Apocalyptica Brings Light to Union Hall with Classical Metal on Shadow Maker Tour - June 1, 2015

Dana Zuk June 3, 2015

WOW! What a way to kick off the month of June! Apocalyptica graced Edmonton with on hell of an epic, heavy-hitting headlining set, all while having Union Hall go totally nuts on Monday night! With the audience headbanging, moshing and singing along to their 12 song set consisting of tracks both old and new, these 5 dudes put on an extraordinary performance to a full house of smiling faces. Since junior high, I have been a fan of the Finnish classical-metal quartet, but after seeing them live on Monday night, I have a whole new appreciation for this band. Compiled of 3 cellists, a rockin' drummer, and a newly added vocalist, Apocalyptica creates music in which metal and classical collide, making this band truly stand out from the rest. Composing songs with the most beautiful melodies and just the right amount of heaviness to pull it all together. I'm still speechless from the stellar performance they put on in Edmonton! So due to my lack of words... Check out photos from last night below!

Edmonton Evening Adventures with Brandy - May, 14, 2015

Dana Zuk May 15, 2015

Another much-needed evening of night shooting is in the bag, and once again having the pleasure of photo-walking in Edmonton with Brandy Black of Lady Black Photography.
I've been wanting to get out of the house for an evening to experiment with some night-time photography for what seems like forever now, and finally having the chance to go out with Brandy on a nice, warm evening like last night was just what I needed to gear up for the long weekend.
We managed to hit up the grounds of the Alberta Legislature building again, which despite the building itself, looks completely different from what it was like last time we were there just before the Christmas holiday season - I love the Ledge' grounds at this time of year; all of the leaves are starting to come out, flower beds are prepped to be planted, and the May flower trees are in full bloom, giving off a pleasant scent everywhere you go within the area.
After a necessary pit stop for some delicious hot chocolate, we eventually hit the road to move to a different area of the city when we came across a stellar view of the Edmonton city skyline (above), and though we didn't exactly shoot what we were planning to shoot at our destination, finding this look out point totally made up for it!
I always like to think that when it comes to being a 'creative' it's so important to switch things up from time to time, whether it's photography, painting, or whatever artistic expressions you enjoy and pursue, giving yourself the chance to find new inspirations, and fueling a new appreciation for what you're doing can be the ticket to truly enjoying the things you're passionately creating. With that being said, Brandy and I have some more fun shooting ideas and trips planned out for the near future, and I really can't wait to put our plans into action, and share the adventures with you all!

Check out a few of my favorite shots from last night below!

Ensiferum & Korpiklaani Storm Edmonton on North American Tour - May 13, 2015

Dana Zuk May 14, 2015

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR VANDALA MAGAZINE

Keeping this little ditty short and sweet this time around... It's not often that I'd be caught at a folk metal show, but I like to make it an annual occasion for myself. So, with that being said, what better way to coin my 2015 dosage of folk metal other than heading down to Union Hall on a Wednesday evening to catch Ensiferum, Korpiklaani & Trollfest!?
I have never been overly fond of folk metal, it's just one of those sub-genres that never really clicks with me... But you know what they say, to each their own! One thing is for sure though, the smiles at these shows are endless, and I LOVE IT! Smiles on stage, and smiles in the audience made going to the show all worth it for me, not to mention how cool the people are who attend these concerts.
At the end of the day, I had a great time and managed to get a few cool shots of the 3 wicked-cool bands that graced Union Hall with their awesomeness! Check them out below!

TROLLFEST

KORPIKLAANI

ENSIFERUM

Mastodon & Clutch Find Gratitude in Edmonton on Missing Link Tour - April 19, 2015

Dana Zuk April 21, 2015

PHOTOGRAPHED FOR VANDALA MAGAZINE

What better way to spend a beautiful Sunday evening, than catching the almighty Mastodon, and the gritty melodies of Clutch, as they rock Edmonton on The Missing Link tour.
Eager fans lined the halls of the Edmonton Expo Centre on the evening of April 19th, preparing themselves for a night of radical music and fun.
I have been to the Edmonton Expo Centre many times for a variety of different events, but seeing a concert here? Not totally sure what to expect, I made my way into Hall E of the Expo, and to my surprise, a huge stage with a killer lighting rig was in place; I couldn't wait to conquer it.
Opening the show was Big Business, an incredibly interesting band, consisting of just a drummer and bassist. Ironically, Big Business meant business, this unusual two-piece band delivered an impressive sound with charming vocals accompanied by booming bass.
Co-headliner Clutch was up to bat, and I could feel the energy rising within the room. As this bluesy-rock group filed on stage, the sound of gritty southern guitar twang came pouring through the speakers. It immediately had my foot tapping and feeling the groove. As Clutch rolled through their set, more and more people in the audience were bobbing their heads and singing along, myself included.
Finally, the time has come for Atlanta's own Mastodon to hit the stage. It's been 4 years since I first saw Mastodon do their thing in Edmonton, and back then, I wasn't the biggest fan. But this time around, and now that I have a new appreciation for their music, I've been dying to see Mastodon, especially since the release of their newest album, Once More 'Round The Sun (2014). My excitement was at an all time high when the 4 progressive metallers took their places on stage. Mastodon played a variety of songs that truly demonstrated the dynamic of this wicked band, Groovy guitar riffs complimented by beautiful kick-you-in-the-feelings vocal harmonies, Mastodon had the Expo Centre headbanging and singing along to just about every song they played. There's just something about being in the crowd at a concert, when you can hear a vast majority of the crowd singing along to your favorite song that really starts a fire in your heart. Well, at least it does for me! I give this concert a solid 11/10 on the epic scale, Mastodon has once again rocked Edmonton, putting on a solid performance that won't soon be forgotten.

Mastodon

Clutch

Big Business

BLEED Shreds the Way to National Finals for Wacken Metal Battle Canada - April 18, 2015

Dana Zuk April 20, 2015

The Pawn Shop hosted the true battle of Alberta on Saturday night, as the 2 finalists from both the Edmonton and Calgary Wacken Metal Battles came together to duke it out for a chance to represent Alberta at the national finals in Toronto, ON.
After making a huge mark on Alberta's heavy metal music scene, I can't help but send out a big thank you to BLEED, Arrival Of Autumn,AfterEarth & DETHGOD for putting on remarkable performances on Saturday night, and throughout the entire duration of the battles. Each band played their hearts out, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. Metalheads from both Calgary and Edmonton flocked to the hosting venues night after night to show their support, and cheer on their cities representatives to the provincial finals, with Edmonton's own gore-inspired death metallers, BLEED, coming out on top to represent Alberta in the Canadian national finals of this epic battle of the bands, that will send one lucky Canadian band to play at this year's Wacken Open Air in Germany. Good luck BLEED!!

Check out photos from the Alberta finals below!

Alberta Finalists

Arrival of Autumn

AfterEarth

DETHGOD

BLEED

Aurora Borealis in Northern Alberta - April 16, 2015

Dana Zuk April 18, 2015

I'm changing it up a bit this morning, from musicians to northern lights! Lately, I've been seeing so many gorgeous photographs that fellow photographers and friends have been taking of the Aurora Borealis, and it has inspired me to try it out for myself.
Around 11:30 pm on Thursday night, I packed up the good ol' ThinkTank photo bag with my Canon 6D, 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and trusty tripod, and set out to the back yard to see what I could catch. I've lived outside of the city for most of my life, and though it has it's downfalls at times, it makes up for what it lacks in complete tranquility. From hearing the calming sounds of wildlife, to the light-pollutionless night sky, it really is a peaceful place... And now, a prime location for northern light and astral photography!
Though my attempts to shoot last night's northern lights didn't go as planned due to cloud coverage, I only managed to catch a few photos of the sky on Thursday night, but now I'm completely hooked, and can't wait to catch the next Aurora sighting!

Check out 2 more of my favorite photos from Thursday night below!

Mortillery Massacres The Pawn Shop During Edmonton Extermination Concert - April 11, 2015

Dana Zuk April 14, 2015

AMPSANDGREENSCREENS.COM OFFICIAL SET REVIEW

It’s Saturday night, the weather is just right, and Edmonton is ready to rock, as YEG’s thrash-masters, MORTILLERY, are gearing up for an evening of epic proportions. The band is still gleaming with much well-deserved hype over their pickup on SEPULTURA’S 2014 European tour. And now, after not playing to a local crowd in Edmonton for almost a year, thrashers and metal lovers of all kinds have flocked to The Pawn Shop to catch MORTILLERY in action.

As these five thrash assassins shredded their way through their set, a desire for audible annihilation loomed heavily in the air. So they set about the task of rolling out heart-pounding riffs delivered by guitarists Alex Gutierrez & Kent Quinlan, and complemented by thundering bass lines and drumming of Miranda Wolfe & Kevin Gaudet respectively. All of which was delightfully pulled together with frontwoman Cara McCutchen’s piercing voice as the cherry on top.

On a mission to deliver the heavy metal madness, MORTILLERY kicked off their set with “Sacrifice” and “Evil Remains”, two wicked tracks off of their first full-length album entitled Murder Death Kill from 2011. Next up was various tracks such as “Creature Possessor” and “No Way Out” from 2013’s sophomore disc Origin of Extinction. Treating their local fans to a handful of songs off of their yet-to-be-released third record that remains unnamed, the audience boomed with excitement. Hair was flying everywhere through the air from start to finish as fans sang and headbanged along to each track that came pouring through the monitors and amps, making this the most energetic local show of 2015!

Arrival of Autumn & BLEED Move on to Alberta Finals for Wacken Metal Battle Canada - April 2, 2015

Dana Zuk April 3, 2015

Talk about your all time epic showdown! The 4 winners from each round of the Edmonton Wacken Metal Battles, Elnora, Arrival of Autumn, BLEED and Black XIII, all came together at the Pawn Shop on Thursday, April 2nd to battle it out to see which 2 bands would move on to face Calgary's top 2 on April 18th, where only one winner will move on to represent Alberta at the national finals in Toronto.
Playing in order of which bands won each round, kicking off the night was Red Deer's Elnora. Elnora dominated the first round of the Edmonton battles, and on Thursday night, they delivered a crushing set, full of breakdowns and epicness; Jam packed with energy that had their audience raging, and cheering for more.
Hailing all the way from Grande Prairie, AB, Arrival of Autumn was up next, and ready to kick some serious ass. After hearing many great things about this band from the second round of the battles, I was anticipating their set. With a wild crowd and wicked riffage from start to finish, Arrival of Autumn left one hell of a first impression on myself, as well as many others who gathered at the front of the stage to catch their set.
Third of the night was Edmonton's own, BLEED. With the faint smell of fake blood and maple syrup in the air, BLEED boomed into their set, playing songs compiled of thundering drums and gut wrenching vocals, with gore and horror inspired stage props to tie it all together.
Last but certainly not least, round 4 winners Black XIII was ready to rumble. Unfortunately missing this band's round due to a stubborn head cold, I was once again intrigued by what I was about to hear. As this blackened death metal threesome rolled through their set, I must say, I was mildly impressed. With their drummer as a front man, Black XIII played a handful of heavy songs with comedic names; cracking smiles on their audiences faces and immediately spreading the urge to head bang.
In the end, Arrival of Autumn and BLEED were chosen as Edmonton's representatives for the ultimate battle of Alberta, where in 2 short weeks, they will be gathering at the Pawn Shop once again to face Calgary's finalists, in an epic battle to see who will move on to the Canadian national finals. One band to rule them all... I CAN'T WAIT!

BLEED & Arrival Of Autumn

Elnora

Arrival of Autumn

BLEED

Black XIII

Want to check out the ultimate battle of Alberta?! Find the event info HERE!

BLËED Claims Round 3 of Edmonton Wacken Battles - March 19, 2015

Dana Zuk March 24, 2015

When the bill for round 3 of the Edmonton Wacken Metal Battles was announced, I couldn't help but feel all sorts of excited, as Valyria, Cat the Adversary, Dieuponaday and BLËED would be going head to head with each other for a spot in the Edmonton finals, alongside round one winners Elnora, and round two winners Arrival Of Autumn.
After missing the second round of the Wacken Battles due to covering another concert, I was eager to check out round 3 after previously hearing only 2 of the 4 bands on the bill. Starting off the night was St. Albert's own Valyria. As these melodic death metallers galloped and thrashed their way through a 30 minute set, Valyria had their audience going nuts! Moshing and headbanging, and not missing a single beat. Second up was Cat the Adversary, a 3 piece experimental metal band with a very unique sound. Despite technical difficulties with guitar gear on stage, Cat the Adversary played tracks that I found to be similar to that of Animals As Leaders, and Frank Zappa, with just a touch of grunge to pull it all together. Dieuponaday was up next, after hearing many positive comments about the band, I was curious to see what these guys could do. With a sound similar to that of Killswitch Engage, Dieuponaday had made a great impression on their audience, which lead to numerous people hurrying to the merch tables to pick up on of their tee-shirts and a CD. Last, but certainly not least, Edmonton's horror kings, BLËED, was up to bat. This theatrical thrash band stands a part from any other within the Alberta music scene. With music inspired by bands such as Black Sabbath, Strapping Young Lad and the obvious GWAR, BLËED had the blood of their audience pumping like never before as they shredded their way to victory for the third round of the Edmonton Wacken Battles.

BLEED

Valyria

Cat The Adversary

Dieuponaday

BLEED

Hit up next week's battle HERE!
Want to see more photos from this show? Check them out HERE!

In Flames Burns Through Edmonton With All That Remains and Wovenwar on Charming America Tour - March 12, 2015 @ Encore at WEM

Dana Zuk March 16, 2015

AMPSANDGREENSCREENS.COM OFFICIAL CONCERT REVIEW

West Edmonton Mall: Tourist Attraction, A Shop-aholic's Dream come true, and now, heavy metal concert destination. Swedish metal ledgends, In Flames, is about to grace Encore with one hell of a performance, accompanied by All That Remains and Wovenwar.

Starting the night off right with Wovenwar warming up the crowd, the former As I Lay Dying musicians and vocalist, Shane Blay, of Oh, Sleeper kicked this show into high gear, opening up their set with 'All Rise' and 'Death To Rights' from their 2014 self-titled debut album, which had their audience's hair in the air, and singing along at the tops of their lungs. This was Wovenwar's first time playing Edmonton as a band, leaving nothing short of an excellent impression of YEG's metal fans.

Next up to the plate was Massachusetts own, All That Remains. All That Remains started their set of with 'No Knock' from their newest album The Order Of Things, which had been just released less than one month prior to their Edmonton performance. With fans going insane in the mosh pits, ATR soared through their 10 song set, nailing a number of their hit songs, such as 'Six', 'This Calling', and heavy metal ballad 'What If I Was Nothing?'. With fans singing along and moshing their hearts out, All That Remains has once again left their mark on Edmonton, and boy! Was it ever a good one!

With anticipation and excitement sitting thick in the air, In Flames took Encore's stage by force. As fans began to erupt into a frenzy of moshing, and with crowd surfers worm-rolling through the audience, In Flames absolutely dominated their 16 song set, playing a number of hits that have spanned over their still-running-strong 25 year career, such as 'Clayman', 'Bullet Ride', 'Cloud Connected', and 'The Quiet Place' - to name a few of my personal favorite tracks - Along with a handful of new songs from their most recent album Siren Charms, such as 'Paralyzed', 'With Eyes Wide Open', and 'Everything Is Gone'. Though these Swedish metallers are frequent visitors to Edmonton, this performance, hands down, by far and without a doubt is one of, if not THE best show that they have ever put on in this city, and I'm confident that Edmonton's metal fans will agree with me on that statement. Until next time, In Flames!

WANT TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS SHOW?
CHECK THEM OUR HERE!

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