Dead & Divine Concert Review!!

For the first time in almost three weeks, we have a concert review at the SMS, as I was in attendance for last night's Dead & Divine-headlined hardcore concert at The Canadian Nightclub! Nice to have a bigger metal show going down in the area to help break from the recent slow stretch of metal shows that aren't mainly covers at the bar on weekends. Before we get to the bands, just some notes on the environment last night. The attendance was alright given that it was a Wednesday near the beginning of the school year, but I figure it'd have looked more impressive at a venue like The Oddfellows Hall, where Dead & Divine's previous local shows were. That said, given the nature of this concert, The Canadian was much more fitting of a venue, especially thanks to the HUGE merchandise area, very likely the biggest I've ever seen at a non-Essar Center show in recent years! When you see a wall of shirts like that, you know something's up, and it's neat that D&D made up some special shirts for their farewell tour! That said, it was weird that there was tape cordoning off some areas (even though they weren't off limits) and the amounts of band gear led to the normal entrance being blocked off, but it's all good, and it didn't affect the music!

Opening last night was local hardcore quintet As It Stands in their first concert appearance in almost 3 months, and though they had somewhat of a slow start, they were quickly back on their A-game in their six song set! They played originals like "Oh Herm, Herm, Delish" and "Big Problem, Little Lock City" and their cover of Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" (among other tracks), which got a good reception, even if the crowd wasn't as active on the floor as it would be later in the evening. Justin Pregent's singing voice sounded scratchier than I'm used to, but his screams were suitably aggressive, and the rest of the band sounded pretty good musically, though their energy was lacking early. I did note that Garrett Masters and Albert Bourrier really shined on guitar though, their melodies and riffs were on par with their best early-2012 gigs! If anything, I wish their set was longer, especially as all of the opening bands only got a half hour each, but the timing felt more like an all ages show in that respect. Good stuff nonetheless, and hopefully As It Stands are back for some more fall gigs!

Starting the out of town bands last night was Toronto straight edge hardcore quintet Liferuiner, who delivered a blast of energy into their set of well thought out and noticeably heavy original material! Though their set was capped at a brief half hour too, they packed everything they could into it, and a lot of the credit for their on stage spark goes to frontman Jonny O'Callaghan, who combined brutal hardcore screaming and some growling essences with a constant motion, which most of the other band members had as well! They had a bit more breakdowns than I like though, and some more guitar solo integration would have been nice, but Liferuiner fit right in for this type of hardcore concert, and they definitely injected their own spin on the genre while keeping a positive message (especially in their newer song "Fissure"), and hopefully we'll see them back in the area down the road!

Co-headlining last night was Madison, Alabama hardcore quartet Mychildren Mybride, and they immediately left an impression visually with large band logo banners, a largely dark stage lighting setup, and even some steel steps to stand on up front (which Dead & Divine also had for their set.) Musically however, M.C.M.B. might have stole the show with their positive yet brutal blend of hardcore and heavier metal genres, and fans up front definitely seemed to eat up their set! With songs like "On Wings of Eternity" in their also-30 minute set, the guys shown lots of aggression and proficiency in their originals, from Matthew Hasting's harsh and searing lead vocals to Hunter Walls' skilled lead guitar work, but I'd love to see Mychildren Mybride expand a bit more into some groove metal or thrash styles. They have the capability and look to do that, hopefully they can integrate some more varied stuff in future releases! Still, I really liked Mychildren Mybride's set, and it's be great to see them back in the region at some point!

Headlining last night's concert was, for one last time, Burlington, Ontario hardcore quintet Dead & Divine, in what was their last ever Sault Ste. Marie show and their third-to-last ever concert! As you may know, D&D are amicably disbanding at the end of their Farewell Tour to focus on other endeavours, and after their first three or so stops here, they have built up a solid local fanbase who predictably gave them a great sendoff for their hour long headlining set last night! The crowd went nuts for D&D classics like "Chemical Valley", "Like Wolves", and "Slumlord", and aside from the on-stage banter, there was no indication of an imminent end, as they played with the same hardcore fury that we've come to expect in their increasingly better local concerts in past years! If you were at their 2007 stop here, and compare it to this show, you can see the improvements. Matt Tobin's vocal intensity was in top form, and I especially thought Kellan Lindsay and Kelly Bilan (a.k.a. Optimus Prime) were playing at a great proficient level last night! I'm not the biggest hardcore fan going, but I appreciate a talented hardcore band and what they bring to the table, and if this is indeed the last time we see Dead & Divine in Sault Ste. Marie, they gave us a great show to say goodbye with!

Overall, this was an entertaining (if short) concert, and though the attendance wasn't fantastic, the environment and talented bands lent a special ambiance to the night that you wouldn't have got at the earlier local Dead & Divine venues! I got plenty of photos, so click here to check them out or visit our Facebook page, which also has this show's "Tag Yourself!" crowd photo. As for videos, here's As It Stands playing "Embay the Terrible", Liferuiner's original song "Fissure", Mychildren Mybride performing "Terra Firma", and Dead & Divine's set opener "Creature"!









That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more news tomorrow! Thanks everyone!