 | Written and photographed by Xavier Cattarinich (RavenKin Photography) (C) 2019 All rights reserved www.metalmasterkingdom.com @ Dickens Pub Calgary, AB, Canada May 25, 2019 COMPETING BANDS The Slyde Blackwater Burial The Myopia Condition Fjell Thyngor GUEST HEADLINER Planet Eater GUEST JUDGES JJ Tartaglia (Wacken Metal Battle Canada Organizer) Teitur Fossaberg (Wacken Metal Battle Foroyar Organizer) Wally Laurier (DJ & Programmer on Rock Bottom - CJSW 90.9 FM) Laura Vezer (DJ & Programmer on Rock Bottom - CJSW 90.9 FM) Cameron Dalgetty (Metalheads United & 420 Music & Arts Festival) Celestia Scarlett (Metalheads United, Manager of The Celestial Agency) Graham Harris (Hammerdrone vocalist) Nate Reno (Founder of Calgary Metalfest, owner of Big Nate Productions) |
Months of havoc from coast to coast finally came to a head at Dickens Pub in Calgary on May 25, when the 2019 Wacken Metal Battle Canada national finalists converged on the city for one last clash of the indie titans. Instead of the final duel of previous years, this year’s format featured a battle Royale consisting of four bands from across the country, with the winner earning the honour of performing at Wacken Open Air in Germany—the world’s most prestigious metal fest—later this summer.
Just as noteworthy, this was the first time that the national final was held outside Toronto, and the event organizers should be commended for taking the concerns of western bands seriously and levelling the field. Any band knows just how expensive and exhausting flights and/or long road trips can be, and in the past, that has either deterred many western bands from participating in the competition, or put them at a serious disadvantage vis-a-vis the hometown competitors. Hopefully the event was deemed successful enough to see the location of the national finals continue to alternate for future battles to come.
Just as noteworthy, this was the first time that the national final was held outside Toronto, and the event organizers should be commended for taking the concerns of western bands seriously and levelling the field. Any band knows just how expensive and exhausting flights and/or long road trips can be, and in the past, that has either deterred many western bands from participating in the competition, or put them at a serious disadvantage vis-a-vis the hometown competitors. Hopefully the event was deemed successful enough to see the location of the national finals continue to alternate for future battles to come.
| THE SLYDE Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com | This year’s final showcased bands that reflected the health and diversity of sub-genres within the Canadian metal scene, and although their sounds generally skewed toward the heavier end of the spectrum, there was something for everyone. Toronto’s The Slyde were dedicated enough to make the long journey out west, and had the daunting task of being first to take to the stage before an audience that was hungry for a western group to take the crown. They were by far the most commercial band to hit the stage all night, and I think their melodic blend of progressive rock and melodic metal with marked pop sensibilities took a lot of audience members by surprise. The first sign that The Slyde were going to do their own thing was the prominence of chip-tune inspired synths in their music and keyboard player Sarah Westbrook’s presence front stage (if left of centre). Although their Facebook page cites Megadeth as a primary influence, their infectious melodies brought to mind Of Monsters & Men, Ghost and a more soulful Rush, yet with a sound that ultimately is far more than the sum of its parts. |
Some of Westbrook’s keyboard solos reminded me of something out of an 80s Yngwie J Malmsteen album, and Geddy Lee also emerged at times in lead singer/guitarist Nathan Da Silva’s higher pitched vocals. Contrary to the exclusively guttural vocal styles represented by the other bands on the bill, Da Silva remained “clean” throughout. I could tell early on that The Slyde’s performance would generate some controversy of the “these guys aren’t really metal” variety. What the band did prove is their undeniable talent for crafting catchy, genre-bending and multi-layered songs with compelling hooks. I, for one, also appreciated the social commentary in their thought-provoking lyrics. They were a ray of hope in an evening otherwise dominated by darkness. The group played a tight set, missing no opportunity to remind the crowd that “we are The Slyde from Toronto.”
| Vancouver’s progressive death metal lords Blackwater Burial took the stage next. I last saw these guys at the 420 Music & Arts Festival in Calgary during the spring of 2018, and they never cease to impress. Vocalist/guitarist Eli Slamang’s guttural vocals have an uncanny resemblance to My Arms, Your Hearse era Mikael Akerfeldt. Slamang, guitarist Kevin Peters and bassist Jacob Gold took listeners on an epic ride through lumbering Black Sabbath riffs and effortless tempo changes punctuated by blistering technical passages—all underpinned by the jaw-dropping percussive assault of human octopus Eric Peters, and what a ride it was. Their bleak crescendos were worthy of Opeth at their best and heaviest. Red Deer, Alberta’s relative newcomers—groove metallers The Myopia Condition—arguably delivered the highest energy set of the night. Their performance alternated between intense, light-hearted, and at times… goofy? These lads combined solid musicianship with a good mix of heavy and just plain fun, and the audience dug them. | BLACKWATER BURIAL Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com |
| THE MYOPIA CONDITION Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com | Calgary’s very own Fjell Thyngor brought the 2019 Wacken Metal Battle Canada competition to an end under a pall of brimstone, fire and dread, a pall that paradoxically fed the hopes of local fans there to root the home team on. After having captured the triumvirate’s visual spectacle at the Calgary final on April 26, I wondered whether the audience was in for an exact repeat of their previous performance. I am glad to report that the answer is “no.” Fjell Thyngor completely outdid themselves this time, elevating their show in every way possible. Yes, it was still conventional black metal fare with corpse paint, leather and spikes, inverted crosses and pentagrams, but it all came together so well that one could not be anything but mesmerized. There was more effective coordination of lighting and fog effects when compared with their April appearance, and the band donned matching hooded ceremonial robes for their intro. The ceremony itself took a slightly different form. There was no rhythmic pounding on a tom by vocalist/bassist Themisto this time however. |
| Skeletal drummer Dazbog once again commenced the ritual, faintly backlit as he stood before his acolytes at centre stage, flanked by panels with upside down crucifix and pentagram motifs. Indeed, some of their adherents in the audience had shown up wearing ghoulish face paint of their own. As his litany progressed over sinister orchestral arrangements, Themisto and guitarist Zhargor emerged from the shadows to join him, raising their arms in supplication. Then off came the robes, revealing Fjell Thyngor in their glorious black metal attire. The stage seemed to erupt in flame, and they performed as if truly possessed by demonic entities. I think it’s fair to say that all who had previously seen them live thought they had truly upped their game and played their best show yet on May 25. Those in the mosh pit undoubtedly agreed. Then came the long wait as the judges deliberated. Most people I overheard seemed to think Fjell Thyngor and Blackwater Burial were the frontrunners. Oh, but the wait… such an agonizing wait… | FJELL THYNGOR Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com |
| PLANET EATER Photo credit: Xavier Cattarinich / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com | Fortunately, another entity stepped forth out of the void to kill time and keep the crowd on a high. Regina’s Planet Eater guest headlined the event, and it only seemed appropriate that one of the most infamous metal acts out of Saskatchewan should hold the honour of closing the night. Bassist/vocalist Troy Blech did his inimitable Lord Nekron stomp and generally melted anyone who dared lock eyes with him into sad little puddles of goo. He be one scary fucker. Yet Lord Nekron rewards the faithful, if pitiful little human beings that worship him… and near the end of the set, one (un)fortunate soul got dredged up from the miasma to join the destroyer of worlds on stage. And before we knew it, the wait was over. The eight judges gathered on the remnants of the stage (let the record show that six were from Calgary). Each had scored the contenders without discussing their ratings with their fellow judges, so come the announcement following compilation of the results, only spokesman Wally Laurier of CJSW 90.9’s Rock Bottom knew who the winner was. |
The victor? Congratulations to The Slyde, and best of luck to them as they hoist the Canadian flag at Wacken Open Air!
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