Monday, May 26th, 2014
As the punters slowly made their way inside the hallowed venue, anticipation and excitement were readily apparent for headliners, HOODED MENACE, Finnish Death Metallers who have never performed in Montreal Canada. With event organizers, BLACKDOT, (whom I like to thank for their generosity and graciousness) the night was to be truly memorable with two opening Quebec acts ready to impress…
The evening began with OATH clearly wearing their collective influences on their denim sleeves for all things, “crusty Swed-Death” but the energy and enthusiasm exhibited were clearly what brought the crowd to immediate attention and applause. Very thick and muddy, the low end of their sound (particularly Carl Choquette’s bass) was enough to shake the very ground! While including members of STILLBORN, another Sherbrooke act, OATH have come a long way since being in awe and adulation of ‘90’s Grind sensation, HUMAN GREED and in particular bassist, Marty Matiis who was in attendance, supporting! Lauded with onstage bravado, the foursome quickly established themselves as not just an “opening act to ignore while buying a beer”. No, through a powerful, slow plodding demonstration of old-school Metal angst, OATH clearly was on a mission to destroy…and they did.
Quebec’s, BEAST WITHIN certainly know how their Doom Metal should sound. Beginning with “Adversary”, a song not unlike DARKTHRONE’s hypnotic “In the Shadow of the Horns”, the “biker-looking” gang from Hell set in motion a set that would draw comparisons to CANDLEMASS, CELTIC FROST and CATHEDRAL, at least vocally. With a solid rhythm section, the band had the crowd swaying back and forth, heads snapping in “Metal ecstasy” before treading lightly into slower momentums. Not particularly technical or complex by any means, the simplistic riffs and melodies did much to encourage the audience to jump onto the “BEAST WITHIN” bandwagon. Both “Upon the Veil” and “Order of the Necromancer” provided a full head of steam which clearly left the crowd “hot” and ready for the headliners….
For fans who have yearned to see bands that they otherwise thought they’d never witness, Finland’s HOODED MENACE really proved tonight that anything is possible. Performing for the first time on these eastern shores, the troupe quickly garnered themselves instant crowd appreciation as fans rushed the stage for opener, “Fulfill the Curse”! From there, the Finns’ set consisted of slow burning, syrupy odes to all things “horror” and occult oriented madness, charming fans with whimsical guitar melodies courtesy of Lasse Pyykko and Teemu Hannonen. Horns flying high above him, bassist/vocalist, Markus Makkonen growled his way through monster crowd pleasers, “Effigies of Evil”, “Never Cross the Dead”, “Curses Scribed” and “Crumbling Insanity” (among others). Solemn and stoic, the players carried on to gracious fans that clung to every snare beat and molasses-like guitar note before rampaging into a pit for the faster sections.
Not content with over an hour of playing time, fans quickly chanted and demanded an encore once the band had finished, particularly one young female, “Ashley”, who exclaimed, “Hooded Menace, Hooded Menace, Menace in the Hood!!!”. Despite not being able to abide, clearly, a good time was had by all….
Chris
