Elnora Dominates First Round of Edmonton's Wacken Metal Battle - March 5, 2015

Well, it's that time of year again! The metal battles are here, and Edmonton is ready to rumble! Kicking off this year's Wacken Metal Battle Canada at The Pawn Shop was Dahlmer's Realm, Red Deer's Elnora, and Windy City Slaughter, who traveled all the way from Chicago to participate in the Edmonton battles.
For those who aren't exactly sure what the Canadian metal battles are: Bands who enter the competition are selected from each province are given the opportunity to battle it out once a week for the month of March. The bands are judged on numerous things, such as stage presence, crowd interaction, dynamics, and so much more. After four rounds of numerous bands going head to head, winners from each provincial round will then participate in their city finals, as only one band will be chosen to represent their province. Winners of the provincial battles will then proceed onto the national battles, which take place in Toronto, Ontario. Winning this nation-wide ultimate battle of the bands will allow one lucky band from Canada to play the 2015 Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. Pretty cool, right? 
With Elnora taking the cake for Edmonton's first round, I can't help but feel more and more excited as next Thursday draws nearer. The Edmonton metal community is coming together to support our talented musicians, and with so many eager bands chomping at the bit for this opportunity, the competition is only going to get faster, fiercer, and heavier!  

Want to see more photos from this show? Check them out HERE! 
 

Behemoth & Cannibal Corpse Bring Ritual and Chaos to Edmonton - February 13, 2015

AMPSANDGREENSCREENS.COM OFFICIAL CONCERT REVIEW

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       It's Friday the 13th - A night in which the local Edmonton metalheads are out for one hell of a party and a ritualistic experience; Union Hall concert goers received both, a hefty dose of Poland's blackened death metal demigods, Behemoth, and American death metal heavy-weights, Cannibal Corpse.

As fans were let into the venue, supporters of blackened-rockers, Tribulation, and death metallers, Aeon, began to fill the Hall; As these two Swedish based bands powered through their energetic sets, their authentic music amped up the crowd in preparation for what was yet to come.  

25-year-strong death metal icons Cannibal Corpse were next up on the bill. The party was about to start! Fans began pressing towards the barricades and throwing beer cans in the air as the time for Cannibal Corpse drew nearer. As each member of the band filled their place on the dimly lit stage, the roars of the crowd consecutively grew louder and louder. With the whipping of George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher's incredibly muscular neck, the band thundered into 'Scourge of Iron' from 2012's album 'Torture'. Between songs, Corpsegrinder called upon their guitar tech, Baby Face, gesturing to him to come onto the stage. Thinking something was horribly wrong, Baby Face hurried over, only to be surprised with a birthday cake, lit with candles and held by a fellow tech friend from the tour. Smiles cracked through the stone-like faces on each member of Cannibal Corpse as Baby Face hugged and thanked them all for wishing him a happy birthday. As the set continued on, CC rolled through some of their old-school, gut-wrenching and gruesome tracks such as 'I Cum Blood', 'Make Them Suffer', 'Skull Full Of Maggots' and 'Hammer Smashed Face' each errupting into the most aggressive and chaotic of mosh pits that the Union Hall has ever, and probably will ever see.

Eagerly waiting for Behemoth's appearance, the strong scent of incense filled the room as a few sticks of Nag Champa slowly burnt off of frontman and guitarist, Adam 'Nergal' Darski's microphone alter. The Hall began to fill with smoke, as spotlights beemed down through the haze upon the microphone stands with steel cobras coiled around them, creating a very ritualistic image throughout the room - the Hall went black as bassist Orion, drummer Inferno and guitarist Seth took place on stage, followed by frontman Nergal, who bowed to the audience with flaming posts in both hands. As Nergal rose to his feet, he threw down his fiery posts, and the band boomed into 'Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer' - a track from 2014's album 'The Satanist'. On the receiving end of the piercing glares that Nergal would frequently give the crowd, you couldn't help by feel like he was staring into your soul, followed by yelling into his ambient microphone "How does it feel to be alive?!" then, proceeding into 'Ben Sahar' (The Satanist, 2014). After a victorious battle with leukemia a few years prior, a new found appreciation for life was awakened within Nergal, which has inspired many songs on 2014's album The Satanist. Behemoth performed a series of hit tracks from over the years, such as 'Conquer All', 'At The Left Hand Ov God' and 'Of Fire and The Void', each highlighting the incredible talents of the musicians on stage. Though excluding 2014's single 'Blow Your Trumpets, Gabriel', which left many Behemoth supporters disappointed. Closing the night off with Nergal's incantation of 'Ojcze Nasz', the 4 demigods appeared through beems of white light peering down through the hazey air, wearing cloaks and black horned masks, casting silhouettes upon the audience, making Friday the 13th at Union Hall, a truly haunting, spiritual experience that wont soon be forgotten.

Black Label Society w/ Hatebreed & Butcher Babies @ Shaw Conference Centre - January 2, 2015

Happy new year, everyone! I started off the new year in the best possible way. I spent the evening of January 2nd photographing 3 excellent bands - Butcher Babies, Hatebreed and Black Label Society - at Edmonton's Shaw Conference Centre. It was refreshing to shoot in a larger venue for a change, with an enormous stage and great lighting. Not to mention the plethora of talent that graced the Shaw's stage on Friday night! From Butcher Babies' dynamic-duo Carla Harvey & Heidi Shepherd, Hatebreed's hardcore-powerhouse of a frontman, Jamey Jasta, to shred-master and guitar god, Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society.
I'm still buzzing about this show, I had such a great time networking with new people, and shooting some of the coolest kats in metal today!
Sending a big thank you out to Vandala Magazine for having me on board with them for this show, and to Kevin Eisenlord of Pandemic Photography Canada, for getting a shot of me in action! Check out some of my favorite snaps from Friday night below!

Want to see more photos from this show? Check them out here!
Butcher Babies - Hatebreed - Black Label Society

The Best Of 2014

Well, 2014 is coming to an end, and I couldn't be any happier with how this year has gone for me. I went on adventures all around western Canada, and was given so many great opportunities to photograph some of the best musicians in the metal world, and also had the pleasure of meeting some of the coolest people ever along the way.
This year has held some of my most cherished memories as a photographer, businesswoman and as a person. From West of Hell accidentally over-doing it on the pyro, and blowing two HUGE holes in the roof of the venue that Armstrong Metalfest is hosted at, to Chris Valagao (AKA The Heathen - frontman of West of Hell and Zimmer's Hole) hopping up on stage with Death Toll Rising to sing 'While You Were Shouting At The Devil...' at Loud As Hell festival. (Check out the live video of that song here, courtesy of Darryn 'Slim' Ritchey of SlimBzTV, Slim always gets the most WICKED concert footage!)
But, when it all boils down, this year has opened my eyes to what is most important, and has made me realize that if there's one thing that I love most about what I do, it's the tremendous amount of support that friends, family and people who I don't even know have shown me, this year and in general. Nothing lifts my spirits quite like seeing one of my images being shared online by a friend, being asked to shoot some of my all time favorite bands for publications all around the globe, or just receiving a simple thank you for snapping pictures of someones set. It's the little things like that, that truly makes me want to photograph concerts and musicians until the day I die. For that, I have to thank all of the people who have given me these incredible opportunities that I will forever be grateful for. You all know who you are! Much love.
Anyway, enough of this sentimental stuff! I've gone through my 2014 archive, what feels to be a million times, and I have gathered 150 of my most favorite photos from this year. So here you have it, folks! In chronological order, and divided into 5 albums... My favorites of 2014.

Photo-walking with Brandy & Kevin - December 17, 2014

Last night was awesome! I got together with Brandy Black of Lady Black Photography & Design, and Kevin Eisenlord of Pandemic Photography Canada, and the three of us visited Alberta's Legislature building to check out this years Christmas lights, then took an adventure down to Edmonton's most popular Christmas street - Candy Cane Lane.
Candy Cane Lane is an annual attraction that brings hundreds of people to the homes between 92nd avenue and 100th avenue, all to admire the gorgeous arrangements of Christmas lights and festive outdoor-decor that these people put on display year after year. 
It was so refreshing to go photo-walking with Brandy and Kevin; They're both brilliant photographers, and getting to venture the city of Edmonton with them, cameras in hand, was just what I needed to lift my spirits!
Check out some of my snaps from last night below!

Down w/ Orange Goblin & King Parrot @ Union Hall - December 13, 2014

If I were only allowed to use one word to describe Saturday night's show... That word would be: WILD!! Plain and simple! Down, Orange Goblin and King Parrot all put on outstanding performances from beginning to end.
Kicking off the night was Australian grind-masters King Parrot. This was King Parrot's second show ever in the city of Edmonton, and did they ever kill it! With a frontman that takes the saying 'balls to the wall' to a whole new level, and between stage-diving, crowd-surfing and starting one of the most brutal mosh pits that I have ever seen, King Parrot has to be one of the most intense and entertaining bands that I've had the pleasure of meeting and photographing. Going from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds, King Parrot left an impression that their audience wont soon forget.
Second on the bill was Orange Gobin, hailing all the way from London, England, and also upon their second visit to Edmonton, these English heavy metallers came to kick ass, and boy.. Did they ever! With a frontman that looks to be as tall as a tree, and has a voice that could make a kitten purr, Orange Goblin has one of the most unique sounds in heavy metal today. Pairing head-bangable guitar riffs with hammering drum beats, Orange Goblin will get your blood pumping, and, well... They'll make you want to put your headbanging hair in the air!
Now. The moment that we've been waiting for... Down was up next... I could feel my heart beating a little faster with each passing minute. I'm personally a big fan of Down, so my anticipation was at an all time high. Finally, filing one by one onto the stage, the gentlemen of Down took their places. The crowd progressively got louder and louder, then, the man himself - Phil Anselmo, heavy metal icon, and former frontman of the legendary Pantera, placed himself front and center of the stage. At this point, the crowd was roaring to the point where I could hardly hear myself think. With that signature pouty-lip and grumpy facial expression, Anselmo took the band straight into Lysergik Funeral Procession - from 2002's record 'Down II' - and dedicated the song to the memory of former bandmate, friend and brother, Dimebag Darrell. Fans were happily cheering, singing along and in awe of being in the presence of one of heavy metals most iconic frontmen. Stage divers and crowd surfers were abundant on Saturday night, including a few of the dudes from King Parrot! Down carried on with their set, playing a handful of classic songs, such as Witchtripper and Stone The Crow - all songs that truly make you feel something while listening to them. Towards the end of the set, Phil Anselmo lit up a cigarette, took a few puffs, smiled, and then spoke from the heart with his audience; Expressing his appreciation and gratitude towards everyone who came to see Down, Orange Goblin and King Parrot, making this a sentimental moment between musicians and fans. For the very last song of Down's set, Bury Me In Smoke - From 1995's debut album 'Nola' - Each member from all three bands filed on stage and all began to collectively perform this classic tune. With laughter and smiling faces, Down, Orange Goblin, and King Parrot all made this particular show so memorable. Whether it was seeing King Parrot's frontman start one of the most intense mosh pits that Union Hall has ever seen... Watching an unbelievably tall English frontman gulp down an entire tallboy can of Strong Bow beer... Or simply watching Phil Anselmo pull fans onto stage to sing along with... This performance on Saturday, December 13th; A show that fans will be buzzing about a year from now, sets the record for the most energetic show of 2014. My hat is off to the 'Punk Rock But Kinda Not' tour for making this another wicked show for the memory bank!

Want to see more photos from this show? Check them out here!
King Parrot - Orange Goblin - Down

Breakdowns For Breakfast Vol. 2 @ St. Albert Hall - December 6, 2014

I had the pleasure of shooting the second all ages show presented by Breakdowns For Breakfast, hosted at the St. Albert Community Hall in beautiful St. Albert on Saturday night. It's so great to see a group of wonderful people getting together to breathe new life into the all ages music scene here in the Edmonton area. With over 100 people in attendance, and with 5 great bands all sporting their stuff, this show was a great success!
Kicking off the show was Appraise The Peril - St. Albert deathcore locals - Followed by Edmonton metallists Surrender To Reason. I was happily hired on board to shoot for a few friends - Tides Of Kharon, Valyria & Saturday night headliners Negation - I gotta say, they all did such a great job with their sets! It was Tides of Kharon's first show ever, and they made one hell of an impression on their audience! I, for one, look forward to seeing these dudes more often throughout the Edmonton/Alberta music scene. Curious about their sound? Mosey on over to their ReverbNation, and show 'em some love! Supporting headliner and melodic-death metallers, Valyria, melted just about every face in the room. Their set was full of wicked shredding and lovely melodies, not to mention killer headbanging! Their album kicks ass, and I recommend everyone with an taste for some good melo-death to check it out on BandCamp! Headlining the night was St. Albert's very own Negation... My goodness, did they ever knock this one out of the park! Kicking off the set with a huge thank you to the people who help put on these great all ages shows, this hardcore trio went straight into some double-kick and chuggy-guitar goodness. Featuring a guest appearance by Marty McTeague on vocals, from Edmonton's own Cleanse Kill, and getting an incredible response from their crowd, Negation did not disappoint. Being one of the top hardcore bands in the Edmonton area, Negation is a must listen for anybody who loves music that makes you want to throwdown and take over the world! Be sure to follow their YouTube by clicking here to stay up to date on their newest releases!
After leaving St.Albert's Community Hall on Saturday night, I got to thinking... We NEED shows like this in our community! It's the younger generations that will keep our love and devotion to the art of music alive and well! Not only that, but it truly makes me happy to see such awesome people supporting each other and having a blast doing what they so passionately live and breathe for; All working together to create a stone-solid community of music lovers, and inspiring people of all ages to get involved and create an even stronger community!

Hit up these links to see more photos of: Tides Of Kharon - Valyria - Negation

All Else Fails w/ Tyrant & Death Toll Rising - Seedy & Cody's Farewell Show @ The Rendezvous - December 5, 2014

Another night of local metal in Alberta's capital, and another reminder of why I love my job. The Rendezvous hosted one hell of a show; Sold out and jam packed with action. All in the honor of saying farewell to 2 excellent musicians, and beloved friends. Seedy Mitchell, long time bassist of Edmonton's own All Else Fails, and Cody Nisbet, drummer and founding member of Tyrant.
Kicking off the night was YEG's death metal heavyweights, Death Toll Rising. Despite hopping on this bill with incredibly short notice, DTR had the crowd roaring with excitement. Playing a wicked set, with a handful of songs both old and new, along with an abundance of hair in the air, these gentlemen set the bar for energy last night.
Tyrant was up next, and ready to kick some serious ass. Seeing as it was Cody's last show as a member of the band, and frontman Brett Reid's birthday, I knew that Tyrant's set was going to blow the roof off of the 'Vous. Kicking off their set with speed, Tyrant had the crowd moving nonstop! Whether it was moshers, or people headbanging, these guys has the audience going WILD from start to finish!
Last, but certainly not least, it was All Else Fails' time to shine. This band puts on one of the sickest shows in Edmonton, and they DO NOT disappoint! High energy from start to finish, AEF let Seedy say his farewell with a bang; Playing a killer set, loaded with tunes from the early days, and the most recent - bringing moments of nostalgia, and giving life to new music for fans, friends, and themselves. All Else Fails knocked this one out of the park; Putting on one of their best performances of 2014.
Farewells are never easy, but last night was the perfect way to say goodbye and wish luck to Cody and Seedy, with life, and all of their future endeavors. Every face in the Rendezvous had a smile on last night, and it's all because of the great people who work hard to put on spectacular performances night after night. I feel honored to have been a part of this night for all of these wonderful people who got on stage and gave it their all. The importance of support for these people means the world, and not a moment passed by where support wasn't shown. Last night was also an excellent reminder for me; Reminding me of why I do what I do, and why I love it so much. It's the people like the gentlemen in Death Toll Rising, Tyrant and All Else Fails that keep me going, and inspire me to set goals and smash them! And for that, I cannot help but say: Thank you.

Click here to check out more photos of All Else Fails!

Animals As Leaders w/ Devin Townsend & Monuments @ Union Hall - November 21, 2014

Oh. My. Goodness. So Friday night was off the HOOK. Union Hall was jam packed with progressive metal, but most of my anticipation was held for one of my most favorite musicians - Devin Townsend.
Kicking off the night, UK prog metal sensation Monuments was up first. I haven't heard Monuments before... But just a few songs into their set, I decided that this band was the perfect opener for this particular show. Their songs were all about the punchy melodies and wanky guitar riffs - making them exceptionally well suited for this tour. Plus, it was nice to reconnect with a new friend, who I met back in August for Edmonton's Harvesting Hell festival. Alex was previously drumming for technical death metallers The Faceless, but has moved on to Monuments, and is a great fit for the band, and I wish him all the best with his new bandmates!
Devin Townsend was up next, and my excitement levels were over 9000 *lol, kudos if you get that reference ;)* I have been a HUGE fan of Devin's work for years now, and have always viewed him as a big inspiration while his music held such a strong impact on my life. Both, in Strapping Young Lad, and with the Devin Townsend Project - the man is a musical genius, if you ask me. Playing a handful of new songs off of his newest dual record entitled 'Z2' - featuring albums 'Sky Blue' & 'Dark Matters' - Devin Townsend had people going absolutely wild! I have never seen a musician get such a positive ovation from their audience. Between his awesome facial expressions, and telling jokes at the end of songs, Devin is one hell of a performer, and one of the most powerful singers I have ever seen - Being in a photo pit, right up at the front of the stage for the first 3 songs of a set, usually you cant hear much... Drums, bass... Maybe the odd guitar squeal... But Townsend's voice soared through the monitors with ease. It gave me chills up and down my spine, which is something that does not happen often, let me tell you that! Lastly, Devin closed off the set with 'Grace' and 'Kingdom' - two songs off of 2012's album 'Epicloud' - Two of my personal favorites of his, so of course I was singing at the top of my lungs, along with all of the other people who were relentlessly singing to these beautiful songs. Once their set was over, the members of the Devin Townsend Project began tossing guitar pics, drumstick and set lists into the audience, while Devin stepped down to the barricade, hugging, shaking hands and give high-fives to anyone he could reach. Like I mentioned, the ovation this man received here in Edmonton was staggering, and I truly cant wait until he's back in town to melt some more faces.
Hailing from Washington D.C, and Friday night's headliner, Animals As Leaders was up next. Even though Animals As Leaders was in Edmonton at the beginning of 2014, they still drew quite a big crowd to Union Hall. The technicality within the music that this band creates is completely mind-boggling - playing as a 3 piece instrumental band, these three musicians have to be some of the best in the business today. Though I do not closely follow their music, as a (kind of) musician myself, I completely appreciate the composition behind the music that AAL puts out there, it's mildly impressive *to put it lightly* and heavy as all hell at the same time. I wish to have at least a fraction of their musical talents some day! Regardless of my lack of knowledge behind Animals As Leaders' music, they put on one wicked show, leaving fans both old and new, in complete awe, and on the edge of their seats, eagerly wanting more.
Overall, my analysis of Friday night's show... Probably one of the best of 2014. Definitely in the top 5, for me anyway!

Want to see more photos from this show? Check them out here!
Monuments - Devin Townsend Project - Animals As Leaders
I also did a review of the Devin Townsend Project's set! Click here to check it out!

Arch Enemy w/ Kreator & Huntress @ Union Hall - November 4, 2014

November 4th is definitely a date for the memory books. Arch Enemy was on tour through North America with their brand new frontwoman, and they brought along German thrash kings Kreator, and California metallers Huntress to kick some ass while melting faces for each North American date.
Huntress was up first to start off the night. Though Union Hall is not a very big venue... The floor was quite full with eager fans and curious individuals who haven't seen this powerhouse band before. Starting off their set with 'Enter the Exosphere' - the intro to their most recent album 'Starbound Beast'. *Personally, this song gets me pumped right up, so I can only imagine how everyone else felt who was twice as excited as I was* As the band filed on stage, their witchy frontwoman, Jill Janus, came sulking out of the shadows, wearing a gorgeous hooded cape with spikes on the shoulders. As Jill flipped her hood back and hair out of her face, the crowd began to roar. Huntress immediately transitioned into 'Spell Eater' - The title track off of their first record 'Spell Eater' - and the room exploded! Accompanied by galloping guitars, and thundering drums, Jill's piercing vocals illuminated the room from start to finish. As a personal friend of the band, it was great to see these wonderful people in Canada again; kicking ass and taking names! I eagerly await the release of their 3rd album, and cannot wait until the next time they're in town.
After Huntress had the honor of warming up the crowd, Kreator was up next, and ready to tear Edmonton a new one. Now, I have been dying to see Kreator live ever since I was about 15 years old... So needless to say, I felt like a giddy teenager in the photo pit when each member of Kreator came on stage. Kicking their set off in style, opening with 'The Patriarch' - off of 2001's album 'Violent Revolution' - Union Hall went absolutely wild! With strobe lights firing off every 2 minutes, and smoke cannons blasting, I have never seen people mosh so hard in my years of metal-concerting. Midway through Kreator's set, when frontman Miland (Mille) Petrozza announced that the next song they were about to play was 'Enemy of God' - off of 2005's album (and my personal favorite album) 'Enemy Of God' - the crowd roared so loud, that I need to double check to make sure my earplugs hadn't fallen out. Finally, closing with their most popular song 'Pleasure To Kill' - from their 1986 album 'Pleasure To Kill'. People who came out to see this set were going full throttle for the entire hour of being in Kreator's presence. I, for one, believe Edmonton made a good impression on these thrash metal kings of Germany.
Now, onto Arch Enemy. One of my most favorite bands. They have been in metal news for the past few months, due to the recent switch up of frontwomen. Going from German metal queen Angela Gossow, to Canadian and former frontwoman of the band 'The Agonist', Alissa White-Gluz (aka: the Queen Beast). Despite the controversy between fans when it comes to comparing these two ladies, I personally think Alissa does a fine job of filling Angela's shoes. Though, at first, I'll admit that I was skeptical... But it took this most recent performance for me to see that even though Alissa doesn't have the same raw and gritty heaviness in her voice that Angela does, she's FULL of energy on stage; Interacting with her bandmates on stage, along with fans in the front row. Arch Enemy began their set with the intro off of their newest album 'War Eternal' (which has Miss.White-Gluz on lead vocals) then hopped right into 'Enemy Within' - from 2001's album 'Wages Of Sin'. I must say... I was curious as to how Alissa would sound performing 'Angela-songs' live... Though Alissa is a very talented woman, I feel that she sacrifices her incredible vocal range to try matching Angela's heaviness, and for that, unfortunately, her performance suffers. But! Arch Enemy is still incredibly fun to watch! Lead guitarist Michael Amott, was on point throughout this show. Nailing every solo, and totally melting faces during his time to shine. Closing out their set with 'Fields of Desolation' - from 1999 album 'Burning Bridges' - Arch Enemy kicked some serious ass on this visit to Edmonton.
Overall... It's hard to say that Alissa did a bad job. Because all in all, she went out there and gave it everything she had! Doing everything that a good frontwoman should do. So despite my personal views on all of that vocal stuff.... I still continue to show the utmost respect towards Alissa. Being a woman in the metal world is hard, there's no doubt about that, but no matter who it is, whether is Jill from Huntress, or Alissa from Arch Enemy, or even girls in local bands!... The ladies of metal will always have my support! 

Want to see more photos from this show? Check them out here!
Huntress - Kreator - Arch Enemy