British Columbia’s rocky mountains will be quivering this summer from the thunderous sounds of this year’s 2023 lineup for Armstrong MetalFest being held on July 14th and 15th in the Okanagan Valley at the Hassen Arena in Armstrong. The 2023 lineup features headliners Warbringer, Fallujah, Enterprise Earth, The Zenith Passage, Vale Of Pnath, Striker are among the 28 bands performing on the two-day extreme music festival. (full lineup listed below). Buy tickets at the links below and watch the festival trailer here!Continue reading →
Catton Park, United kingdom, 13 Aug 2022, Lorna Shore performing on the Ronnie James Dio Stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival Credit: Rich Price/Ghost Cult Magazine
Bloodstock Open Air 2023 will be here before you know it! The festival continues to inspire by dropping content. Head over to their YouTube channel to watch full video performances from bands, including a new one from Lorna Shore. The fest also dropped more merch, including Download Mascot plushies on pre-order, and a reminder that their deposit scheme for 2023 closes soon. Continue reading →
Bloodstock Open Air 2023 (BOA) has announced a slew of new bands, filling out the Ronnie James Dio Main Stage, and Sophie Lancaster stage. Now on the bill are Candlemass (replacing Whitechapel who have dropped out), Tribulation, Royal Republic, Employed To Serve, Witchsorrow, Wytch Hazel, Skin Failure, Bloodyard, Wolfbastard, Tribe Black Coast, Russkaja, Gaerea, and Striker. Watch the new Bloodstock trailer here. Continue reading →
Annihilator, Ktaklysym, Vile Creature, Unleash The Archers, and Protest The Hero have been nominated in the best metal album of the Year category for the 2021 Juno Awards. The Juno Awards are the annual award show celebrating excellence across all musical genres and often called The Canadian Grammy Awards.” Last year’s winner for The Metal AOTY was Strikerfor their album Play To Win (Record Breaking Records/Independent). In the Rock AOTY category Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Silverstein, JJ Wilde, Crown Lands, and Sam Roberts are fighting it out in that category. The 50th Annual Junos will take place on May 16th, 2021.
Powermetal loving Canadian band Striker has won The 2020 JUNO Award for Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year for their album Play To Win (Record Breaking Records/Independent). The Awards show was streamed live on TV and online. The other nominees in a talented and competitive field were LindsaySchoolcraft (ex Cradle of Filth) for Martyr(Cyber Proxy),Kobra And The Lotus – Evolution (Napalm/The Orchard), and Single Mothers Dine Alone – Through A Wall (The Orchard). Artists who released albums between September 1, 2018 and November 8, 2019 were eligible for nominations.Continue reading →
The 2020 JUNO Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards) live ceremony was postponed this spring due to the coronavirus. Tonight the awards show will announce all of their winners, including the award for Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year. The nominees are LindsaySchoolcraft (ex Cradle of Filth) for Martyr(Cyber Proxy),Kobra And The Lotus – Evolution (Napalm/The Orchard), Single Mothers Dine Alone – Through A Wall (The Orchard), and Striker – Play To Win (Record Breaking Records/Independent). The JUNO Awards are set to be hosted by Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Alessia Cara will host the show, which will be broadcast live on CBC. Artists who released albums between September 1, 2018 and November 8, 2019 were eligible for nominations.Continue reading →
Cradle of Filth keyboardist and vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft has been nominated for the 2020 JUNO Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards) for her debut album Martyr!Martyr released on October 7th via her label, Cyber Proxy.Martyr is nominated for the Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year along with other contenders such as Kobra And The Lotus – Evolution (Napalm/The Orchard), Single Mothers Dine Alone – Through A Wall (The Orchard), and Striker – Play To Win (Record Breaking Records/Independent). The JUNO Awards are set to be held on Sunday, March 15 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Alessia Cara will host the show, which will be broadcast live on CBC. Artists who released albums between September 1, 2018 and November 8, 2019 were eligible for nominations. Lindsay commented:Continue reading →
Dark Tranquillity kicked off their North American headlining tour with Warbringer and Striker last night in Florida, and we have exclusive video from the show for your viewing and head banging pleasure today. Continue reading →
Dark Tranquillity promised that they would return to North America this year, and they have kept their word. The Swedish legends will be headlining a massive North American tour here in September and October, with support coming from Warbringer and Striker. Continue reading →
I’ve always enjoyed the era from eighties to the early nineties when it comes to metal. It was truly a period that defined itself as a sound between the guitar squeals and vocal screams. As time went on there’s been a lot of material that has come out that has been amazing, but seemed to have abandoned the old sound and feel. Now enter Stand In The Fire (Record Breaking Records), the latest release by Striker from Edmonton. From the opening drums of ‘Phoenix Lights’, there is no mistake that their intention is to make you fall in love with metal all over again.
The title track ‘Stand In The Fire’ leaps from the speakers like frontman Dan Cleary himself leaps and bounds energetically across the stage. ‘The Iron Never’ Lies kicks off with precision juggling between drummer Adam Brown and guitarist Tim Brown. In the all instrumental track ‘Escape From Shred City’, Tim even gives both Steve Vai and John 5 a run for their money on the fretboard. ‘United’ fires off as a war cry piercing the soul with the message that nothing has or will tear them apart. This track is the crown jewel of the album.
Finishing as strongly as they started ‘One Life’ dizzies the senses vocally and instrumentally until the last note fades away. While the older metal sound may seem less relevant to some of the newer metal heads, most will appreciate having the classic sound still around and being done right. I know I certainly do.
