Opening the concert was local punk/death metal trio Shit Liver, in their first concert appearance since their July hiatus, and first of three this week (more on the new show later today.) Did the break affect their sound in any noticeable way? Nope, their livers were just as shitty as ever, and their grimy and crusty death metal was easily welcomed back! The triple assault of screaming and growling from Josh Penno, Mike Kyle, and Matt Baic set the tone very well for the show, and their songs with repeated listens do become easier to follow! Nothing was terribly new about their set though, mostly resorting to original songs like "You're Scared" and "Friendly Old (Uncle Joe)", though a few select covers made it to the end of their set. Sadly, few people hit the floor for Shit Liver's return set, but they sounded just as good as they usually do! Their sound will still be polarizing to some, but if you want a crustier brand of death metal, look no further!
Next was Calgary classic metal band Stinger, and I really enjoyed their set! Really reminded me of bands like Sanktuary and Black Moor (more on them soon too), but maybe a bit more melodic. Lots of well played old school metal originals from these guys, with some good energy and charisma that was well placed! I noticed that the largest amount of people on the floor was during Stinger's set, which struck me as sort of odd, but they deserved the attention! Mike Harach's raspy but melodic singing fit their songs well, and the songs were full of heavy rhythms and some very nice guitar solos! Mike and Shaddy Elsaghir both were great on guitar, giving The Rosie some nice classic sounds on Monday night! Maybe the beer helped, as Justin Pregent from As It Stands had the whole band drink beer mid-song, which was interesting (as was the light-up drum kit!) Great set, here's hoping we'll see Stinger here again!
Then we got Milwaukee hardcore punk band Enabler, and before anyone asks, no, their drummer on Monday night was not Andy Hurley from Fall Out Boy. He is a member of Enabler, but is busy touring with The Damned Things this month. With that out of the way, I can say that Enabler were nice and brutal, and satisfied anyone's hardcore desires last night! We got the fastest and heaviest combined attack of any of the three out of town bands, much of that thanks to Jeff Lohrber's aggressive singing and stage presence! He and live guitarist Scott Shellhammer kept things lively among the moshpit, contrasting Amanda Daniels' mostly stationary presence, though her bass lines fit everything perfectly! Punk attitude + heavy hardcore = Enabler, and they weren't to be missed either, though I must say, their set flew by! Either it was short or we were having too good of a time to notice it was going by quickly. Maybe it's cause they often doubled two songs together without a real break, so it seemed like less songs. Either way, Enabler ruled, and if you weren't moshing on the floor, you missed out!
And finally, your headliners were Calgary experimental duo Mares of Thrace, and let's just say you've never seen a band like this in town. Where else will you see a band with just two members (both women) facing each other on the stage, not the crowd? Death From Above 1979 this certainly is not, Mares of Thrace are much heavier! Therese Lanz has one hell of a growl/scream on her, plus some really solid guitar skills, and Stefani MacKichan complimented her well on drums to create a brutal, low, and aggressive brand of metal! They launched into a crushign set of originals with little in the way of banter between sets, though Therese did offer some good jokes between songs, and the use of backing audio helped create the moods and environments present on their original songs. I was really impressed by Mares of Thrace, who held their own as a unique and very heavy band with lots of originality, regardless of their gender or lack of additional members. They weren't to be missed, and I'm glad I came out to see them!
Very entertaining show, but I wish there was more advance word to ensure a larger crowd. I had fun though, and kudos to Rich Moreland from Dismembertainment for bringing more high quality bands to Sault Ontario! I did get photos, so click here to check them out, or visit our official Facebook page (where you can also find this show's "Tag Yourself!" crowd photo.) And yes, here are my videos, so here's Shit Liver playing their originals "You're Scared" & "Survival of the Shittest", Stinger playing "Lucid Screams", Enabler's original "Unconditional Surrender", and Mares of Thrace playing an original song, any help on the title?
That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post featuring LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, and yes, my re-synced Enabler video. Thanks everyone!
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