Metal March Has Arrived

Well, well, well… if it isn’t March. You have some nerve showing your ugly mug here.

In all seriousness, I know March hasn’t been the best month over the past year. It marks the anniversary of a pandemic which has changed all our lives and, frankly doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. So… happy birthday, Pandemic …I guess?

We, at CJLO, have our own anniversary to celebrate this year in March. It’s the 5-year anniversary of our celebration of all things loud, dark, and aggressive. That’s right everyone, Metal March is back AGAIN!

Now, normally we’d be planning out concerts and events to hang out with you and revel in ear-splitting sounds for the whole month, obviously that’s not the case this year. Hell, we can’t even go into our own station to hold our usual Metal Overnight, where bands play live in studio and all of the DJs are slowly driven mad by the lack of sleep until, like all good horror movies, the sun rises, and everything returns to normal.

This year, rather than throw a big party to celebrate, we’re treating it like one of the lesser birthdays. Not the normal 5, 10, 18, 20, 21, and then every ten years type of bash this year, no no. This is a “stay at home and have a nice night at home and a tasteful order-in dinner” type of birthday. A scaled back affair. But worry not, because we still have some events and special programming for you to enjoy!

First off, in case you didn’t know, during the first week of March CJLO is going to be celebrating International Women’s Day, and the metal shows are no exception. Be sure to tune in to all of the usual metal shows as they showcase some of the most talented women in metal, whether they be the lead singer, a fierce drummer, or a blazin’ guitarist.

And, in case you want to feel old, much loved (and might I add Best Metal Record of All Time) Master of Puppets by Metallica turns 35 on March 3^rd, and we at CJLO have some things to say about this album and the immense impact it has had on us and on metal music. Why not join us for a roundtable discussion set to air on the album’s release date featuring Chris the Frog from Sewer Spewer, JP and Hunter from The Iron Club, and our Head Music Director and host of The Waiting Room, Calvin.

Of course, we all know Montreal is a hotspot for metal. This year we thought we’d take a day and play the discography of one of the most famous locals in the metal scene, Voivod, who have been pushing the boundaries since their inception in 1982. Keep up to date on when we air a huge chunk of Voivod’s discography uncut for you to hear by checking out all of our social media.

Speaking of social media, that brings us to the biggest part of our month-long celebration, which is our “band advent calendar.” Each day, we highlight albums from bands that were either played a bunch by DJs at CJLO or that we really like. And much like a holiday advent calendar, you get a treat out of the deal in the form of a FREE album EVERY DAY with a BONUS on the weekend in the form of an all-metal edition of “Saturday Singles Club!”

That’s right, all of these bands are making their album or singles Pay What You Want on the day they’re featured, so you could get them for 0 dollars if you’re strapped for cash. But, if you’re not, why not help bands out since they been hit particularly hard in the wallets this year thanks to COVID cutting off their touring revenue. Be sure to connect with CJLO on all our social media platforms so you don’t miss your new favorite record!

And, on top of all of that, CJLO DJs on your favorite shows will be doing special programming, making special loud or metal episodes of their shows. Don’t know where to start? Well, if you want shows that are definitely going to be playing loud tunes all month (and every month), check these out:

- Sewer Spewer – Monday noon - 1PM
- BVST – Wednesday 7 – 9PM
- Grade A Explosives – Sunday 4 – 7PM
- The Noisy Loft – Sunday 7 – 9PM
- The Iron Club – Sunday 9 – 11PM

Stay tuned to CJLO for more information as the month progresses and be sure to check back here every Monday for a special “Metal Monday” article, where one of our very own metal DJs puts down their thoughts about whatever random topics they want to discuss.

So, bang your head, pump those fists, and raise the horns because Metal March is back, and you don’t want to miss one hot second.