While extreme cold and a city deeply frozen in several inches of ice suffer the elements outdoors, a pair of scantly clad former Playboy playmates keep those inside Montreal’s famous Metropolis warm and feeling rather funny inside. Butcher Babies are on stage and expelling some serious energy, jumping up and down dressed in sexy leather corsets and thigh high boots, at least, the two female singers are. One screams and sings with a beautiful clean voice while the other lays down some harsher, gruff vocal duties that are not unlike those of Down frontman Phil Anselmo. In fact, Anselmo’s former band, Pantera, has been quite the influence on these musicians. From vocal time signatures to similarities in guitar riffs, everything screams Pantera. Fun to watch, but hopefully they can step out of the shadows of the past and find some ground to call their own. I really enjoyed the dueling vocalists but found that the lower stuff seemed a tad forced at times.
The job of warming up the audience has been achieved, and it is now on to Hatebreed to step into the limelight. This will be my fourth time watching these lads since the release of their most recent album and, unfortunately, their set hasn’t varied much in that time. Covering tracks from the duration of their existence is a blessing but also causes some contrast in their sound. At times they deliver straight forward brutality, and then they swerve off course and pull out some of their shout-along numbers (which I prefer, but that is just a matter of taste). The thing I admire most about Hatebreed is that you can bank on them bringing a no-nonsense, high octane performance each and every time they step onto a stage, and tonight was no different. From “Smash Your Enemies” and “In Ashes They Shall Reap” to “This Is Now”, “I Will Be Heard” and “Destroy Everything”, all bases were covered. After their set, several bloodied faces emerged from the front lines. A demonstration of the aggressive nature of the music at hand.
Chants broke out, calling Black Label Society to the stage as the boys were late to start, amid visible movement beyond the curtains. The Canadian national anthem played, calling the local chapter of the Black Label Society to attention, but that wasn’t the start. Over the PA system came a blend of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and Led Zepplin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and my mind melted. I couldn’t wrap my head around Ozzy singing over Zeppelin’s music. Two bands I know very well, two songs I grew up with, not flowing the way I know they should. I was lost. Scared. But then the curtain was lifted and out came Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society. The lighting was incredible, mesmerizing and the sound was absolutely enormous – probably due to the eight Marshall stacks that lined the stage. The whole stage looks great and the crowd is going berserk, but then the most annoying thing a concert can provide arrived in force – cell phones. Dozens and dozens of them, all lit up and held high. All selfishly blocking the view of others and disrupting people. It should be legal to punch people who use their phones in such inappropriate ways, and I won’t even get into those tits that bring their iPads around with them. Its not irking Wylde though, as he slings his guitar behind his head for a quick solo a la Jimi Hendrix. Slipping in a second solo at the end of the first song. This night is going to be like all others that involve this man – guitar solo overload!
Somehow, Black Label Society have packed an arena sound and show into a much smaller venue and the results are astonishing. I stand totallly bewildered and sucked into some sort of metal vortex, and lapping it up like a dehydrated mutt that has been left out in the sun all day. Zakk’s voice is really impressive on the night. This is only the second time I have seen Black Label Society and it is now all too obvious that seeing them outdoors just doesn’t do them justice. Even when I saw Zakk Wylde as a member of Ozzy Osbourne’s band, I was unimpressed. I thought he took too much liberty with the original songs and soloed too much. I stood corrected, and surprised at how grandiose Black Label Society were. And then came the monster of all solo’s. A solo so long that you could have ordered a pizza and it would have been delivered and partially consumed before it came to an end. Wylde’s band mates had left the stage, and I found myself wondering what they were up to. Were they checking email or updating facebook status’? Taking a quick nap or perhaps they themselves had ordered in some food. I wondered how hard it must be to keep up the tempo and stay in the right mindset night after night and as Zakk solo’s to his hearts content. It was too much for me, so I sank down to the carpeted floor to enjoy an overpriced plastic cup of crap beer. Some time later, that solo came to an end, the band came back and “Godpseed Hellbound” began. Things slowed down following that for a rendition of “Angel Of Mercy” – proving that the band can rock hard but can also play a ballad when called for. The song also contains one of the best solo’s in Wylde’s arsenal – and lets just say he has quite a few to select from. As was the case between each song, a roadie strolled out to replace a large bristol board containing song lyrics with those for the upcoming tune, and a piano. That could only mean “In This River” – a song written before Pantera guitarist and Wylde’s close friend was murdered on stage, but always dedicated to Dime, and as the song began, two images of the late guitar wizard appeared on the backdrop behind him to raucous cheers of the crowd. It was in this very room back when I was a long-haired teenager that I first met Dimebag and memories of that day were surging back to me as the song played. A fine way to pay tribute to a lost brother and friend.
I made a promise to myself that on the day following this show, I would go out and buy any Black Label Society albums I didn’t already own. This was by far the best show I have seen in 2015… Of course, it’s also the first show I’ve seen this year.
Review – Kieron Yates
Photo – skullsnbones.com
