Wacken Metal Battle Canada; Ontario Finals at The Garrison. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Ontario - As part of the official WOA Warm-Up parties and in celebration of Wacken Open Air 's 35th anniversary, 35 concerts happened in 35 different countries on April 18th, 2026. Hosted once again by The Garrison in downtown Toronto, The Wacken Metal Battle Canada Ontario finals saw three bands, Dawn Vally, Misothronos, and Gravearth battled it out on stag

Wrong Way Records (l-r: Store Manager Adam Rayfield, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor, Owner/General Manager Ray Pelletier By: Michael Drukarsh Newmarket, Ontario - The doors to Wrong Way Records in Newmarket opened at 8:00 am on April 18 to celebrate Record Store Day Canada 2026 (RSDC). Arriving just after 8, I figured I would be there to watch as things got set up and ready for the day. Turns out, I was late... With growing anticipation of the special vinyl releases in honor

By: Michael Drukarsh - As the decline of vinyl music was evident, independent record store owners came together and in 2008 the first official Record Store Day (RSD) took place on April 19th in Mountain View, California hosting a major kickoff with Metallica. Seen as a celebration of vinyl music and culture, RSD quickly spread across the U.S. and then globally was celebrated in independent record stores from as far away as the U.K. and of course right here in Canada . Conti

By: Jay Broderick - Fifteen years ago, the Foo Fighters slammed the garage door shut, cranked the amps, and made the loudest statement of their career. Wasting Light wasn’t just their seventh studio album, it was a full‑throttle reset! No digital polish. No studio sheen. Just tape machines, sweat, and the kind of stubborn conviction that only Dave Grohl could turn into a mission statement. Recorded straight to analogue in Grohl’s garage and released through Roswell and RCA

Floral Park perform live at Market Brewing Co. in Newmarket, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Newmarket, Ontario - As a band, you know you are doing something right when you watch a new patron enter the bar and instantly put their hands in the air and start singing along to the tune you’re playing. That is exactly what happened tonight at The Market Brewing Company as Floral Park were in the middle of their version of The Rolling Stones’ "Honky Tonk

By: Jay Broderick Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto Growing up with an absent father and stumbling into trouble during my early teenage years taught me firsthand how crucial an adult role model can be. The statistics don’t lie... young people from single‑parent or fractured homes face steeper challenges than peers raised in more stable family environments. And in a massive city like Toronto, temptation and trouble lurk around every corner. That’s where Big Brothers Big Sis

By: Jay Broderick - On August 29, 1981, my MUCH older cousin (sorry Jim, wink, wink), took my sister and I to the CNE Grandstand in downtown Toronto to see a rock concert. It was my first ever live music experience. I was 10 years old. The band? April Wine ! I remember 2 distinct things that night... the funny smell of the smoke that filled the air, and the drum solo in which the drummer's sticks glowed different colours. It was pretty damned cool!!!! 27 years later (almost

By: Michael Drukarsh - If you are a child of the 70s then you were a teen of the 80s... and chances are, if you are here checking out this site, you were - and perhaps still are - a metal head. And , if you were a teen metal head of the 80s then chances are you owned these four influential albums; British Steel (1980), Blizzard of Ozz (1980), Number of the Beast (1982), Kill 'Em All (1983). And , if you were a teen in the 80s, then you were a young adult in the 90s, and

image generated by AI By: Michael Drukarsh - 2025 has been a rough year for heavy metal fans. Our heroes are getting older, as we all are, and the time has come to say good-bye to many. With the loss of Ozzy Osbourne on July 22, followed by Ace Frehley on October 16 , I thought it might be nice to share some Ozzy and Ace gift ideas to help make the holidays a little brighter. After all, they may have left us but thankfully the music they created will live on forever. Books

Bif Naked at The Royal Theatre in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Ontario - On November 12, 2025, Toronto music fans gathered at The Royal Theatre to celebrate one of Canada’s most fearless and beloved artists at the screening of Bif Naked: A Documentary . The evening was more than a film premiere... it was a living testament to resilience, and the enduring power of music. Bif Naked arrived with her puppy Grace, a hospital therapy dog w

Taylor Acorn performs live at All Your Friends Fest. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Jay Broderick - On June 1st, 2024, I headed to Toronto's summer concert amphitheatre Budweiser Stage to cover the Walk Off the Earth Tour for Corus Entertainment . On the bill that night was a pop-punk rocker from Pennsylvania named Taylor Acorn . Three months shy of the singer's debut full length album Survival in Motion being released, her performance on that early summer evening was one

Image generated by AI. By: Michael Drukarsh - Now that the disbelief has somewhat subsided, it’s time to take a moment and reflect on the passing of the original (and in many people's eyes, the only) Space Man, Ace Frehley . One of the four founding members and lead guitarist for Kiss , Ace made his mark on the rock and roll world by having a natural swagger that never felt forced or snobbish. Instead, Ace took to the stage, and to life, with a Bronx attitude that made peop

By: Jay Broderick - The Royal Theatre in Toronto is set to welcome a Canadian based, cultural icon as Bif Naked brings her fearless spirit and unmistakable voice for an intimate, one-night-only event that Toronto music fans won't want to miss. On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM, The Royal at 608 College Street will host “BIF NAKED: A Documentary”, a multifaceted evening featuring a screening of her brand new documentary, followed by a live acoustic p

By: Jay Broderick - Toronto thrashers, brace yourselves, for the apocalypse arrives at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on September 28. For the first time in over 30 years, Dark Angel , the thrash metal legends are storming back across North America. The band's 'Extinction Level Event Tour' marks a long awaited comeback, celebrating their first new album since 1991, Extinction Level Event, which was released by Reversed Records on September 5th. Formed in 1981 alongside Big 4

By: Jay Broderick - If ever a book could be described as a museum in hardcover form, Infinite Dreams is it. Set for an October 7, 2025 release. Published by British publisher Thames & Hudson , this massive flashback to Iron Maiden ’s 50-year reign is more than just a coffee table book... it’s a shrine to one of heavy metal’s greatest bands of all time. The illustrated book publisher has done a superb job here! Physically, Infinite Dreams is a Beast, as formidable as Eddie

By: Michael Drukarsh - For over 40 years, the movie This is Spinal Tap along with the band itself has woven its way into the fabric of society providing songs and quotes that lend themself perfectly to day to day living. “This goes to eleven”, “It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever”, and “I mean, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black” are just a few examples of the witty repertoire we were served when we first met the three mai

By: Michael Drukarsh - In 1984, a documentary portraying the life of a rock band hit theaters across North America. It was such a raw and unfiltered look at the day to day struggles of an aging band trying to find their place in the brutal touring world of rock and roll that other artists such as Ozzy Osbourne , Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and even Bono from U2 found the movie disturbing and far too relatable.  The directorial debut of actor Rob Reiner, famous for his role as

By: Michael Drukarsh - Truth be told, we all thought Ozzy was going to pass many years ago and many times over. When I first saw him in 1984 for the Bark at the Moon Tour, I clearly remember nudging my buddy AJ during the opening of "Center of Eternity" and commenting on how out of breath Ozzy was. We thought he was old even then. We were 13, he was 36. Ozzy has been a part of my life since I was 10 years old. I often joked that I knew more about his life than he does be

Death to All performs live in Toronto in June 2024. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick - Death (the band), or perhaps more specifically, founding member Chuck Schuldiner... one of the most influential in the metal genre! So much so, and without purpose, Schuldiner founded a heavy metal subgenre that has taken a life of its own. Chuck Schuldiner, the Godfather of Death Metal! The man is one of the most iconic figures in metal music in our lifetimes... well, at least t

Mose performs during one of his ceremonies. Photo Credit: @augustjphoto By: Jay Broderick - Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll! There's a reason this moniker has lasted the test of time. I mean, it all goes hand in hand, doesn't it? Many (most??) artists have dabbled in 'mind-altering' in some form or fashion. Some to absolute excess, sadly cutting short lives with massive upside and potential. Others seem to hang on forever, despite the abuse they have (and continue to) put their bo