| Band name | West of Hell |
| Members | Chris ”The Heathen” Valagao-Vocals Sean Parkinson-Lead Guitar Kris Shulz- Lead Guitar Jordan Kemp-Bass Paul Drummond-Drums |
| Location | Vancouver, BC (originally from Auckland, New Zealand) |
| Founded in | Mid-2000 |
| Similar artists | “I would say there are not many bands that sound like us. The band’s sound is a hybrid of classic metal, thrash metal, and a bit of contemporary tech metal.” |
| First release | “Spiral Empire” (2012) |
| Latest release | “Blood of The Infidel” (2019) |
| Links | Facebook | YouTube |
| The Music Addict’s Verdict | Old school metal with a new spin. Sounds a bit like Accept. |
How was the band formed? The band is originally from West Auckland New Zealand. The core members moved to Vancouver, Canada in search of a vocalist. West of Hell was playing live shows in Vancouver as an instrumental act and creating quite a buzz in the local metal scene. Chris Valagao (Lorde Heathen) took notice: “These guys were playing a very traditional, classic pure metal style, I instantly wanted to jam and see how my vocal style would mesh with what they were doing”. A few cases of beer later and we had a cohesive lineup.
What’s your songwriting process like? Usually, the string section puts together the foundation of a song arrangement, then the drums get jammed out. Vocal melodies and tone are sorted out through freestyle jamming, finally, the lyrics are penned.
What are your influences? Vast and far-reaching. Maiden, Priest, Dio, Pantera, Slayer, Metallica, early Van Halen, Sabbath, etc……
How would you describe your music? Power, death, prog thrash, groove, classic metal.
What’s the one thing that makes your band stand out from the rest? West of Hell is a unique combination of styles and influences that defy convention; we take risks stylistically and are not afraid to mash up all the metallic sub-genres.
Describe your live show? Stand and deliver, relentless from beginning to end.
Have you ever played in Montreal? Well after a show in Montreal we were walking down St Catherine street and our sound man at the time asked a hooker where we could get the best poutine. This guy walks up and says ‘so you want to fuck her?’ and punches the sound guy in the face. The band promptly knocked this guy out cold and we had to run away. Montreal is always a crazy high energy place!
What are your touring plans for the next few months? We are heading across Canada for a 21 date tour (Montreal on April 14 at Piranha Bar) to support the release of our new album Blood of The Infidel, then after a short break, we will continue work on album 3.
He's also a regular contributor at the excellent news site Montreal Rampage
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