by Krystal Koffin | Avr 12, 2013 | Critiques de Shows
I was pleased to see that Cryptik Howling made the nine-something hour trip south from Rouyn-Noranda to come play Café Chaos for their CD release of « Synthetic Ascension Design ». Only three bands on the bill, I knew that they were going to get their time into play a good set.
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The show started out with Godless Requiem from Blainville, Quebec. They filled up every inch of the stage with 6 members to this band. Their style is melodic symphonic death metal with a hint of folk. I was expecting a black metal band to open this show and even though stylistically they didn’t really fit with the lineup they were very entertaining and had excellent musicianship. The main vocal has a deep death growl but audible enough to make out a lot of lyrics, combine with the lead guitarist with a higher toned backing death vocal. The bass and drums keep a fast paced driving technical punch, which were melded with shredding clean melodic duel guitars and topped with sweeping arpeggios. The final touch to this band is the heavily layered keyboards that really give a complete sound to this style. I felt if they could improve anywhere it would be to play more together as a band. I know Café Chaos doesn’t have a lot of room on stage, but that didn’t stop the main vocalist from moving around as much as he could and bringing a good energy to the crowd. I found the rest of the members were rather complacent. With this kind of energy to the music, it would have been more fitting to see them all getting way more into it. With that being said however they had a great sound and played a tight set. If you are fans of bands like Ensiferum and Norther this is a band I am sure you would enjoy.
Next up was Erimha from Montreal. These guys looked like they had just crawled out of the grave to tell us tales of misanthropic darkness. Covered in full corpse paint and ripped tattered clothing, they really set an ambiance of death. They are in the style of symphonic melodic blackened death. When these guys started to play I was hit with a massive intensity of sound and to achieve this in Café Chaos was impressive. The main vocals are dark, aggressively brutal ranging from guttural lows to high pitched screams also making use of the other members doing backing vocals. As well as perfectly placed melancholic clean vocals come in at times. The guitars range from shredding tremolo black metal riffs, to singing melodic harmonies, backed by blasting death drumming and symphonic keyboard samples. This band has incorporated a lot of elements that make this band not just your typical local band. For this style they are a cut above for sure and I feel have a great future if they continue in this path. Live they were flawless giving a very entrancing performance. This is a band to not let pass by without giving them a good listen and well worth the money to see live. They successfully took me on a journey through atramentous visions of deprave malevolence that lurks deep inside us all.
Headliner of the night was Cryptik Howling hailing from the grim north of Rouyn-Noranda. Here tonight to bring us their third full length release, « Synthetic Ascension Design ». Having Erimha playing before them was an excellent choice since stylistically these bands go hand in hand. Crytick Howling is also in the style of Symphonic melodic black death metal. I was once again hit with a wall of intense black metal brutality. Blasting drums, shredding blacken guitar riffs, symphonic keyboard samples, with a fierce grim varied black metal vocal attack. The other members are also used in layering backing vocals at times. Flowing from prevailing intensity to melodic slowdowns, the music really keeps great continuity. I felt I was being taking down some bereaved road being led from my past existence. Dressed in what looks to be jail type clothing, if you were sentenced in some subterranean dungeon of Hades. The vocalist is a manifested creature of what I imagine would be the sight seen standing before me to take me from my physical form to what hell awaits absent this existence. There was not a moment I was not entranced by the music and stage performance. This was a night of local symphonic black death metal at its finest!
~Krystal Koffin
by Krystal Koffin | Mar 24, 2013 | Critiques de Shows
To start off things off, I was surprised at the difference in the music genres being offered at this show! Not too often can you cover this much ground in one night and it was nice to see. It’s a great way for bands to break into crowds they normally would not be able to reach and get the opportunity to create new fan bases.
I was not too familiar with the first band of the night, One Final Moment, from Montreal. So, when they stepped on stage I really didn’t know what to expect. After taking in a few songs, I can best describe it as if System of a Down was turned into a sludge/doom band, mixed with a bit of simplified Tool, added with the stage antics of Korn. I would have been really down for that, however they were not pulling it off as well as I would have liked to have seen. I felt the band lacked togetherness and it was a sloppy slowed down simplified version of these influences. The vocals also I felt suited the project but needed to be more defined in all aspects, except for his lower scream growls that came across well. I wanted to keep interested, but it wasn’t until near the end of their set, when girls panties showed up on their headstocks, that they caught up to me again from after the first few songs. I feel this band has the potential to pull off well what they are trying accomplish live and do justice to a style not seen much around these days. I would enjoy seeing them again if they spend more time practicing, getting tighter and putting more passion in their movements other then jumping up and down on stage. This is my opinion, but I always have felt getting tight as a band first and then working on stage presence after is a good way to go.
Next up was Melodic Death Metal band Fateless from Longueuil, Quebec. This band’s style is very reminiscent of your traditional melodic death metal, wavering back between Swedish and USA influences. The one thing I found that set this band apart was vocalist FX Jodoin. I was completely entranced by his insane stares, serial killer expressions and erratic body language combined with an intense and varied death vocal style. I can tell you if I saw this guy in an alley and he gave me even one of those facial expressions, I would not hesitate for a moment to get the fuck out of there as quickly as I could! On the last song they played, friend Kevin Ouellet was invited on stage to do a spoken work/ dual vocal during the song.
Again however, I was to experience a band of not real tightness. I felt all of the members were great musicians in their own right, especially vocalist FX was a pleasure to encounter, but together lacked a tightness that if worked on would get them in the upper level of shows. I have listened to their album and they unfortunately didn’t pull that off live. Even though I think they need some practice getting tighter and playing as a whole, they are not far off from being a staple in the Montreal metal scene. If you like melodic death metal, I think this band would be one to add to the list. In due time, I am sure they will be a band not to overlook as they are evolving with new drummer Tristan Beaulieu. Fateless have a very enjoyable presence and covered the melodic death metal style well, with clean toned melodic interludes followed by chugging and sped-picked rhythms, rocking guitar solos, warm bass tone, straight forward death metal drumming, with an added insane and diverse death vocal.
Third in the lineup for the night was Power Metal band Eclipse Prophecy from Pointe Calumet, Quebec. It is always a pleasure to see power metal done right. This genre has a hard time getting bands that can really serve it justice and in my opinion they are one of the top power metal bands around Montreal. There are different styles of power metal and this band consist more in the vein of Dragonforce/Lost Horizon/Blind Guardian, mixed with the heavier side of Heed and Judas Priest with some Megadeth influenced solos. I must mention that in 2011, Eclipse Prophecy was invited to Germany to record a remake version of “The Bard’s song – In the Forest” with Blind Guardian. The CD was made for a Japan charity event, released in 2012 on a compilation disc called “Memories of a Time to Come”.
As soon as they started to play it was like a wall of power hitting you in the face, blasting kick drums with a solid rock beat, catchy Swedish power metal rhythms with technical sweeping guitar solos, punchy bass, combine vocals and a main vocal that is on key with incredible range. This band is fun to watch as they all are giving the crowd 110%. Constantly keeping contact with the crowd, they throw in some anthem styled songs and continuous wind milling was all that was needed to really get the pit going at this point. They play very tight, on key set that is crucial to what you want to see in a power metal band. I cannot describe enough how vocally talented Dave Mc Gregor is to see. His vocal range is uncanny to most vocalist I see around here. The power and control with such a broad range. Rolling high and low vibrato clean to dirty with an improved lower growl that I noticed from when I saw them last. So needless to say if you like power metal, check these guys out. You will be well entertained.
Headliner for the night was Symphonic Mesopotamian Folk Death Metal band Aeternam from Quebec City. I had only heard about this band before seeing them tonight and really had not checked them out much. After they played, I was very disappointed in myself for not looking them up sooner. My main consensus after seeing this band was me asking myself why they were not playing a bigger stage and with more well known bands. These guys play like a pro and do not have the feeling of a starting band whatsoever. Their first album “Disciples of the Unseen” was signed to Metal Blade Records and they are currently on Galy Records with their 2012 release “Moongod”. With only two albums under their belt, I could tell right away they were a well-seasoned band. They have combined vocals, the drummer doing backing vocals, and styles ranging from heavy Krisiun to a clean alternative mixed with traditional Mesopotamian. Musically, they have a newer Testament /Krisiun/Behemoth mixed with a melodic death metal blend to the drumming and guitar riffs combined equally with Melechesh-type Mesopotamian styled guitar riffs and samples as well as layered symphonic and traditional folk accents. They have many enjoyable elements that really make them a band to want to watch live, with full Arabic knight outfits and Egyptian styled make up. They played just as good as they looked. By the energy presented, you could tell they loved every moment of being up there playing together for everyone and kept in character the whole time. They really make the combination of styles work together in harmony, going between singing twin melodic guitar riffs, shredding solos and attacking driving drum beats, easing back and forth through a varied feel of Mesopotamian, brutal death, melodic death, folk metal and technical death. Layered on top symphonic, Mesopotamian and folk samples. I felt these men had come to sing us the long lost tails of their Arabic ancestors, if they were into death metal at the time. So easy for me to say, they made my night and I will be looking forward to seeing them again.
~Krystal Koffin
by Krystal Koffin | Mar 21, 2013 | Critiques de Shows
@ Foufounes Electriques March 10th 2013
Seeing this show listed I was very interested to check it out, since I am a long time skater, fan of CKY and Bam Margera. I get to the venue thinking there would be a lot more old school fans, but was surprised to be surrounded by a sea of tweens… I actually had never felt so old going to a show before! I quickly put that aside to get upstairs to view what I was in for at this show. I really wasn’t sure what to expect since this wasn’t just CKY playing. It is a mix mash of members from CKY, Fuckface Unstoppable AKA Bam Margera’s alter ego and people that have been involved in and around this crew.
The first band on the bill was Dirt Cannon from Montreal. The sound is southern rock with a core edge and a flavour of punk mixed in. I was really taken back by how much energy they had right off the bat and really made full use of the stage. They had two vocals and the main vocalist went back and forth from Mick Jagger to James Brown moves. I found they were a great start to the show, a real crowd warmer. With driving nu-metal, punk drum beats, southern rock guitar riffs and a nu-metal/core vocal, they did not feel as if they had just stepped out of a garage by any means, even though they were not super tight. The band really played as a whole and was having a great time doing it. I definitely recommend seeing this band if your into this style of music. They gave me a warm happy feeling after seeing them.
The next band to play was Call of Saints from Montreal. As this band came on stage they also had two vocalists. The main vocalist was using an old styled 50’s microphone, which, when setting up, was getting terrible feedback. Sound-wise I don’t agree this was the best choice. The sound guy had to turn him down much quieter than the backing vocalist in order not to have this severe feedback. I found I couldn’t really hear him, especially when he did the clean vocal because of this reason. They have a southern style guitar with some core breakdowns and doomy slowed parts at times with a hint of Machine Head influence. I found the guitars and bass muddy and the solos lack some tightness for what they were trying to pull off as well some Zack Wylde pinch harmonics thrown in. The drumming was rock/nu metal beats and the vocals were nu metal/core and really well done when I could hear it. I enjoyed that the clean vocals were at least being sung in key. As for a whole there were a few catchy riffs but the songs I found were not very decipherable from each other. I felt they were a less tight blended mess of what the first band on the bill was doing. They didn’t have much energy on stage and a couple of them looked like they were almost going to fall asleep while playing. The main vocalist was the only one really doing any crowd interacting and seemed to be the only one carrying the band, other than when the whole band got into some core bouncing on stage a few times. I didn’t see them really get into it and pick up the pace until the second to last song that they played but by then I felt it was too late.
Third up was Monarchs of Disarray from Montreal. As this band started setting up I realized this was the night of multiple vocals, as this band also has dual vocals. Their style is more traditional rock mixed with alternative and not as much nu metal/core of the first two bands. With a more simplistic rock style, heavy down riffing and catchy hooks this band quickly got the crowd moving again. Vocally it is rock/ alternative with a slight core tapped in places. They had a great energy and looked like they were having a lot of fun working this crowd up, even had time to punch a few beach balls around that just showed up out of nowhere. It felt treated when they ended up busting out a very enjoyable hardened cover of The Beatles « Helter Skelter » Overall, they were super tight and the crowd really enjoyed them.
Now it was time for the anticipated event of the evening, The Bam Margera Experience with Fuckface Unstoppable Featuring Members of CKY. To start off I want to explain a bit of who Bam Margera is for those of you not so familiar with his works. Bam at thirteen first came onto the skate scene as a pro-skater known for his creative street style and crazy antics. As he got into his teens he made the CKY video series, which featured skating boarding, pranks and stunts that he had filmed as home movies. The combination of Bam’s personality and the great successes of the CKY video series became the pilot for the MTV show Jackass and The Jackass movies. Then soon after spawned the MTV series called Viva La Bam. In addition to Bam’s television and film projects, he continues to be heavily involved in the music industry. Directing music videos and hosts a radio show called Radio Bam on Sirius Satellite Radio as well as created Viva La Bands a CD/DVD series and tour. Bam is also the founder and owner of his own music label called Filthy Note.
So when I saw this “band” coming I was super curious to see what it had in store. Collecting members from the band CKY, aka Camp Kill Yourself, that includes his brother Jessie Margera and Matty J Janaitis, as well as Alex Flamsteed of Guttermouth, a special one night guest spot by Montreal’s own Alissa White Gluz from The Agonist and a few others that came in to switch off instruments and create havoc. Again I wasn’t sure what to expect and I can say that it was as if I was at a huge chaotic party jam with a bunch of tweens jumping on the stage. Even trying to explain it I don’t think I could paint the picture accurately of what I saw. So I suggest looking up some video’s on youtube. The crowd for starters was not the nice metal crowd I am used to dealing with. The tweens were very aggressive by this stage show and even a full on fist fight between multiple guys and girls broke out half way between the show. The stage show its self was what looked like a drunken debauchery. When Bam first came out it clearly was not the Bam I was used to seeing but looked like a chubbier version that had just stepped right out of a dumpster from behind the venue. I am not to clear as to what the purpose of his alter ego FuckFace Unstoppable is, but I think he portrayed that name aptly. There were two drum kits on stage and multiple mics, so for every song there was a lot going on like two drums going at once and each song called for a member change over on the instruments. They started the night off with some heavier songs like Turbonegro’s “All My Friends are Dead” and Clutch’s “Big News”, then carried on to a couple rap/electro songs including “Bend My Dick” and “That’s Why I Fucked Your Mom”, then back to a punk motif with songs like Moistboyz “Tweaker “ and GG Allin “Bite it You Scum”. Throughout the whole show Bam was open arms to all the people that got on stage and in the crowd. Alex Flamsteed and Bam were constantly going at each other and pushing each other off stage a lot. The childlike antics of the CKY videos were well represented at this show. I had the ability to be sitting upstairs with people that had a meet and greet pass for after the show and before I knew it the show had abruptly ended. I looked behind me in enough time to see a crowd of people egging Bam on to kick some kid in the balls, which didn’t take much convincing from the kid himself for Bam to do so. After watching this kid drop like a sack of shit, I left the mob to maul him incessantly. I have to say I was a bit disappointed to see Bam in that state he was for this show. I am taking a good guess that he has been having a hard time recovering still from his childhood best friend Ryan Dunn’s death back in mid 2011, mixed with the fact that he is not a teenager anymore and still trying to live within his younger crazy years. Regardless of this however the show was still damn entertaining. If you appreciate CKY and Jackass and love jams of pure shamelessness debauchery mashed in with some very different styles of music, then this show is for you!
~Krystal Koffin
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.
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