LIFE AGAINST DEATH

life and new breath

by Heath Fenton

The band Life Against Death (LAD) is much like a volcano. Sudden explosions and rapid destruction can move foundations to new landscapes with greater views and wider horizons. Through their ten years of existence, LAD has gone through sixteen different members. The latest implosion occurred when long-time members and partners Brett Roothless and Mya Mayhem went their separate ways, leaving the band in a barren wasteland. But Roothless had other ideas. To him it`s always been about the music. “I’ve always looked at music as an addiction. I have no choice but to do it. I figured if I am going to keep playing music then why should I start another fucking band.” So he dusted himself off and began the process of assembling today’s version of LAD.

The first piece was an old friend and ex-band mate Scott Free, who would be enlisted to play drums. Free had toiled with Roothless in an old band called The First Day and he actually was the original singer in an early version of LAD. Next part would be bass stalwart Steven Huston from another old band of Roothless’ called Last Plague. The only task left was the process of recruiting the elusive lead vocalist.

Enter Twitch from Joyce Collingwood. She had never done the vocal style that would be required to step into an extreme thrash metal band like LAD. But she was more than game and she even went out of her way to approach them herself about the vacant position. “After I heard something had happened I went down to the bar and ran into the bass player at the time and got the scoop from him,” she says and adds, “He told me that Brett was keen on just continuing on and finding another singer. So after a couple of beers deep, I said, 'I’ll sing for you guys!'”

Two years later with a hefty gig list and some new songs under their belt, the next step was to hit the Hive Creative Lab studio and record with engineer Jesse Gander. The result is nine songs and and a 22-minute juggernaut that will be released August 31. The album runs the gamut of what LAD was built on: extreme metal, old school thrash ideologies and wild aggression. “This is not about reinvention, it’s a continuation,” Roothless explains. “Every line-up of this band has sounded a bit different but it will always sound like Life Against Death.”

Join Life Against Death August 31 at Thrashers a.k.a. Funkys for their record release show!

BURGER FEST 2012

Burgers, bands and beers

“BBB baby, all day, all night!” at the second annual Burger Fest. Apocalypse Sunrise promoter and chef Johnny Matter “has joined the cult” together with creator Scott Bart and Submerge Studios. “We are going to make this year's fest awesome, like last year, but better and if we are going to have BURGER in the title let's try and make the most ultimate burger!” says Bart and Matter. Expect tons of toppings, condiments with the Submerged Crew, Scotty Bartlett and Chase Canning manning the grill. Vegans get their own separate BBQ for veggie burgers. A burger-eating contest is planned with an actual trophy mounted on stone. The annual winners' names are engraved on it. Look for skateboard ramps, foosball, a pool table and a cheap ten dollar cover. Earplugs and aprons optional.

This year is “a whole lot of heavy bands you can't really type cast into one particular genre or another” says Matter. The local line up is: Life Against Death, Hole In My Head, Anion, Cathar, Wtchdr, On Lock, Aquanaut and Angry. Write Off is a new band featuring a couple guys from Burning Ghats with photographer Bubba Hamilton on vocals. Bearmace is playing their first show. Hoopsnake and Mashiter are driving in from Squamish and Breathe Knives from Calgary. The festival bands: Breathe Knives, Cathar, Anion and Wtchdr actually on this year's “Apocalypse Sunrise Canadian Comp” along with 14 other great Canadian bands.” Skinny writers profile the nonstop lineup below.

Jason Kolins -
Life Against Death: After overcoming an almost complete band overhaul, LAD is still ripping it up with their female-fronted, politically-charged mix of punk and thrash. 100% Crazy Joe endorsed! Angry: One of the newer bands blending a mix from math rock to metal to classic rock creating a chaos all their own. Breathe Knives: Grimy noise/metal/grind from Calgary. Screechy vocals, chuggy riffs, plus a great groove and drummer. Hoopsnake: Crusty Doom Metal from Squamish. Heavy as fuck. Done very well. You’re headbanging. Enough said.

Sloan Bones -
Hole In My Head: Noise and punk from the realm of the two piece. K-Rad on bass and vocals plus Al Mac on drums and vocals. They have a cassette called First Fuck on Sixth Ave Records. Cathar: Sludge-grind from East Van with a fury about them. Inserting movie samples into some of their songs, they do a number about Jack Bauer from the show 24. Wtchdr: These boys hit it hard and in spades so keep your nose to the grindcore, hear it and check their self-titled seven-song debut EP.

Denis Maile -
Anion: A monster four-piece that takes most aspects of hardcore, puts them in a giant pot and brings it to a boil. They are the spicy gumbo of the Vancouver hardcore scene with renown frontman and chef working the grill! On Lock: Hypnotic power-thrash coming from the dirty bowels of East Vancouver. It’s quite possible that the singer is the Yeti that scientists have been searching for all these years. Who knew the beast could shred like that?!? Aquanaut: Emerging from the briny deep of the Atlantic Ocean this is the band that will have travelled the furthest to be at Burger Fest. Doomy psych known for having ten-minute-long songs and demonic vocals. Not pirate shanties, but trident wielding anthems played while riding your seahorse. Mashiter: No online links? So cooler than the Internet? They are from Squamish, a hardcore scene that seems to pump out some seriously bad-ass bands. Just show up.

Burger Fest is Saturday July 14th


- More Betty, Sloan Bones, Denis Maile and Jason Kolins