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:
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.
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.
