Canadian punk rock royalty, Belvedere, hails from Calgary, Alberta. In what is technically their 26th anniversary, Belvedere is taking 2021 by storm. After COVID-19 changed the band’s 25th anniversary plans, they used the unexpected free time to record their new album.
That album, Hindsight is the Sixth Sense, releases later this year on May 14th on Thousand Islands Records. It’s a perfect blend of that classic Belvedere “sound” and a new dose of energy injected by the band’s new members.
If you’ve been hiding under a rock and are new to Belvedere though, here’s what to expect – melodic hardcore punk with fast tempos, and heartfelt lyrics. Really, they’re one of the best punk bands out there today.
If that’s not enough to intrigue you, then consider that they’re signed to Thousand Islands Records. With folks like Chaser, Counterpunch, Ten Foot Pole and Record Thieves on their roster, it’s hard to not trust their taste. Belvedere fits right in with those names. You owe it to yourself to check them out.
The band also just released a brand new single from the new album. Check out “Elephant March” below.
Belvedere Guitar Player Dan Wollach stopped by to give us some insight into his favorite album, and how it changed his life in music. There’s also some talk about albums he finds overrated and underrated.
Favorite Album
This a very difficult question as there have been many albums in my life that completely changed my musical trajectory. However Kezia by Protest The Hero has to be the album that had the greatest effect on me. I was an angry teenager learning guitar and suddenly here’s this aggressive, melodic, and beautifully technical band that blew my mind with what was possible musically.
Overrated Album
“My choice for overrated album would have to be (this could go very badly for me) AEnima by Tool. Having spent most of my life surrounded by other musicians, this was an album that kept coming up in conversations. I couldn’t seem to escape it no matter how hard I tried. It might as well have been Christmas music. I’m usually a fan of progressive music, but the band and album have never gripped me in any way.”
Underrated Album
“My choice for underrated album is Polka’s Not Dead by The Dreadnoughts. I don’t even know if this album is underrated but I just love it so much. The first time I ever heard it was on tour a decade ago, and I remember the band kept getting mad at me for putting on the album every day. It’s an amazing mix of balls to the wall punk, Eastern European polkas, and somber Sea Shanties.”
