It has been a few years since the last time Liverpoolians, CARCASS, set foot on Canadian soil to wreak havoc upon the ears of diehard Grind Metal fans. With Decibel Magazine’s annual tour, Metal maniacs new and old finally got to see the English legends as well as newcomers, NOISEM, local’s own Metal Gods, GORGUTS and Metal stewards, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. Rest assured, the crowd got what they paid for!
Looking quite empty upon entry, 7:00pm at the Metropolis brought in a select few fans to witness the opening set from Baltimore’s NOISEM. Replete with pounding, non-stop aggression, fury and young angst, the foursome charged through material from their debut record, « Agony Defined« . Looking quite like a wild animal at feeding time, singer Tyler Carnes paraded back and forth on the stage belting out caustic vocals against a backdrop of blast beat noise! With little stage banter between songs, the set adhered to a « workmanlike » ethic/blue-collar patronage where the band let their brand of Death/Thrash speak for itself. Periods of gang vocals recalled early crossover Metal while guitarists, Harley Phillips and Travis Stone traded leads effortlessly. As the crowd filed in throughout their set, the response grew in measure to finally explode in applause for a band whose youthful exuberance and passion will certainly garner NOISEM a promising future.
Legends in their own right, GORGUTS have already achieved « cult » status after releasing their seminal album, « Obscura » back in 1998. Fast forward to 2013 and the band have upped the ante with « Colored Sands« , an album whose songs were performed with vigor and strong determination. Highly technical and brutal, the set featured wave upon wave of aural cacophony which seemed to transport the audience to another realm of musical understanding! Quickly establishing a vicious thrash pit, guitarist/vocalist Luc Lemay and co. also acknowledged crowd support by playing older gems, « Orphans of Sickness« , « The Carnal State » and « Obscura” to end the bulldozing act! Stationary in their movements, GORGUTS focused on disjointed chords and jarring notes as tension rose to an enthralling climax, particularly on « Colored Sands« . While humble and ever thankful for fan enthusiasm, Luc Lemay was noticeably beside himself as he left the stage smiling from ear to ear… a testament to the reason why GORGUTS is loved so much by local fans!
Though not particularly a huge fan of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER’s brand of « core » inspired Metal, the American band from Michigan DID perform a solid set inciting huge circle pits and headbanging in delight. With loads of eye contact and singling out fans in the audience, singer, Trevor Strnad unleashed Hell and even went so far as to urge fans « to have fun! » (Gasp, at a Metal show?!!!) Stripping off his t-shirt, Strnad figured as a rabid animal trapped inside a cage while guitarist Ryan Knight proved that the band do include traditional Metal stylings, particularly in his leads. With shouts of « Hey! » resonating throughout the venue, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER positively conquered the crowd ending the performance with « I Will Return« . No matter how great they are live, and they are very adept in what they do. Unfortunately, their music leaves this reviewer cold….
With the crowd literally chomping at the bit, CARCASS stormed the stage with « Buried Dreams » and was prepared to « dissect and eviscerate » fans playing a plethora of songs new and old spanning their entire career. Ever the comedian, bassist Jeff Walker played to the crowd with dry wit in between songs, « Forensic Clinicism/The Sanguine Article« , « No Love Lost« , « Reek of Putrefaction« , and « The Master Butcher’s Apron » all to a resounding cheer! Sounding pristine and calculating, the foursome ran the gamut of classics, some of which exploded into a fury of mob chaos, especially « Corporal Jigsore Quandary » and « Heartwork« . Regaling the crowd with self deprecating humour, Walker introduced more « rockier » numbers from ‘95’s « Swansong » asking the venue’s security to « lock all the exit doors » before plunging into a small medley of « Black Star » and « Keep on Rotting in the Free World« . Surprisingly, Walker commented with a smile, how much the crowd went berserk to those seemingly « unpopular » tunes. In fact, CARCASS held the entire audience in the palm of their hands as images of grizzly autopsies adorned two screens on stage. Captivating as they may have been to many, some in attendance stood stunned during « Genital Grinder » as an infected penis, larger than life, inspired gapping mouths and shock, especially in the women looking on in disbelief…. With Decibel’s annual tour becoming an event to look forward to, fans this night were treated to a barrage of dissimilar Metal bands playing with purpose and diehard enthusiasm, leaving the audience enthralled. A night to not soon forget, thanks be to Decibel Magazine for making such tour package dreams a reality!
Chris
