Opening last night was Desbarats death metal quartet For All That Is Lost, and though their masks remained missing (I assume that phase is done now?), they probably sounded better than I've ever heard them sound last night! They blasted their way through an all original set featuring songs like "Graves of the Ancestors", "Viscosity of Blood", and a set-capping new song that sounded very brutal, and though their set wasn't terribly long, they packed tons of metal into it! Tyler Sperry's unique stage presence was put to good use with the stage extension (nice addition for the concert), and his growling was on form, and the rest of the band sounded really tight and together as well, moreso than other recent gigs of theirs I've seen. Kameron Nicholson's drumming is really improving especially, and Brook Moreau's guitar solos are slowly getting more and more proficient! If anything right now, I'd like to see Brook and Ben work on their stage presences a bit more, as they are still a bit stiff, but For All That Is Lost are definitely on the right track! Also, if you're up for a house party with bands of sorts, note their headlining show on Neebish Road in Laird on June 22nd with a bunch of local acts, so click here for details!
Second was grimecore notables Shit Liver, and with a smaller stage and no echo to deal with compared to The Roberta Bondar Pavilion, their set last night definitely looked and sounded better than when I last saw them! Their second Canadian show in four days (and second Fuck The Facts opening slot) went about as well as you'd expect out of Shit Liver, who unloaded original songs like "Shift Liver", "Shit Will Prevail", and "It's Not My Problem" into their all original set of crusty and grimy death metal! No real covers this time, but maybe if they had a longer set. Though there was some technical difficulties with Josh Penno's microphone for a song, the guys all growled and screamed with a noticeable ferocity, and their instrumental talents suited their songs as always, but as I've said before on here, their music can be polarizing to some. If you can appreciate and mosh to their punk and death metal mix, you'll find a lot to enjoy, and I liked what I heard last night from them!
In the middle of last night's festivities was local melodic death metal quintet The Bear Hunters, who delivered a solid set of their entertaining blend of brutal metal genres! Among songs like "Dominate", "Deception", and "Casualties of War", they also broke out their cover of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard" (sorry, "Sausages With Mustard") that kept the fans entertained! Justin Lam's bass work was stellar as expected, and with his birthday in the air, Johnny Belanger's drum work was on fire and kept the pace well! If there was any glaring problems last night, it's that Mitch Sirie's guitar volume was way too low, and on songs like "Succumb to Eternity", you could barely hear him, so that was a blow to their overall sound. Also, this is at least two straight shows now that Nik Deubel hasn't employed any clean singing, which was a nice variance on songs like "Condemned", and I personally would like to see him add singing back to some of their originals. Not a perfect set, but The Bear Hunters melted all the faces of the attendees, and I do hope to see them again soon!
The final opening band last night was local metal quartet Garden of Bedlam in their second show of the month, and while they had a much shorter set than on the 12th, the fan response and attention definitely didn't hinder one second of their performance! They knocked out 7 originals (like "Against The Grain", "Shallow", and "Your Disgrace"), along with a well received & timely cover of Pantera's "Mouth For War", while fan requests saw "Stand Your Ground" replaced with a cover of Volbeat's "Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood" that the crowd easily ate up! Musically, they sounded about as good as ever, and even though Buzz's singing voice didn't seem as strong later in the set as it did at the beginning, the nod to fans singing along was cool (and a sign that people are remembering the lyrics!) Derek Turner's drumming was fast and spot on, as was Josh Belleau's proficient guitar work, and the guys definitely are maintaining their chemistry and immense talents! Hopefully we see them back on the local stage soon, so stay tuned for updates, and don't miss their interview on Shaw TV this week!
Finally last night was Ottawa grindcore quintet Fuck The Facts in their (at least) third stop here, and though they looked fairly tired (the joys of touring), they tore into a set that may have topped last year's local show for musical quality! The Juno nominees continue to impress with their brutal and proficient blend of death metal and effectively placed samples & backing tracks to suit the mood of their material, and both Mel Mongeon & Marc Bourgon traded off some brutal growling and aggressive lyrics to their local fans! Mel's stage presence was cool too, almost never not singing at the front row and putting her all into her singing! Johnny Ibay's guitar work was awesome too, I wish he was closer to the crowd than he was last night! However, the glaring problem from their last show here came back last night, as Fuck The Facts' set was way shorter than you'd expect. Again, I think they only played for about an hour, and for a band as talented and brutal as they are, you'd think they'd have a longer set. Still, what we got was awesome and well worth the price of admission, and hopefully Fuck The Facts can bring their exceptionally talented blend of grindcore back to the Soo soon!Overall, that was a very heavy and entertaining metal show from Dismembertainment, if attendance-deprived, but Wednesday nights can be tough for a reliable crowd. Though I forgot a "Tag Yourself!" shot, I did get a bunch of photos of each band, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook event page! And I did get videos, so here's F.A.T.I.L. playing their song "Hades, Lord of the White House", Shit Liver playing two short originals ("Pennotration" & "(Friendly Old)" Uncle Joe", The Bear Hunters' song "Karma", Garden of Bedlam's cover of "Mouth For War", and Fuck The Facts' newer song "Alone"!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news (and concert previews?) tomorrow! Thanks everyone!
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