It was an early Saturday night of more music, once again back at Corona Theatre. Heavy metal and thrash rockers united in the pit, a sea of patched vests and bandannas as far as the eye could see.
Legendary English death metal band Carcass brought with them a stellar lineup for music enthusiasts on this occasion. All equally important bands in the scene. On the thrash side of things, Sacred Reich and Municipal Waste. With the more hardcore openers, Creeping Death. Who I didn’t catch much of.
The set times were listed as 7 pm, but as I entered the venue, I realized it was Creeping Death‘s last song. Securing a seat up on the mezzanine, I chose a spot with all the seasoned metal heads and their younger spawn. It was an all-ages show, and parents knew to keep their kids away from the mayhem down below. It’s nice to see a younger generation being introduced to real music.
It was a quick change-up before Sacred Reich hit the stage. A thrash metal four-piece outfit from Arizona that formed in 1985. After a long hiatus, they were back on tour again, reformed, and rejuvenated for another generation of fans. The room was jam-packed for them.
A few problems with guitars at first but a quick fix. Beginning with a solid opener, “Divide and Conquer,” and a few other tunes off the album Awakenings. Taking us back for the self-titled track of their first album, “Ignorance,” They were heavy but also very melodic at times. A good mix. They seemed like very humble guys onstage. Explaining that if we want to change in this world, we need to be the change we want to see.
It was in the name of the band, just how much havoc they were about to wreak on the Corona Theatre. Every time Municipal Waste are in town, they bring down the house, literally. From their unique style of pump-up-the-volume thrash to the fast-paced riffs appealing to the punk rocker in me. These long-haired rockers sure know how to make sure their fans have a fun night.
Running through at least six songs from the Art of Partying album, such as “Beer Pressure” and “Born To Party,” their message is pretty straightforward. Thrashing through song after song encouraging more crowd surfing and moshing at each pause.
Singer Tony Foresta is rumoured to perform under the influence of certain psychedelics. If true, it adds to his non-stop movement around the stage; I wonder what he’s seeing when he’s interacting with the audience, it must be one hell of a trip.
At some point, Foresta asked the crowd to squeeze together, what he called the reverse “wall of death” Everyone obliged without much of a choice, and then the surfing began. I counted at least ten surfers going at one time. Security sure had their hands full. Photographers had to watch their backs too; sometimes it can be a dangerous job if you’re not paying attention. Things happen fast.
Even with all that frenzied energy, Foresta wasn’t happy, demanding more surfers, more chaos. He then went to the side of the stage and retrieved a full recycling bin, and chucked it freely into the crowd. It made a few rounds before emptying in the pit. Luckily it was only recycling. They packed twenty songs plus some surprises that were not on the set list for Montreal. What was left was a beer and sweat-soaked crowd and a very sticky, messy floor. But the audience wasn’t deterred; they chanted for more waste!
Backlit screens and smoke built up the ambiance for headliners Carcass. A much heavier tone is set for the night with this band spanning over 35 years. Having just been in town last year, this was my second time seeing them. I was impressed seeing things a little more up close than the view at Place Bell. (As part of last year’s Amon Amarth tour package)
Playing mostly songs from a landmark album Heartwork first, then a nice variety from the discography. A much deeper guttural growl from singer Jeff Walker than all the other bands of the evening. A lot of musical intros mixed in and drum and guitar solos galore.
Off their fifth studio album Swansong they played “Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody” and “Keep on Rotting In The Free World.” Two crowd favourites. Known for their gory graphics and lyrics that was the lighter side of their catalogue. With such titles played as “Kelly’s Meat Emporium” and “Under The Scalpel Blade,” you can see there’s not many rainbows to be found here. Cult classic “Corporal Jigsore Quandary” had the old-school ‘heads in a tizzy.
With fans positioned to keep the air flowing and the band cool, it gave the look of a music video shoot. Long metal head hair blowing in the wind. Metal stance taken every once and a while from the whole band; it was a pretty epic experience. Eighteen songs later with three encores, I think fans were lucky if they were at this smaller show. All in all another great night of music in our metal city.
Review – Sam Morris
Photos – Kieron Yates
