A lot of metal fans gathered early last Saturday at Mtelus for The Black Dahlia Murder’s concert. No less than six bands were on the bill, and the venue was at full capacity.
Phobophilic
6:00 pm, Phobophilic hit the stage. They surprised me with some very heavy old-school death metal, combining slower parts and blasting parts in some songs. The technique of the musicians was remarkable; every part was “tight” and played with ease. Unfortunately, six bands on the bill means short sets for the openers; they only played for about 30 minutes. I would have taken another few songs for sure.
It’s a bit of a niche band but a great one to discover if you are into the genre.
Fuming Mouth
This is my second time seeing Fuming Mouth live. First time actually made it into my top 5 concerts of 2019! So obviously, I was expecting a good performance. And like last time, the guys of Fuming Mouth delivered with a solid performance. Their old-school death metal vibe mixed with hardcore influences was perfect for pleasing the crowd that was there tonight.
Here again, the set was a bit too short for my taste.
Frozen Soul
I had never heard of this band before, but it was a pleasant surprise as their style was just within my comfort zone in death metal.
With their aggressive riffs on guitar, the deep guttural growls on vocals and the heavy use of the double bass drum pedal reminded me of the sound of “Bolt Thrower.”
Their sound doesn’t exactly reinvent the genre, but who cares? Their songs are good, well written, and the band deliver a solid live performance.
Terror
I must admit, hardcore is not my cup of tea when it comes to metal. So the next band didn’t exactly fall within my tastes.
With that said, I have to give it to them that they had a really strong stage presence and their energy was contagious to the crowd.
In the end, that band was my least favourite so far, but, judging by their reaction, it was the crowd’s favourite.
Despised Icon
I could feel the crowd’s excitement moments before Despised Icon started playing. This was the first hometown show for the Montreal-based band since 2019.
Obviously, the band was pleased to be there after such a long time and the crowd was too. The moment they started playing, the mosh pit exploded. Fists and feet flying every way at a really fast pace. Pretty scary for a short guy like me, so I chose to stay a bit further on the side for that part of the show. There’s been lots of moshing and hardcore dancing during that set.
Like the previous band, this one is less within my comfort zone because Deathcore has a lot of hardcore sounds and influences.
Nonetheless, I could see why Despised Icon is considered a reference when it comes to hardcore. These guys give a really good show with a lot of energy that makes their fans go crazy (especially in the intense mosh pit).
The band announced earlier this week on their social media that this was going to be their only Montreal performance of 2023.
The Black Dahlia Murder
Finally, comes the headliner at 10:00.
The Black Dahlia Murder starts the show with the title track from their latest album, “Verminous.” The band is in great shape; the riffs are tight, the vocals are good, and the solos are perfect. TBDM still live up to their reputation.
Vocalist Brian Eschbach said, “If you know us, you know this,” and the band started playing an old crowd’s favourite: What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse.
This song was a bit emotional for me since it was my first time seeing it performed live since the passing of founding member Trevor Strnad, but it was definitely one of my highlights of the night. Brian delivered a solid performance on vocals as well.
One other notable moment was during the song “Statutory Ape” when the gorilla mascot came on stage to pump his fists with the crowd. That part brought back memories from the early days of TBDM for old fans like me.
The band played a solid set, displaying their technical abilities and delivering iconic songs throughout the set.
They decided to close the night with another fan’s favourite from the album “Nocturnal”: Deathmask Divine. An excellent choice of last song to close the night and to leave the crowd satisfied and exhausted.
Review – Isaac Asselin
Photos – Steve Gerrard
