British Columbia and the Juno awards are having a bit of a moment; the awards will be hosted in the western province this year by a B.C. artist, and local musicians make up about 13.5 per cent of the nominees — up from last year and impressive given that Ontario and Quebec typically dominate the music scene in Canada.
But the province has seen a strong showing in a particular category that may surprise some: metal.
Of the five nominees for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year, three are from B.C., and a fourth is from Edmonton.
Remarkable, given that Montreal has long considered itself a hub for metal music; in 2019, the city declared itself a “city of excellence for heavy metal music.”
Joey Hawkin, who organizes two metal music festivals in B.C. each year, says he wasn’t surprised at all to see Western Canada metal acts get a little love from the Junos.
“B.C. has an incredible metal scene,” he said. “There’s always local shows going on you can go to. There’s always local bands working really hard to get to the next level.”
Hawkin said the Junos have a good reputation, and the judges “know what they’re talking about.”
“The winner of the metal award is decided on primarily by metalheads,” he said. “The Junos do their homework.”
The Early Edition7:17B.C. acts take 3 of 5 nominations in Junos’ metal album category
Lisa Christiansen breaks down the nominees in her weekly music column, “It’s Already Wednesday.”
Vancouver’s Anciients, which won Metal Album of the Year at the Junos in 2018, is up for the award again for their album Beyond the Reach of the Sun.
“It’s definitely always a surprise to be recognized on a national level,” vocalist and guitarist Kenny Cook said. “When we’re making albums, it’s never with thoughts of winning an award in mind. We’re very honoured to be recognized.”
Fellow nominees Spiritbox, also up for Group of the Year, hail from Victoria. They were nominated for metal album and breakthrough group in 2022. Their album The Fear of Fear earned them this year’s nomination.
“When we were kids growing up in Canada, some of our favourite Canadian bands were nominated for Junos, and it was always such a huge deal,” said guitarist Mike Stringer. “When I was in high school I was voted most likely to win a Juno, and I’ve been nominated a couple years ago, but I’ve never won. We’ll see if they were right.”
Vocalist Courtney LaPlante said it’s exciting to see music that isn’t mainstream get recognized.
“Some pretty-out-there heavy and metal acts have been nominated for major awards, and that’s very inspiring to us.”
The third B.C.-based Juno-nominee in the metal category is musician Devin Townsend of New Westminster for his album PowerNerd. He’s been making all kinds of music for decades and won the award in 2015.
Nominees from outside B.C. in Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year include Edmonton’s Kittie and Striker of London, Ont.
Listen to the B.C. nominees below.
WATCH | The title track from Devin Townsend’s PowerNerd:
WATCH | The music video for Jaded, off Spiritbox’s The Fear of Fear:
WATCH | Anciient’s Forbidden Sanctuary, from their album Beyond the Reach of the Sun:
