HEAVY METAL THUNDER IN THE BAY
Thunder Bay, ON – Wiggins Pro-Ductions will host Electric Mayhem: Metal Night, Saturday, August 17 at Black Pirates Pub. The night aims to showcase several homegrown metal bands playing various styles of heavy music. The lineup will include Railgun (heavy metal), Grindcorchestra (grindcore), the Vilification (progressive metal), and the debut performance of Riktr (grunge metal).
Heavy music has never really been able to dominate the mainstream, at least not in the same way as pop or rock music. Nonetheless, it’s a very important part of the music industry, and for many, a crucial part of everyday life. “Metal is a release”, explains Riktr drummer, Ricky Buzzy, “all of the stresses in the world goes away when you are pouring everything you have mentally and physically in to it. You get this big ol’ grin on your face that God himself couldn’t wipe off”.
For many musicians in Thunder Bay, heavy music was a big part of their introduction to the music scene. Metal shows are a place where people of all backgrounds can come together to and bang their heads. For others, it’s much more. “The metal scene in Thunder Bay is more than having a place where all of us that are like-minded can get together, “ says Buzzy, “it’s intangible, and although we don’t know all of each other on a first name basis, no matter where you go in Thunder Bay, there is someone that you can see that lets you know that you’re not alone. It’s like a weird kind of family”.
Over the years, heavy music in Thunder Bay seems to have taken a backseat to the rock and DJ shows happening downtown. “When I first started going to shows, there were metal bands playing in town all the time. It was hard not to see a metal band on stage”, explains event promoter, Jimmy Wiggins, “these days we still have metal shows, but not in the same frequency as we did 10 or even 5 years ago. It’s not that surprising though. Metal is one of those genres that takes the lead for a while and then falls back, and then takes the lead again. It’s not going anywhere”. For those who consider themselves die-hard metal fans, the genre will never end. As long as there are guitars, double bass drums, and big dudes with long hair, metal lives on!
Doors open at 10pm. Cover is $5. Age of majority required. For more information visit www.TBshows.com.
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