I figured since the National Hockey League was back I’d go for an all-out, Molson soaked, review session. Since this hit my eye first, I figured this disc would do fine. This is a decent compilation of bands from the frosty north, with most of the bands in the death metal realm. All of these bands, at least in 2001, were still around but I was saddened by the fact that some of my defunct Canadian favorites were neglected such as Summertime Daisies, Traumatism, and Deafness. For this review, I’ll give a brief rundown of the bands.

1) Agony - I had found their disc quite a while ago hidden in the defunct Repulse Records sale bin. I was always a sucker for defunct Canadian bands and I had a feeling this band would be a winner. Agony plays slightly technical death metal with vicious riffs, quick double bass, and high/low vocals. They also break into the occasional atmospheric part while maintaining a level of heaviness. The droning 2 minute finale to this song is worth giving them a listen.
2) Anvil - Listening to this, I feel as though I wandered into some Canadian biker bar in Medicine Hat. The typical new-age Iron Maiden riffs and vocals kept my hand firmly planted on the "next" button on the CD player.
3) Aphasia - This band sounds like some mid-90s band from Spain, with slowly shredded riffs, thumping drums, and an overall cheesiness that is tough to beat. Kind of reminds me of some of those Repulse bands such as Adremalech, Avulsed, etc.
4) Blood of Christ - A highly underrated band that has churned out quite a few albums in the last few years. They have a self-proclaimed dark metal sound, with an even mix of brutal riffs and mellow atmosphere with some clean vocals. Their debut release was quite impressive. Imagine a version of Eternal Suffering with dark, atmospheric passages.
5) Cryptopsy - This is a remixed version of a track off of the Ungentle Exhumation demo with the line-up from the And Then You’ll Beg CD. The new version is good but the rawer sound on the demo is a bit better. Plus, I’m not a Lord Worm hater, so I am impartial to the earlier stuff.
6) Gorguts - Ah…the masters of technical, off the wall death metal return quite triumphantly. This is a track from their From Wisdom to Hate disc. Blazing speed mixed nicely with agonizing and depressing riffs and Luc Lemay’s tortured vocals. This track and album were definitely more focused than the Obscura album.
7) Infernal Majesty - Who would have known I’d enjoy this? It’s old world thrashiness that never stops. It’s quite catchy too.
Kataklysm - Long gone are the days of Houde’s violent vocals and frequent visits to the Temple of Knowledge. This is the new age Kataklysm, with boring riffs, Kangol hats, and Adidas pants. Its not totally terrible and I am sure it will be enjoyed by those who did not have the pleasure of hearing Mystical Gate…, Sorcery, and Temple of Knowledge.
9) Martyr - This is technical, straightforward metal with boring shouted vocals. The band shows some signs of being impressive with some Spiral Architect/Theory In Practice technical mayhem. However, these bright spots are covered in a heavy layer of Velveeta.
10) Necronomicon - Some pretty heavy stuff. Crunchy, brutal riffs are mixed nicely with speed and dexterity. Apparently, the theme is also Egyptian, except unlike their overplayed counterparts, this stuff is refreshing, heavy, and violent.
11) Neuraxis - Most of us are well acquainted with the unique sound of Neuraxis, a perfect blend of brutality and melody. Neuraxis never seems of disappoint and always seem to remind me of a more death metal focused version of Dissection.
12) Obliveon - At one point, I thought this band was an 80s thrash band. However, this sounds much more like a mixture of industrial death with None era Meshuggah. The vocals are a bit lame but this song is quite good.
13) Quo Vadis - A highly technical band with amazing speed, blackened vocals, and a penchant for the Scandinavian/Gothenburg sound. It’s not my cup of tea but these are some talented bastards. These guys would give any of the more popular bands from the aforementioned areas a run for their money. I bet this is the band Martyr models themselves after.
14) Razor - Somehow I’ve been transported to the Bay area of San Francisco in the early 80s. Sounds like early Exodus, just not as heavy. A bad version of Voivod.
15) Solus - I am not sure how to describe these guys. The song starts out with a depressing, doomy/death metal riff than blasts into some sort of speedy riff with dual vocals. The recording is pretty bad but this band shows signs of decency.
16) Strapping Young Lad - Greeeaaaaaaattttt! (said like Tony the Tiger except with much more sarcasm).
17) Voivod - I guess this is the "good" version of Voivod. If you are a fan of them, you probably have all their material. If not, don’t bother starting. Written By: Double Ds