Théatre Fairmount was at full capacity on Thursday night. Nearly 600 metalheads came to see these four killer bands scream their guts out and deliver some heavy-ass riffs. Everyone arrived early to see Brand of Sacrifice open the set.
Brand of Sacrifice has been on my radar since the release of God Hand in 2019, and this is their first Montreal concert since. I wasn’t let down, they set the tone immediately with their aggressive tone and the contagious energy of their frontman Kyle Anderson. Their performance was good even though they were missing a guitarist, the most technical parts were played with ease and it all sounded very clear and fluid. I’d be willing to see them again with their full lineup next time they come to town.
Inferi is one of those bands that’s never boring when playing live, especially since Stevie Boisier joined them as their lead vocalist and frontman. The first few minutes, we couldn’t hear the vocals very well but it got fixed quickly. For the rest of the set, everything sounded perfect to me. The members of the formation are impressively skilled on their instruments and their experience shows on stage. Stevie Boisier is doing an excellent job of hyping the crowd, during the instrumental parts, he’d be hanging his mic around his neck while doing hands gestures like an orchestra conductor.
I wasn’t entirely ready for the heavy dose of brutality that was gonna hit me when Signs of the Swarm started to play. Right when it started I could tell this set was going to be something else. The sound was so aggressive and brutal, I couldn’t help but bang my head with a grim look on my face. The whole band was very energetic and especially David Simonich on the mic. Signs of the Swarm was a good surprise to me, if you’re into brutal deathcore, they’re worth checking out.
By the time Shadow of Intent hit the stage, the temperature had risen over a thousand degrees in Théatre Fairmount but the metal warriors were still willing to go at it in the sweaty mosh pit. The band was on tour to promote the release of their third full-length album Melancholy. Their sound was very symphonic and melodic for a deathcore band. Unfortunately for me, that’s not really my type of death metal, so I didn’t like them as much as the other bands. But that’s just a matter of taste, I can still recognize that the guys gave a solid performance and the crowd seemed pleased too.
Review – Isaac Asselin-Bishop
Photos – Alexandre Grenier
