Articles by Joe Smith-Engelhardt

Cancer Bats

The Spark That Moves

PUBLISHED Apr 20, 2018

After an experimental trip into sludgier territory on their last record, Searching for Zero, Toronto metalcore band Cancer Bats have return...

Cancer Bats Celebrate Their 'Hail Destroyer' Tenth Anniversary by Surprise Releasing 'The Spark That Moves'

PUBLISHED Apr 20, 2018

"As a fan, when I see a pre-order, I'm just thinking, 'Don't tell me I can buy something in three months, tell me I can buy it right now.'...

Cancer Bats Celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of 'Hail Destroyer' with Exclaim!'s Oral History of the Landmark Album

PUBLISHED Apr 3, 2018

Ten years ago, Toronto metalcore veterans Cancer Bats took the world by storm when they released the most pivotal record of their career so...

Knocked Loose / Terror / Jesus Piece / Year of the Knife

Velvet Underground, Toronto ON, March 27

PUBLISHED Mar 28, 2018

Since the release of their 2014 EP, Pop Culture, and their 2016 full-length debut, Laugh Tracks, Kentucky beatdown crew Knocked Loose have...

Slaves BC

Lo, and I Am Burning

PUBLISHED Mar 14, 2018

Pittsburgh blackened hardcore crew Slaves BC delve further into their black and death metal roots on their sophomore release, Lo, and I Am...

Between the Buried and Me

Automata I

PUBLISHED Mar 5, 2018

If the noticeable lack of death metal on Between the Buried and Me's last album, Coma Ecliptic, was a turnoff for long-time listeners, thei...

Rolo Tomassi's Sibling Act Continues to Evolve on 'Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It'

PUBLISHED Mar 5, 2018

While their sound could generally be defined as mathcore, it's extremely difficult to define what English band Rolo Tomassi play, since the...

Rolo Tomassi

Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It

PUBLISHED Feb 26, 2018

English mathcore group Rolo Tomassi have been perfecting their blend of dissonant, chaotic hardcore and angelic melodies for a little over...