“We had been discussing a name change for a couple of months prior to playing the Noctis festival,” muses Lester Skelter, drummer and vocalist for Western Canadian traditional metallers Spell. A continuation of the NWOBHM metal lineage begun by the young trio’s previous act Stryker, Spell is the sum of this basic equation: Stryker + ‘70s prog + ‘60s psychedelic imagery. Confused yet? So were we…

“When it turned out that Striker from Edmonton (they were featured in Iron Fist Issue 9) got booked on the same show… that was kind of the final thing that made us go ahead with the name change,” says Skelter. Indeed, the act played the final Noctis 666 in September of 2013, and was somewhat humorously double billed by a cheeky promoter.

“Although really, underneath that, the name change had been a long time coming as well, because the initial name reflected more of the ‘80s heavy metal style that we started playing. We’ve taken on a lot of new influences and gone in a new direction and become better and more capable players, and so we thought the new aesthetic and direction we were going in needed a new name.”

Far from embarrassed by their initial … Read More

“Speed metal rites!” Claims vocalist, Speed Metal Enforcer of upcoming, Canadian maniacs, Gatekrashör. One can only assume they formed by hanging out in a garage listening to Razor and Running Wild records. Speedeceiver (bass) informs us that, “Back in 2008, me and Speed Metal Enforcer got the idea of starting a heavy metal band, a fast one”. However an unstable lineup meant they weren’t in the position to release any material. It wasn’t until late 2012 when their killer debut EP ‘Fear Of Attack’ was unveiled online that a storm began to brew. The Jackhammer (drums) says that the two-tracks of insanity were “recorded on an 8-track recording machine in a basement”. Filthy as it sounds too, Mr. Hammer. Now in 2013, the band have performed at various local shows to support the EP and are soon to perform at the Ragnarökkr Metal Festival in Chicago on May 3. Speedeceiver hints; “We are almost done recording our full-length album, which will hopefully be out in time for our appearance at the festival”. Steel Avenger (guitars) has the final word; “The licks on the new album will kick your ass much harder than ‘Fear Of Attack’. So be ready.” You heard … Read More