Powder Lines

American Black Metal, don't dare to read if you are not a fan of Metal. Because Wolves In the Throne Room is this little band from Washington State that makes eco-friendly Black Metal inspired by Neurosis (not a black metal band at all). I discovered this album by the recommandation of fellow blogger Ed Howard at Only the Cinema 's Top 50 albums of 2011. This duo of the brothers Weaver, Aaron and Nathan concludes a black metal trilogy of albums with Celestial Lineage. What's interesting in their music is the blend of post-rock repetitions and the use of synthtizers to paraphrase Howard. This is a dark album that investigate on the somber side of humans. It is well textured with great mastery of every element included. For some reason I think this is an album that characterizes lonliness and meditation. I like the Neurosis approach and the presence of Aaron Turner Isis vocalist on "Subterranean Initiation". Both bands aforementioned are far from crafting black...

Of the many Metal albums released each year few transcends genre and can keep away from trends and attitude wars. The legendary and underappreciated Irish band called Primordial can easily be the representation of this description. Always staying true to their sound with mostly clean vocals and a great use of rhythm the sometimes mid paced music of Primordial follows what can be named as old school Black Metal that meets classic Heavy Metal. Their latest release Redemption At the Puritan's Hand , aside from being titled ridiculously long, represents the pinnacle of their talent and reach. It is populated with strong songs, far from being too melodic or just simple aggressive music it is a composition of superb songs that elaborates some of the traditional Metal elements while staying true to itself and being contemporary. The melancolia and war hymns of this album will be a sure mark into the pantheon of Metal for the years to come.

Being a fan of Propagandhi ,   then The Weakerthans it is needless to point out that the solo career of singer/writer/guitarist John K. Samson would interest me very much. The quirky cheesyness of the aforementioned  The Weakerthans isn't really prominent on Samson's Provincial , it is a richly textured album that transcends folk/indie/accoustic genres and sang poetry. Samson has this sensibility that helps him carry the little things in all our lives that makes sense without being at the forefront of our preoccupations. If  The Weakerthans don't return from their break of late 2009,  Provincial can at least be a savory piece of music that delivers and lets us forgive the fact that since Reunion Tour we haven't had any other new record to put our teeth in. But it is all Samson's creation and I enjoy it very much. The musical year of 2012 has started very strong with the release of Provincial let's hope the rest of the year will keep t...

This is the following article to How to: Buy a Snowboard . Of the holy trinity of Snowboarding that I before mentioned in my other article, the Boots are the most primordial place to put your money. First, it where your feet are and you should be comfy otherwise it is just painful to ride and to take the lift. My own experience Three years ago I bought a pair of used  Vans size 9 (actually I'm a size 10) that I thought would be fine to finish the season and maybe begin the next one. What happened is that I took the cheapest pair available and I almost hurt my feet. They were too tight and since they were already worn out they were soft and I had to buy myself a pair of Burton Moto size 10. It is the best pair of boots I ever owned. Compared to my Airwalk, Vans, and Northwave that I had before those Burton boots are worth every hard eraned penny! Why? Because I made the right choice! This is the purpose of this article to help you choose the right boot for you...

For those who are fans of The Art of FLIGHT and That's it, That's All you probably already know this artist. Mixing electro and ambient music without being far from pop rock synths M83 made a niche for itself outside from the 1980's revival scene. However, M83 has the spirit of the decade but manages to produce in their latest double-disc release a very unique sound. The textures and intermissions of beautiful and evocative music transports the listener in a massive variety of feelings and moods that only M83 is capable of. It is not a nostalgic music either, it sounds modern and also timeless in its approach and sonorities. A great soundtrack to ride some powder on a big mountain and also a personal favorite of 2011.

Shoot the Moon (Videograss, 2011) The new Videograss release Shoot the Moon , is in some way similar to Capita 's Defenders of Awesome ; it is mainly centered on urban terrain, rails, ledges, and a skateboarding video approach. But, compared to  Defenders of Awesome, Shoot the Moon  has a variety of spots and different rails and ledges. Even if it is a small budgeted feature we feel that there is actually an effort in the substance and the variety of tricks. The gaps and obstacles are well exploited and it succeeds without being redundant. My critic will be at the point where there are too much urban terrain and not enough natural and/or kickers. Riders like Jordan Mendenhall are talented and could easily have had stronger and better parts if the producers let them ride more different kinds of terrains. However, Shoot the Moon probably reprensents an good hybrid of street riding with the real sense of snowboarding. It has something undescr...

Defenders of Awesome (Capita, 2011) It's been four years since CAPITA released a team Video, Defenders of Awesome wants to be a progressive freestyle urban oriented vehicule to present its young but very talented team. The approach of the feature is very "skateboard" oriented, many parts of the riders of the team with little and whimsical auto presentations, low budget, amateur editing, and only hand held cameras. Of the many riders depicted in DoA , there is few variety in the substance: lots and lots of rails, urban features and very few big mountain riding. I might sound a little bit old when I write that but freestyle snowboarding doesn't only consist of rails and urban riding. How many customers actually take their boards downtown and hit a rail? The presence of it is essential, especially with the team assembled by Capita. However, I think that it doesn't reflect the interest of most of the customer/public. A better balance of the parts and a greate...