Loud As Hell Festival 2015 - DAY 1 - July 31, 2015

Dana Zuk August 4, 2015

On Friday July 31st, I hit the road to Drumheller, Alberta for the 4th year of Loud As Hell festival. It was my 3rd year shooting LAH, but was unfortunately cut short for me due to having to leave on account of personal reasons. However, I did catch some snaps of the Friday night bands. Headlined by Edmonton's Striker, an arsenal of killer acts hit the stage such as: Death Toll Rising, Stab Twist Pull, Black Pestilence and Maimed Wolf, opening day for Loud as Hell was just that... LOUD AS HELL!
Kicking off opening day was Didsbury's own, Maimed Wolf, who were awarded by festival organizers, Ryan & Geoff, for playing the festival for four consecutive years, and kicking ass on stage even harder than the year before, making them an excellent opener for the festival. Following on to Calgary's noisy black metal-punks, Black Pestilence. Despite slight guitar troubles on stage, these punkers brought the chaos to Drumheller! Playing a crushing set, packed with apocalyptic and unusual imagery and that thrashy-crossover goodness. Third of the night, Stab Twist Pull, was absolutely WILD! Also from Calgary, Stab Twist Pull drew their audience in by blasting hardcore ferociousness through the monitors with no mercy. Second last on the bill was Edmonton's death metal heavy weights, Death Toll Rising. Playing fast and heavy, with relentless shreddery, Death Toll Rising had a full floor of people headbanging and moshing with no remorse. Headlining Friday night was Edmonton's own, Striker. Playing the festival for two years in a row now, they were an excellent choice for Friday's headliner. With energy thick in the air, Striker smashed, bashed and crashed their way through their set, exchanging mile-wide smiles with each other and their crowd, and playing a number of fan favorite songs that had the audience singing along from the bottom of their hearts and the tops of their lungs.
I always look so forward to hitting this festival every year, as the great people who work so hard to put this event on truly know the meaning of the word 'hospitality'. It breaks my heart to have had to leave early, but hey! Shit happens! All the more reason to rip it up even harder next year! Until next time, Loud As Hell!

MAIMED WOLF

BLACK PESTILENCE

STAB TWIST PULL

DEATH TOLL RISING

STRIKER

Behind the Scenes - Press Photoshoot with Sleep Demon - July 22, 2015

Dana Zuk July 28, 2015

Shooting press photos has to be one of my most favorite things about being a music photographer. I love being able to connect with the artists on a personal level, as well as catching them in a completely natural state, and making them look like total bad-asses while at it. Plus, hanging out with cool people is always a bonus. After coming home from Armstrong Metalfest, I was scheduled to work with local rockers, Sleep Demon. When hearing a few of their tunes on SoundCloud, I was way too excited to get this shoot underway.

Upon arriving at the location the band chose to work in, I was surprised to find a stellar old hearse in the garage. Immediately, the gears in my head started turning for cool shots with this rad vehicle. I had the guys climbing all over and inside of the old Cadillac, and I think we managed to get some pretty cool snaps. During the Sleep Demon photo shoot, I spotted an old car just across the alley from the garage, and me being a bit of a gear head and a sucker for old cars, I NEEDED to use it in the shoot. So, the guys walked over and knocked on the neighbors door. The neighbor was delighted to have us work with his Buick, and was kind enough to snap a few behind the scenes shots of me working with the guys.

For the following overall favorite shots, I used my trusty Canon 6D and a Canon 600 EX-RT speedlite, but alternated between using artificial and natural light, as well as a few different reflectors and camera/flash settings to achieve the desired look of these snaps. While in post, I tried to stay true the that gritty, 35mm monochrome film, rock 'n roll look that you'd find in a 1970 copy of Rolling Stone magazine. But alas, I had very colourful people to work with, so letting out the 'true colours' of these smiley dudes and their surroundings was totally necessary... Including that jump shot ;)

Photo by John Power

The Order of Chaos Bring Chaos and Order to Union Hall at 'Apocalypse Moon' CD Release Party - July 25, 2015

Dana Zuk July 27, 2015

The Order of Chaos put on one hell of a party on Saturday night with Edmonton locals Atrates, the Tylor Dory Trio, and Calgary's Scythia at their side, in celebration of their newest album: Apocalypse Moon! Playing to a full floor at Union Hall, The Order of Chaos delivered a performance that was nothing short of incredible.
Kicking off the night with Atrates as our opener, the melodic death metal group boomed through their set, with songs consisting of gritty vocals, countless rippin' guitar solos and booming drums; This was just the right ingredient to get the crowd warmed up for what was to come.
Following on with progressive rockers of the Tylor Dory Trio. Different from the other bands on the bill, but yet so suiting, the Tylor Dory Trio intricately shredded through their set with beautiful melodies, both impressive and delicate. As the cherry on top of this particular performance, the band welcomed John Saturley (guitarist of The Order of Chaos) to the stage, where then they covered "The Drappery Falls" (Opeth - Blackwater Park - 2001), doing the 10 minute epic justice, staying true to the song, and remaining on par with the original track in terms of epicness.
Third of the night, Calgary's own progressive/folk metal masters Scythia stormed the stage, blasting and chanting into a chaotic set that left the audience smiling, headbanging and with the horns held high, singing along to the pleasant melodies of original songs such as "Bear Claw Tavern" and "Reflections".
The crowd began to inch closer and closer to the stage, the excitement in the air was thick enough to slice with a blunt knife, as the room eagerly awaited The Order of Chaos' appearance. Appearing on stage as silhouettes though the fog, the soaring voice of front woman, Amanda Kiernan, broke the stillness. Starting off strong with a track from the new album, "Survival of the Richest", The Order of Chaos brought exactly what you would expect to the stage... CHAOS! As one of Edmonton's most popular metal bands, a forefather to our local music scene, and running strong for over 10 years, The Order always puts on a show that's a mash up of impressive, destructive and energetic elements, making them a must-see act every time they take the stage. Between the screaming guitars of John Simon Fallon and John Saturley, the band smashed and bashed their way though an 11 song set, mainly consisting of new songs, but made up of tracks spanning their 10+ year career, including fan favorites such as: "Chaos in Cairo", "Get in the Pit", "A Torturer's Apprentice", and also welcoming guest pianist, Sophia Barry, for the opening interlude of "The Devil You Know", as well as Amanda's occasional offering of a beer-bong for those on the front rail for a highlight of the set. Finishing strong with the rolling bass lines of The Order of Chaos' newest member, Barrett Klesko, complimenting the bone-rattling drumming of Tim Prevost, as he kicked it into high gear with the title track off the new album "Apocalypse Moon". The band played their instruments more aggressively than ever before while falling into their finale, pleasantly saying goodnight to Edmonton with the haunting and relentless melodies of "Darklord". Shaking hands with nearby fans, and exchanging smiles and hugs, The Order of Chaos had once again put on a remarkable performance that wont soon be forgotten!

THE ORDER OF CHAOS

SOPHIA BARRY W/ THE ORDER OF CHAOS

SOFIA BARRY W/ THE ORDER OF CHAOS

THE ORDER OF CHAOS

SCYTHIA

TYLOR DORY TRIO

JOHN SATURLEY W/ TYLOR DORY TRIO

TYLOR DORY TRIO

ATRATES

Armstrong Metalfest 2015

Dana Zuk July 22, 2015

Heavy metal lovers flocked to Armstrong, British Columbia this past weekend for western Canada's most notorious metal festival, Armstrong Metalfest, as they triumphed over their 7th year of creating a dangerously awesome, fun-filled festival weekend at Armstrong's Hassen Arena. This was my second year shooting AMF, and I had an absolute blast. I'd be lying if I told you that I wasn't waiting for this weekend all year long, and though it's come and gone in the blink of an eye, my time here was just too great to put into words. It was refreshing to get out of Alberta for a weekend, and to marvel at the beauty of British Columbia along the way; I love being in B.C, and this was totally an adventure that my soul needed. The majority of my time spent in Armstrong consisted of shooting 36 incredibly sick bands over the course of 2 days, as well as reconnecting with friends who I only get to see a few times a year, and of course meeting a few new cool kats that made the weekend that much better.
Friday July 17th - Day #1 was jam packed with all sorts of in-your-face bands, all from across Canada; each dominated the stage, and had the room spinning from start to finish. Kicking off the show with Ziege Schwanze, followed by the talented likes of: Apollyon, Slitsoul, Drop Dead Fred, Seraphic Nihilist, Bushwhacker, Galactic Pegasus, Blackest Sin, Without Mercy, The Hallowed Catharsis, Neck Of The Woods, Display of Decay, Xul, Out Of The Ruins, The Order Of Chaos, Terrifier, and Toronto's Crimson Shadows, with Vancouver's Anciients as our Friday night headliner.

ZIEGE SCHWANZE

ZEIGE SCHWANZE

ZIEGE SCHWANZE

APOLLYON

SLITSOUL

DROP DEAD FRED

SERAPHIC NIHILIST

BUSHWHACKER

GALACTIC PEGASUS

BLACKEST SIN

WITHOUT MERCY

THE HALLOWED CATHARSIS

NECK OF THE WOODS

DISPLAY OF DECAY

XUL

LYLIA CHOROSIVE

XUL

OUT OF THE RUINS

THE ORDER OF CHAOS

TERRIFIER

CRIMSON SHADOWS

ANCIIENTS

CRIMSON SHADOWS

ANCIIENTS

Saturday July 18th had another bangin' bill of musicians that came to wreak havoc on stage and kick every ass in the room. Starting off headliner day with Nomessiah, followed by: Odinfist, The Press Gang, The Hellsmen, Tribune, Eye of Odin, Caveat, Stab Twist Pull, Skull Vultures, Dead Asylum, Planet Eater, Angel Maker, Wake, Mortillery, Villainizer, with Wacken Battle Canada winners, Vesperia, as our first full stage headliner, accompanied by the thrashing antics of fellow Canadians, Aggression, and finally, San Diego, California's very own, Cattle Decapitation, as the 2015 headliner for Armstrong Metalfest, whom, might I add, absolutely blew the roof off of the Hassen Arena.

NOMESSIAH

ODINFIST

THE PRESS GANG

THE HELLSMEN

TRIBUNE

EYE OF ODIN

CAVEAT

STAB TWIST PULL

SKULL VULTURES

DEAD ASYLUM

PLANET EATER

ANGEL MAKER

WAKE

MORTILLERY

VILLAINIZER

VESPERIA

AGGRESSION

CATTLE DECAPITATION

The audience on Saturday night was especially wild; Stage diving and moshing more aggressively than the night before, creating an energetic vibe that you could feel the moment you step foot into the venue. The general atmosphere of AMF is something beyond words. It's like one big family reunion with people you've never met, and people you already know, who all share the same passion towards aggressive music, and are all there for the same reason. I'm so honored to be a part of this killer event, and I'm so looking forward to coming back next year! Stay sweet, Armstrong!

Mulefest 2015

Dana Zuk July 14, 2015

On Sunday July 12th, 2015, a wide variety of music lovers of all ages flocked to the YEG Event Centre in Edmonton to catch the debut of Mulefest, put on by one of the leading local promoter companies, Raised Fist Productions. Mulefest catered to a number of excellent local acts such as: Dusty Tucker, Elements, Wolfrik, Stranger Danger, Tyrant, Brother's Grim, The Most of August, Savage Playground, KBL, Nasty Boys, Arrival of Autumn, Dieuponaday, Knights of Valor and Our Darkest Moments; a mixed bag of tricks for those who love rock, metal and hip-hop.
It was great to see so many familiar faces out and about to support their local music scene on a Sunday afternoon, and of course all of the awesome new people that I had the pleasure of meeting! I'm quite honored to say that I was a part of this wicked event, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to next year!

MULEFEST

OUR DARKEST MOMENTS

KNIGHTS OF VALOR

DIEUPONADAY

ARRIVAL OF AUTUMN

NASTY BOYS

KBL

SAVAGE PLAYGROUND

THE MOST OF AUGUST

BROTHER'S GRIM

TYRANT

STRANGER DANGER

WOLFRIK

ELEMENTS

DUSTY TUCKER

Goatwhore & Guests Sink Fangs into Edmonton on Poisoning North America Tour - June 22, 2015

Dana Zuk June 30, 2015

AMPSANDGREENSCREENS.COM OFFICIAL CONCERT REVIEW

Monday night metal shows are always a gamble in every city for touring bands, but, with the mighty GOATWHORE gracing the Pawn Shop with a troop of blackened thrashers, one can expect a stellar turnout. At GOATWHORE’S side, brigading Edmonton with a thirst for beer and audible annihilation, BLACK BREATH, RINGWORM, THEORIES, and WAKE held a steady build up to what is possibly the grimiest show of the year.

Only on board for two shows of this tour, Calgary’s own WAKE was a suitable local opener for this gig; Immediately kicking off the show with a well received, passionate and aggressive vibe, followed by the grindy and in-your-face presence of Seattle’s death metal masters, THEORIES. Concert goers warmed up to our openers with the horns held high, and drinks in hand. Thundering and smashing their way through their stage time with energy to spare, THEORIES and WAKE were pleasantly impressive, and delivered just the right amount of adrenaline to get the party started.

There was a buzz in the room amongst the audience as they patiently awaited for RINGWORM to hit the stage in Edmonton for the first time. Fans were chatting amongst themselves, expressing excitement and eagerly awaiting the Cleveland, Ohio hardcore-thrashers to storm the stage. Booming into a hefty 16 song set, starting off with “The Sickness” from 2001’s album “Birth Is Pain”, RINGWORM had their audience thrashing about in a whirlwind of circle pits. Continuing on with their chaotic performance consisting of teeth-chattering bass rumbles and gut-wrenching vocals, RINGWORM rolled through various songs such as “Bleed”, “Dawn of Decay”, and the album title track off of their newly released album “Hammer of the Witch”, and closing with a bang by force-feeding Edmonton the title track of 2005’s album “Justice Replaced By Revenge”. Leaving the Pawn Shop with their audience in a frenzy and hungry for more, RINGWORM left one hell of a first impression on Edmonton.

Stealing the show, and also hitting Edmonton for the first time, BLACK BREATH opened up a can of pure whoop-ass on the Pawn Shop. Hailing from Seattle with a hunger for nothing but satisfaction, BLACK BREATH blasted off with an unfamiliar track from their soon-to-be-released album, sending the Pawn Shop into a spiraling frenzy of headbanging and moshing. Aggressively pleasing the likes of their audience with tracks off of 2012’s album “Heavy Breathing” such as “Black Sin”, “Escape From Death” and “Eat the Witch”, BLACK BREATH furiously smashed and bashed all expectations I had of their performance with an impressive amount of face melting riffs and raw energy, all compiled into one incredibly hairy (and beardy) band that wanted nothing but to rip Edmonton a new one as they conquered the Pawn Shop for the first time. Boy, did they ever!

Sounding heavier than ever before, GOATWHORE blazed through a carefully articulated 13 song set, displaying an array of songs spanning their discography. Storming Edmonton with a new jam from 2014’s release of “Constricting Rage of the Merciless” GOATWHORE immediately grabbed their audience's attention with “Poisonous Existence in Reawakening” - a perfect opening track for this gig. Rolling on through their set, guitarist Sammy Duet, spoke up into his microphone, “I would like to dedicate the next song to all of the beautiful women of Edmonton” he said, with a cheeky smile. None other than the joyous melodies of “FBS” (F*cked By Satan) was the song that Sammy was referring to. With the mosh pits erupting into small war-zones, GOATWHORE slaughtered the remainder of their set, playing favorites such as “Sky Inferno”, “Graveyards and Dead Angels”, and “Apocalyptic Havoc”; All devastatingly awesome songs played to perfection by drummer, Zack Simmons, and live bassist, Robert Coleman (AKA Trans Am), and delightfully pulled together by the devilish grunts and growls of frontman, Ben Falgoust, of course with Ben’s signature air-guitar stage moves as the highlight of GOATWHORE’S venomous performance!

WAKE

THEORIES

RINGWORM

BLACK BREATH

GOATWHORE

Saying Goodbye to The Pawn Shop

Dana Zuk June 29, 2015

It was announced on June 24, 2015 that my all time favorite music venue in Edmonton would be shutting it's doors. The Pawn Shop, being an iconic venue for both musicians and music lovers - catering to all types of musical artists, that live in, and tour though our city - News of the venue closing down came as a shock, and was certainly a heavy hit for Edmonton's music scene.

After the announcement about the venue closing it's doors, a whole bunch of friends from Edmonton, the surrounding areas, and people who caught wind of what was going on, and have also played there from all over North America reached out through social media to express their sadness in having to say goodbye to such a great place. While friends who continue to build their musical dreams on the many stages of Edmonton, most reminisced online of the first time they had the opportunity to play at Pawn; reflecting back to being nervous and excited all at once before hitting the stage, and the rewarding cheers and chants upon leaving, turning into epic encores that are still fresh in the memories of the people who experienced it. Playing Pawn for the first time was a big deal for many people! Sadly, the younger generation of musicians in Edmonton will not get to experience the thrill of finding out their next show is at the Pawn Shop. Which, triggers an inkling of worry in the back of my mind, and that I'm sure puts one question into the minds of every avid local music scene supporter: Now what? What kind of impact will this have on the little guys? Only time will tell in this case, as the Pawn Shop makes it's new home under the roof of Union Hall.

I've held this particular venue with such sentimental value in my heart throughout the years, that I felt like I had lost a good friend after reading about the venues closure. I've shot some of my best photos there, have demonstrated my half-assed acrobatic skills while climbing on various things all to get that perfect shot, and all the while, met wonderful people that I've made countless memories with that I'm happy to call friends today. Everything about that place is going to be greatly missed... From the vintage mirrors mounted along the entrance stairwell, the huge inflatable Dracula that would hang over one of the bars, (that would never fail to creep me out whenever I would forget that it was hanging there) to the back-stage green room, being the home of a giant Hong Kong sign accompanied by walls plastered with band stickers, various *questionable* doodles drawn with sharpie markers, and the signatures of so many great people who graced the stage with their presence. For me, the Pawn Shop was one of those special places where you could go and just turn your mind off, and escape from the real world for a while; A place where you could go in feeling down in the dumps, and leave feeling better than ever. The bands, the crowds and the people who worked there were all delightfully part of it's iconic reputation, making it the type of venue where you always feel welcome and among friends, no matter what.

Now moving the party on to Union Hall, making room for new memories with plenty of killer shows on the horizon. Though the atmospheric, up-beat vibe of the Pawn Shop, and intimacy between musicians and audience will be unmatched, I am trying to look on the bright side. Despite Union Hall not being the most favorable venue to see shows at for many people, we all know that it's not going to stop the music. The show must go on, and the wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'.

The final show for the Pawn Shop took place on Saturday June 26, 2015, and it truly breaks my heart to have missed it... So with that being said, I've put together a compilation of favorite pictures that I have taken at various shows at the Pawn Shop over the years. In particular, shots that demonstrate the raw energy that this place saw on a regular basis, and of course, a few that I thought were pretty cool. I've included snaps ranging from last weeks Goatwhore performance, to photos that are dated back to 2012, when I first started to take this concert photography thing seriously! So! Without further adieu... Reminisce and enjoy!

ANUBIAN - 2012

IMMUNIZE - 2012

EYE OF HORUS - 2013

DEATH TOLL RISING - 2013 - 10 YR ANNIVERSARY SHOW

INTO ETERNITY - 2013

TROLLBAND - 2013

ANCIIENTS - 2013

SCALE THE SUMMIT - 2013

THE ORDER OF CHAOS - 2013

OF ARTICULATE DESIGN - 2014

RIOT IN PARADISE - 2014

COLLECTIONS - 2014

WITH MALICE - 2014 - WACKEN BATTLES

THESE COLOURS DON'T RUN - 2014 - WACKEN BATTLES

THESE COLOURS DON'T RUN - 2014- WACKEN BATTLES

QUIETUS - 2014 - WACKEN BATTLES

TYLOR DORY TRIO - 2014

CALLING ALL CAPTAINS - 2014

GREAT WHITE SHARK FIGHT - 2014

PROTOSEQUENCE - 2014

SLUMLORD - 2014 - CD RELEASE

SLUMLORD - 2014- CD RELEASE

THE LUCIFER PROJECT - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

DISPLAY OF DECAY - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

KYOKTYS - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

DISCIPLES OF POWER - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

PLAGUEBRINGER - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

BEYOND CREATION - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

FALLUJAH - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

ARCHSPIRE - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

KING PARROT - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

RINGS OF SATURN - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

ORIGIN - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

THE FACELESS - 2014 - HARVESTING HELL FESTIVAL

CORVUS THE CROW - 2015

TALES OF THE TOMB - 2015

IRONSTORM - 2015

MONGOL - 2015

MORTILLERY - 2015

DAHLMER'S REALM - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

ELNORA - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

VALYRIA - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

CAT THE ADVERSARY - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

DIE UPON A DAY - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

BLEED - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

ELNORA - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

ARRIVAL OF AUTUMN - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

BLEED - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

BLACK XIII - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

ARRIVAL OF AUTUMN - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

BLEED - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

AFTER EARTH - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

DETHGOD - 2015 - WACKEN BATTLES

2015 WACKEN BATTLE CONTESTANTS

TIDES OF KHARON - 2015

GREAT WHITE SHARK FIGHT - 2015

REVOCATION - 2015

VEIL OF MAYA - 2015

BATTLECROSS - 2015

CROWBAR - 2015

THEORIES - 2015

RINGWORM - 2015

BLACK BREATH - 2015

GOATWHORE - 2015

Want to know more about The Pawn Shop closing? Check out the article HERE.

Crowbar Breaks Open Edmonton for the First Time on Summer of Doom Tour - June 13, 2015

Dana Zuk June 16, 2015

OFFICIAL SHOW REVIEW FOR EXCLAIM.CA

On a dreary Saturday night in Edmonton, Crowbar were in town for the first time on their "Summer of Doom" tour, accompanied by Portland doom metal extraordinaires Lord Dying and Detroit thrash metal masters, Battlecross.

Kicking off the night, Lord Dying were loud and muddy, displaying an overwhelming amount of talent and engaging the crowd with occasional solos that pierced the veil of static in the monitors. Despite the sludgy sound, Lord Dying kept spirits high with a mix of their spellbinding music and friendly crowd banter, encouraging fans to get closer to the stage. Despite this being their first show in Edmonton, they'd won the crowd over by the end of their set, as evinced by the many bobbing heads and fists in the air throughout the Pawn Shop.

Next, show-stealers of the night Battlecross stormed the stage to lay down a gritty and thrash-y ten song set. Opening up strong with their hit "Push, Pull, Destroy," Battlecross had the house pumping with adrenaline, making the younger people in the crowd stampede around in an aggressive mosh pit. The band hammered through other classics like "Force Fed Lies" and "Beast" before treating the crowd to a brand new track, to be included on their forthcoming album, Rise to Power. It was a high point among many in Battlecross's performance, which made every day of the two year wait since they last performed in Edmonton well worth it.

Last, Crowbar hit the stage with force to play a 14-song set. As fans battled their wait to the front, frontman and guitarist Kirk Windstein greeted Edmonton by saying, "Good news is, we're from New Orleans... Bad news is, we're gonna kick your ass!" With cheeky smiles, the band immediately slammed into "Burn Your World," sending their audience into a frenzy of headbanging and fist-pumping. Over the rolling rumbles of Jeff Golden's bass lines and Tommy Buckley's kick drums, Windstein's crunchy and gritty voice soared as guitarist Matt Brunson began to pluck his strings to the familiar opening melody of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter," as they dished out the heaviest cover that the Zep classic has ever seen. Closing off their set in style, Crowbar took the audience on a trip down memory lane to their self-titled album of 1993, playing the fan favourite track "High Rate Extinction." With smiles and a look of gratitude on their faces, Crowbar left the stage in high spirits as fans cheered and chanted loudly for more.

CROWBAR

LORD DYING

BATTLECROSS

CROWBAR

Veil of Maya & Revocation Demolish the Pawn Shop with Riffs and Roars - June 12, 2015

Dana Zuk June 15, 2015

AMPSANDGREENSCREENS.COM OFFICIAL SHOW REVIEW

A rainy Friday isn't something that deters Edmonton's heavy metal community from hitting up various venues to catch some of the coolest bands out there. On June 12th, this definitely wasn't a problem! A little rain can't stop YEG's metal heads from heading down to the Pawn Shop to catch what is possible the most EPIC show of 2015. Kicking off Friday evening with local deathcore metallers GREAT WHITE SHARK FIGHT, the Pawn Shop comfortably exploded into a frenzy of moshing and headbanging as these five shredders delivered a crushing set, demonstrating who they are, and what they're all about; A perfect fit for this bill.

Revocation was about to hit the stage, and I could feel the anticipation rising within myself, and the rest of the room. As each member took their place on stage, Revocation immediately blasted into 'Labyrinth Of Eyes' from newly released album 'Deathless', causing the Pawn Shop to erupt like a volcano. Chaos from wall to wall! An abundance of moshers, stage divers, and crowd surfers were launching from all directions as Revocation continued to pump adrenalizing riffs and roars through the monitors. As frontman and guitarist, Dave Davidson, expressed his gratitude and excitement to be back in Edmonton, he commanded the Pawn Shop to raise their 'wizard fingers' for a song that has "a few weedlies and deedlies" the audience broke into a mass frenzy more aggressive than ever before as the band boomed into 'Invidious' from 2013's self titled album. After delivering one final blow to the Pawn Shop by closing with 'Witch Trails' (Deathless 2014) Exchanging handshakes with their fans, and flicking guitar picks and drum sticks to the audience, After stealing the show, Revocation left the stage, knowing they had just put on THE heaviest, deadliest and most aggressive show to have hit Edmonton so far this year. Epic on all fronts!

Firing on all cylinders, Veil of Maya began their performance in the best way possible: Loud, fast and in-your-face! Blowing their audience away right from the get-go with 'Lucy' and 'Mikasa' from their newly released album 'Matriarch'. Within their well articulated 13 song set, Veil of Maya had a taste for audible annihilation, playing a variety songs from albums spanning across their music careers such as 'Punisher', '[ID]', 'Subject Zero' and many, many more. Continuing on with the bleeding riffs of Marc Okubo piercing through the thundering drumming and bass lines of Dan Hauser and Sam Applebaum, all the while complimenting the raspy but aggressively beautiful voice of Lukas Magyar. Taking their audience back to their second album 'The Common Man's Collapse' Veil of Maya put the cherry on top of their set with 'It's Not Safe To Swim Today', causing their fans to throw down harder than ever before. Veil of Maya always puts on an impressive performance every time they visit Edmonton, but this time, the band put on their best show yet that wont soon be forgotten!

VEIL OF MAYA

GREAT WHITE SHARK FIGHT

REVOCATION

VEIL OF MAYA

Calgary Metalfest 2015

Dana Zuk June 9, 2015

It's that time of year again! Festival season is in full swing and I kicked it off in the best way possible by starting with Calgary Metalfest as they triumphed over the 4th year of the festival. This was my third year shooting this fest, and my most favorite year of all! Though Calgary Metalfest spans over 4 venues - Ship & Anchor, Vern's , Lord Nelson's and, Dicken's Pub - I spent my weekend hanging out at Dicken's for the main headliner bills.
As metal fans from far and wide gathered in Dicken's Pub on Friday June 5th, eight of western Canada's finest metal bands such as: Moosifix, Riot City, Every Hour Kills, Neck of the Woods,Vile Insignia, Without Mercy, and Begrime Exemious came together to dominate the stage. Headlining night one at Dicken's was Alberta's favorite terrorist-thrashers, Villainizer. With the release of their newest album - Annihilation of Self - Villainizer deemed their set at the festival as their final show in Calgary, Alberta; Concluding a 5 year-long journey with a bang, Villainizer reigned terror over their chaotic audience as they boomed through a heavy 8 song set, playing fan-favorite tracks such as 'Twin-Tower Two Step', 'Terror Abraxas' and Candlemass cover 'Gallows', including a skit part way through the performance, enacting the hanging of fontman, Rob the Arab Villain (AKA RAV), and closing with their hit song 'Terrorist Metal' with fans moshing and singing along, making Villainizer's farewell to Calgary a truly memorable goodbye.

MOOSIFIX

RIOT CITY

EVERY HOUR KILLS

NECK OF THE WOODS

VILE INSIGNIA

WITHOUT MERCY

BEGRIME EXEMIOUS

VILLAINIZER

The final day of Calgary Metalfest is always a blast. The main headliners hit the Dicken's stage, and a charity auction takes place to raise money for the Southern Alberta Make A Wish Foundation of the Stollery Children's Hospital. A whole bunch of cool items were donated this year, such as tickets to other metal festivals in western Canada, an exclusive print by Calgary photographer Monika Deviat, a giant Calgary Metalfest show poster that every band signs, and a rare double neck Schecter Diamond Series guitar. All together we managed to raise $2200.00 Canadian dollars towards helping sick kids in southern Alberta.
Saturday June 6th night's bill, similar to Friday's, consisted of a new batch of eight stellar Canadian bands such as: Apprentice, Noire, Sparky, Viathyn, Untimely Demise, Caveat, and Into Eternity that were all ready to rumble on stage. The main headliner for June 6th was Calgary's own Kobra & The Lotus, hitting their home town with a devastatingly wicked performance that left Dicken's Pub begging for more. Kicking off the set with title track of their newest album - High Priestess - Kobra & The Lotus hammered their way through a hefty 12 song set, shredding through fan favorite and classic tracks such as Soldier, Welcome To My Funeral, Forever One and 50 Shades of Evil.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again... The people who put on Calgary Metalfest every year are true rockstars! They work their butts off to put on one of Alberta's top metal festivals and it certainly doesn't go unnoticed. These people not only are supplying a good time for so many metal fans, but are main contributors of the heavy metal culture and lifestyle in Alberta, and Canada! I'm proud to be a small part of this event, and with the utmost appreciation and gratitude, I say THANK YOU!!

APPRENTICE

NOIRE

SPARKY

VIATHYN

UNTIMELY DEMISE

CAVEAT

INTO ETERNITY

KOBRA & THE LOTUS

CHARITY AUCTION

Welcome to my blog!