If there was a central theme to last night’s Black Metal show, it would be “food”, or rather MEAT, to be exact! Beginning late, the four Black Metal acts were obliged to perform downstairs from the slated Piranha Bar due to a conflict of scheduling. Surprisingly, local delicatessen, Frites Alors! was to be the stomping ground for a night of unabashed mayhem and primeval malice!
As the restaurant’s patrons slowly made their way to the “exit” sign, Montreal’s AVERSION uncharacteristically marched on stage with the venue’s lights penetrating the small space. Not really the “token” ambiance a Black Metal show may exhibit, the band played, however, with conviction and confidence to a crowd that may have taken a little while to “warm up”. Broken Hopes, Prodigy and Pre-Life Nostalgia all went down like a well-oiled machine (among others), inducing headbanging fury or mid-paced tempo changes to which no one was left disappointed. For a “restaurant gig”, the sound quality was near perfect with even the bass clearly audible. Final cut, an impressionable instrumental left guitarist, Nemrod and drummer, Vilain on stage to execute a harrowing number which resulted in the attendees wanting more. Their set was too short!
Montreal’s ISSFENN, began their set with a single thought in mind – to destroy! Stalking the stage like a famished animal, singer/guitarist, Xost, commanded the stage and while remaining member, drummer Vitrid blasted away, the crowd rejoiced in the night’s first pit. Finally, the lights were dimmed enough to provide a suitable atmosphere. Their brand of dirty, straight forward Black Metal at times gave nods to Immortal’s style of guitar picking, albeit most songs included elements of thrash and groove in equal measure. Onlookers were awash in aural pleasure before a broken guitar string interrupted the proceedings, which unfortunately halted the sets momentum; a momentum ISSFENN struggled to get back. Still, fans commended the duo for their perseverance and raw grit in a rousing final applause.
Frites Alors! will never be the same again. No one expected what was to come as Montreal’s BLACKSCORN prepared their set, peppering the stage with the heads of two pigs and a rather large sheep! Either in awe or in complete disgust, some fans got up close and personal with the artifacts as the band burst forth with an unadulterated set, rife with relentless force. As the first note rang out, a barrage of bodies slammed into each other like a demolition derby, knocking over the sheep head mounted on a metal pole. Grinning from ear to ear, singer Corpse looked on as fans grabbed at the piece, ramming each other in sickening glee, blood smattering on the floor! The non-stop vitriol of BLACKSCORN’s music was the perfect soundtrack to Satan’s converts going absolutely nuts!
As the evening wore on, unfortunately the venue cleared (hoping to catch the last Metro home) before headliners SVALBARD were to take the stage. Reeling from the last performance and slipping on “animal head juices”, fans were treated to an intimate hour + from Quebec’s juggernauts. Gloriously raging through cuts, War, Viking Raiders, The Fall and Aurora Borealis, the band gave it their all, pushing the remaining faithful to join them into the late hours. Having only released a full length and a slew of split albums since 2004, SVALBARD proved to be a competent and highly professional/seasoned live outfit while the songs themselves translate very well live! Not content on merely watching the spectacle, a few crowd members eventually pick up where they left off during BLACKSCORN‘s set, rabidly tossing and plucking the various heads up from the floor! A rare sight to behold at most Metal shows; an even STRANGER sight when it occurs at a popular restaurant….A good time was had by all…..Heads Alors!!!!
Chris
