Jungle Rot - *Loud as Hell Festival 2023*

GALLERY: Loud as Hell Festival 2023

Dana Zuk August 12, 2023

Every August long weekend, something rumbles in the badlands of Alberta… That something is the coveted Loud as Hell Festival! This year’s rendition of the fest was easily one of the best years yet. After photographing this event for the last 8 years, I often look forward to spending time in this area of the province, where I get to catch some wicked bands while rekindling friendships with folks I wish I didn’t get to see only once a year.

Check below for a recap of the handful of bands I photographed at the fest this year!

Day 1

Featuring:
Ashes of Yggdrasil | Silent Line | Whorrify | Lost Nebula | Osyron

Day 2

Featuring:
Untimely Demise | Necronomicon | Narcotic Wasteland

Day 3

Featuring:
Wormwitch | Pound | The Convalescence | Jungle Rot

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Chaos AB Festival Rocks the Heart of Edmonton - July 26-27

Dana Zuk July 30, 2019

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM.CA

I know, I know, I suck at this blogging thing and even more at keeping it up to date. I’m feeling ambitious today, so you’re getting a little recap of my weekend and a couple galleries to wash it down.

One of the most talked about events in western Canada commenced over the weekend of July 26th and 27th; Chaos AB debuted as a large scale metal and hard rock festival in Alberta’s capital which had lovers of aggressive music anxious for it’s arrival. Despite a few hiccups along the way (AKA: Losing Rob Zombie as a headliner) the festival’s first ever weekend went off without a hitch.

Kicking off day 1 in Kinsmen Park with hot temperatures and even hotter bands, the afternoon of metal had folks of all ages eager and wanting more. the lineup for Friday consisted of: Light The Torch, Animals As Leaders, GWAR, Slayer and Disturbed as our headlining act. This being an extra special day for the festival and heavy metal history, metal kings Slayer bid their final farewell to Alberta, making this their last appearance ever in the province. Though skeptics will question whether it’s legitimately their final show in Alberta, Slayer had a sentimental send off that I’m sure no one will forget.

Day 2 of the festival was promising for many. Despite the controversy of shock-rock-god Rob Zombie mysteriously dropping off of the bill 2 weeks prior and being replaced with British rockers The Cult, and despite the weather being rainy and overall total shit, the attendance for the second show was staggering. Starting late due to a lightning stand down and an evacuation from the hour of torrential rain we received, the show kicked off with Selfish Things, who helped warm the crowd up after the cool down pour. The rest of the day consisted of the likes of The Dirty Nil, Royal Tusk, One Bad Son, Headstones, The Cult (no photos) and the dark emperor himself, Marilyn Manson as the closing act.

Even though the rain was on and off all day, it certainly didn’t put a damper on the spirits of festival goers, as Kinsmen Park remained full and alive from start to finish. The festival will certainly be one that people talk about for ages to come, and I truly cannot wait to see what next year has in store!

Galleries Below!

Light the Torch

Animals as Leaders

GWAR

Slayer

Disturbed

Selfish Things

The Dirty Nil

Royal Tusk

One Bad Son

Headstones

Marilyn Manson

Loud As Hell Festival 2018 - DAY 1

Dana Zuk August 8, 2018

It's been long, long overdue, but I've finally gotten some local festival shooting back into my life, and I really couldn't be more stoked on it. I made my return to beautiful Drumheller, Alberta for the seventh rendition of Loud As Hell Festival. Playing host to some of Canada's heaviest hitters, Loud As Hell crushed their seventh year, and I couldn't possibly be any happier for them. Sadly for me, I was only able to attend the first night of the fest, but hey, I'll take what I can get!

Opening night of Loud As Hell was easily one of the best Friday's that the festival has seen yet; Bringing some of the heaviest hitters on the bill to kick off the weekend, Friday night consisted of music by: Red Cain, Hammerdrone, Sarah Longfield, Tessitura, Burning Effigy, The Kennedy Veil, Stab.Twist.Pull, and Vancouver's tech death masters Archspire.

Being a small part of the festival is always something that will warm my heart, and that I'll forever be proud of. Festivals like Loud As Hell are so vital to metal scenes all across western Canada, and Canada as a whole. I'm so happy that the team was able to pull off another sold out fest for the third year in a row, and I cannot wait to see how next year's Loud As Hell turns out!

ARCHSPIRE

STAB.TWIST.PULL

THE KENNEDY VEIL

BURNING EFFIGY

TESSITURA

SARAH LONGFIELD

HAMMERDRONE

RED CAIN

SHREDMONTON Metal Festival & Conference Makes it's Debut in Alberta's Capital - DAY ONE - May 6, 2016

Dana Zuk May 10, 2016

Spring time festivals are always a surefire way to get myself, and fellow concert goers in the mood for a gig-filled summer. Local promoters, Prairie Fire Events LTD., whipped up a wicked line up of bands to play both the Starlite Room and Brixx Bar & Grill over the weekend, hosting only the finest in western Canadian metal, as well as a number of international touring bands, including the lineup of this year's Metal Alliance Tour.

Despite only covering day one of this year's SHREDMONTON festival, I had a great time! Spending my time in the Starlite Room to catch Friday night's entertainment, courtesy of Disciples of Power as the evening's headliner, followed by the talented likes of: Quietus, With Malice, Calgary's Train Bigger Monkeys and Tylor Dory Trio, who, gradually, all had the house rockin' from wall to wall until the night was through, coining the debut of SHREDMONTON on the western Canadian metal festival scene.

DISCIPLES OF POWER

QUIETUS

WITH MALICE

TRAIN BIGGER MONKEYS

TYLOR DORY TRIO

SONiC BOOM Festival 2015

Dana Zuk September 17, 2015

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR VANDALA MAGAZINE

Sonic Boom Festival is exactly what it sounds like; A gathering in the heart of Edmonton, featuring some of the sickest bands and artists in modern rock today, all coming together to create one loud, energetic, boomer of a festival! This was my first time shooting a music festival of this magnitude, and I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to be there. Despite the downer overcast and rainy weather, the bands totally rocked out and gave it their all, while hundreds of people, decked out in rain ponchos with umbrellas in hand, still flocked to Borden Park in Edmonton, Alberta on September 5th and 6th to check out what was in store over the weekend. With the announcement of the broken up hardcore-heavy weights, ALEXISONFIRE, reuniting for the summer, and as the event's main headliner, anticipation to see this band was thick throughout the weekend among festival goers.

Saturday September 5th - Day #1 of Sonic Boom fest consisted of a variety of interesting bands, all delivering nothing short of epic performances, leaving their fans screaming and begging for more. Kick off talent that took the stage for day one were as follows: Young Empires, Gay Nineties, K-OS, Robert DeLong, St.Lucia, Kongos, TV on the Radio, Brandon Flowers, Hozier, and headlined by the "folktronica" queen herself, Ellie Goulding. The energy of day one was coagulating throughout the park as day turned to night. Smiling faces could be seen in every direction, and positive vibes were all around; Seeing this, personally, made my time at the festival even more enjoyable. Feeling the passion and love for music abundant in the air sure makes me one happy gal.

Though missing out on getting shots of Brandon Flowers and Hozier due to the artists not wanting any photography during their performances, I managed to capture a few cool moments of the other artists on Saturday's bill.

ELLIE GOULDING

YOUNG EMPIRES

GAY NINETIES

K-OS

ROBERT DELONG

ST. LUCIA

KONGOS

TV ON THE RADIO

ELLIE GOULDING

Sunday September 6th - Day #2 of the festival hosted a stacked bill of bands that I couldn't wait to have in front of my lens. Kicking off the rainy day with The Zolas, as the perfect band to get the crowd of early-bird festival goers warmed up (both literally and figuratively) for what was in store. The day progressed on with the talented likes of: The Elwins, Eagles of Death Metal, Big Data, Rural Alberta Advantage, Tokyo Police Club, The Flaming Lips, Mother Mother, Tenacious D, and the much anticipated, ALEXISONFIRE, as our headliner for the evening. Though the rain showed no mercy to festival workers and attendees, everyone seemed to have high spirits. Smiles were still in abundance on the many faces of people bundled up in their best weather-proof attire. Despite how energetic and dynamic the bill was for day one of Sonic Boom, day two brought the heat. Countless colourful characters stormed the stage with an appetite for the resonance of rock through the stage amps and monitors. Intensity and power flooded the stage with each act as they boomed and bashed their way through their performances. The audience went wild with the confetti cannons that the Flaming Lips shot into the rainy air, while pushing out into the crowd, an enormous cluster of balloons that were taped together to spell out: "F*CK YEAH EDMONTON".

Upon nightfall, the crowd's restlessness was gaining in the atmosphere. Excitement was stirring, and boy, it was contagious! As a black, curtain-like backing stage banner fell to the ground, revealing a heart-skull logo, ALEXISONFIRE took to the dimly lit, red cast stage, greeted by hundreds of screaming fans. Despite the frigid fall air, the audience erupted into a frenzy of worm-rolling crowd surfers, and mosh-pit-maniacs; A pleasant sight for a temporarily reunited band, and heartwarming for a musician in general. The experience of headlining a renowned festival such as Sonic Boom, accompanied by the well received, purely passionate audience, who stayed tough all weekend long throughout the dreary weather, has to be something that the dudes of ALEXISONFIRE won't soon forget! Here's to more sweet reunion shows, see ya next year Sonic Boom!

ALEXISONFIRE

THE ZOLAS

THE ELWINS

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL

BIG DATA

RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE

TOKYO POLICE CLUB

FLAMING LIPS

MOTHER MOTHER

TENACIOUS D

ALEXISONFIRE

Breakdowns for BreakFEST 2015

Dana Zuk August 25, 2015

On August 22nd 2015, heavy metal fans of all ages flocked to the St. Albert Community Hall for the first installment of Breakdowns for Break-FEST, put on by the rock stars at Breakdowns for Breakfast, who are working non-stop to put on epic all-ages shows for everyone to enjoy. With Edmonton's delectable death metal heavy-weights, Death Toll Rising as the evening's headliner, volunteers generously catered to about 150 people while serving breakfast to attendees of the festival, making this a truly tasty event!
Saturday's stage was jam packed with excellence. The likes of: Sleeping in Traffic, Protosequence, Krepitus, Valyria and Great White Shark Fight, were pleasantly received by all in the room, each having a lively crowd, chanting and cheering for more. Not only was this the first festival put on by Breakdowns for Breakfast, it was also a goodbye to Great White Shark Fight. The St. Albert deathcore band has decided to go on hiatus under personal reasons, but being their last show, Great White Shark Fight shredded and boomed through their set, more aggressively than I have ever seen before. As the rhythms of their songs bled through the monitors for one last time, smiles and hugs were exchanged among band members and their nearby fans, making this a sentimental evening for all. Finally, as Death Toll Rising took the stage, the 10-year-strong, five-piece death metal masterpiece sliced and diced their way through their performance with precision and excellence. Playing a hefty amount of songs from their newest album "Infection Legacy", and surprising their audience with a new track, as well as some older songs, and one of my personal favorites, "Demon Rot".
It warms my heart to be a small part of events like Breakdowns for Break-FEST; Seeing smiling faces in the crowd and on stage all while happiness in general sits thick in the air, is a pleasant reminder of why I photograph concerts. The power of music and how it brings people together is unmatched! Here's to more sweet shows and smiling faces!

SLEEPING IN TRAFFIC

PROTOSEQUENCE

KREPITUS

VALYRIA

GREAT WHITE SHARK FIGHT

DEATH TOLL RISING

Loud As Hell Festival 2015 - DAY 1 - July 31, 2015

Dana Zuk August 4, 2015

On Friday July 31st, I hit the road to Drumheller, Alberta for the 4th year of Loud As Hell festival. It was my 3rd year shooting LAH, but was unfortunately cut short for me due to having to leave on account of personal reasons. However, I did catch some snaps of the Friday night bands. Headlined by Edmonton's Striker, an arsenal of killer acts hit the stage such as: Death Toll Rising, Stab Twist Pull, Black Pestilence and Maimed Wolf, opening day for Loud as Hell was just that... LOUD AS HELL!
Kicking off opening day was Didsbury's own, Maimed Wolf, who were awarded by festival organizers, Ryan & Geoff, for playing the festival for four consecutive years, and kicking ass on stage even harder than the year before, making them an excellent opener for the festival. Following on to Calgary's noisy black metal-punks, Black Pestilence. Despite slight guitar troubles on stage, these punkers brought the chaos to Drumheller! Playing a crushing set, packed with apocalyptic and unusual imagery and that thrashy-crossover goodness. Third of the night, Stab Twist Pull, was absolutely WILD! Also from Calgary, Stab Twist Pull drew their audience in by blasting hardcore ferociousness through the monitors with no mercy. Second last on the bill was Edmonton's death metal heavy weights, Death Toll Rising. Playing fast and heavy, with relentless shreddery, Death Toll Rising had a full floor of people headbanging and moshing with no remorse. Headlining Friday night was Edmonton's own, Striker. Playing the festival for two years in a row now, they were an excellent choice for Friday's headliner. With energy thick in the air, Striker smashed, bashed and crashed their way through their set, exchanging mile-wide smiles with each other and their crowd, and playing a number of fan favorite songs that had the audience singing along from the bottom of their hearts and the tops of their lungs.
I always look so forward to hitting this festival every year, as the great people who work so hard to put this event on truly know the meaning of the word 'hospitality'. It breaks my heart to have had to leave early, but hey! Shit happens! All the more reason to rip it up even harder next year! Until next time, Loud As Hell!

MAIMED WOLF

BLACK PESTILENCE

STAB TWIST PULL

DEATH TOLL RISING

STRIKER

Armstrong Metalfest 2015

Dana Zuk July 22, 2015

Heavy metal lovers flocked to Armstrong, British Columbia this past weekend for western Canada's most notorious metal festival, Armstrong Metalfest, as they triumphed over their 7th year of creating a dangerously awesome, fun-filled festival weekend at Armstrong's Hassen Arena. This was my second year shooting AMF, and I had an absolute blast. I'd be lying if I told you that I wasn't waiting for this weekend all year long, and though it's come and gone in the blink of an eye, my time here was just too great to put into words. It was refreshing to get out of Alberta for a weekend, and to marvel at the beauty of British Columbia along the way; I love being in B.C, and this was totally an adventure that my soul needed. The majority of my time spent in Armstrong consisted of shooting 36 incredibly sick bands over the course of 2 days, as well as reconnecting with friends who I only get to see a few times a year, and of course meeting a few new cool kats that made the weekend that much better.
Friday July 17th - Day #1 was jam packed with all sorts of in-your-face bands, all from across Canada; each dominated the stage, and had the room spinning from start to finish. Kicking off the show with Ziege Schwanze, followed by the talented likes of: Apollyon, Slitsoul, Drop Dead Fred, Seraphic Nihilist, Bushwhacker, Galactic Pegasus, Blackest Sin, Without Mercy, The Hallowed Catharsis, Neck Of The Woods, Display of Decay, Xul, Out Of The Ruins, The Order Of Chaos, Terrifier, and Toronto's Crimson Shadows, with Vancouver's Anciients as our Friday night headliner.

ZIEGE SCHWANZE

ZEIGE SCHWANZE

ZIEGE SCHWANZE

APOLLYON

SLITSOUL

DROP DEAD FRED

SERAPHIC NIHILIST

BUSHWHACKER

GALACTIC PEGASUS

BLACKEST SIN

WITHOUT MERCY

THE HALLOWED CATHARSIS

NECK OF THE WOODS

DISPLAY OF DECAY

XUL

LYLIA CHOROSIVE

XUL

OUT OF THE RUINS

THE ORDER OF CHAOS

TERRIFIER

CRIMSON SHADOWS

ANCIIENTS

CRIMSON SHADOWS

ANCIIENTS

Saturday July 18th had another bangin' bill of musicians that came to wreak havoc on stage and kick every ass in the room. Starting off headliner day with Nomessiah, followed by: Odinfist, The Press Gang, The Hellsmen, Tribune, Eye of Odin, Caveat, Stab Twist Pull, Skull Vultures, Dead Asylum, Planet Eater, Angel Maker, Wake, Mortillery, Villainizer, with Wacken Battle Canada winners, Vesperia, as our first full stage headliner, accompanied by the thrashing antics of fellow Canadians, Aggression, and finally, San Diego, California's very own, Cattle Decapitation, as the 2015 headliner for Armstrong Metalfest, whom, might I add, absolutely blew the roof off of the Hassen Arena.

NOMESSIAH

ODINFIST

THE PRESS GANG

THE HELLSMEN

TRIBUNE

EYE OF ODIN

CAVEAT

STAB TWIST PULL

SKULL VULTURES

DEAD ASYLUM

PLANET EATER

ANGEL MAKER

WAKE

MORTILLERY

VILLAINIZER

VESPERIA

AGGRESSION

CATTLE DECAPITATION

The audience on Saturday night was especially wild; Stage diving and moshing more aggressively than the night before, creating an energetic vibe that you could feel the moment you step foot into the venue. The general atmosphere of AMF is something beyond words. It's like one big family reunion with people you've never met, and people you already know, who all share the same passion towards aggressive music, and are all there for the same reason. I'm so honored to be a part of this killer event, and I'm so looking forward to coming back next year! Stay sweet, Armstrong!

Calgary Metalfest 2015

Dana Zuk June 9, 2015

It's that time of year again! Festival season is in full swing and I kicked it off in the best way possible by starting with Calgary Metalfest as they triumphed over the 4th year of the festival. This was my third year shooting this fest, and my most favorite year of all! Though Calgary Metalfest spans over 4 venues - Ship & Anchor, Vern's , Lord Nelson's and, Dicken's Pub - I spent my weekend hanging out at Dicken's for the main headliner bills.
As metal fans from far and wide gathered in Dicken's Pub on Friday June 5th, eight of western Canada's finest metal bands such as: Moosifix, Riot City, Every Hour Kills, Neck of the Woods,Vile Insignia, Without Mercy, and Begrime Exemious came together to dominate the stage. Headlining night one at Dicken's was Alberta's favorite terrorist-thrashers, Villainizer. With the release of their newest album - Annihilation of Self - Villainizer deemed their set at the festival as their final show in Calgary, Alberta; Concluding a 5 year-long journey with a bang, Villainizer reigned terror over their chaotic audience as they boomed through a heavy 8 song set, playing fan-favorite tracks such as 'Twin-Tower Two Step', 'Terror Abraxas' and Candlemass cover 'Gallows', including a skit part way through the performance, enacting the hanging of fontman, Rob the Arab Villain (AKA RAV), and closing with their hit song 'Terrorist Metal' with fans moshing and singing along, making Villainizer's farewell to Calgary a truly memorable goodbye.

MOOSIFIX

RIOT CITY

EVERY HOUR KILLS

NECK OF THE WOODS

VILE INSIGNIA

WITHOUT MERCY

BEGRIME EXEMIOUS

VILLAINIZER

The final day of Calgary Metalfest is always a blast. The main headliners hit the Dicken's stage, and a charity auction takes place to raise money for the Southern Alberta Make A Wish Foundation of the Stollery Children's Hospital. A whole bunch of cool items were donated this year, such as tickets to other metal festivals in western Canada, an exclusive print by Calgary photographer Monika Deviat, a giant Calgary Metalfest show poster that every band signs, and a rare double neck Schecter Diamond Series guitar. All together we managed to raise $2200.00 Canadian dollars towards helping sick kids in southern Alberta.
Saturday June 6th night's bill, similar to Friday's, consisted of a new batch of eight stellar Canadian bands such as: Apprentice, Noire, Sparky, Viathyn, Untimely Demise, Caveat, and Into Eternity that were all ready to rumble on stage. The main headliner for June 6th was Calgary's own Kobra & The Lotus, hitting their home town with a devastatingly wicked performance that left Dicken's Pub begging for more. Kicking off the set with title track of their newest album - High Priestess - Kobra & The Lotus hammered their way through a hefty 12 song set, shredding through fan favorite and classic tracks such as Soldier, Welcome To My Funeral, Forever One and 50 Shades of Evil.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again... The people who put on Calgary Metalfest every year are true rockstars! They work their butts off to put on one of Alberta's top metal festivals and it certainly doesn't go unnoticed. These people not only are supplying a good time for so many metal fans, but are main contributors of the heavy metal culture and lifestyle in Alberta, and Canada! I'm proud to be a small part of this event, and with the utmost appreciation and gratitude, I say THANK YOU!!

APPRENTICE

NOIRE

SPARKY

VIATHYN

UNTIMELY DEMISE

CAVEAT

INTO ETERNITY

KOBRA & THE LOTUS

CHARITY AUCTION

Welcome to my blog!

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Galleries Below!