The first band up were local hardcore band As It Stands, in their first show together since January of last year, not counting February's Out Of The Mouth Of Babes show. This was a long time coming, and you know what? It's good to see them back, and I think they felt the same way! They had a relatively short set, but it was completely made up of new songs that they wrote, sans a Holly Springs Disaster cover at the end. You could see lyric sheets that Justin Pregent was using, but remember, these are NEW songs played live for the first time! Hardcore or metalcore isn't everyone's cup of tea, but they shown off some nice pounding songs with some cool breakdowns, and they sounded about on par with how they sounded at their peak! Hey, at least they're not playing emo like they did in the mid-2000s, right? Justin's vocals were heavy and relentless, while Angelo Huckson was in constant motion throughout the set on bass! Solid guitar from Garrett and Albert too, though I'd have thrown more solos in, and John Mignacca was great on drums and had a smile throughout the set, so you know he was having fun!I was a bit surprised that they didn't break out any classic songs, like "Three Cheers For Brock Lesnar" or "Angles Of A Casket", which would get the attention of older fans and add some familiarity to their set, but the new stuff all sounded pretty good! I'd like to see more varied guitar solos, and I think they could pull off different heavier styles if they gave it a shot, but they have a good sound that works for them! They seemed genuinely happy to be back, and here's hoping for more from As It Stands very soon!
After them were Kamloops, British Columbia death/grind quintet Blood Drunk, and I have to say, these are one of the more unique bands I've seen in quite some time locally! A lot of that is thanks to frontwoman Marisa Etchart, who has an awesome death growl going for her! Plus, she had a strange, yet weirdly engaging on-stage presence, incorporating some weird trance-like hand movements and dancing, and singing in some odd positions as well, like on the wooden railing! I think she was favouring one leg though, judging by how she moved and stayed in one area. It's hard to explain, you'd have to have been there! The whole band played a very brutal and fast paced form of death metal utilizing some cool time signatures and some very cool riffs and solos! Another element of theirs that stood out was the heavy use of samples and effects by band member Cablz, and though I'm sure some would be tempted to criticize that, I thought it added to the environment and feel that Blood Drunk had! There were people around me saying that the band scared them, and whether it was in jest or not, Blood Drunk left their mark! I think they were damn close to stealing the show myself, here's hoping they come back down the road!
Finally, we had your headliners, Montreal's own Endast, and just when you thought things couldn't get heavier and faster, they did! These guys were brutal in a different way, and they finally got some decent mosh pits going! Frontman Big James Arsenian has a brutal metal voice, sounding like if a death growl and a hardcore scream were blended together, and he had a surprisingly high energy to boot! Also, his old school microphone was a nice touch! While heavy as hell, they also had some melodic touches without resorting to any clean singing sections to kill the mood! James' brother Chris nailed some great solos and riffs, as did Pepe Poliquin, even while getting mid-song beer from promoter Rich Moreland (kudos to him for booking this!) While not as technical as Blood Drunk, and with a sound that is familiar to some other bands I've heard, they tore it down last night, and after over 1,000 shows, it's great to see them in Sault Ontario! It took a while for me to get going, but I was headbanging away to Endast last night, and my neck's still sore. That's a sign that I had a great time, and Endast sure capped this concert on a very heavy note!Overall, this is easily one of the best shows I've seen in 2010, and it's easily the heaviest package of bands I've seen this year as well! Fingers crossed that we get more very soon, be it these bands or others! The early time did throw things off a bit though, and no, I didn't stay for the karaoke. I thought about it, but it was too slow to get going. Oh, and my photos and video from the show are now online, so check them out! The photos are at our Facebook page, or at this location, and the videos (as uploaded onto our YouTube channel) are immediately below! So here's As It Stands' "Eeny Meeny Miny Ho", Blood Drunk's "King Abomination", and what I think is a new Endast song (I assume it is, I couldn't find it on their albums.)
That's all for now, my next post will be of local metal news and updates, including a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT, a couple of notable returns, and more, so be on the lookout for that! Also, stay tuned in the next few days for our review of Sykotyk Rampage's new album, "Bella Disgusta"! Thanks everyone!
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