Not gonna lie, when Texan post-rock legends Explosions In The Sky announced their newest full-length entitled The End, I had to do a double-take. Surely this doesn’t mean it’s the end for them? Thankfully, such rumours were swiftly dismissed. Rejoice!
It may be almost eight years since their last triumphant visit, but it’s refreshing to see the unwavering love Montreal has for the band, despite them being commercially no bigger or more popular. A packed-out Metropolis last time, and packed-out Metropolis (ahem, MTelus) this time. Post-rock lives!
The five-piece quietly appear on stage behind the bright white lights blazing out into the room, and cheers erupt when the lights drop, revealing the band. Being all instrumental, there’s no frontman to speak of, so Munaf Rayani continues to be the band’s spokesman of sorts, being the only one with a mic. He greets the assembly: “Bon soir tout le monde, comment allez-vous?” It’s the last time anyone speaks until the goodbyes at the end, but when the band is this good, the music speaks for itself.
Things stir to life with the glorious First Breath After Coma, the opener from the iconic 2003 record The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place, and goosebumps explode all over my arms with the first notes. The band joins in bit by bit, building, then slowing to a breakdown, with bassist Michael James on his knees, before building back up to an epic finale. It leads seamlessly into Catastrophe and the Cure, another sonic rollercoaster that sees delicate, soft notes give way to Munaf thrashing his guitar strings in furious fashion before he switches to a snare drum midway through, adding pummelling beats to Chris Hrasky’s already thunderous drums.
The Birth and Death of the Day has another immense opening flurry, calming down before culminating in another gigantic outro—three different guitars combining three different melodies in note-perfect harmony. Again, absolutely immense. Greet Death is a bona fide headbanger in places, post-rock bordering on post-metal à la Russian Circles, while on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept, you really see how flawless the intra-song transitions are. Out of nowhere, four guitars start roaring at once, drawing huge cheers from the crowd in appreciation. Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of post-rock shows, but nobody does it as well as these guys.
The delicate intro of Your Hand in Mine emerges, and again, shivers creep through my frame. It’s so incredibly uplifting, delicate, beautiful—it’s the sound of angelic ascension. Touring musician and fifth band member Jay Demko puts in a shift on the new song The Fight, adding additional drums and then a second bass to mammoth effect amid the dim red light, and suddenly things are apocalyptic. Set closer The Only Moment We Were Alone sees Munaf slap his guitar strings to create deep booms out of the amp, rising to a cataclysmic crescendo that ends the show with the band stomping on their pedals simultaneously to kill the sound on the same note. The rapturous applause that greets the sudden silence suggests I’m not the only one who is blown away!
This is my fifth time seeing them, and it might just be the best one yet. Incredible band, incredible show, and it seems like, eight albums and 24 years in, they’re only getting better!
Setlist
First Breath After Coma
Catastrophe and the Cure
Loved Ones
The Birth and Death of the Day
Greet Death
With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept
Your Hand in Mine
The Fight
The Only Moment We Were Alone
Review & photos – Simon Williams
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