An absolutely brutal and crushing evening awaited Montreal on this Monday night as Undeath brought a tour packed with death metal intensity and an incredible lineup.
Primal Horde stepped in as the local act, filling in for Torture, who unfortunately had to drop out of the tour. I couldn’t think of a better band to take their place, as Primal Horde is one of Montreal’s top death metal acts.
The faithful crowd gathered that night was clearly excited, and it didn’t take long before mosh pits erupted as fans moved to Primal Horde’s signature caveman rhythms. I was a bit disappointed not to see Torture, but Primal Horde delivered their reliably intense and heavy performance, and tonight was no exception.
Gates to Hell was up next, and the intensity only grew. Hailing from Kentucky, their hardcore-influenced death metal delivered a relentless, crushing set. Their high-energy style blends elements from across the extreme metal spectrum, offering a unique sound that kept the crowd moshing and headbanging throughout.
This was my second time seeing Gates to Hell live, and once again, their stage presence was powerful. They even debuted a new song, which was an absolute banger, and I can’t wait to hear more of their new material.
The band I was most excited to see was up next, and they were my biggest reason for coming out to Foufs on a Monday night. All the way from Tokyo, Japan, Kruelty was about to lay waste to Montreal. The band effortlessly blends old-school death metal brutality with thrash metal energy and some seriously intense mosh riffs.
Kruelty has been a huge personal discovery for me this year, and I absolutely love everything about them. The trio was super energetic on stage, playing with ferocity and passion. Their latest track, Profane Usurpation, was a highlight for me. The crowd went absolutely wild for their set, with people moshing across the venue.
Kruelty is, in my opinion, one of the most exciting new bands in the underground scene, and they were even better live than I had imagined.
Finally, Undeath took the stage as the headliner, and though I wasn’t very familiar with them, I left the venue a converted fan. They played brutal, technical death metal. The guitarists—and especially the bassist—were mesmerizing to watch, their fingers blazing over the fretboard and bombarding the crowd with insane riffs.
The vocalist was an engaging showman, growling with intensity and chatting with the crowd between songs, even establishing an inside joke where both he and the crowd kept yelling, “Go Bills!” I was genuinely impressed with their performance and can’t wait to dive into their discography.
It was another fantastic evening of metal in Montreal. Many thanks to Extensive Enterprise for all their hard work in making it happen.
Review – Jason Maher
Photos – Steve Gerrard
