We Got Together

It was the perfect year to crank the music and dance, for real or just in your head.

The Songs of 2020

Indulging my pop music predilections.

‘Cause Heaven’s Full

Three veteran bands were under no pressure to recapture past glory, but they did anyway.

A Delayed Rebirth

The Deftones commemorated White Pony’s 20th anniversary with their best album in 20 years.

Destination: Enlightenment

It’s fitting that 2020 gave us a dystopian metal masterpiece.

Between Wrath and Mercy

Hayley Williams’ solo debut is an experimental triumph.

Delete Forever.

An unfairly maligned, flawed but kind of great album.

Potential Realized

It took a few tries, but the Haim sisters struck gold on their latest album.

Hail and Kill, As the Gods Intended

A few days ago I mentioned how I have two huge preferences when it comes to new metal music. One is the progressive and experimental side, as exemplified by Enslaved and Oranssi Pazuzu in my recent post. The other side is its polar opposite: traditional, old school heavy metal. I’m talking about the heavy metal […]

Play Me a Song

Bob Dylan picked a good time to put out his best new music in many years.

I Hope They’re Dead Now

Most of the heavy music I listen to is escapist, which goes back to my days as an ostracized and traumatized teenager. I’d go home, turn on some Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Priest, anything to drown out all the bad things that happened that day. And bad things happened a lot, every single day during those […]

“I Don’t Wait For No One”

In 2020 a free download turned the Canadian music industry upside-down.

The Nail of the Master

Two Scandinavian metal innovators made my 2020 a little better.

Heart On His Sleeve

Who doesn’t love a late-career masterpiece?

Canadian Metal!

Presenting the 10 best Canadian metal albums of the year.