Hails and all that happiness in the new year stuff. Too bad about your failed New Year resolutions, though. Anyway, drown your sorrows with beer and a few updates from the Great White-In-The-Winter North…
Devin Townsend, the original Strapping Young Lad, is gearing up for the release of two albums in April. InsideOut will issue the Deconstruction and Ghost records simultaneously, thus completing Townsend’s four part look inside his Hevy Devy persona (check out my previous interviews with him about the Ki and Addicted albums). Prior to the releases he will do a headlining tour through Europe; dates can be found here. The Devin Townsend Project, as this particular era has been dubbed, also features Terror Syndrome members Ryan Van Poederooyen, Mike Young, and Dave Young. More on them and Townsend’s escapades in the coming weeks and months, as they’re due to spend most of 2011 on the road.
I made mention last month that the Headstones are gearing up to play two reunion shows in St.Catharines and Toronto on February 3rd and 5th respectively. Both shows were sold out in less than 30 minutes after going on sale, leaving a lot of fans out of luck. Word has it that local area radio stations will be giving away free tickets closer to the show date. Seeing as St. Catharines-based 97.7 HTZ FM is presenting the show in town, it’s a good idea to watch their official website for updates and clues as to when they’ll be doing the on-air giveaways. Chances are they’ll have tickets for the Toronto shows as well. And now that they’ve gotten rid of the idiot morning show chick with the “edgy” vocabulary (“Jan”, “Feb”, “T-storm”) you’ll actualy be able to listen for more than five minutes at a time.
Montreal-based Blackguard have decided to slow down long enough to record a second album; their third if you count their 2007 debut as Profugis Mortis, …So It Begins. Frontman Paul Ablaze has been dropping words like “dynamic” to describe new album, entitled Firefight, stating that the band has toned down the speed of some of the songs in the interest of raising the headbanging quotient. It’s safe to say Blackguard has learned a few things considering they’ve spent the better part of two years on the road. Firefight is due to be released on March 29th through Victory Records, a support tour through North America with Nevermore, Soilwork and Powerglove is set to run through April / May. Dates can be found here.
Veteran rockers Helix are in the process of setting up live dates for 2011, having booked as far ahead as July and August. In their immediate future, however, the band has confirmed a show in London, Ontario and three shows in western Canada: Winnipeg and Brandon, Manitoba, and Calgary, Alberta. Click here for details.
I’d also recommend checking out the band’s music page, which is essentially one of the coolest online jukeboxes out there. Gives you a great taste of the Helix material you should buy…
And finally, check out BW&BK’s year end review for 2010 here, compiling all the writers’ chosen (including Yers Trooly) hots and nots in a nifty online mag-thing that I wish was available in paper format. Ah well, maybe in 2011…
