FOR THOSE ABOOT TO ROCK: Riffs of Canada with The Weir (Calgary, Alberta)

By: Mark Tremblay

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 03/12/2017

Label: Sunmask Records

Even though the band's sound is slowly changing, riffs remain as important as they ever have and patience will eventually be rewarded, as the listener is pummelled by a leviathan sized riffs that only The Weir can deliver. 

“Detached” CS//DD track listing:

1). Weak with Rage

2). Below the Surface

The Review:

Calgary’s doom/post-metal giants The Weir return with an extremely bleak EP “Detached”. The Weir have taken away the delay guitar effects for a more raw focus that primarily features noise and plodding riffs. This EP is a welcomed introduction to what is likely to be a shift in sound for the band.

The EP opens with “Weak with Rage”; a slow burn of raw emotion that bludgeons the listener with dissonant riffs. The song is purposely slow to an effect; so slow and heavy that it creates this uniquely painful suspension for the listener. Patience will eventually pay off, however, as the listener is pummelled by a leviathan sized riff that only The Weir can deliver. Even though the sound is slowly changing, riffs remain as important as they ever have for this band.  

“Below the Surface” is by far the eeriest track ever produced by the band. The track is a variation on a theme that quickly develops into black metal. The bands mantra of playing slow and low is thrown out on this track. The Weir have taken this opportunity with “Detached” to experiment with other forms of heavy music. It’ll be exciting to hear where these elements are fleshed out on their next release.

“Detached”is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

FOR THOSE ABOOT TO ROCK: A countdown to Canada Day. Scott Miller of Anthesis chooses 7 bands from his personal vinyl collection

By: Scott Miller

For Canada's 150th birthday, I've gathered some of my favourite Canadian noise. It was too hard to choose from all the great Canadian extreme music out there, so I narrowed it down to 7 selections of currently active bands from my personal record collection. 

The Weir  – “Calmness of Resolve” (Sunmask) Calgary, Alberta 

These Rocky Mountain doomsters have captured a unique vibe on this album. For how uneasy this album starts off, I find it's actually a very calming experience overall. 4 tracks totalling over 40 minutes should give you an idea of what's going on here. Tons of mood and ambience with sparse bursts of harsh vocals.

Biipiigwan – “God's Hooks” (Handshake Inc.) Ottawa, Ontario 

This is the first album I heard from these no frills sludge cavemen. Pounding riffs in the vein of mid era Sepultura and early Mastodon dominate this album. How could you go wrong? Musky Rice leads the troop of revolving (top notch) members. You never know who you'll see playing for these guys live. 

Adolyne – “of ash / of shit / of shame” (No List) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 

If noise rock ditched the rule book and binged on 70's prog, more albums like this would happen. Throw in some piano, vocals on the edge of losing control and no fear of lengthy song structures and you've got one unique, noisy album. No doubt that this was put out by the leader of Canadian noise, No List Records. 

Shooting Guns/Hawkeyes – “Brothers of the Nod” (Pre-Rock / Helmet Lady) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/ Kitchener, Ontario 

Alright, we're getting two birds stoned at once with this one. Both bands bring the instrumental psych rock hard here. Tons of fuzz tones and relatively laid back, almost a jamming feel here that seems to come so naturally from both bands. This is a heavy hitter of desert rock grooves and psychedelics. 

The Great Sabatini – “Dog Years” (Sludgehummer) Montreal, Quebec 

This album sounds like you're actually standing in the room with these four dudes cranking out this sludge. The vocals are mixed low (just how I like it) and there's tons of dirt going on here. When they slow down and throw the POG on the guitars there's a new level of sludgy filth for the drums to pound through. Every band these guys are involved with kill it. Check out Greber& Angles for more heavy noise from these guys. Plus I hear that there's a new TGS album on the horizon. 

Hard Charger – “Bad Omens” (Wasted Time Records) Fredericton, New Brunswick 

Here's some crusty punk n roll to balance out those slow jams. These dudes come back sounding tighter and hungrier after every tour they do, which is a lot. This album makes me want to chug a beer and punch a hole in the wall. 

Napalm Raid – “Mindless Nation” (Rust and Machine) Halifax, Nova Scotia

This is how lo-fi crust punk should be. Injected with black metal and raging full force. The reverb drenched vocals are absolutely perfect in this mix and are my favourite part of this band. They've also got a brand new album out called “Wheel of War”.