Sunday night at Club Soda was the perfect send-off to begin your week with a tasty death metal lineup. It was a packed house with great anticipation.
It kicks off with Atlanta’s Alluvial setting the tone with a burst of doom! Their style of progressive death metal was unpredictable. Each of their songs had its own diverse tempo where, at times, it would start off slow and sludgy, then would transition and speed up to the pace we usually hear in conventional death metal or vice versa. There was also an added ambience shaping a dark, despairing theme to their sound, which complimented nicely! Very much enjoyed their performance and also the artwork of their merch that had images of old grainy horror movies which is very much my niche!
Next up, Carcosa came out firing on all cylinders! Despite being a Vancouver native, the lead vocalist sported a Montreal Canadiens jersey, perhaps to show his interest in the sport or simply to win over the hockey faithful. It’s the thought that counts! Though their style of deathcore was more than enough win all the supporters attending the show. Along with their conventions of deathcore, there’s a doom influence that is very well implemented to cement a nihilistic theme. Seeing as they’re from Canada, I hope to see them again soon!
Before the show, I’ve heard of Aborted before but never got around to listening to them. When seeing their stage themed with beautiful graphic horror illustrations, I regretted never listening to them. However, it made me really excited for their set, and it did not disappoint! It opens with the lead singer wheeling onto the stage on a tricycle wearing a Jigsaw mask from the notorious Saw films. He plays to the character by inviting the audience to “play a game” during the show by encouraging them to pit and crowd surf like their lives depended on it. Once they started playing, it was non-stop carnage! Their speed and uniquely visceral tone was one I’ve never witnessed live. Lead singer strongly encouraged crowd surfing, which put the security to work at the stanchions. Near the end of their set, they had invited Carcosa’s lead singer back on stage to duet which was a great combination! Their performance now has me listening to them on a regular basis.
Finally, Archspire makes onto to the stage fulfilling our need for speed! Ironically taking place after Grand Prix, its no exaggeration that they are the F1 of death metal. Their performance was relentless riffs of speed on guitar, along with the spitting death vocals of Oli Aleron. In contrast to their music, in between songs the band demonstrated to be a comical group of dudes. They would orchestrate a few fun activities for audience participation, such as playing twister and getting two members to chug beer from their own shoe to win a hand-drawn t-shirt. It was gross but all in good fun! The most rewarding moment was when they played Drain of Incarnation. Varied tempo of this track is a personal favourite, and they matched perfectly to the recording. Had a blast, and I will not hesitate to them again!
Review & photos – David Machado
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