reading
Revocation – Great Is Our Sin
Formed in 2000, Boston act Revocation have come along way since starting life under the rather uninspiring name of Cryptic Warning. Sounding like a particularly vicious blend of Sepultura and Pantera, the band were already exhibiting great technical skill, but changing both their direction and name in 2006 took things to the next level. Two years later they unleashed their début album, the self-released Empire of the Obscene, and the transformation was astonishing.
Effortlessly combining Technical Death Metal and Thrash, the band released four more albums, each one just as blistering as the last, but moving forwards each time, adding more melodic, Jazz, and traditional metal aspects along the way without losing any of their signature attack.
Now, there comes a time when after a number of well-received releases, a band will eventually feel a backlash. Well, if Revocation are to be on the end of such a thing, then it certainly won’t be with this album as Great is Our Sin (Metal Blade) is every bit as good as their previous five albums. Picking a highlight is a ridiculously difficult task as virtually everything hits the mark perfectly, but listen out for the Steve Vai-esque guitar solo on ‘Monolithic Ignorance’, Brett Bamberger‘s bass line at the beginning of ‘Crumbling Imperium’, and the drums on, well… everything. Anyone concerned about 3 Inches of Blood drummer Ash Pearson not being up to the task of stepping into the formidable shoes of Phil Dubois-Coyne can stop worrying right now.
The guitar work here is sensational; Dan Gargiulo and vocalist/founder member David Davidson utilising many different styles to get their point across without ever feeling forced or awkward. Oh, and just when you think it can’t get any better, here comes Marty Friedman with a guest spot on the quite brilliant ‘The Exaltation’.
Being overly critical, it could be said that Zeuss‘s production maybe isn’t quite as crisp as it could be, and although well played, the cover of ‘Altar of Sacrifice’ by Slayer is exactly what it is – a bonus track. Overall though, Great Is Our Sin is yet another triumph by Revocation. A thundering wall of sound replete with Jazz breaks, virtuoso solos, inhuman vocals, and an abundance of influences. Everyone from Iron Maiden and Testament to Gojira, Cynic and Gorguts and in between. And more.
8.5/10
GARY ALCOCK
[amazon asin=B01G6K9Y3Q&template=iframe image1]
Raven – ExtermiNation
If Armored Saint’s new album, Win Hands Down (Metal Blade) taught us anything, it’s that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel or ignore your legacy to make a good album. Despite having been going since the mid-seventies, British NWOBHM crew Raven still know how to crank out an energetic slab of rock.
ExtermiNation (SPV/Steamhammer) is the 80s speed metal veterans’ 13th album and one they funded through Kickstarter late last year. The band, consisting of Gallagher brothers John and Mark [Bass/vocals and guitar respectively] plus drummer Joe Hasselvander do a good job of defying their years and combine plenty of energy with “shove in as many riffs as possible” approach to song writing.
On their Kickstarter page, the band billed ExtermiNation as “the best Raven album yet.” That might be a stretch for any band with such a lengthy legacy, but it’s definitely a raucous ride. There’s plenty of pounding drums, squealing guitars and crowd-pleasing sing along moments. Raven’s ability to mesh those Megadeth-esque speed metal moments with the more mid-paced NWOBHM chugging and even borderline AOR melody is probably their strongest asset. Not of it is particularly aggressive – it’s more fists in the air than fist to the face – but they know how to craft a few good tunes.
‘Thunder Down Under’ mixes AC/DC groove with beefed up rock, while the likes of ‘No Surrender’ and ‘Battle March/Tank Treads (The Blood Runs Red)’ and have a classic Iron Maiden style regard to squealing guitar leads. Gallagher’s vocals range from a simple shout right through to the kind of falsetto more suited to (now defunct) 3 Inches of Blood – and might be the strongest but suit the band’s rough around the edges sound. The more ballad/melody-oriented songs drag on and there are times when it all gets a bit too hackneyed, but the whole it’s a surprisingly enjoyable listen.
As many imitators as the whole NWOBHM scene as, there’s a reason the original acts are still seen as the best. Few bands can combine that energy, catchiness and ability to make you smile. It’s not big, clever, or anything we haven’t heard a thousand times elsewhere, but ExtermiNation is a simple and enjoyable slice of good time rock that harks back to metal’s heyday.
7.0/10
DAN SWINHOE
Death Angel – 3 Inches of Blood – Revocation – Battlecross: Live At The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
On the same day where the streets of Boston were filled with thousands of people for the World Series Championship parade, the after party took place just up Mass Ave at the Middle East Downstairs Night Club. The great thrash titans, Death Angel, came to break down the walls of the Cambridge venue with some help from Battlecross, the local heroes in Revocation, and. Normally, Revocation would play before Battlecross but they switched spots in the lineup as the tour was stopping in Revocation’s home town of Boston. With that said, it was time to get down and grimy with the blue-collar five piece from Detroit.
Battlecross hit the stage and boy do they ever hit it hard. Kicking off the set was my favorite off of the debut album entitled 
‘Man of Stone.’ This song does a great job of showcasing all of the different sides of the band. You get the groovy riffs in the chorus, the thrashy bits in the verses, and then the bone-crushing breakdown to close out the song. The Boston crowd was treated to a handful more songs ranging from both albums. Specifically, off the new album, ‘Beast’ made its way onto the group’s set list for this specific tour which is arguably one of the band’s heaviest songs to date! And as most fans could guess, ‘Push Pull Destroy’ was to be the last song of the evening which is always a crowd favorite especially when lead singer, Gumby, tossed the microphone into the crowd to finish off the last few lyrics of the song. Battlecross continues to impress me each show that I see them play and have made a fight to claim my favorite “new” band.
Up next was the technical death metal foursome, Revocation. Having just seen them a few months ago at Summer Slaughter, I was ever so slightly disappointed that they didn’t change the set list up all that much. Having said that, the set list was still a good mixture of songs ranging over three LPs and one EP so I really couldn’t complain all that much. The boys from Boston played new album favorites such as ‘The Hive’, ‘Fracked’, and the hit single ‘Invidious’ to demonstrate what their self-titled, newest album is all about. Fan favorites ‘Dismantle the Dictator’ and ‘No Funeral’ capped off the night for Revocation but to a usual loud ovation. Personally, my favorite moment from this, and most Revocation shows, is how deafening any venue becomes during the gang vocals on ‘Dismantle the Dictator’. Every time I get to hear the crowd sing along with David Davidson, “Overlord! Overthrown!” just really sends the greatest chills up my spine. I don’t know about everyone else, but I think it’s time for Revocation to have a headline tour at very minimum in North America.
Just when the Middle East thought it had enough, 3 Inches of Blood arrived to continue the beat down. As always, I was able to watch someone see the five-piece masterpiece for the first time and it usually involves the phases of 1) shocked facial reaction at Cam Pipes amazing vocals, and then 2) the inability to stand still. The instant classic, ‘Deadly Sinners’ was the loudest moment of the night as the whole Boston crowd was singing along (or should I say, tried to keep up to the vocal range of Mr. Pipes). The set list as a whole was also very impressive as they managed to play some goodies off of the newest release such as ‘Metal Woman’, ‘Leather Lord’, and the salute to Dio tune, ‘Look Out!’ But it did not stop there as Boston got to also hear some old singles as well such as ‘Demon’s Blade’, ‘Crazy Nights’, and the ever popular ‘Goatrider’s Horde’ 3 Inches of Blood never disappoints to make their fans bang their heads, mosh around like warriors, and try to sing far too many octaves out of their own vocal ranges. So to sum all of that up, 3 Inches of Blood yet again try to steal a show and, if it wasn’t for our headliners, they might have pulled it off.
After a quick beer break, it was time for the main event, one of the pioneers of thrash metal back in the flesh, the almighty Death Angel! Having just released a new album, ‘The Dream Calls for Blood’, the Middle East Night Club was anticipating a slew of new tunes to accompany some classics… which is exactly what they got. To be accurate, we were treated to a total of seven new songs off the album which included (but not limited to): ‘Left for Dead’, ‘Son of the Morning’, ‘The Dream Call for Blood’, and ‘Caster of Shame’. We also got to see some past album favorites such as ‘Relentless Revolution’, ‘Claws in So Deep’, ‘Sonic Beatdown’, and ‘Truce’. Additionally, true Death Angel classics like ‘Mistress of Pain’, and ‘Evil Priest’ found their way into the set list and stirred the whole club in to an absolute frenzy where not many people were standing still and that goes for the soundboard guy in the back too! Even I found my way into the pit to let out some aggression with other long haired and bearded metal brothers of all ages. After what seemed like hours of non-stop thrash goodness from the Gods themselves, it was time to wrap the night up with ‘Thrown to the Wolves’. And yes, there was one last hair raising moment left during the chorus as all chanted along in between Mark’s vocals which even now as I jot this down and relive the moment in my mind, my hair is raising yet again. All in all, the whole night was like that for me for each band.
Every band playing that night had their own ways of standing out from each other, but they each were connected by what Death Angel has done for the genre of thrash metal. This tour easily ranks up in the Top 5 shows I have gone to this year which says a lot especially with how successful big name tours like Rockstar Mayhem and Summer Slaughter can be. But let’s be honest here for a moment, wouldn’t you want to be up close and personal with the band in a poorly lit basement of a dance club? If you said yes to that question than you get just how amazing this night was for multiple generations of metal heads that showed up that night. The only question I have left… is where the hell is this Thrashumentary DVD that Death Angel promised? Besides that, I am one happy metal head and you should be too if you were lucky enough to participate.
Words: Tim Ledin
Live Photos by Masterphelps