MikeOnMetal is exactly what it sounds like. One guy, too many albums, and a lifetime obsession with all things loud, raw, and uncompromising.
This site exists because the underground heavy music scene deserves more than recycled press releases and half-assed blurbs. I’m not here to chase trends or suck up to PR firms. I’m here to dig through the noise, find the stuff that actually matters, and talk about it like a real person. Whether it’s a blistering new death metal album, a blackened crust band playing to twenty people in a local dive bar, or a sludge metal record that feels like drowning in tar, I cover it because I give a shit.
Based out of Alberta, Canada, I’m out in the trenches capturing the raw energy of the Western Canadian underground. I’ve been a metalhead for over thirty years, and I still get the same rush discovering new bands as I did in high school. That’s what this site is about. Not nostalgia. Not gatekeeping. Just pure passion for extreme music in all its forms. If it’s heavy, filthy, or just plain weird, there’s a good chance it’ll show up here.
You’ll find honest metal album reviews, concert photo galleries, Western Canadian metal festival write-ups, underground band interviews, and the occasional rant when something pisses me off. I write the way I speak, and I’m not trying to sound like a corporate magazine editor. If something blows me away, I’ll tell you. If it sucks, I’ll tell you that too.
Most of what I feature focuses on underground metal bands, unsigned acts, and underappreciated artists. There are already enough mainstream music sites posting about the same five corporate arena tours every month. I’d rather use my live music photography and write-ups to shine a light on the bands doing the hard work without the industry machine behind them.
If you’re a fan, a band, a independent label, or just someone trying to find your next favourite extreme record, welcome. You’re in the right place.
Metal is more than music. It’s a community, a release, a way to push back against everything fake in the world. MikeOnMetal is my small way of giving something back to the heavy metal scene that’s kept me alive.
Thanks for being here. Stick around. There’s plenty more coming.