The 6th Edition of Metal March Is Back and Louder Than Ever!

Ho ho ho! It's Metal March time again! Gather round children as we tell tales of yelling voices, blast beat drums, and shredding guitars during this the loudest month at CJLO! When we started Metal March six years ago, we wanted to be able to celebrate not just loud music but also the contribution that loud music has made to the culture at large and how Montreal and CJLO have played into that, and this year is no different.

Yes, sadly we are in year number two of a pandemic that is either already over, never even happened, or is still raging onward depending who you ask, and so Metal March here at CJLO is once again an online affair. BOOOOOOOO!!!! But we still have stuff for you to check out. YAAAAYYYY!!! But we won't get to see your lovely faces. BOOOOO!!!! But none of us will have to put on pants. YAAAAAAYYYY!!!

First, let's mention the obvious, which is that all your favourite CJLO shows will be "loudening up" their content during the month so you can potentially find some bands you might know that relate to what they play. Your favorite hip hop show might throw in a trap metal track. Your bedroom pop show might get some dark ambient stuff. Your indie rock staple might throw on some post-punk for you to check out. All to try to spotlight some of the heavier aspects of what they play and potentially introduce you to your new favourite band.

And, the metal DJs will be getting in on the action for International Women's Week at CJLO, which kicked off on March 1 as well. The metal shows this first week of the month will be showcasing women in loud music, but not in the Revolver Magazine "Hottest Women in Metal" kind of way, more in the "Hey these kick ass musicians kick ass and are also women" kind of way. As an example, you could tune in to Grade A Explosives this Sunday from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. to hear an interview with the vocal powerhouse from Toronto, SATE. Check out the program grid so you can properly mark your calendars.

Speaking of your favourite DJs from your favourite loudest shows, the hosts of such esteemed programs as BVST (Wednesdays 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.), Sewer Spewer (Mondays noon - 1:00 p.m.), The Noisy Loft (Sundays 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.), and The Iron Club (Sundays 9:00 - 11:00 p.m.), will be writing articles for the CJLO Magazine under the banner of "Metal Mondays." This month, among the other articles, you'll be able to read another "Metal Book Club" article, an article about black metal in China, as well as general reviews of albums, so be sure to check back to this website for more pieces as they come up.

Next, we have some album retrospectives that will be happening during the course of the month. Fun fact: did you know Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast turns 40 years old March 22? Well, it does, and that's not the only classic album that has an anniversary this year. Venom's Black Metal is also 40 years old. Killswitch Engage's Alive or Just Breathing is 20 years old. How about Body Count's debut self-titled record? It's 30 years old and on March 10th no less, and members of CJLO want to talk about these records. Stayed tuned to our social media to hear what albums will be discussed and where you can hear the hot / cold / lukewarm takes that will presented for you to agree / disagree / yell loudly at your preferred listening device.

What's that? You're in a sad state because the music industry is dominated by an unethical business model? Well... honestly that's not new, but the cause of it is COUGH Spotify COUGH. Well, fear not, because once again this year you can help yourself AND bands with our latest edition of the "Band Advent Calendar," where we at CJLO highlight bands and send you over to their Bandcamp where a record will be "Pay What You Can," which means you could have an album for free, or you could be an altruist and kick the band some money. Or you can download one album for free and then buy another. The possibilities are endless... until you reach the end of the possibilities of course. On the docket today is the self-titled album from Winnipeg’s Vagina Witchcraft. Make sure to follow CJLO’s Facebook page for more free albums!

Speaking of the music industry, do you know the Polaris Music Prize? Do you notice that the short list doesn't really have loud things on it very often? Are you curious what the deal with that is? Well, join CJLO for a discussion with Polaris jurors to get some insight on how the prize is determined and maybe find out where all the loud albums go each year during the whittling down process. Be on the lookout for a date and time coming up.

So, to sum it up: loud music and topics throughout the whole month on CJLO's social media, website, and of course on our airwaves. Keep a look out for this as well as any other announcements about programming, special events, and all things loud.

As always, stay heavy, and stay safe.