It’s a rainy Monday evening in Montreal, with melting snow turning to slush on the ground, but L’Olympia is already pretty full at 6:30 p.m.: the metal faithful have gathered. It’s deathcore night in this charismatic old theatre. “This one’s a fast one,” says Alluvial singer Kevin Muller, introducing “The Putrid Sunrise.” The Portland deathcore quartet do a great job of getting everyone in the mood tonight with their pummelling and brutal deathcore.
For some (purist?) critics, deathcore has always been an inferior form of extreme metal. But two decades on, the subgenre has shown not only durability over time, but has also been making good on its mainstream aspirations, as tonight’s almost-full 2,400-capacity venue demonstrates. Audience members can be spotted wearing merch from such bands as Mental Cruelty, Lorna Shore, Shadow of Intent, Paleface Swiss, Angelmaker, Infant Annihilator, Fit for an Autopsy, testifying to the vitality of this scene.
In many ways, deathcore (along with slam, a.k.a. brutal slamming death metal) is keeping up the work of ’90s groove metal, and the Pantera T-shirt I see in the crowd is relevant. Though Pantera’s legacy has been marred somewhat by Phil Anselmo’s racist antics (and the Abbott brothers’ own use of the Confederate flag), their influence in extreme metal, especially deathcore, lives on. But Pantera wrote anthems which transcended metal, and Far Beyond Driven (1994) peaked at #1 on the Billboard chart. Whether or not that’s possible in today’s musical climate, deathcore certainly could do with stepping up its game in the anthem-writing department.
200 Stab Wounds are not deathcore, but fairly classic death metal, heavy on the groove, and the absolutely filthy guitar tones. Starting their set with “Hands of Eternity,” the Ohio quartet’s sound is initially a bit lost in this cavernous venue, and you get the sense it would work better in a dank and tiny club. But get close to the stage and you can hear that gloriously grimy guitar sound and crushing grooves much better, as well as a welcome hardcore influence in their sound. 200 Stab Wounds keep it real and keep it simple, their secret a seemingly endless cascade of riffs that never stop coming, except when they do at the end of their set, alas.
The wait for Toronto band Brand of Sacrifice is a little too long, and introducing their set with Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and the Pokémon theme tune doesn’t help. Frontman Kyle Anderson is a compelling presence with plenty of energy and passion stirring up the enthusiastic crowd, but the band needs a thicker sound: the mix is a bit off, and what you mostly hear are drums and vocals (and some pinch harmonics); the guitar and bass need to be a lot louder. In a way, Brand of Sacrifice come across like a deathcore-detractor’s deathcore band: too much technique and structure, and not enough meat to sink your teeth into. Turn those guitars up, let’s hear some riffs!
With the audience chanting “White-chap-el! White-chap-el!” the headliners launch into “Prisoner 666,” accompanied by an aggressive steampunk light show and some creepy horned mannequins standing on each side of the stage. On record, the Tennessee sextet can be a mixed bag: they throw a lot of elements together – screechy blackened death metal cavalcades, bludgeoning metalcore stomps, some vaguely Maynard-ish vocals and atmospherics – and sometimes the focus is lost as they fall between too many stools.
Thankfully tonight, with an emphasis on bludgeoning riffage, Whitechapel deliver in the heaviness department. Third song tonight, “Brimstone,” with its riff that recalls Morbid Angel’s “Where the Slime Live,” is an example of what they do best, when they lock onto that hypnotic, headbanging groove, and you can lose yourself in the sheer physicality of the music for a bit. Frontman Phil Bozeman thanks the audience for supporting music – “not just metal,” briefly dons a mask for a creepy moment after the “Ex Infernis” interlude, and gives a shout-out to their local friends Despised Icon.
Ultimately, Whitechapel have enough sick guitar tones, thrashy chops, and commitment to a Meshuggah-esque groove – see “Let Me Burn,” for example – to provide a satisfying and meaty slab of modern metal for the masses tonight. Encore song and gig closer “Doom Woods” provides a suitably gothic and eerie exit music for a sated crowd. Whether the band can focus their strengths, spread their wings, and take it to the next level in the future is an open question.
Review – Daniel Lukes
Photos – Steve Gerrard
