The first thing that comes up when talking to Doom Machine member Bill Arsenault is what the heavy metal community is like in the Annapolis Valley. Seemingly everywhere you go in Nova Scotia you'll find tiny pockets of metal kids, keeping everything heavy and dark alive in their tiny metal loving hearts.
"The valley scene can be up and down," he says, "but judging from our last few shows it seems to be on the rise again."
Right now, he explains, there aren't many bands but the ones that manage to stick around can amass very loyal fan bases. Doom Machine has been together since 2008, and don't appear to be going anywhere any time soon.
Doom Machine has just wrapped up its second record, Doomination. Says Arsenault: "It's a much heavier record than our first album, which was more hard rock. This album is definitely a metal record." The band did all the recording themselves, which took longer than it may have otherwise, but allowed them the chance to get everything right. "We weren't rushing through the process," says Arsenault. "We're extremely happy with how it turned out."
This Saturday night, May 24, Doom Machine celebrates finishing the record with a show at Michael's Bar and Grill. "We play Halifax more than anywhere because the scene is much more stable," says Arsenault. Plus, there are more bands here they can play with, exposing them to a wider variety of metal fans in the process. The tight-knit urban metal community helps: "The biggest advantage is all the bands in Halifax and Dartmouth are good friends with each other, so it didn't take long for us to feel at home here."
Doom Machine w/Enemy Designed, Dumpster Mummy, Frown
Saturday, May 24 at 10pm, $6
Michael’s Bar and Grill, 6100 Young Street