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.
