With evening headliner, YOUR LAST WISH‘s last minute cancellation, tension and worry may have permeated the air for event organizer, Krystal Koffin as fans sporadically entered Coop Katacombes later than planned, resulting in a sparse open space beyond the stage at 9:15 pm. The night’s celebration and grand opening of Koffin‘s Metal Boutique, La Bête Noire Emporium de musique, was to feature three outstanding local Montreal acts but with circumstances beyond anyone’s control (Dave, guitarist of the band had a out of the blue surgery for an appendisectomy), the lineup would have to undergo small changes. However, as first act SHERKHAN BAKRA emerged, the flood gates miraculously opened and the growing attendees soon reveled in Melodic Death Metal bliss making for a fantastic start to a highly successful evening, finally!
Montreal’s SHERKHAN BAKHRA have been in existence for five years and as last night proved, the act has really come into their own. Vocalist Julien, admitting later the band played better than ever before, performing a tight, determined set – nothing could be further than the truth. From the outset, “Blindness” opened with lush keys that resonated well and continued to pierce through the wall of guitars throughout the performance. Equal parts intense and equal parts serene and majestic, SHERKHAN BAKHRA’s sound combines symphonic elements with an unexpected Middle Eastern feel. Being a sextet, the band didn’t have too much space to move on stage, but that certainly didn’t detract them from offering onlookers a satisfying musical voyage! “Vengeance and Agony” and closer, “Preaching to the Perverted” both proved that there’s much more going on than a simple Melodic Death Metal act trying to carve a niche for themselves. If certain films may be considered “sleeper hits”, than SHERKHAN BAKHRA’s performance was the musical equivalent!
Taking the stage almost immediately, CHILDREN OF BODOM tribute act, BASTARDS OF BODOM made no bones about their affinity for the Finnish troupe! Storming through BODOM hits spanning the band’s illustrious career, “Hate Me”, “Bed of Razors”, “Hatebreeder”, “Six Pounder”, “Lake Bodom” and “Silent Night, Bodom Night”, the group solidified the evening’s “party-like” vibe with cheers and applause running wild! Once more the sound was impeccable with keyboards and bass cutting through the P.A. while guitars raged and executed near flawless renditions of the songs! Included in the set, “Thrashed, Lost and Strungout” met with malicious grins as even CHILDREN OF BODOM themselves rarely perform the song! As the continuous pit came to a grinding holt, BASTARDS OF BODOM ended the set with many chagrins resulting in a quick band meeting before satiating fans with “Living Dead Beat”, a song they haven’t practiced in some time. Granted, nobody could perfectly pull off playing CHILDREN OF BODOM songs, except themselves, but this night proved that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and if Alexi Laiho was in the audience, he’d be honoured….
Special thanks to Krystal Koffin for putting this event together in such short time!
Chris
