Photo: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C) 2018 The almighty Dethgod followed-up and dragged the audience into a sonic meat grinder. The Morley-based triumvirate redefined brutality with their merciless full-on death metal assault, arguably the heaviest performance of the night. Dethgod’s music and stage presence epitomized darkness, hatred and despair. Guitarist Blaine Baptiste in particular struck me as being the “big black shape with eyes of fire” that Ozzy wailed about in “Black Sabbath,” the Darkness that swallows all light, looming above the spectators while preparing to harvest their souls. "O^Ha^he^Be" was he, in his Nakoda mother tongue. Raven hair further shrouded Baptiste and bassist/vocalist William BigCrow’s faces, whipping around as the two spun their manes à la Blackie Lawless during instrumental segments. The wildest mosh of the evening broke out as BigCrow croaked, rasped and grunted his way through a setlist that included “Church Burner,” “The Tyrant’s Demise,” and a barrage of other oppressive songs dredged from the depths of the abyss. Drummer Steve Jones’s unusual style was intriguing, emphasizing as it did distinctive cymbal playing over the usual death metal drumming conventions. Photo: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C) 2018 Accostal shifted the night back into top gear with their high octane classic thrash sprinkled with punk. The lads played a really tight and engaging set driven by their trademark lightning riffs, blistering solos and rapid fire double kick. Singer Joe Daly belted out songs like “I Rule the World” and “Thoughts of a Broken Man” in his own inimitable way, which blends hints of Henry Rollins spoken word along with a touch of Hetfield, Belladonna/Halford (wow those high notes!), and even occasional deathly rasps. Moshing was back on the menu, and these guys were a sheer pleasure to watch. If I were to sum up the Accostal experience in one word, it would be “infectious.” Photo: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C) 2018 At long last, the evening’s final contenders entered the ring. Hailing from Olds, World Class White Trash propelled the audience into their nightmarish, madness-inducing fusion of raw thrash, doom, death and hardcore. Clad in a ragged white t-shirt that might have stood in for a broken straight jacket, lead rager Nate Trash shuffled and jerked like a patient who wandered out of a psychiatric institution and stumbled onto the stage at Dickens’, a gap-toothed madman staring about wide-eyed while ranting under the glare of pulsing lights. Lunging himself into the faces of those brave enough to withstand the front row, Mr. Trash easily stole the honour of scariest mofo from Hammerdrone’s Graham Harris. Bassist Justin Hall, drummer Nick Larouche and guitarists Darky Knol and Hayden Parker intensified the nightmare with their compelling rhythm section. In his most lucid moment, Trash showed how classy he really is by declaring that whoever emerged victorious at battle’s end, Calgary would proudly stand behind them. Oh, and for the record... “Intimate Murder” is one killer song. Guest judges Joshua Wood, Wally Laurier, Laura Vezer, Chad Persley, Jim Martin and Renee Baratelli had the unenviable | Written by: Xavier Cattarinich Photography: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 www.metalmasterkingdom.com Calgary final band line-up: Hammerdrone * Dethgod Subsume Accostal Gales of Avalon World Class White Trash Guest Judges: Joshua Wood - Managing Editor/Writer at Metal-Rules.com, DJ and programmer on Megawatt Mayhem at CJSW 90.9 FM Wally Laurier - DJ and programmer on Rock Bottom - Cjsw 90.9FM Laura Vezer - DJ and programmer on Rock Bottom at CJSW 90.9FM Chad Persley - Business Development Executive at Absolute Underground TV/Magazine Jim Martin - Vice President of Calgary Beer Core Renee Baratelli - METALHEADS UNITED As Wacken Metal Battle Canada 2018 starts picking up steam across the country, southern Alberta’s chosen have already waged three preliminary battle rounds, culminating in the Calgary final this past Friday, February 23, at Dickens’ Pub. Striding past the remains of the fallen comrades left in their wake over the previous weeks, this year’s Magnificent 6 now had the privilege of facing off against one another to earn that single coveted spot to represent the region at the western Canadian final in April. The evening’s start times for the various challengers determined at random, the two first round victors were also the first into Friday’s fighting pit. Hammerdrone snapped the Friday night crowd to attention with a take no prisoners set drawn from their impressive catalogue (two full length albums and an EP to date) of progressive melo-death. Lead vocalist Graham Harris dominated the stage, a skeletal yet imposing, wild-eyed tyrant growling furiously at the gathering mob. Skin pounder Vinnie Cardellini proved himself more machine than man, laying down a relentless double bass foundation punctuated by blast beats and jackhammer snare attacks, all with unerring precision. As Hammerdrone proudly affirm themselves a melodic death metal band that eschews clean singing and symphonic arrangements, guitarists Curtis Beardy and Rick Cardellini ultimately provided the melody in the band’s dynamic and darkly atmospheric compositions. The vocals and overall sound reminded me at times of earlier Amon Amarth, but with far greater musical and lyrical sophistication (not that I could make out too many of the lyrics during the show). Their delivery was tight, and frightening in its intensity. Photo: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C) 2018 Subsume took things in a radically different direction with the evening’s most pensive and melodic set. What a contrast on the heels of Dethgod! Calgary’s answer to Tool and Opeth weren’t afraid to drift down the rivers of the subconscious into extended instrumental dreamscapes both ethereal and sludgy, coaxed along by guitarist Alex Kot’s creative fretwork, finger picking and harmonics. The band’s songs built up slowly and veered off now and again into changing time signatures, sometimes exploding with pent up aggression, sometimes just simmering, simmering, simmering. Listeners without line of sight to the stage would be forgiven for mistaking singer Dan Peterson for Maynard James Keenan, as the similarities in their vocal tones and phrasings could be uncanny (especially on “Grounded”), which I imagine is both a blessing and a curse for Peterson. But he also Jekylls and Hydes with the best of them, morphing from melodious and understated frontman to shrieking demon in a heartbeat, as demonstrated while performing “Winter,” “Event Horizon” and “Cistern” off their self-titled debut album. The bold yet subtle interplay between Jackson Gillatt’s bass, James Wise’s drums, and Kot’s guitar truly impressed, each instrument in perfect symbiosis with the other and enhancing the whole of the song via their unique elements rather than stepping on toes for attention. Superb prog metal, crafted right here in Cowtown. Photo: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C) 2018 As they did during round 2 of the preliminaries, local veterans Gales of Avalon (in existence since 2007) brought visuals to enhance their set. Flames briefly danced on the white screen at their backs and across their faces, and the band logo weaved in and out of view. Though traces of death and black metal came through in their sound, the music they performed from 2017’s concept album Hope were firmly rooted in a melodic classic metal/thrash meets storyteller aesthetic. To my ears, clean vocalist/guitarist Mark Dillon’s voice conjured images of James Hetfield going on a long walk―not necessarily moonlit or romantic—in a southwest desert with Nick Cave, Johnny Cash and Concrete Blonde’s Johnette Napolitano. Bassist James Neill’s guttural voice layered effectively under Dillon’s, lending an Amon Amarthish quality to certain passages. That said, Gales of Avalon have a sound that is all their own, and it’s catchy as hell. I went home with “Alone Again” stuck in my mind, intent on searching out all four of their studio releases. Photo: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C) 2018 |
And while Calgary has one more Wacken Metal Battle left to host (the western Canadian final on April 6), it isn’t too early to acknowledge the tremendous contributions that Nate Reno and Nancy Barnes at Big Nate Productions, and venues like Dickens’ Pub and Distortion have made to host these events and foster the development of the city’s metal talent and community.
My one wish for next year? There are so many awesome local bands with female members... I’d like to see more of our metal sisters grace the WMBC Calgary stages in future years!
In the meantime, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Vancouver... Hammerdrone awaits!
Hammerdrone Curtis Beardy (Guitar/Vox), Rick Cardellini (Lead Guitar), Vinnie Cardellini (Drums), Graham Harris (Vox), Teran Wyer (Bass) Website: www.hammerdronemetal.com/ | DETHGOD Steve Jones - Drummer Blaine Baptiste - Lead Guitarist Will BigCrow - Bassist/Vocalist Website: www.facebook.com/DETHGOD | Subsume Jackson Gillatt - Bass Alex Kot - Guitar Dan Peterson - Vocals James Wise - Drums Website: www.subsumeband.com/ |
Accostal Joe Daley - Vocals Kerry David - Guitar Nick Berard - Guitar Kyle Smit - Bass Guitar Brian Logan - Drums Website: www.facebook.com/AccostalMetal/ | WORLD CLASS WHITE TRASH Nate Trash-Lead Vocals Darky Knol-Lead guitar Nick Larouche-Lead Drums Hayden Parker-Rhythm Guitar Justin Hall-Lead Bass Website: www.facebook.com/worldclasswhitetrash/ |