Live shots by MetalMattLongo at Nectar’s in Burlington, VT on 2011Nov21.

Literally.

In many ways, Vermont seems like it would be a breeding ground for pagan black metal; the green mountains, ice cold winters, and expansive forests are prime territory. Though native spirits are rare, it made so much sense for Wolves in the Throne Room to play here on their current tour.

Hear why Michel loves “War and Pain” and he even sets Wikipedia straight on some facts. Willie also inquires about the Montréal metal scene, thoughts on Pink Floyd, fond memories of Iron Maiden, the ‘family’ feel of Voivod and their near three-decade evolution, with insight into the future of this incomparable band. And for the first time, Away gets asked to pick a favorite song to close out the talk!

Wolves in the Throne Room are first-rate third-wave black metal. Just as Scandinavia was itself intrinsic to the genre’s original sounds, the Pacific Northwest U.S. gives spirit to these American luminaries.

Well this rules a bunch. The last live video we got from these dudes was The Fantomas Melvins Big Band “Live from London”, recorded six years ago, and released three years ago. Suffice it to say, this is most welcome—”The Director’s Cut” is my favorite Fantômas album. Read on for the full press release.

We open with a greeting and a teaser, as “Dødedansen” erupts into your ears. After a minute or two of fierce folk metal, MetalMattLongo and Cris cross paths (see what I did theeeeeehhh… nevermind). Hear about the incredible departure of all band members, their triumphant reformation, and their heaviest, best-crafted album to date, ‘Maledictus Eris’. Also, Cris might be a supervillain (but denies it… like a supervillain totally would).

It had been well over a year since I spoke with a band birthed from the ’90s New England metal scene. It was a pleasure to welcome Trevor Phipps, the vocalist of Unearth, who some—like me, for example—argue is the heaviest among the “Big 4 of Massachusetts Metalcore”.

I’ve always felt the Norwegian Wood festival has been a venue for “dad rock” and its ilk. … On Sunday they allowed three of the icons in contemporary metal onto the stage: Gojira, Enslaved, and Mastodon. It turned out to be a blast!

Some seven months after we spoke about “Run Thick in the Night” (and alluded to this album I’m about to speak of), Nate Hall and I catch up on “The Valley Path”—the 39-minute, single track opus by USX.