Show Review: Wacken Metal Battle Edmonton Round I
(All the pictures from the event are available here)
On Wednesday, March 5th, the first four bands competing in the Wacken Metal Battle Edmonton took over the stage at the Pawn Shop—a live-music venue located on Edmonton’s illustrious Whyte Avenue. It was definitely odd to walk up the stairs of the Pawn Shop on a Wednesday night to watch four local bands battle it out for metal supremacy, but I wasn’t complaining and neither were any of the bands.
Bring Us Your Dead, a self-described deathcore band, was unlucky enough to be the first band to take the stage. The crowd was fairly small at this point and most of the spectators sat behind tables, casually drinking beer. Lead singer Kenneth Black summoned the audience to the front of the stage. Some obliged. And as Bring Us Your Dead’s music intensified, Black leaned into a scream and banged his head to the mystical opening riff of a song called “Archers”. Certainly, Black was the centre of attention. He was all over the stage. Time and time again, he attempted to get the audience into it. “Ok,” he yelled into his microphone. “I want to get every body to say fuck.” A few people responded. At one point, Black climbed up onto one of the tables and accidentally whacked his head on a stage light.
The other four members of Bring Us Your Dead basically focused on the music. They kind of stood around, occasionally nodding their heads to the rhythm. The two guitarists and the bassist only showed emotion during the band’s many breakdowns, but it was Black who brought the energy for the band’s entire 25-minute set.
The crowd was noticeably larger by the time With Malice emerged onto the stage to play their brutal style of metal. The audience gathered close to the stage as vocalist Jesse Leduc introduced his band with a monstrous growl. With Malice’s brilliantly heavy music didn’t cause an immediate reaction from the crowd, but Leduc managed to induce a mosh pit during the band’s second song. “I see a lot of you out there, but not a lot of movement!” Suddenly, the floor began to shake as several members of the audience started bashing into each other. In a moment of violent chaos, someone was knocked to the floor and instantly helped up by another. “I see people moving out there,” Leduc growled. “That’s what I fucking want!”
Some of the crowd hollered and screamed with appreciation when Leduc leaned back and let out a hideous roar. He constantly bent down to scream in the faces of the audience at the front of the stage. Before the band’s final song, bassist Jonathan Schieman gave the crowd two signs of the horns. With Malice showed us what metal is all about. All four members conveyed energy and cohesion that metal fans appreciate and remember. It was really too bad this band only had 25 minutes to play, because they left us wanting more.
Here’s a link for an interview with Jonathan done before their Wacken Battle participation.
These Colours Don’t Run, a five-piece melodic metalcore band, arrived on the stage for their set. I initially felt bad that they had to follow such a strong performance by With Malice. But my sympathy was nullified as soon as I heard them play. They reminded me a lot of Alexisonfire, with their mixture of screaming lead vocals and a guitarist-vocalist who sings glorious melodies. Their sound is also very reminiscent of The Black Dahlia Murder. The crowd had dwindled a little and the mosh pit in front of These Colours Don’t Run consisted of three or four people at first. People must have been refilling their drinks, because as soon as the band started its second song, the crowd in front of the stage was full again and another insane mosh pit commenced.
The lead singer hopped and twirled around the stage. He has big lungs and his piercing screams seem like they could go on forever. The whole band was into it. Just like With Malice, they got the crowd going with their energetic performance. However, the combined screaming from both the drummer and the lead singer was often way too much for the ears to handle. The sound shook around inside your brain like the sound of thousands of three-year-olds whining for one more candy. And at times, they were a little out of sync. Their songs seemed mashed together with messy guitar work and overwhelming vocals.
The size of the crowd increased again when Quietus arrived. At the back of the stage, singer-guitarist C.J. King and bassist Ryan King prepared by clanging shot glasses and knocking back alcohol. C.J., a stocky man with a full beard, smiled at the rowdy crowd as he slowly walked to the microphone and simply said, “Alright.” The band’s gloomy melodies filled the Pawn Shop with a spectacular atmosphere. King’s triumphant vocals altered from melodic singing to growling and screaming and the whole band demanded your attention with its indisputable talent and contagious energy.
Quietus is a band that could create its own religious following. The crowd swayed to the music and saluted the band with the sign of the horns. They cheered the loudest for Quietus and started moshing to the intense, heavy conclusion of the band’s second last song. The entire set was brimming with passion and brilliant variations of melody and heaviness.
Quietus truly set the bar high for the rest of the Wacken Metal Battle here in Edmonton. There was a collective feeling that they deserved to win the first round. The announcer said it was close. But ultimately, Quietus emerged as the much-deserved winners.
The second round of the Wacken Metal Battle Edmonton takes place at the Pawn Shop on Wednesday, March 19th. Be prepared. The next group of bands includes Black XIII, Arrival of Autumn, Samandriel, Display of Decay, and Death Assembly.
Evan
