Apocalypse Metal hosted an enchanting presentation of atmospheric black metal majority this past Saturday, October 17 at the full-of-potential Alizé concert venue. A band cancellation, recurring feedback noise, and an 11pm show wrap up time could not detract from the overall ambiance of the evening. Alizé is normally home to jam sessions and DJ nights, and more than a few patrons of the occasional metal gig have commented on the high drink prices and slow service. We shall have to see whether this improves, along with the sound system, if more metal shows will take place there.
Locals Frostbite opened up the evening, with their own breed of progressive and melodic black metal. Vocalist Krystal Koffin utilizes a mid-tone black metal vocalization that pairs well with the straightforward, no-nonsense musical influence. There were frequent feedback shrieks in the PA, which was apparently caused by complementing different bands’ gear. Frostbite was well-received by the rapidly-filling audience, and the night was off to a fast-paced start.
Dynfari, hailing from Iceland, filled the penultimate slot on the bill. Having quite a cult following, many who appeared to be present at the gig, these shy, humble fellows sported Behemoth and Alcest shirts, and played a very soulful progression of several albums’ worth of atmospheric, progressive, and arguably post black metal soundscapes that definitely set these boys apart from some of their peers.
Having released three full length albums since 2010, these dudes are seriously committed to and ambitious in their sound, and this is reflected in their live performance. Where opening acts can seem a bit awkward with themselves, and more prone to mishaps, it’s clear that Dynfari are old souls in the metal world despite their recent formation. We were treated with passionate animation on stage, smooth song transitions, and both fast and heavy earlier hits as well as newer, more post metal shoegazer tunes.
For the uninitiated, Negură Bunget might come across in name and character as nothing more than another European black metal band. For the loyal fan base, however, this archetypal Romanian contingent is much more; atmospherically teeming and writhing with Transylvanian folklore, and giving an ever-present nod to its Gypsy musical influences. There is a truly inspired musical aptitude and quality to their music, pre- and post-reformation.
A rather unfortunate split occurred between 2010’s «Maistrit» and «Vîrstele pămîntului», where drummer Negru decided to continue making music under the Negură Bunget moniker, arguably against the wishes and agreement made with former vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist Hupogrammos and longtime guitarist Sol Faur.
The two went on to form Dordeduh, which is a rather beautiful project that, when placed next to newer Negură Bunget releases, shows which creative elements belonged to each member of the band, and branches off in their own right to become quite an elaborate and intriguing offshoot of what was pre-«Vîrstele pămîntului» collaboration.
Despite these changes in line-up and creative direction, Negură Bunget has remained relevant, poignant, and inspired. 2012 saw the band tour North America in support of the afore-mentioned album with their full new lineup, showcasing their skills at Co-op Katacombes.
In promotion of 2015’s «Tău», the band set off for a North American tour with fellow Romanians Grimegod, and Iceland’s Dynfari. An incestuous tour to say the least, Grimegod is made up of Negură Bunget‘s current vocalist, Tibor Kati, as well as Vartan Garabedian, who lends his percussion talents. Grimegod regrettably couldn’t get their visas arranged in time to cross the border into Canada for this tour, though Tibor was able to get through, presumably through his contract with the headlining outfit.
This most recent performance endeavour highlighted a smaller live band than in 2012 not featuring supplementary percussion or xylophone, and without a live flute, but Negru did utilise his tulnic, or alphorn, which added an ethereal quality and genuineness to the performance that the audio sampling couldn’t.
The supplementary ambiance audio and keyboards were played through the PA, which was a bit of a drawback given the sound system was not clear enough to make out the nuance and subtlety resplendent in the music. There was a very pronounced low end (not a bad thing), but the subsequent white noise washed out the finer details of the ambient sound. It is probably as simple as the music not pairing well with the background audio track. There were some very clear and crisp audio moments, and overall the sound was not the worst imaginable. The overall experience was wholly magical, despite a more sparse stage presence, as well as the collaboration of Dynfari vocalist and guitarists as session players.
We heard several fan favourites spanning the years, including «Dacia hiperboreană» (from the «Vîrstele pămîntului» album), and «Țesarul de lumini» (from 2006’s «Om» album – a true masterpiece). All in all, this was a very intimate, warmly-received show. Each band and the promoter reached out via Facebook post-event to thank Montreal for its reception and gratitude. I wish to express my thank too to the promotor, Apocalypse Metal, that welcomed me to this show. «Tău» is getting more than regular attention in my musical collection after this memorable experience.
Jenny King
