 OSYRON Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com FJELL THYNGOR Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com SYRYN Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com CAVEAT Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com HAMMERDRONE Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com | Written and photographed by Xavier Cattarinich (C) 2019 All rights reserved by www.metalmasterkingdom.com @ Dicken's Pub Calgary, AB, Canada April 26, 2019 After four intense preliminary rounds, April 26th brought the 2019 Wacken Metal Battle Calgary Final to the stage at Dicken’s Pub. Up for grabs: a chance to represent YYC at the national final on May 25, and to play the world’s largest metal fest in the world, aka: Wacken Open Air in Germany, later this summer. With their respective genres ranging from classic/power metal all the way through prog and black metal, the four local finalists gave fans a night to remember. Random draw had Osyron kicking off the night with their bold and melodic brand of symphonic metal, tinged with prog, thrash and classic metal influences. Lead vocalist Reed (also seen earlier in the competition performing with his other band, In/Vertigo) arguably exhibited the greatest vocal range of the night, at times channeling Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson. The lads showcased an ambitious selection of songs from their latest release, Kingsbane (2017), attacking the material with energy and confidence. Things took a much darker turn when Fjell Thyngor took centre stage with the most visually compelling spectacle of the night. Yes, their black metal look may be standard fare for the genre, but the band evidently put a great deal of effort (and expense) into their infernal mass, which paid off in spades. Fjell Thyngor’s sinister corpse paint was some of the best I’ve seen bar none. The lighting (in the spectrum of bloody crimson to moonlit cool blue), and effective use of banners and side panels with inverted cross designs all worked exceptionally well together to elevate the show. Having admittedly never seen Fjell Thyngor play prior to this night, I had not realized that lead rasper/bassist Themisto was in fact an “evil sister.” As the band launched into their set, Themisto stood listlessly with a mallet in hand in lieu of bass, pounding rhythmically on a tom as skeletal drummer Dazbog stood behind and preached a sermon in a manner that brought to mind flagellants lamenting the end times during the Black Plague in medieval Europe. Meanwhile, guitarist Zhargor inspired the faithful to turn their palms upward and join in the ritual. Then, all hell broke loose. None can deny the presence that Themisto and acolytes exhibited under the blood red glow of the overhead lights. While I must confess that I have limited appreciation for rasping as a vocal style, and that the band’s brutal sonic assault didn’t grab me when I gave their EP Hexenjagd (2018) a quick listen prior to the show, I found Fjell Thyngor’s music growing on me like a toxic mold as their performance went on. In hindsight, I have to give them credit: they’ve got some truly atmospheric, if not hypnotic riffs that are difficult to ignore. I’ve given Hexenjagd a few more spins since this show. Damn you, Fjell Thyngor! Damn you! After fire came water, with Syryn trying to douse the embers left behind by their demonic rivals. Crimson red gave way to a coral palette as lead vocalist Sloan Voxx emerged from the depths arrayed like a siren queen draped in algae that lashed out with her every move. Low end boomer Lyxx Rose likewise manifested as an entrancing aquatic creature with a tightly woven crown of kelp, tendrils hanging far below her waist, and a string of cloth dangling from the stock of her bass like seaweed. Syryn had some of the catchiest hooks of the night, at times working maritime folk influences into sweeping power meets classic metal choruses that had audience members singing along. Guitarists Paolo Rage and Byron Gorieu delivered the shred and melodic leads, while Illyrian’s Darren May filled in on drums for Bryan Campbell. It was clear that the hearts of Voxx and crew were with Campbell as he was away temporarily dealing with personal matters, and May did the band justice with his first class skin pounding. Local scene veterans Caveat were the last Wacken contenders to hit the stage, playing material that spanned their 13+ year-long career. Caveat were one of the very first bands I ever photographed when I covered their CD release for Consummation back in 2016, and it’s largely thanks to their jaw-dropping performance then that I have kept an eye on the Calgary metal scene ever since. Caveat focused on music over visuals and blasted through a no-frills set featuring their unique and feverish style of prog metal. Frontman/guitarist Greg Musgrave alternated between guttural growls and clean vocals, and the complexity of the riffs he played while singing remained as impressive as ever. Keyboardist/vocalist Amanda Marie Bourdon was front and centre with Musgrave for the entire show, and the blending of their voices along with the latter’s distinctive phrasings gave Caveat their own signature sound. While Bourdon mainly provides harmonies and leads on the occasional verse/chorus on Consummation, it was pretty cool seeing her fully in the spotlight on some of the newer material they played live. While that was it for the bands competing for the 2019 Wacken Metal Battle Calgary title, the organizers outdid themselves by having a headliner perform while they deliberated, a most welcome move because last year, people hung around kind of bored for 30-40 minutes as they awaited the verdict. Appropriately enough, Hammerdrone had the honour of headlining the night, and their performance reminded everyone why they made it all the way to the national finals in 2018. The lads were a force to behold, impressing the audience sufficiently to warrant an encore… which only prolonged the agony of the other four bands waiting to find out who would be crowned champion. After some tough and impassioned deliberations, judge Wally Laurier (host of Rock Bottom on CJSW 90.9 FM) announced the victor: all hail Fjell Thyngor! Best of luck to them and the other bands from across Canada that will do battle at the national final in Calgary on Saturday, May 25, 2019. |
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