In 2019 and 2020, Pest Productions, A black metal label from China, released two compilations of emerging Chinese black metal on Bandcamp. New bands with a diverse range of black metal subgenres were introduced in the compilations, including old school bm, blackened death, dsbm, nihilist bm, black/thrash, post bm/blackgaze, symphonic bm, as well as folk bm, which gave birth to the New Wave of Chinese Black Metal. This year in January, Pest Productions have returned with the third compilation, bringing more talented Chinese black metal bands to overseas metal fans (I posted links at the bottom of the article of the three compilations which are free to download on Bandcamp).

Are you ready for a hot take? I... am not a fan of COVID. I know, right now you're sitting there saying, "Andrew, what are you TALKING ABOUT?! COVID has made it so I know how to make bread during the upcoming climate disaster, AND I learned the very basics of a new language so I can trade as I wander the wastelands of our ruined society."

We get it. Not everyone loves metal like we do. The harsh vocals, heavy distorted guitars and blast beats can often be a turn off. But even the most hardened metalheads didn’t start their musical journey listening to the most brutal of death metal bands. We had to be slowly eased into the genre, beginning with something accessible before diving deep into pure aggression.

The 2022 Sepultura/Sacred Reich tour made its Montreal stop yesterday – uniting metal fans across the city. This much needed gathering came in the wake of the province’s easing of COVID-19 restrictions, with concert venues only re-opening at full capacity five days beforehand.