Illyrian stopped by Kelowna on September 19th and took the time to sit down with us and discuss their new album and short tour of BC they had just begun. The Illyrian podcast is the 27th episode of Metal as Medicine and though it took some time to be released we slowed down our schedule to allow for better and routine content. Please bear with us as we go through this transition!
Hailing straight from Calgary is more THRASH METAL!!
Illyrian Podcast
Illyrian in Kelowna bringing their thrash metal hot off the release of their sophomore album The Entity, Unknown. A few weeks ago Richard, Randy and I had a discussion about this album and both of us really enjoyed it and were surprised with the great quality of the material offered.
They thrashed through Kelowna with openers black metal outfit Svneatr from Vancouver. We previously had them on the show back in May so it was great to catch up with the guys again.
The Entity, Unknown album discussion
Our album discussion for Illyrian’s sophomore release came out during a run up to the show they had. Here is our video to help get you hyped for this thrash album:
Illyrian live footage
An Illyrian podcast wouldn’t be like any other Metal as Medicine podcast if we didn’t include some live footage from their show too! So here are some videos we took of these fine dudes thrashing out at Muninn’s Post in Kelowna:
Apprentice sits down with us to have a conversation about their debut album and what they’ve been working on lately
Apprentice was recently in Kelowna throwing down their entire debut album plus more for the metalheads of Muninn’s Post. They put on a great show with a wicked blend of progressive power metal and melodeath.
The Apprentice podcast
Progressive power/melodeath metallers Apprentice joins us to discuss their debut album The Strength of Mortality and what they’ve been working on for future releases. Yo-yo action and much Devin Townsend fills this episode!
As per usual before their set Richard and I took the opportunity to record a video interview with the band for what has become our 26th episode of the podcast. Usually we do audio but we are testing out all the equipment we have access to and continue to progress and expand our capabilities.
So we again have both a video and audio podcast available for your listening or viewing pleasure. It is most interesting that this time around it is our first band interview that we’ve gone and recorded. Thank you to Apprentice for agreeing to do this and taking the time out of their day to record with us.
I say this often but I really do mean it every time. It was a pleasure having the band on the show and we look forward to hosting them again sometime in the future where we can hopefully implement more features to the product we put out there for the Internet.
Later in the conversation Joey brought up that the band had yo-yos on sale at their merch table and promised to show us some tricks. So we present to you Joey Hockin’s yo-yo tricks!!
Podast episode 25 marks back to back discussion episodes without a band interview. This hasn’t been done in a few months! It doesn’t mean we are done with the interviews we have tons lined up and lots of people to talk with. For this episode though we pile up the album discussions to three. We discuss debut albums from BC local progressive metallers Apprentice and Seattle heavy metallers Greyhawk. Both of which put out debut releases which are both stellar in their own ways.
I’m not sure if you have heard this already but Tool has released an album. It has been out now for almost a couple weeks and that has given us time to digest it and allowed our discussion to deep into what makes this album a top notch progressive rock/metal release but the legendary Tool Band. It has taken a long time for the band to get around to releasing this album and not without good reason.
Passively looking for sponsors!
We are a busy team working on this project along with our working lives and other interests we pursue outside of metal and music. So having said that we are passively looking for sponsors to help build up our project and make it the best we can. If you or someone you know may have a product or business that would be fitting for our demographic please contact us and we will be glad to work something out! Our active search for sponsors has not commenced yet.
Terry Fox Run
The Terry Fox run is taking place September 15th at the Mission Sportsfield in Kelowna, BC. Richard is volunteering there and it would be great for people to come out get some exercise and support a fantastic cause! Registration is at 10:00am and the non-competitive run starts at 11:00am. Terry Fox truly was metal before the term was created.
Apprentice
In podcast episode 25 we discussed Apprentice’s debut album. They are coming to Kelowna on September 14th to Muninn’s Post and thought it would make for a good chance to listen to and discuss their album The Strength of Mortality before seeing their live show.
We clipped the album discussion and embedded it above for those who want to see just that section. We highly recommend listening to the album and consider coming out to any shows they may have going on near you.
They are on Spotify and also Bandcamp for those who want to support the band by throwing a few bucks their way in the digital world.
Greyhawk
A ripping good time is had by anyone who listens to Greyhawk. Somewhere between traditional heavy metal and power metal these guys find themselves the right spot of showing off their influences but not without their own flair.
Tool Band
Tool released a new album. The first in many years. 13 to be exact. How is it? What did we think? We dive deep into the album and exactly what it means to us and how it will be received by the masses of rabid Tool fans that are out there.
Thanks for taking the time to listen to podcast episode 25. It really means a lot to us as we continue to advance this project further into the realm of multimedia.
We are now offering the podcast in both audio and video format. Audio podcast for those who listen while on the go and the video for those who want to watch us.
Illyrian album review! Not only did Illyrian recently release a new album but they are making their way to Kelowna on September 19th. So with that the team at Metal as Medicine has gone through and listened to their new album The Entity, Unknown and we lay down our opinions and thoughts on this thrashy death metal album!
Along with Illyrian we also cover the new Slipknot album and dive deep into discussing their entire discography and the band in general.
This also marked our first episode where we were testing the live stream! Yes, we will be live streaming our podcasts, producing them and releasing YouTube videos as often as we can. We have become a full-blown YouTube channel.
Illyrian album review
This album slaps hard. It was a huge surprise for me to listen to this. I wasn’t sure what to expect leading into this as thrash metal isn’t my go to genre at all. Having said that when I do listen to the genre I always find myself having so much fun and really getting into the album or band that I am listening to. Illyrian is no different. It reminds me of the new West of Hell album (we even had Chris the Heathen on the podcast back in April) which is a fantastic ripper or the new Invicta album Halls of Extinction which is also a fantastic thrashy metal album.
I’d really like to mention here just how awesome to solos are. Some are scaling shred-fests and some are slower and more melodic. Either way they are extremely impressive! It’s amazing that a band can only be on their second release and put out such a strong effort. Stand out solos for me include the closing title track The Entity, Unknown. It’s one of my favorite things to have the closing track of an album have a stand out moment. Be it the catchiest song, a ripping solo that pushes the skill level of the band or a unique song/track to close it out. Well, unless it’s one of those 10 minute droning tracks or a black metal ambient track. No thanks. I’ve even made some in the past and nowadays wouldn’t dream of it again if I were to go ahead and make more music.
Support Illyrian
We are not your kind
Slipknot, slipknot, slipknot. Of course the band that is pretty much a 50/50 split on whether or not they are actually metal. While listening to their discography over again I even held an Instagram Story poll last week and the results were almost split. Actually I think it ended up being one vote for YES. So there you have it. Metal as Medicine declares Slipknot a metal band. Well if we really want to split hairs and dive into the details they have only a handful of actual metal songs and are more hard rock or nu-metal (which is it really even a genre?).
So how is the album? I found it quite enjoyable and one of their better albums since Vol 3. Iowa is still my favorite album and what I believe to be their pinnacle moment. That album is just so raw and angry. There are a lot of great tracks and the lyrics and production just rip the listener a new one. Let’s not forget that this is a band so hyped up in North America that they really need to deliver on every aspect. Have you seen their live show? In person I have not but from what I have heard and seen in footage looks like a stellar show and pretty much exactly where they need to be experienced. Live.
Our last guests hail from Vancouver, BC and slap us hard with their intoxicating groove/thrash metal. Truent’s Spencer McIntosh and Nic Landry join us in Kelowna to converse about their Western Canada tour, the inner workings of the band, dank memes and what the future holds of Truent!
Richard MacKenzie (Skull Hammer) also sat in for his first recording with Metal as Medicine! We are so pleased to have him as part of the team and he will bring some fantastic skills as we expand this community further and deeper into the Internet.
These Vancouver boys hit hard with their catchy riffs and infectious hooks. The unique style reminds me a lot of early 90’s groove metal with a death touch to it. Strapping Young Lad vibes too to be honest. Spencer is a really great guy and I had a lot of fun talking with him.
Dank Truent memes
As we slowly unleash the British Columbia metal community to the Internet that means I’ve been ramping up on the memes. This was by far the dankest ever and if you ever want to attempt to make memes JUST START DOING IT. Similar to any other skill the more you practice the better you’ll get. Then you’ll realize that it is actually a lot of fun and won’t be able to stop.
Shout out to Sienna Brie Nyberg and Majestic Mayhem for the photo!
We are looking forward to what Spencer, Nic and the rest of the lads have in store with us. Their new track The Wendigo slaps hard with a different slightly more aggressive take than previous songs. This shows great progress and a bright upcoming future for Truent!
