In a sold-out and massively packed Fairmount Theatre, I was about to live one of the hottest metal shows. Technical metal gods Archspire brought us a bill packed full of riffs and brutality.
The first band to open was the technical deathcore band Vulvodynia from South Africa. This slamming deathcore band was high energy on stage. They delivered technical prowess mixed with heavy & moshy slamming riffs. The band was entertaining the audience, especially the bassist who was dressed as Elmo from Sesame Street, with their high-intensity performance. They played a brutal set filled with heavy breakdowns and finished it off by adding a few extra members to perform a song as a 7-piece outfit with 3 guitars and 2 basses. After seeing them live, I became a fan and so should you.
As the Fairmount Theater was getting hotter and hotter, the tech-death band Inferi was taking the stage. Their brand of melodic and technical death metal had the crowd chanting along to their songs. Lead guitarist Malcolm Pugh was showcasing his talents with extremely quick guitar licks that the fans in the audience enjoyed. They delivered a solid performance that the fans enjoyed.
The progressive metal Entheos was up next with their technical metal. The vocalist Chaney Crabb growled and howled over the riff-filled metal. The fans were moshing along and forming circle pits at her demand. Her strong stage presence and vocal talent were a sight to behold. With their monstrous hooks and crushing groove, they were a sight to behold. A very strong performance that whipped the crowd into a frenzy for the headliner.
After all the opening bands, the Fairmount theatre felt like a sauna for our headliner of the evening. Musical geniuses Archspire were in top shape for this concert. They started their set with my personal favourite track “Remote Tumor Seeker” and judging by the crowd’s reaction it was also a big fan favourite.
I cannot understate how talented each individual member of Archspire is. Watching them play through their highly technical death metal was a treat to the eyes. Their guitar skills are unmatched, the vocalist’s machine gun-like delivery of lyrics is flawless, the drummer did not skip a single beat of their blisteringly fast music and to watch the bassist wield his 6-string bass was a sight to behold.
My only gripe about their amazing performance is that it was a bit too short. Everyone in the crowd was happy to have witnessed such a great performance but was left wanting more. Despite the heat in the room, I could have moshed for at least one more song.
Thank you to Heavy Montreal for bringing this great package to us!
Jason Maher
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