The scent of Koffin from la Messe des Morts II.V

by Krystal Koffin | Mar 17, 2013 | Critiques de Shows

En fin de semaine dernière avait lieu la suite de la Messe des Morts II. Pourquoi une suite? Parce que le groupe polonais Mgla n’avait pu être présent comme prévu lors de cette soirée et que les gens de Sepulchral Prods se sont retroussés les manches et se sont attelés à la tâche de régler ce petit contretemps. Ils ont donc organisé la Messe des Morts II.V mettant naturellement en vedette Mgla mais aussi le groupe allemand NARGAROTH qui nous revenait après 6 ans. Dans un souci de nous organiser une messe digne de ce nom selon les standards auxquels ils nous ont habitués, on avait également le métal noir de FORTERESSE qui foulait la scène pour la 1ère fois depuis son retour de sa tournée européenne de 2012. Pour ouvrir la soirée mais certainement pas en reste, une rare présence des Abitibiens de BLACK EMPIRE suivi du groupe américain WOE.

Pour l’occasion Krystal Koffin, qui collabore avec Ondes Chocs de nombreuses façons, s’est rendue sur place pour vivre l’expérience d’une Messe des Morts. Nous voulons d’ailleurs remercier chaleureusement Sepulchral Prods pour l’accréditation média qui nous a également permis de vous offrir ces quelques photos. Voici donc sa 1ère revue de spectacle sur les pages de Ondes Chocs (et sa 1ère à vie!?). Enjoy \Bing/

I get to the Plaza Theatre for the Messe des Morts II.V concert, in time I thought to be able to just walk right into the venue but to my surprise there’s a rather large line for me to wait in.  I have been many of the Black Metal shows in Montreal since I have lived here and I never see line up’s like this.  Sepulchral Prods I feel has done a great job to really creating a true Black Metal event when they put on the Messe de Morts as well as achieving the arrival of Mgla in this show in particular since at the time of the Messe des Morts II in November, they were not able to get over the border.  It is nice to see Sepulchral Prods‘ not giving up on their fans to bring them this band.   As I finally get Inside, I quickly feel way under makeuped for this show.   I look around to see I am surrounded by the deadened faces of corpse paint and blackness.  Again I am always surprised at how many people go to these black metal shows that I never see at any other type of metal show.  I can only assume the Kvlt hides in the darkness until the blackness of the bands draws them out from which they lay waiting.

Starting the night off in a very traditional grim black metal style was BLACK EMPIRE that reign from the frozen north of Duparquet, Quebec.  In full corpse paint, the band took a solid presence on stage without much movement.  As they start to play, I am very pleased that I can hear everything rather well! Considering black metal is a very hard style to get across in venues with a lot of high end that usually just blends together in a big muddy wall of inaudible mess, but not for this show!  The acoustics and a well chosen sound guy made this band very pleasurable to hear for a raw black metal sound.  A straight forward four time drum beat, driving dissonant guitar riffs and a grim well placed vocal combined with some doomy slow downs makes this band a not miss for the fans of the fathers of black metal.  Influences from bands like Emperor and Dissection were noticed that played out well in their sound. The set as well did not seem short for an opening band on a bill of 5 bands, maybe because I was enjoying them very much.  After they played, I was chatting with Vocalist/ Guitar player Emmanuel Audet which would be better recognized from Cryptic Howling.  I was to find out that this was his project way before he had joined Cryptic in early 2000’s and it had been pretty well abandoned for many years after.  He had reformed this band a few years ago to bring it back from the dead and I am glad that he did.  As a fan of old school black metal it really reigned true to the roots!

Next up was WOE from Pennsylvania, with a mainly punk styled D-beat drum, droning guitars and varied black death and clean vocal.  As I listen to this band I hear a lot of true black metal elements mixed in with some punk but was taken back a bit by slight mix of what I will just say core influence. Mostly contained within the vocal and stage presents.  I think if you were not paying attention you would not even have noticed it. Regardless I found it an odd added element to so many other elements that make this band very true to the roots and slightly atmospheric.   Even their appearance I found was a bit off putting for such a black metal show.  Not to say you have to look a certain way but if I wasn’t at a black metal show I would have felt they wouldn’t be a black metal band.  Overall they have an interesting dynamic that I think suites a varied amount of fans.  It’s something you would have to listen to yourself to get a real idea of all the combined styles they have managed to integrate.  Personally I think this band did not really suite the line up for this show in particular but defiantly had a lot of enjoyable elements within the 6 to 12 minute long songs.

Now it was time for FORTERESSE, from Quebec City.  As soon as they step on stage they instantly were taking us into a deep black pit of despair.  The darkened ambient droning blast with ringing guitar cutting through, topped with grimed banshee styled vocal.  I felt like I was being taken for a ride to my unforeseen death.  I have listen to this band for many years and since being here in Quebec was excited to finally see them and to my pleasure they did not disappoint.  They are a true representation of Kvlt Quebec black metal.  Even though I am still learning French I didn’t need to understand the lyrics to have this music make me feel where they were trying to take us. As I was watching Athros, the vocalist was constantly moving in head banging windmills and leaning back screaming to the sky.  For some moments, I was like what the Fuck does he keep looking at up there?  In the middle of a very enjoyable set so far, I see Athros light a smoke on stage.  This is something I have yet to see of all the shows I have been to over the years.  Mainly now due to the no smoking rule in bars I can figure plus being a vocalist it’s usually not good to smoke while doing vocals at the same time, but not for this guy.  He sure gave that I don’t give a fuck attitude and ya that’s right I am fucking smoking so fuck you! I was very pleased to check this band of my wanted to see list and will for sure be there the next time they play Montreal and I recommend you all do as well!

The time is finally here for the long overdue and awaited Mgla, from Poland.  I know a lot of the fans there that night were very relieved to see they had made it to Montreal this time to take reign on the stage.  As I impatiently waited, I see them walk out one by one in black shrouded covered faces all with matching leather jackets.  It didn’t take long after they started for me to be able to sum this band up in one way:  A complete brutal black metal assault! If I was going off into battle, I would want this band playing in the back ground to lead us to our victory to serve as the true black guardians of war.  The vocal style’s not a full on black or death but more of a very blackened shouting command.  Their sound is raw black metal with a melodic doom and atmospheric overtones with blasting technical drum beats.  Considering some of the recurring black metal bands from Europe that play in Montreal, I hope Mgla can be another on that list.  They played with such conviction and force and you couldn’t even see the expression on their faces, the music carried it all.

The final moment had arrived for the last band to take stage, NARGAROTH, from Germany.   This was another band I had eagerly awaited to check off my must see list and I could not have imagined what I was about to witness.  For the most part raw black metal bands will not move much and will express themselves mostly within music, covered behind a face of the dead.  In tradition they came on stage in full corpse paint and black cloths but what I was about to see was vocalist Kanwulf take on an entity of some demented creature.  Every move was accentuated by some crippling gesture.  I couldn’t look away for one moment as I was mesmerized not only by the cult oldschool grimness of the band but by the morphed movements of Kanwulf.  I can only describe it as if he was being put through an exorcism and the demon was winning.  As a band being from the near beginnings of when true raw black metal took form they have kept up the original nature from which this band started from. Consisting of heavily reverbed vocals, dissonant guitars with blasting drums, they achieve Tr00 Kvlt grimness at its finest! They played such songs as « Possessed by Black Fucking Metal« , « Seven Tears are Flowing to the River« , « Abschiedsbrief des Prometheus« , « Karmageddon » as well as covers of « War » by Burzum and « Freezing Moon » by Mayhem.  I was left being very well satisfied and then some.  Absolutely a band to never miss!  All in all this was a night to remember.

Alas I once again have to give credit to Sepulchral Prods for knowing how to put on a proper black metal show and I impatiently am awaiting the next round.  These guys know how to do it Tr00 \m/

Krystal Koffin

NDLR Pour terminer cette revue, nous laissons le commentaire de la fin à Ash Nargaroth ou si vous préférez Kanwulf, qui a eu la délicatesse de revenir sur la page de l’événement pour remercier Sepulchral Prods.

  I personally want to express my respect to the organizer of the Messe des Morts Festival who is a very trustful, professional and reliable person – and that’s in metal concert organisation not always common! If you ever have the chance to work with him you can do it without any doubts!!! Great man! Thanx also to everyone else who was involved in the organization & to Sunvemetal for the professional photo work!

And of course to all maniacs that evening – the crowd-singing over “Seven Tears are flowing to the River” was an epic moment!! You have my deepest respect.