Last week we talked to Colton Hession of Journeyman Productions about New Year's Winterfest 2020, taking place at the Rickshaw Theatre on January 24 and 25 in Vancouver, Canada. This week, we asked him to narrow down his top 5 acts.
Written by Colton Hession
ANCIIENTS
Progressive/Sludge Metal
Vancouver
Anciients are the headliner for Night 2, and they're one of the most significant metal bands to come out of Vancouver in quite some time. They won a Juno award for best rock/metal album with "Voice of the Void", so having a band of this calibre on the festival is definitely going to take things to the next level. Opeth and Mastodon are some of the bands they're frequently compared to.
POUND
Experimental Grindcore/Mathcore/Sludge
Seattle
Pound from Seattle is a band you really have to experience for yourself. Words can't accurately describe them, they're one of the most unique bands you'll ever see. Every time they play Vancouver, people are blown away and they're a huge talking point for a very, very long time after the show. They're also the first international band to ever be a part of New Year's Winterfest!
APOLLYON
Black/Death Metal
Kelowna
Apollyon headlined last year's event, and bringing them back was a no brainer when thinking of what band I could have on to bring that black metal flavour. Their 2018 album "False Light" was on a lot of peoples' Best of 2018 lists, including mine. Braden, their guitarist, does show promotion in Kelowna at Muninn's Post, and even ran his own festival "Okanagan Disintegration" back in October and it SOLD OUT, so it's very exciting to have them on the lineup again this year.
KOSM
Progressive Metal
Vancouver
KOSM is a melodic prog metal band, with lyrical themes based heavily on the Dark Souls/Bloodbourne video game franchise. They feature a combination of both crushingly heavy sections, as well as softer melodic sections, making a great contrast and dynamic between songs. And can't forget the odd time signatures! They headlined the first iteration of Winterfest, so it's only natural to bring them back now that the festival is bigger than ever.
ARROW IN THE QUIVER
Death Metal/Metalcore
Vancouver
Arrow in the Quiver is a young, all Filipino metal band who've been playing countless shows around Vancouver in the short time they've been a band. They bring such a high amount of energy to their stage show that few bands can match, every time they play there are people in the crowd absolutely blown away. Just recently they released their debut EP "Alpha", and they're well on their way to becoming a mainstay name in the history of Vancouver metal.