A Saturday night in Montreal is always full of surprises – November 25th was no exception, with the Satanic Panic tour stopping in town. It promised to be a night for the ages, with the union of legendary occult rock band Coven and modern rockers Lucifer as headliners on the Satanic Panic tour, with the up-and-coming doom metal band Early Moods to open the night.
Early Moods can be described in four words: Big hair, big sound. The lead singer rocks an afro, the likes of which are rarely seen, and the pair of guitars throw a masterful wall of sound at the crowd. The mix, unfortunately wasn’t great for their 30-minute set. The vocals came out too dry and the guitars ended up muddled, but the band’s energy gave a good first impression – fans of old-school doom like Candlemass and Pentagram will want to keep an eye on this band in the future.
Coven is a special band, one that has had a profound influence on rock and metal and is credited as an influence for the likes of King Diamond, told to have influenced Black Sabbath, and introduced the infamous devil’s horns hand gesture to music in 1969. Those unfamiliar with the early history of heavy music certainly wouldn’t know the name, but the band led by original 73-year-old singer Jinx Dawson certainly brought out quite a few fans.
The sound issues, unfortunately, continued for the first few songs, certainly not helped by the mask worn by Dawson when she opened the set. They appropriately label their set as a ritual, the satanic themes omnipresent in their music with a setlist containing titles like Coven in Charing Cross and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The band has been kept alive by the powerful vocals of Jinx Dawson, who found talented musicians to surround her even though their popularity took a massive drop in 1970 after being linked to Charles Manson. Overall, their set was strong and a pleasant surprise.
Lucifer closed the night with a powerful set led by singer Johanna Sadonis. They were promoting their latest record, the excellent fourth eponymous title released in 2021. It marked the first time two albums feature the same lineup, and the stability has nurtured the powerful dynamics in the band’s live show. Their setlist featured most of their hits, including Bring Me His Head, Mausoleum and Wild Hearses from IV, Leather Demon from III and California Son from II.
The band is as solid as their first show in Montreal in 2019, with drummer Nicke Andersson, busy with his main act The Hellacopters, being replaced by Chad Walls. From beginning to end, electric riffs and powerful vocals sent the crowd into a trance and while it was an awesome experience, their 10-song set could have been longer and left many a fan hungry for more. The show started at 7 PM and was done right after 10 – The benefit being it gave a lot of time for fans to get an early start for their own rituals.
Review – Philippe Mandeville Gauthier
Photos – Ryan Rumpel
