A terrific metal festival in Chicago! I attended my first Legions of Metal at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois, the weekend of May 1 & 2, 2026. In general, I tend to bias more toward smaller indoor festivals, and I had been curious about this one for a few years. The focus tends to be on […]
Legions of Metal 2026 in Chicago, IL, May 1 – 2, 2026 – Festival Review Read More »
A terrific festival goes on indefinite, but hopefully not permanant, hiatus, with a killer lineup for the seventh edition! Hyperspace Metal Festival has been a great power/prog/symphonic/melodeath festival in the Pacific Northwest since 2018, based in beautiful Vancouver, BC, Canada. I went for the first time last year and discovered so many new bands that
Hyperspace Metal Festival VII in Vancouver, BC, April 16 – 18, 2026 – Festival Review Read More »
Thrashy grooves & traditional metal collide with a haunting and unique vocal approach! I love supporting my local Pacific Northwest metal scene. My home base is the greater Seattle area, but my coverage extends north to Vancouver, BC, and south to Portland, OR, and I do my best to make it out to as many
Telomyras – Duskfall – Album Review Read More »
Various flavors of heavy metal collide in Uster, Switzerland, for a fantastic early year Festival! Elements of Rock Festival took place March 13 – 15 at Stadthofsaal in Uster, Switzerland. It started in 2004 and has run annually since, with exception of a few years during COVID. I have only been once before, in 2007,
Tribunal headlines a night of myriad doom flavors! Vancouver orchestral death doom masters Tribunal are a band I absolutely love, having traveled to Vancouver from Seattle multiple times in 2025 to see them perform, including what ended up being my last show of 2025 in mid December. They just played a handful of shows in
The Warriors of Powerful Heavy Metal! Seattle melodic power / heavy metal Greyhawk released their latest album, “Warriors of Greyhawk” on February 13 (read my review!), and to celebrate they held an album release show on February 21 at Substation in Seattle, WA. Two other Seattle area bands supported them, Telomyras and Rope. As many
Progressive thrash + speedy technical thrash = an amazing show full of energy and fun! Coroner released their first album in 32 years this past October, and North America was blessed to get a follow-up tour in early 2026, with direct support from thrash legends Heathen. The tour stopped at El Corazon in Seattle, WA,
Powerful Seattle speed metal with attitude! I went through a phase in middle and high school (in the 90’s) where I consumed speed and thrash for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Due to my upbringing, my menu was limited, but that just means I knew every word, riff and drum hit for the likes of Deliverance,
Vanishment – …And Now We Die – Album Review Read More »
Speed metal, thrash, attitude, and fun! Seattle speed metal warriors Vanishment released their latest album, “…And Now We Die” on January 23 (read my review!), and to celebrate they held an album release show on January 31 at Baba Yaga in Seattle, WA. The show was a full-on speed / thrash showcase of local talent,
Progressive thrash legends make their long awaited return! It seems like a lot of bands the past couple of years released albums after quite a wait following their previous release. I thought Crimson Shadows and Ancient Bards were going to hold the distinction of longest gap, but Coroner easily takes the prize with their first
Coroner / Dissonance Theory – Album Review Read More »
