It's Black Sabbath meets death metal vocals.
The throaty heaves and deep vibrating bass aren't for everybody, Shane Carmichael admits. While Black Sabbath helped the music genre hit mainstream airwaves in the 1970s, the tunes aren't a mainstay of today's radio hits. But the heavy metal community is far from dead, Carmichael said.
"I think there are still a lot of people into it," he said. "There are a lot of big festivals for metal, you just don't hear about them."
Carmichael grew fond of distorted guitar as a teenager. He played his first concert in Grade 10 to a headbanging crowd of Don Ross School Secondary School students. His friend Dave Hardy was on guitar, Carmichael was on bass and they traded off on vocals.
"It was cool because we were sort of the only rock band in school," Carmichael recalled.
Fifteen years later, the two friends are still together rocking listeners' cores. They're joined onstage by drummer Oli Gagnon.
For the past four years, Hoopsnake has been breaking into the metal scene. Last summer, the band bagged thousands of kilometres on the road as the Squamish trio played 22 shows across North America. Edmonton seemed to be a city full of hardcore metal fans, Carmichael said, noting Hoopsnake rocked a sold-out show.
"[Metal] is more like an underground thing, but the fans will seek it out," Carmichael said.
The Internet has helped open up the music genre, he said. There are some hot sounds coming out of countries in South America and Europe.
Hoopsnake has its own online site where people can listen to individual tracks or buy either of the band's two albums. On Saturday (Nov. 23), the band will play live at the Cliffside Pub in Valleycliffe. It's something out of the ordinary for most Squamish residents, but it's great local music put on by a talented crew, Carmichael noted.
Presale tickets are available at The Cliffside or Stuntwood for $5. At the door, the price is $10. For information visit Heavy Metal Show, with Hoopsnake and Chapel at The Cliffside Bar on Facebook.
