December 2, 2015 - This post is a month overdue and I apologize dearly for such. Firstly I hope everyone had a super rad NYE and I hope all of you will aspire to become the best you can be this year and to excel in all and any endeavors you may pursue.
Up first was Lord Dying, a four piece metal act from Portland, Oregon. Having toured with acts such as Unsane, Yob and Danava, this up-and-coming band has proved their worth in the short amount of time that they've been together. Although I haven't heard too much of them, they're a fun act and being my first time at Fortune Sound Club for a show, they showed and proved why I love smaller venues so much more - the crowd just gives more of a shit. They know the lyrics, and they've usually been with these bands since early on. Oh, and their merch design absolutely slays.
Up next came the headliners from Toronto, the Cancer Bats. Alongside Alexisonfire and Billy Talent, the Bats have definitely paved their path and have a beyond loyal fan-base. As I stated earlier, on top of being in a small venue, CB proved to me that hardcore shows will always be my favourite. The scene is pretty nice in Vancouver and I haven't seen any of the fuccbois that you'll find in metalcore/deathcore pits with legs flying and "windmilling" - everyone's here to throwdown and have a good time. Having toured with bands such as Rise Against, Every TIme I Die, Haste the Day and Comeback Kid in their early days and growing more and more with each album drop, the Bats put on an amazing show which kept everyone belting for more.
Setlists
Lord Dying
Cancer Bats
November 25, 2015 - Metalcore has a very peculiar spot in Vancouver. A few weeks back, Parkway Drive played a sold out show at the Rickshaw Theatre - lineups stretching down Vancouver's worst neighbourhood to circle pits spanning the length of the venue. Unfortunately tonight wasn't the case, despite an incredibly low ticket price of $30 for six bands. Top that off with relatively decent marketing for a final tour, it should have been a recipe for success.
When I walked into the venue (expecting it to be relatively busy as it was an all ages show) it was dead. The seats and the balcony were blocked off and at its peak, maybe 150 people filled in the pit near the stage. Despite the poor attendance, the show was beyond heavy, having a greatly appreciated variety of genres be it deathcore to hardcore to technical, progressive metalcore.
To start things off, The Hallowed Catharsis, is often the local opening metal act for Vancouver gigs and to boot, they kick ass too. Sean Ip's explosive energy on stage makes it appear as if he took some industrial strength stimulants and evoked his stage alter-ego. Coupled with such intensity, his humour pokes through with his goofy faces and interactions with the rest of the band - guitarists Kyle Bains and Chris Turner, bassist Nick Savoie and drummer Kevin Emms. I am 110% sure that I will see them again sooner than later, and I encourage everyone to support this local act where there is a wondrous blend of musicianship and stage presence.
A large portion of the audience definitely came for popular local act, Galactic Pegasus. Many thanks to the band for access to the show; they definitely kept the energy flowing in their with their open chord chugging, breakdowns and technical complexity inspired by modern "core" greats such as Northlane and Veil of Maya. Unfortunately it was the last show for drummer Dallas Turner as he has put his main focus on new self proclaimed "electronic metal music" act ev0lution. Fortunately, it was a well done farewell with massive stage presence, particularly from guitarist Andrew Baena, vocalist Andrew Hockley and bassist Johnny Ciardullo.
3rd on the docket was Invent, Animate, hailing from Port Neches, Texas. A relatively new metalcore act, forming in 2012, I feel they have a lot of room to mature and grow as myself, the other photographers and maybe half the crowd wasn't really feeling it. It's difficult being a new band on the scene, especially with your first date in a city when you don't know what kind of energy they're going to bring - which goes back to the beginning of this article, metalcore acts are so hit or miss with the fans of the genre in this city. Hopefully the rest of the tour has been a bit more kind to them than this date was.
To the Wind has been making some more appearances in Vancouver, and I'm seeing their name a lot more as of late - probably due to the close proximity of them being located in Seattle. It was definitely nice and relieving to get a different kind of vibe in the venue with the metal-influenced hardcore genre that they have going on. The last time they opened for Wovenwar and Unearth, they had a lot of fun jumping and spinning around and they kept the audience's energy high.
Reflections is the heaviest thing I've seen in while. 7-string guitars downtuned to drop F with inspirations drawing from After the Burial to Pantera to The Tony Danza Dropdance Extravaganza - pushing them away from the generic sound that has plagued modern metalcore. You can hear influences of djent, deathcore and progressive elements in their sound. Despite virtually no crowd interaction, probably due to everyone's faces being melted off by their thick wall of sound, everyone was mesmerized and constantly in a statis of headbanging. These guys have something going for them and I await their newer releases as the Minnesota band evolve.
And finally, headliners Texas In July took the stage and absolutely slayed it. The band, forming in 2007 while in high school decided to end the life of the band to pursue other musical endeavors. I would have guessed the morale would have been super low with the poor attendance that night, but TIJ didn't disappoint. If anything, they got some fans screaming into the mic, cracked jokes with the crowd and absolutely wrecked with their setlist which was riddled with fan favourites. An explosive show, particularly coming from vocalist JT, I'm sad that they chose to have their final tour so quickly after 8 years but I'm glad that they did on a good note.
Setlists
Unfortunately none for The Hallowed Catharsis or Galactic Pegasus
Invent, Animate
To The Wind
Reflections
Texas In July
November 8, 2015 - Much like most good things, they must come to an end. Such is the fate of 3 Inches of Blood, probably the most iconic metal band to have come from Victoria, BC as they embarked on their final tour, with the last two nights on the 7th and 8th of November at the Commodore Ballroom. Sadly I was able to only shoot one of the dates and missed out on Bison and Black Wizard.
To begin however, we first had local Vancouver act Erosion, forming only a few years back. Funny enough, their singer was the original vocalist for 3 Inches who had been recruited by the other members at the time. Despite not playing a bunch of shows, and not really pushing any boundaries, their stage presence is on point with a barrage of headbanging, stomping and screaming. I haven't had this much fun with an opening band in a long time!
Next up are Kentucky metalheads The Hookers who formed in 1996 and have the silliest stage names. Their current roster consists of "The Rock n' Roll Outlaw" on vocals, Juan Badmutha on bass, Alex Mccandless on guitar and Russia on drums with their previous members reaching a total of almost 20. Former interviews could best describe their music as being a punk-esque AC/DC and that totally rings true. They have the energy of a punk band with elements of a classic rock/metal band. A totally ridiculous show with influences drawing from Sabbath to Motorhead to the Misfits - a mesh of horror, gore and speed.
The hype only escalated as the openers not only held their own, but perhaps exceeded expectations. However, this is a farewell and final tour - you can feel the crowd's excitement build up throughout the night with chants growing fiercer and the moshing escalating in force. From what I heard, the 2nd night's openers were a lot more fast paced and engaging than the first.
Despite hearing many of their records, I have never actually got to see 3 Inches of Blood in concert and I'm sad that I had to see them on their last date - but tis the end of an era and it will hopefully open to bigger and better things for them. Despite this, everyone had their horns at the ready and there was never a moment of boredom - they definitely made a lasting impression and a memorable farewell. Having such a strong force in the local scene leave is disheartening, but a new generation will have grown up listening to 3 Inches and starting bands of their own.
Setlists
Unfortunately unavailable for Erosion and Hookers
3 Inches of Blood
