Column
Heavy Culture: Nova Twins on Racial Identity, Representation of Women of Color in Heavy Music, and More
Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music, as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their craft. The latest installment of this column features Amy Love and Georgia South of the Nova Twins. UK duo Nova Twins released their debut album, Who Are the Girls?, in 2020. They kicked off 2021 by curating a compilation called Voices for the Unheard, which showcases alternative and rock artists of color. Proceeds from this compilation went to The Black Curriculum, which is an initiative to address the lack of Black British history in UK classrooms. Bandmates Amy Love and Georgia South describe their music as “urban punk,” but it melds several genres together...
Heavy Culture: Palaceburn Singer Meredith Bell and Hyro the Hero on Juneteenth and Being Black in America
Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music, as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their craft. The latest installment of this column features Palaceburn singer Meredith Bell and Hyro the Hero and focuses on Juneteenth and other topics. Juneteenth has just been declared a federal holiday in the United States by the Biden administration. The day, marked on June 19th, commemorates the end of slavery as the date the last remaining slaves in Texas learned of their freedom in 1865, two years after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Philadelphia-based Palaceburn began their music journey with their EPs The Awakening in 2013 and Curs...
Heavy Culture: Chthonic’s Freddy Lim Talks Politics and Metal, Premieres “Oceanquake” Live Video
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-14T18:06:27+00:00“>May 14, 2021 | 2:06pm ET Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their music. The latest installment of this column features an interview with Chthonic frontman Freddy Lim. Freddy Lim has intertwined his life as both a politician and musician. In 2020, Lim was re-elected to Taiwan’s parliament, where he first won a seat in 2016. He’s also been going strong as frontman of the Taiwanese metal band Chthonic for more than 25 years. As countries around the world continue to have COV...
Heavy Culture: Asian and AAPI Musicians Speak Out on Anti-Asian Violence and Experiences with Racism
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-03T17:37:05+00:00“>May 3, 2021 | 1:37pm ET Heavy Culture is a monthly column from journalist Liz Ramanand, focusing on artists of different cultural backgrounds in heavy music as they offer their perspectives on race, society, and more as it intersects with and affects their music. The latest installment of this column features Asian and AAPI rock and metal musicians discussing the recent wave of Anti-Asian violence and their own experiences with racism. In this installment of “Heavy Culture,” Asian and AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) rock and metal artists recount experiences of racism and share their thoughts and feelings on the rise in violence against people of Asi...
Mining Metal: C R O W N, Horndal, Kauan, Spectral Lore, Steel Bearing Hand, Victory Over the Sun, Vreid, Wode
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-29T17:48:50+00:00“>April 29, 2021 | 1:48pm ET “Mining Metal” is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence writers Joseph Schafer and Langdon Hickman. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the non-mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small and independent labels — or even releases from unsigned acts. This is an auspicious day, dear readers. This edition of “Mining Metal” marks the second anniversary of Consequence letting Langdon and I bring you scintillating selections from the blow the major-label water line where metal is concerned. But of course, we thank you for your continued support, it means the world to us. And if you’re new, jump on in, the water...
Beyond the Boys’ Club: Nancy Wilson of Heart
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-21T15:33:15+00:00“>April 21, 2021 | 11:33am ET Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. Erickson is also a music artist herself, recently releasing the song “Eternal Way” under the moniker Upon Wings. This month’s piece features an interview with Nancy Wilson of Heart. Legendary Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson didn’t spend the past year waiting for the pandemic to end. Instead, she worked on her first-ever solo album, You and Me, which was largely written and recorded during lockdown. The 12-song LP...
US: Chad rebels heading towards capital from north
The United States said rebel fighters in Chad appeared to be moving towards the capital N’Djamena and ordered non-essential staff to leave, warning of possible violence. A spokesman for the rebel Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) said its fighters had “liberated” the province of Kanem, some 220 km (136 miles) from the capital N’Djamena, but the government denied this. “The authors of these false statements are not even on the ground, but somewhere in Europe,” the government said in a message posted to Facebook. A day earlier the British government urged its citizens to leave Chad because of information that two rebel convoys on the move, one near the town of Faya, some 770 km (478 miles) northeast of N’Djamena, and another by the town of Mao, the provincial capital of Kanem. On S...
Mining Metal: Autarkh, Celestial Sanctuary, Demiser, Flesh of the Stars, Koldovstvo, Lunar Shadow, Mare Cognitum, Memoriam
“Mining Metal” is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence writers Joseph Schafer and Langdon Hickman. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the non-mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small and independent labels — or even releases from unsigned acts. The heavy metal community lost a real one this month. On March 7th, Swedish death metal vocalist L-G Petrov passed away after a battle with bile duct cancer. It’s the latest in a series of metal vocalists gone too young in the past twelve months, including Alexi Laiho of Children of Bodom, and Riley Gale of Power Trip. Petrov was one of the musicians who brought death metal to the masses as the vocalist for Swedish legends Entombed. A quick history lesson, while Entombed did not originate death metal in Sweden, the...
Beyond the Boys’ Club: Robin Wattie of Big|Brave
Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. This month’s piece features an interview with Robin Wattie of Big|Brave. Montreal metal trio Big|Brave tackle the weighty issues of gender, race and feeling like one doesn’t belong on their new album, Vital, out April 23 via Southern Lord. The album’s lead single, “Half Breed,” finds singer-guitarist Robin Wattie sharing the experience of being of mixed race and the confusion and insecurity that can come with it. Wattie checked in with Heavy Consequence for the latest “Beyond the Boys’ Club” column to discuss how she and the members of Big|Brave quarantined together...
Beyond the Boys’ Club: Brittney Slayes of Unleash the Archers
Beyond the Boys’ Club is a monthly column from journalist and radio host Anne Erickson, focusing on women in the heavy music genres, as they offer their perspectives on the music industry and discuss their personal experiences. This month’s piece features an interview with Brittney Slayes of Unleash the Archers. Canadian power-metal band Unleash the Archers present a hard-charging sound coupled with creative songwriting and storytelling. Early in their career, the band was often lumped into the symphonic metal genre, simply because they have a female vocalist, but they’re really straight-ahead power metal act, with vocalist Brittney Slayes roaring from song to song. Unleash the Archers recently released a new album, Abyss, featuring stunning guitars and Slayes’ powerful vocals. Slayes chec...
Mining Metal: Wytch Hazel (Premiere), Convulsif, Cryptae, Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou, Gorpehilia, Henrik Palm, Lamp of Murmuur
“Mining Metal” is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence writers Joseph Schafer and Langdon Hickman. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the non-mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small and independent labels — or even releases from unsigned acts. Normally, the autumnal months mark a high point in the year for metal fans. This year, of course, is no average year, and the looming economic uncertainty and a persistent global health crisis are enough to sap the pumpkin spice right out of my latte and lend a bitter hit to the smell of bonfire smoke. But some joys, thankfully, cannot be snuffed out. They include: the equinox, 31 days of scary movies and, of course, boatloads of metal. As the designated “Scary month” in the commercial calendar, October usually del...
Mining Metal: Exist, Katavasia, Messiah, Night, Obsidian Kingdom, Plague Organ, Proscription, and Sumac
“Mining Metal” is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence writers Joseph Schafer and Langdon Hickman. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the non-mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small and independent labels — or even releases from unsigned acts. Like many, I’ve spent much of the last month practically hermetically sealed-in to my domicile, just to avoid too much Pacific Northwest wildfire smoke from clogging my already-punished lungs. Extended isolation leads to eccentricity, and this month’s metal selections skew toward the insular. Expect progressive and cavernous odes to hyper-niche sounds, perfect for deep headphone listening. Of course, there’s a little old-time rock ‘n’ roll to buoy spirits in darkening times and earlier sunsets, but as autumn rolls ...
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