Song of the Day: Intervals - Duality

     Staying instrumetal and staying Canadian this evening with this song from a band that I've posted about a couple of times before but that's always worth checking out.

     Your song tonight is "Duality" from the 2011 debut EP The Space Between by Toronto-based Intervals. Catchy but still heavy, tastefully shreddy, and laden to the gills with groove, Intervals are really going to make a name for themselves if they keep releasing material of this quality at this pace (two EPs in two years, by my count) so you should get in while this ride's still on the ground floor.

Song of the Day: Pomegranate Tiger - Maxims

     Day 2 of Canadiana Week coming at you, and this evening we're going to head down the 401 a bit (that's a big highway north of America, for all of you non-Southern Ontarians out there) from Protest the Hero's lair in Toronto to the Windsor stomping grounds of up-and-coming instrumetallers Pomegranate Tiger.

     I've sung the praises of this band before, but if your musical tastes are anything like mine (proggy jazz-fusion metal? Yes please!) you'll thank me for featuring them again. Their debut album Entities, released in January of this year, is in a word, "epic". If you've ever held the opinion that instrumental music is boring because of its lack of vocals, anything by Pomegranate Tiger should convince you otherwise. Think Between the Buried and Me-style riffage without Tommy Giles and you should begin to get a flavour for things.

     To get a further flavour for things, have a listen to "Maxims" from the aforementioned Entities. Why "Maxims"? Two reason: obviously I think it's a cool track, but also important is its five minute running length, because although there are a couple of other tracks I also thought about choosing, they clock in at six minutes plus, and I'm nothing if not considerate of your valuable time. You're welcome.

Song of the Day: Protest the Hero - Sequoia Throne

     It's been a while since I've done a week of themed Song of the Day, so I think it's about time I took another crack at it. Sound good to you? Too bad.

     What's the theme this time out? It's one that I've been thinking about doing for a while now, namely Canadiana Week, a week of songs from my fellow Canadians. And what better way to kick it off than to go with a classic cut by my boys in Protest the Hero. Your Canadian song this evening is therefore "Sequoia Throne" from their 2008 sophomore album Fortress. Crank this one up as you dream lustily about what might be in store for the indiegogo-funded monster the lads are brewing up next.

Song of the Day: Stolas - Medusa

     I pride myself on being able to bring you new stuff every once in a while, stuff that you hopefully haven't heard yet and that you might get a kick out of. It's not every day that I find something new and cool, but I'm always pleased when I can. Today is one of those days.

Song of the Day: Tool - Lateralus

     For whatever reason it occurred to me the other day that I've never featured a Tool song from the epic Lateralus. Time to fix that one right now!

Song of the Day: Colossus - Pillars of Perennity

     Just a quick post this evening to turn you on to a sludgy Swedish prog outfit with a new album. Tell me more, you say? OK!

Song of the Day: A Perfect Circle - The Hollow

     The only thing Maynard James Keenan has put out recently besides wine is a bizarre video to accompany his 'meh' cover of Queen's epic "Bohemian Rhapsody", so perhaps it's time we take a moment to remember some of the many cooler things MJK has been involved with.

Song of the Day: The Dillinger Escape Plan - When I Lost My Bet

     Getting ready to go to sleep anytime soon? Drifting off to dreamland too easy for you? Need a bit of a challenge, something to keep you up at night questioning your sanity? The Dillinger Escape Plan is here to help.

Song of the Day: The Reign of Kindo - Thrill of the Fall

     This evening we've got another Facebook feed find, thanks to someone over in the Periphery camp, who've pointed me towards some cool stuff in the past. Tonight's band The Reign of Kindo is no exception.

     Your song tonight is "Thrill of the Fall", the opening track from Kindo's sophomore full length, 2010's This is What Happens. Jazzy, funky, vaguely latin, "Thrill of the Fall" boogies its way into your head from the opening piano riff. Metal it sure ain't, but if you as a metalhead can appreciate a band like, say, Trioscapes, or T.R.A.M, or the like, then it's a short hop to the smooth melodies of The Reign of Kindo. They're not all as high energy as "Thrill of the Fall", but they've got a few real corkers in their catalogue.

     Yes, I just used the phrase "real corkers". Just listen to some of The Reign of Kindo already.

Song of the Day: Scale the Summit - Odyssey

     Segueing smoothly from one song to the next, as long as we're speaking about bands with promising new albums on the horizon, I would be remiss if I didn't mention instrumetal prog masters Scale the Summit.

Song of the Day: The Safety Fire - Grind the Ocean

     While we're on the subject of better-than-average djenty records that came out last year we might as well feature another song by British techheads The Safety Fire.

Song of the Day: Glass Cloud - All Along

      This song has come up several times in my shuffle the last couple of days, so it seems like the gods must want me to share it with you. Yeah. That's what they want.

Song of the Day: Trivium - Into the Mouth of Hell We March

     It's been a long day, so let's unwind with some indulgent thrashcore.

Song of the Day: Point Below Zero - Passage

     Regular readers might have caught on by now to the fact that lots of what I post comes to me by way of my good ol' Facebook feed. Bands that I follow either post shit of their own, or share shit from their friends, both of which result in lots of tasty new shit for me. Mmmm, shit!

Song of the Day: Radiohead - Pyramid Song

     Just a quick one this evening, with something mellow to help you and me both get to sleep easier.

     Your relaxing song this evening is Radiohead's "Pyramid Song" from 2001's Amnesiac. Let the piano intermingle with Thom's plaintive wail to send you off to dreamland. Know the video for this one, with the sea turtles and whatnot? Make today's song even more effective by picturing that and drifting off into it. Pleasant dreams.

Song of the Day: Plini - Heart

     It may be Monday, but I've got a song that should be just what the doctor ordered. It's not heavy, but it's got groove for days and a mellow, laid-back kinda vibe that's just the thing for winding down after a long Monday.

Song of the Day: Deftones - Bloody Cape

     It's only been like a week since the last time I did a Deftones song, but since you've by now no doubt heard of the passing of original bassist Chi Cheng it seems to me that I can't choose a song by any other band tonight. And even though their last couple of records with new bass played Sergio Vega have been great, I've got to go with something Chi played on for today's song.

Song of the Day: Opeth - The Grand Conjuration

     They should make "I survived Ikea" T-shirts. They really should. And when you get one, it should come with a copy of any Opeth album.

Song of the Day: At the Gates - Blinded by Fear

     I told you I'd be back with another song today, and here I am. This evening we're going back in time a bit to feature a song themed around the plans the girlfriend and I have for tomorrow morning.

     What plans, you ask? Why, every man's favourite: a trip to Ikea! But at least it's an excuse to revisit a classic album by an influential band. That's why your song this evening is the opening salvo "Blinded by Fear" from At the Gates' landmark Slaughter of the Soul. If the originators of the Gothenburg sound can't keep you going through a couple hours of shitty, put-it-together-yourself furniture, nothing will.

Song of the Yesterday: Racer X - Scarified

     Show of hands: how many of you noticed I didn't do a song last night? Yeah, I didn't think you'd catch it. Anyways, we'll do a good ol' fashioned double header today, with one this morning and another later this afternoon/evening.

Song of the Day: The Black Dahlia Murder - Into the Everblack

     I told you last night that I'd have something a little more metal for today, and I do. Maybe you've already heard it, and maybe you haven't, but either way I can't think of a whole lot that's heavier than today's band. So if all this Billy Talent has left a bad taste in your metal mongering mouth, cleanse your palate with The Black Dahlia Murder.

Pit Report: Billy Talent

     OK, so like I said last night, I know Billy Talent isn't a metal band. Punk at times, maybe, but not metal. And I know, even if you don't, that I wasn't in the pit last night with all the tweens, so I guess technically I can't call this a bona fide Pit Report. But who cares? I haven't been to a show in a while, and my buddy works at the venue so we got comp tickets, so you're just going to have to hear about it. Questions? Good.

Song of the Day: Billy Talent - This Is How It Goes

     Evening, kids. Wet out there isn't it. Maybe not where you are, but it is here, raining down on all of us concertgoers leaving the Billy Talent show. Yeah, yeah, Billy Talent aren't metal, but they are pretty rockin'. And they're Canadian. And unlike you, oh metal bands of the world, they play Kingston. Oh, and my buddy got comp tickets because he works at the venue. So yeah, I was at the Billy Talent show this evening.

Song of the Day: Shadows Fall - In Effigy

     I've said before (and I'll no doubt say again) that British band Sylosis have taken up the modern thrash banner dropped years ago by Metallica. But it occurred to me today as I was listening to Shadows Fall's Fallout From the War that thrash hasn't just jumped from Metallica to Sylosis with no intermediary steps.

Song of the Day: Deftones - Passenger

     Spring is actually starting to really get springing here, which means it's finally getting warm enough to drive around town cranking metal with the windows down. In fact, the window next to me as I type this (not in a car, smartass) is open and where even a few days ago it would have registered at "chilly" it's now only "brisk". Summer is just around the corner, so it's driving tune time!

Song of the Day: Enter Shikari - Sorry, You're Not a Winner

     Blimey! You know how most of the time you can't tell if a band would make good extras on East Enders because they sound perfectly normal when they're singing, and only when they open their mouths for an interview do they come out with nothing but rhyming Cockney slang? Yeah, that won't be a problem with today's band - they're pretty obviously British right from the get go.

Song of the Day (April 5): Alexisonfire - Born and Raised

     I'm  a bit late for today (this is counting for April 5th) but not by a whole lot, so hopefully you won't even notice. Except that I've just called attention to it. Shit. Oh well.

Song of the Day: T.R.A.M. - Endeavour

     A quick instrumental jazz metal post for you this evening, and a riddle: what do The Mars Volta, Animals as Leaders, and Suicidal Tendencies have in common? Give up?

Song of the Day: Misery Signals - Reset

     Yesterday I posted about Canadian up-and-comers Mandroid Echostar and their indiegogo campaign to fund their next release. Well in the wake of Mandroid, who themselves are one of many bands who've recently gone this route, perhaps most successful of which has of course been Protest the Hero, I've just read that another band I dig is asking their fans for a hand. And this time it's one of my very favourites.

Song of the Day: Mandroid Echostar - The Precursor

     Another band I'm currently diggin' on is going the crowdfunding route for their next release, but unlike fellow Canadians Protest the Hero today's band doesn't have the fanbase to raise two hundred thousand dollars in a few days. So it's time again to show Mandroid Echostar some love and maybe help them reach their rather modest goal of $7000.

Song of the Day: Blotted Science - Ingesting Blattaria

     Super tech  instrumetal time, kids! Here's a band that's been featured before, but it's been a while. It's also been a while since their last album, so maybe grab a copy of The Animation of Entomology or give their Facebook a like and let's see if we can't cajole some new tunes out of the mad scientists in Blotted Science.