Top 10 Best Heavy Canadian Bands, Per Homegrown Metalcore Newbies Victoria Lies
If you don’t love, appreciate or at least respect Canada – especially under the authoritarian regime us Americans are suffering through – then you’re on the wrong website. Much like Scandinavian countries, Canada is home to some of the kindest people on the planet … which is not a statement that’s mutually exclusive from their propensity for producing prodigious rock talent.
While a brand-new band, Calgary’s Victoria Lies are well aware of this fact. Hell, they’re making the music to prove it. Released less than two weeks ago, their debut album, Vendetta (Black Cat), is an ambitious concept album that addresses all the wrong turns humanity has made and that have thus led us to the global disarray in which we are all currently mired.
Get a sense of the record by tasting their latest video, for “Truth and Sugar”:
Victoria’s Lies features no one named Victoria, the name of the British Columbia city: Jay Powell (bass), Chris Koehler (guitars), Brett Hetherington (vocals), James Cuncanon (drums) and Rory Fitzsimmons (guitars). The band graciously grouped together to assemble a list of what they consider to be the best bands that hail from Canada as part of our ongoing series The Bad Penny Passport. Take a shot of maple syrup and enjoy!
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Protest the Hero
Protest is one of those once-in-a-generation bands that comes along and truly stands out. They aren’t the heaviest or most proggy, but they combine elements from each with a dash of punk and blistering technicality that makes me feel like I’m hearing music for the first time.
Sum 41
The argument can be made that Sum 41 isn’t heavy. And to that argument, I answer with “Does This Look Infected?” That album really showed that Sum 41 could get heavier and mix a bit more of their metal background into their pop punk. A great band that will be missed.
Unleash the Archers
The iconic Canadian power metal band. Phenomenal musicians with deep albums, complex guitar work and just an absolute powerhouse of a singer.
Gutter King
I believe Gutter King is one of the bands leading one of the strongest charges in the modern Canadian metalcore scene. Catchy melodies, insane breakdowns, heavy af and dynamic. Keep an ear out for them!
Striker
Leading the charge in fun, technical and unabashedly groovy party power metal, the Striker lads are amazing musicians and are one hell of a party!
Osyron
Our hometown heroes! With soaring vocals, melodic guitars, and diverse albums under their belt, Osyron knows how to wow a crowd. They ride the line between power, folk, and heavy metal, mixing things as they need to to achieve the sound they are looking for. A real inspiration of what can be achieved with an album!
Archspire
Brutal. Heavy. Technical. Metal. Archspire hold the crown in the technical metal genre 10,000 percent. These dudes don’t know the word slow and never skip a beat!
The Birthday Massacre
One of my first introductions into the industrial/goth metal genre from a while back. They have a way of mixing light and dark in their songs that I just haven’t been able to find anywhere else. Bone-crushing guitars with whimsical vocals from their singer, Chibi, are such a welcome sound.
Billy Talent
Again, another band you could say isn’t heavy, but Billy Talent is a Canadian institution at this point and has more than earned their spot on this list. With their unique vocals and even weirder guitar parts, they stand out so much and put on amazing live shows.
One of the best extreme metal bands to have ever come out of the Great White North. SYL was heavy, technicaland fast all at once. They were one of the first extreme metal bands I ever heard, and we need a reunion!
For more on Victoria Lies, and to snag their new record and merch (tees! drinking glasses! coasters! patches!), visit the band’s website.
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For more authoritative lists of the best bands from non-U.S. countries, as picked by bands that hail from those places, check out:
• 10 Great L.A. Bands You’ve Never Heard of, According to Bart Davenport of Reunited Cali Natives The Loved Ones
• Top 10 Best Scottish Underground Metal Bands, According to Homegrown Grindcore Guru Chairmaker
• Top 10 Best German Metal Bands, According to the Country’s Power-Metal Vets Stormhammer
• Top 10 Best Norwegian Metal Bands, According to Homegrown Heathens Horrifier
• Top 10 Best Massachusetts Heavy Bands, According to Hometown Heroes Caspian
• Top 6 Best Lithuanian Metal Bands, According to Native Sons Erdve
• Top 10 Best Chinese Metal Bands, According to Homegrown Heathens Dehumanizing Itatrian Worship
• Top 10 Best Russian Bands, According to Native Son Ovfrost of Malist and Crimson Crown
• Top 10 Best Chilean Metal Bands, According to Native Black-Metal Act Ad Finem Omnia
• The 10 Best Canadian Metal Bands, According to Montreal Thrashers Ombra (Exclusive)
• The 10 Best German Heavy Bands, According to Native Black-Metal Sons Der Weg einer Freiheit (Exclusive)
• The 10 Best Bay Area Bands, According to Death-Thrash Hometown Heroes Absolute Darkness (Exclusive)
• The 10 Best Swiss Bands, According to Native Dark-Jazz-Grind-Doom Experimentalists Convulsif (Exclusive)
• The 10 Best Irish Bands, According to Alt-Pop-Addicted Electronic Producer Phenom Vaticanjail (Exclusive)
• The 10 Best Chilean Bands, According to Guitarist for Santiago-Based Noisy Punk-Rock Squad Niño Nuclear (Exclusive)
• The 10 Best Venezuelan Heavy Bands, According to the Country’s Most Badass Garage-Rock Guitarist, Diego Ramirez
• The 10 Best Italian Metal Bands, According to the Country’s New Post-Metal Phenoms Orbita (Exclusive)
• The 10 Best Belgian Metal Bands of All Time, According to Gnarly Native Sons 30,000 Monkies (Exclusive)
• Edge of Sanity Frontman Dan Swanö Reveals 10 Swedish Bands That Made Their Way Into His Musical DNA
• The 10 Best Swedish Heavy Bands Ever, According to Native Sons Prime Creation
• The 10 Best Portuguese Heavy Bands Ever, According to Portugal’s Own Fernando Ribeiro of Moonspell
• Germany’s Top 10 Best Metal Bands Ever, Per the Country’s Native Death-Metal Sons Fleshcrawl
• The 10 Best Finnish Bands Ever, According to Natives the Feral Kids
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