Young and in the Way – When Life Comes to Death (2014) / 90%

Ass kicking foray into crusty black

 
Wheeeeeeeeen life comes to deaaaaaath!

I've been discovering the metallic hardcore/powerviolence/crust scene recently with bands such as AcxDC, Oathbreaker, Nails or Fall of Efrafa and lodging YAITW with this scene is not so much of a stretch. Nonetheless, the boys from North Carolina are, without a shred of doubt, a metal band. Many projects try to mix things up like including black metal to a rock & roll core like Kvelertak but these guys did way more than that. They integrated the crust elements to their black metal roots so deep down that the two are indivisible. You won't find a better hybrid band evolving in these two genres in 2014.

These guys are so freaking talented and I wish their folky alternative country side could be expanded. Like on V. Eternal Depression, there's once again a track reminding me of 16 Horsepower but even darker (if you heard David Eugene Edwards's project, you know it's not a light affirmation.) This track named “Shadow of Murder” is right before the long closer and it couldn't be better placed. The acoustic guitar shines like a drop of blood in a chalice of holy water and the deep, clean vocals intertwined with the harsh screams in the shadows made this song one of my favourites of the year. The misanthropic lyrics are delivered with such spite like in “Fuck My Life”, they're singing about the twists and turns of reality and that's much more profoundly scary than anything related to Lucifer and his downfall.

YAITW really rocks at these long intricate tracks but sadly they rarely do them, only like once per album. Maybe they wouldn't be special if they were more numerous, things can get tired quick sometimes. It's perhaps my doom sensibilities that is asking for these slower, crushing songs like “Embrace Extinction” but eh, I'm still more than satisfied with this album. It's still by far their longest release (and first one over half an hour) but it never gets boring since the pacing and direction is top notch. The production is tight and airy and compliments the guitars very well, it's menacing and threatening. The drums throwing blastbeats at you are conveniently buried under the deluge of the bass heavy black/crust tactful wave.

The core of the band is composed of fast numbers full of vitriol and hatred like “Be My Blood”. Inspired by the dirty side of black metal (a band like Marduk can definitely be heard here) but also sludge, death & roll or stoner. The guitar tone is vicious and fuzzy as hell, it's a dangerous record like the cover art implies and the band doesn't deviate from their act one bit. It's groovy, fast as fuck, overflow with riffs mixing the best of both worlds. There's also some parts giving you some necessary respite like in “Take My Hand”

Black metal cultists won't probably like this statement but these dudes are what the music genre needs to stay relevant. The third wave of black metal indeed shines with its variety and its ability to transcends (like Hunter Hunt-Hendrix would say) conventions. They're a band that Watain wish they would be, emotional, grasping metal with a darker than black aura without any unnecessary flourish and aping at Jon Nödtveidt's try hard Satanic altar.

On the same label as the (in)famous Deafheaven, a band who similarly do a good job at mixing post rock and black metal, Young and in the Way crushes all opposition and reigns as king to the black/punk/whatever kingdom. Prepared to be submerged by pig blood, that's a cleansing, essential record.

YAITW on FB 

Subrosa/Rhino/Near Grey - August 6th 2014 @Petit Campus, Montréal

I was pretty excited when Boris, SubRosa and The Atlas Moth (a band I really enjoyed in April when they played with The Ocean) were gonna tour together. My enjoyment was destroyed when no Montréal dates were announced but my smile came back when SubRosa decided to go up north to play a gig while on a day off. I'm freaking glad they came.

Two local bands were added to the bill, I really think a three bands gig is the best. The gig won't finish at 2 am and it's easier to truly enjoy the music delivered by every entities.

Near Grey opened the gig with their instrumental post metal compositions. I've never really liked instrumental bands except perhaps Godspeed You! Black Emperor and even though this young band was enjoyable, it didn't quite grasped me. The three songs (for around thirty minutes) they played were redundant, plodding and all similarly built but their heavy parts were pretty fun. When there's no vocals, I feel there's often something missing from the equation. Like a cheeseburger without ketchup. Their guitar tone was very cool though and I can see the fans of the genre digging them, just not my thing, you know?

6 they wish they were Pelican out of 10
Near Grey on Bandcamp

Rhino were next and I knew what to expect since they opened The Ocean's gig and they're also not my thing. I can dig their atmospheric post hardcore approach since I'm a big Cult of Luna fan but they're simply not at their level. They have two guitarists but one of them is utterly unnecessary and tries to do landscapes and endlessly play with his pedals. The other one does all the job and provides good but redundant heavy riffs border-lining on metal.  But...but I just cannot stand their singer and his screamo tendencies, I don't think he's a good fit for their sound.

-10 cult points for drinking Le Trou du Diable beer without glasses like peasants.
6 hipster haircuts out of 10
Rhino on Facebook

SubRosa arrived on stage at around 10 o'clock and they totally met my expectations. It's pretty cool to see a metal band where women are the majority and even though the drummer's beard was manlier than Sean Connery's hairy chest in Dr. No, they're still only two men in the band! The two violinists (Sarah Pendleton and Kim Pack) weren't usually loud enough though but I think this was due to the venue's sound system. Nonetheless,  these electric violins really managed to create vivid soundscapes complimenting the guitar skills of frontwoman Rebecca Vernon who was clad in a black dress.

They played four songs from their excellent latest album More Constant Than the Gods but not “Cosey Mo”, a song I wanted them to play but oh well, it was a solid set anyway. The twelve minutes “The Usher” being a clear highlight. They also played two songs from No Hope for the Mighty Ones.The set was about a hour long and I wish it would have been at least ninety minutes, there's something magical and ethereal to their blend of doom metal, stoner, noise, drone & folk and it's totally entrancing. The soft, intriguing vocals of Vernon were like lullabies mixed with heavy riffs and the rare harsher vocals of Pendleton and the new bassist (who was tastefully loud as fuck). Great, great band.

10 metal needs more women out of 10
SubRosa's setlist:

1. Fat of The Ram
2. The Inheritance
3. Beneath the Crown
4. Ghosts of A Dead Empire
5. The Usher
6. Affliction

SubRosa on Facebook
Thanks to Yannick Marchand for the live pictures.

Slugdge – Gastronomicon (2014) / 92%

All hail our intergalactic slugs overlords

And beneath the shattered sky the earth will grieve / except for man, who shall be granted no reprieve

This British duo released a surprisingly great album last year with Born of Slime and they're already back for more slug metal with Gastronomicon. Don't misunderstand the humorous aura the band has for lack of depth and content since the band is as rich and deep as one could be. Matt Moss' lyrics of lovecraftian slug proportions are excellent. Evil, poetic and over the top, they pay homage to omniscient mollusks and I mean, what could be more original than that? It's not another yet cryptic satanic cosmic cavernous album and we should all be grateful for that. Remove your black sunglasses and your bullet belt and laugh a little.

Like many projects nowadays, Slugdge (I can't think of a better word to describe them) is mixing innumerable styles to create a potent and quite interesting concoction. The guitars can be crushing, melodic and spastic and always play something vivid and intelligible. The death/sludge/black metal mix could seem chaotic at first but the whole thing is coherently and cunningly put together. There's  a good balance between longer numbers (the seven minutes title track is immense) and shorter, no less awesome numbers like “Slimewave Zero” and the album doesn't overstay its welcome and leave you asking for more.

Mixing the early sludge attack with complex drumming of Mastodon, the progressive extreme metal explorations of bands like Edge of Sanity or Arcturus with hints of old school death, brutal death and probably some more influences. The duo obviously doesn't want to do simplistic things and they achieve to do everything they wanted to do with this second opus.

The main element that made me fall in love with Slugdge is definitely the vocals, Moss' combination of blackened death growls with clean vocals can immediately recall the great Dave Hunt of fellow English black/grind overlords Anaal Nathrakh. The way the clean verses are brought in the songs are truly inspired by them  and I'm totally fine with that since this is by far my favourite element of albums like Hell Is Empty, and All the Devils Are Here. These powerful clean vocals are, to my joyful reaction, essential moments in every songs but the aggressive, vitriolic extreme metal is never overshadowed. Quite the opposite, the amalgamation of both gives an occult demeanour to Gastronomicon.

Production-wise, it's stronger than the debut, the guitars are tighter, the vocals more at the forefront and a bit less buried. Self produced, the album is solid, well composed and professional and I cannot fathom why they're still unsigned.

Most of the time, metal should not be taken that seriously and that's also a doctrine shared by these guys, like on their debut (with “Eyehatesalt”), there's once again a title that parodies one of their influences called “Salters of Madness” and I find that utterly funny. English humour is clearly the best! Ornamented by another sublime romantic inspired slug art, you just can't go wrong with that, it's showcasing the classic metal side of the band but with a new, modern and imaginative side. One of the best albums of 2014, I welcome my new slug lords with open arms.

"Pay what you can" for the album on Bandcamp
Slugdge's slugbook page

Suruni - Ikuus (2014) / 77%

Dark and lo-fi exploration

The musical child of Sakari Piisti, Suruni from central Finland is a weird project to describe but I'll attempt the task anyway since I never run away from musical adversity. “Not for everyone” can easily describe this album, it's an unorthodox mix of experimental raw black metal with noise, ambient and drone all under a voluntary lo-fi approach.

One of the things that surprised me is the bass, it's freaking loud and I really like how it's played. I often wish this instrument would be more prominent in black metal and it's the case here. It's well incorporated in the sonic chaotic mass enriched by the use of acoustic guitars and some other nontraditional instruments (is that cello???). It's pretty slow stuff and it reminds me of the avant garde nature of Sami Hynninen's Opium Warlords and Armanenschaft projects. The overbearing bass licks are definitely a big hint to that.

Suruni felt like it doesn't have a metal core since there's so many additional elements to be considered but underneath everything, there is an undying dark atmosphere possessed by raw black metal riffing and a bunch of melodic clean guitar parts. It's simplistic but there's some really beautiful moments like the ethereal guitar at the end of “Ei Se Ollut Vahinko”. The drums (unsure if they're programmed or not) are fun albeit located in a weird place in the mix, they're kind at the forefront of the sound. This really adds to the uneasy feeling this album gave me.

Piisti's vocals (when there's some) are a mix of black metal shrieks and buried clean vocals, it fits well with the music but they could have be a bit more powerful. The project is more about instrumental landscapes and it's showcasing its wide range of influences (the instrumental black metal country of “Akana” is a clear highlight.) There's also this sort of martial influence sometimes approaching Akitsa.

Ikuus is a a decent and original album but there's still a lot to improve to play in the “big leagues”. The production, raw but melodic, is actually pretty interesting but I'd like to get more meat in the songs. That's a good debut, follow this band with me if you're into adventurous music without compromises.

Thanks to Sun & Moon Records for the CD copy.
Sun & Moon Records on Facebook

RRROOOAAARRR DAY 3 - August 3rd - Incantation/Revenge/Abyss/Sabbatory/Occult Burial/Phobocosm @Sala Rossa, Montréal

DAY 3

Finally, the last day of the festival with perhaps my most anticipated band yet, Incantation. The crowd was a bit bigger for Blasphemy's gig until the 2 last bands on the bill, then it got a bit more crowded.

After a visit to the well furnished merchandise stand of Incantation (grabbed a shirt and a patch), we joined the limited number of people for the first band, the gig started earlier on Sunday so I guess that's one of the reasons why not a lot of persons were attending.

Phobocosm (7:00-7:20)

This newish death/doom metal band plays a lot locally so that's probably another reason a lot of people didn't show up that early. Their cavernous and atmospheric sound was quite enjoyable and even though it was my third time seeing them, they were still pretty nice. I can't wait for the release of their debut album (release gig with Adversarial, Thantifaxath and IRN)

8 dark as fuck occult death metal out of 10

Occult Burial (7:40-8:00)

This trio from Ottawa replaced Prosanctus Inferi (who cancelled like less than 2 weeks before the show). They play some sort of blackened thrashy heavy metal and they're intense as fuck. They mix the proto black metal of Bathory and classic Canadian speed metal with the melodic might and soloing of NWOBHM.

7 mullets and biker boots out of 10

Sabbatory

Sabbatory (8:20ish-???)

From Winnipeg, these guys signed to Unspeakable Axe Records, the younger brother label of Dark Descent records played a high intensity short set mixing old school death metal and thrash in a fast, solo heavy formula. Reminding me of early Pestilence. Decent stuff albeit a bit generic.

6,5 Winnipeg Jets out of 10

Abyss (???-9:50ish)

This obscure band from Toronto were a fucking cool surprise even though I checked their live album before the fest. They play a super fast sort of death metal with some crust, hardcore or grindcore influences. The bass was super loud and the singer was a formidable frontman. Super good, a band to watch, I simply wish they had a better, more original name.

8,5 creepshows out of 10

Abyss

Incantation (10:20 to 11:30ish)

One of the death metal masters played a long set composed of both old classic stuff from albums like Onward to Golgotha or Mortal Throne of Nazarene or their newest albums like Vanquish in Vengeance. I have no idea why they weren't the headliners since de facto, they definitely were. Pretty much a perfect band on every level, they just ripped. They played mostly fast, to the point tracks and it worked quite well. They still have it and I was glad to finally see them since it's been a while since they played in Montréal.

10 live blasphemies out of 10

John McEntee!

Revenge (12:00-no idea)

I was so tired and I don't like Revenge so I ditched after 2 songs.

3 days of pure insanity out of 10

It was an excellent festival, the crowds were good, it was well organized and it had a varied, interesting and cool line-up. I didn't go to any of the punk gigs and that's something I'd like to try next year depending on who's booked. 18 bands in 3 days was a lot of metal to enjoy, it was an incredible time. Let's hope for some international bands for the next edition (looking at you Bolt Thrower!)

Follow the festival here: RRROOOAAARRR

RRROOOAAARRR DAY 2 - August 2nd - Blasphemy/Black Witchery/Innumerable Forms/Funebrarum/Hellacaust/Oath @Sala Rossa, Montréal

By Calum Fraser, Stéphane Pilotte and Antoine Richard

Day 2

The second day of the festival at the Sala Rossa, this time it's a death and black metal night with some newcomers and some cult classics. The weird fat chick who was attempting to mosh yesterday was there but only outside sleeping, chainsmoking and panhandling as she probably didn't have the cash to enter the venue. A funny sight.

Oath (9:00-9:20)

Oath, a new Sherbrooke death metal band opened the gig, they were pretty energetic and they had stage presence. The ripped handsome singer was pretty good and the drums are excellent. Nothing overly special but their blend of dirty, catchy old school death metal works. They need to release something already though, the singer said that a six songs release is almost done so that's good news. One of the most promising Quebecois band.

7 juice monkeys out of 10

Hellacaust (9:40-10:00)

From Stéphane's hometown of Halifax, these greasy death/black metal dudes played a bunch of groovy songs with cool solos with thrash and crust influences. Half their set was new songs and it's cool to hear new stuff from them after a six years studio break. They definitely know how to compose catchy stuff and the crowd seemed to be into them.

7 Trailer Parks out of 10

Hellacaust

Funebrarum (10:20-10:50)

One of our most anticipated band of the festival, these old school death metallers from New Jersey played a fucking pristine set. Veterans of the American East Coast scene with members or ex members of Disma, Incantation or Evoken. They managed to get a good pit going and the singer was very damn engaging. They had a short set but they made the best of it, “Depths of Misery” was a real highlight, they need to come back to Montreal and play a full set!

9,5 Martin Brodeur out of 10

Funebrarum

Innumerable Forms (11:10-11:40)

A one man band formed by Justin DeTore (Magic Circle, Soul Swallower...) but helped on stage by 2 Mammoth Grinder members. They were probably the most sonically massive band and the Justin has a very good stage presence. They played a cover from a Swedish band (no idea who was it though) and it very intense. Chris from Mammoth Grinder has a permanent grumpface, smile motherfucker. The band needs to release a full length already!

8 permanent massive grumpfaces out of 10

Black Witchery (????-1:30)

These make-up loving manchildren took forever to get onstage and the delay was in no way worth it. The drummer looked chronically butthurt, constantly experiencing technical difficulties. Not that his drumming was in any way worthwhile. He just blasted along haphazardly, playing the same beat for the entire song (with a terrible tone to boot). The band tried so hard to come off as evil and cold, but in the end they sounded boring and looked profusely goofy. Some would say they're a chaotic force (*cough*Tony*couch*), but what they did was a lame excuse to play generic, samey monotonous horseshit for 45 minutes straight. They made the whole show almost an hour late because they took too long to apply their makeup. The only bad part of this evening.

4 Make Up Wearing Manchildren out of 10

Blasphemy (1:50-2:40 or so)

This shit right here more than makes up for Black Witchery. Just as impressive as their frenzied war metal assault was their truly imposing stage presence. Composed of huge powerlifters who would have no qualms about kicking your pansy ass, these behemoths played with purpose. For some inexplicable reason, there was this one incredibly massive dude who looked straight out of WWE standing on the side of the stage looking scary for the duration of the set. Metal can sometimes be silly in how exaggerated everything seems, but this was over the top in the best way humanly possible. They didn't look like some skinny basement dwellers trying to look evil, these guys are probably of the ilk you would meet in a maximum security lockup.

9 Jacked Up Ross Bay Cemetery cultists out of 10

RRROOOAAARRR DAY 1 - August 1st - Noothgrush/Iron Lung/Haymaker/Mammoth Grinder/Uniform/Ahna @Sala Rossa, Montréal

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