Two years ago, I only knew Shehzaad Jiwani as a fellow music critic and writer that used to go to the same high school as me, making due at a local record shop in downtown Toronto. I wouldn’t have guessed that two years later his band, Arietta, would be making a big name for themselves in the local indie circuit in support of their phenomenal debut full-length Migration, a record that has catchier choruses than a Fall Out Boy record (without the guilt). I managed to catch Shehzaad …

With Is Dead, one could say that Crime In Stereo stepped into quite unlikely territory. The peak they reached as a hardcore band, with The Troubled Stateside, didn’t seem to apply any longer, but not because Is Dead didn’t qualify as a worthy contender for the former – the two just can’t really be compared.
Experimentation is common in hardcore, like in any genre of music, but it assumes a dipping of one’s foot into different waters, musically; getting a feel for the contributions every minute musical life-form will make …

Ceremony are still experiencing praise and success from their well-received 2008 opus Still Nothing Moves You.  As such, expectations are high for their new full-length record that they are set to release sometime in 2010.  In addition, the band is heading out on a west coast tour in support of AFI.  Despite the busyness, guitarist Ryan Mattos (also known as Toast) was able to answer a few questions I had for the band about the past, present, and future.
This is kind of going back a bit, but were you surprised …

2009 has been a remarkable year for music.  Boundaries of all sorts have been pushed; indie by the likes of Grizzly Bear, metal by Mastodon, and hardcore by Converge, among others.  And yet, in the midst of all of the high profile releases that made their way onto store shelves this year, a little record called Old Pride by soon-to-be worshipped screamo outfit Pianos Become the Teeth impressed its way to many a ear in the hardcore/screamo community.  It is a record comprised of raw emotion and honest songwriting, two …

Eighty-seven years ago, German director F.W. Murnau unleashed the most horrifically realistic vampire film of all time: Nosferatu. Taking its cues from Bram Stoker’s Dracula (ripping it off is probably the best term), the film’s menacing antagonist “Count Orlock” burned its image into the minds of impressionable kids and provided the moniker to one of the most interesting bands rioting just below your radar.
Justin Smith (assuming the name Jason Schmidt) formed Graf Orlock earlier this decade, breaking ground and noses with its unique brand of cinema-grind. Movie samples, script-dialogue lyrics, …

Ryan McKenney knows all about a little something called perseverance. “I’m not young… at least, not by punk standards,” he muses. “I’m sure people older than me that are still involved in punk would disagree with my statement, but it’s not really meant for them. It’s meant for me.”

McKenney, the vocalist and lyrical mastermind behind grind/death/punk as fuck outfit Trap Them, has a voice itching to be heard. “My body started breaking down early in my twenties. I spend these long tours in pain that I bring on myself and, to an extent, I am addicted to it. What is truly important to me, regarding this band, is to take it as far as we can. I want to continue to write records that I am truly proud of, and I want the chance to play these songs to as many people in this world as I can.”

The Armed’s debut full-length – the largely DIY effort These Are Lights – is the surprise of 2009. Not since Trap Them’s Sleepwell Deconstructor has there been a debut so vibrant and promising that the listener foams at the mouth in anticipation of future releases. Not that These Are Lights isn’t tight – it is a staggering amalgamation of punked-out chord progressions, polyrhythms, and off-kilter riffs and drumming – but you can’t help but expect huge things in the future. As a debut, These Are Lights is a light in a rather dark tunnel in its scene. Songs like “Terrordactyl” and “Kingbreaker” are three-minute headsmashers that will make any fan of heavy music happy, while closer “The Great Fatsby” is one of the best songs of the year. Period.

A certain variety of extreme has been gestating in the metal community since Calculating Infinity. This year marks a decade since The Dillinger Escape Plan’s masterpiece, and yet it would seem the strides taken by inspired artists in that disc’s fallout have kept oddly close to its original formula. Something big must be on the horizon. Something has to be. This year we have reviewed compelling releases by and interviewed the likes of Starring Janet Leigh, Augury, and Orgone, all of which seem to embody that kinetic grinding buzz of a not too distant future. Once again, it feels incredible to showcase the work of another band on that horizon; The Crinn. Having only released two EPs and preparing a new full-length Dreaming Saturn due out early next year, their hyper technical edge feels played, not produced. The arrangements feel written, not coded. This is a musician’s band, and passionately so. Bassist Chad White, guitarist Cole Leonard, and vocalist John Nelson have shared some insight on their latest dream project and the world it is being created in. Will Dreaming Saturn be a release that begs constant comparison from up and coming bands in 2019? The material released so far certainly has the potential. With that in mind, read on and remind yourself that this is where the next ten years all began.

All of our readers already know who Torche are. If you don’t, well, I’d have to tell you that you’ve been living under a rock for far too long. You need to go out and buy everything the sludge metal heroes have ever recorded. 2008’s monstrous Meanderthal blended detuned sludge with a keen sense of melodic musicianship and took the pole position in Decibel Magazine’s year-end Top 40 list. I recently had the opportunity to exchange a few words with guitarist/vocalist Steve Brooks, and here’s what he had to say.

Let’s …

The latest in a series of interviews with cutting edge, influential, and compelling artists involves our hometown heroes: Starring Janet Leigh. Fresh off their U.S. tour with Unearth, Matt “Zaddy” Zadkovich took the time to answer some of Hearwax’s questions. For the uninitiated, SJL play an aggressive mix of technical death metal, fusion, and grindcore (a mix that effectively breaks the damn blender, it is that chaotic.) For a primer, refer to our review on their latest monstrosity Spectrum.

To get things started, your band name; is that a …

I had my hands in soil. I had my hands in soil because I had committed myself to doing some outdoor landscaping work last month, mostly as an excuse to leave the din of the laptop. That first step outside does something to you, when all that is noticeable through mid day squinting is the static of a cicada. Canadian summers are often searing, humid, unfriendly. The second step makes it clear how the outside feels like a larger room, just more unpredictable. My hands were in that damp soil …

Note: This interview was initially conducted at the end of 2008, so some of the questions might seem a bit strange. Also, huge thanks to Stephen and the rest of the band – I’m sure they’re fucking annoyed by my pestering by now!

This is just a formality…Who are you?
Stephen Jarrett
Orgone is all about doing it yourselves. It’s pretty awesome. What made you guys choose this route versus signing to a label?
What are some reasons labels suck? What are some reasons labels are awesome?
I think it boils down to the intentions …

Who are you?
My name’s Greg Benedetto. I’m one of the members of Stuck in the City.
What is Stuck in the City?
Stuck in the City is a collective of individuals who work together in
various capacities to put on shows in Toronto. We also maintain a
website, where we post photos, show reviews, updates and interviews.
We try and focus on things specifically related to the hardcore
community here.
Was there a specific moment that made you want to put this all
together? Perhaps you were stuck in Toronto one summer?
Haha. The name itself is actually a …

The Black Dahlia Murder are starting to become one of the main faces of modern death metal.  Their 2007 release Nocturnal was a huge success in the metal community and gained an even bigger fanbase for the band.  I was recently able to get in contact with vocalist Trevor Strnad and talk about scene kids, Canada, Guitar Hero, and Nada Surf.
Who are you?
Trevor Scott Strnad.  Vocalist for The Black Dahlia Murder.
You recently finished the Summer Slaughter tour, which is typically full of “scene” kids who are into the deathcore scene.  …

Misha Mansoor, or commonly known on message boards as Bulb, is the lead guitarist in Maryland metal band Periphery, who are regarded as one of the best unsigned metal acts in North America.  I was recently able to talk to him about his nickname, the future, and “Juggernaut.”
Who are you?
Good question! I’m Misha.  Some kid who makes music in his apartment.
Where’d you get the nickname Bulb?
It was the name of my old band in Toronto which broke up right after I made the Bulb soundclick for it, and I had …