Fuck The Facts Concert Review!!

At last, here's our newest concert review at the SMS, and believe it or not, our first from a public concert since Rotaryfest (blame personal family health matters, but I do plan to hit at least some Halloween season events!) Sunday night saw the return of Fuck The Facts to The Oddfellows Hall in the first all ages show there in what seems like way too long, but the crowd wasn't overly huge, and I'm not sure if there was ever 50 people inside at once. The fans gave a solid response all night long though, and the cool blue lighting gave a nice ambiance!

Sets were delayed by about a half hour, so things were a little condensed for most bands, but opening goregrind solo project Crucify The Whore packed in a heavy wallop to kick off the night! This was Tyler Gibson's first local C.T.W. show outside of house parties since the spring, but he broke out some newer effects pedals (including one that gave him more of a demonic regular voice) and played a mixture of established songs like "Bunk, Shake, and Headache" and newer material like "Texas". Though the crowd was pretty small at this early juncture, Blood Shed loyalists went wild as usual for Tyler's goregrind onslaught, but Tyler's energy wasn't at it's high from what I've seen, and Rotopsy's Dylan Taylor didn't make a guest appearance as he often does. Strong return, and C.T.W. fans left happy!

A minor lineup shuffle saw the planned second band switch places with the original middle band, local doom/sludge metal trio AlgomA, but their ferocious set delivered despite the earlier placement! It's been way too long since I last saw AlgomA live last (back when they were still using stage names), and they definitely haven't lost a step, whether on established songs like "Fell Down A Well" (which indeed opened the set) or their lengthy newer song "Rabidus". Kevin, Boyd, and Jamie showed their strong chemistry while maintaining their intense stage presences throughout, with Kevin Campbell's harsh vocals laid well with the material, and Boyd Rendell's pounding guitar kept things slow and heavy in the process! The guys can still be a little more energetic and talkative on stage, but the intensity and material definitely made a huge mark, and hopefully we see them live again soon!

Due to personal commitments, late replacements Jack Spades (filling in for their upcoming split-mates Destroilet) were bumped into the later third slot, but they still delivered a fun set in, believe it or not, their Oddfellows Hall debut! With members' pasts at this venue with the likes of Fitswitch, Soldiers of Misfortune, and The Bear Hunters, you'd think Jack Spades would have played the Oddfellows by now! Their abbreviated set included fan favourites like "They Live", "Crossroads", and "Motorwolf", though an advertised cover of "All My Friends Are Dead" didn't make the live cut. Everyone was solid and on form despite the short notice, with Jesse Cook nailing some strong guitar solos, but J.D. Pearce was almost inaudible during their set (not his fault, the vocal mix throughout the night was fairly muted, but it stood out more here compared to the growlers.) The guys jacked the hall well, and stay tuned for the "Fed Up!" split release show next month!

Your final local band on Sunday night was death metal favourites The Bear Hunters, who powered through a set of six newer original songs for fans, and they definitely haven't lost a step! Though they didn't play their newest unveiled tracks like "The Wrath of Angmar" (possibly due to time?), we still got strong and brutal favourites like "I Fear No God" and "Neckbreaker" that produced a few small mosh pits, and the band responded in kind! Justin Lam's bass was on point, Mitch Sire laid down some blistering solos on both guitars, and while his vocals were a little muddled in the mix, Nik Deubel's growling was as consistently effective as always! I was hoping to hear one of their brand new tracks on Sunday, but The Bear Hunters still laid it down to their extreme, and proved once again that no bear is safe!

And your headliners on Sunday were Juno nominated Ottawa grindcore band Fuck The Facts, though they were sans guitarist Johnny Ibay for unannounced reasons (though note that I didn't see him in photos from recent tour dates.) The lack of rhythm guitar was noticeable at times, but Fuck The Facts still demolished in their short but entertaining set! Fans who missed them last year got a strong dose of new material from their newest album "Desire Will Rot", and while the crowd wasn't huge, the mosh pit definitely was, and it looked like most of the hall was involved! Mel Mongeon & Marc Bourgon's brutal vocals were a nice compliment as usual, and Topon Das' shone on guitar throughout their set, with a good use of backing effects as usual to set the mood! Fuck The Facts' creative brand of grindcore is always worth checking out, and while the crowd wasn't as high as it could have been, hopefully this was a great closing show for their tour!

Overall, this was a very entertaining and heavy show, and it was nice to be back out at a concert again! I can't commit to any more concerts in the next few weeks just based on the uncertainty regarding the recent personal family matters, but I intend to at least be at the Ripcordz and Caym shows at month's end... I hope! You can check out our photos and videos at this link or at our Facebook page, and for videos, here's Crucify The Whore playing "Batch Cones" & "Orthostatic Hypotension", AlgomA playing "Rabidus", Jack Spades covering The Ripcordz' "X", The Bear Hunters playing "Deception", and Fuck The Facts playing "Prey"!











That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile next! Thanks everyone!