 Photo: Xavier Cattarinich for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 Blackened death metal overlords Apollyon delivered the darkest, most oppressive set of the night. Ripping through gut-churning numbers found on their EP, Immolation (2017), the group also presented new material from their upcoming release. Resisting the urge to headbang to their compelling riffs was an exercise in futility. While there is no question that the lads in Apollyon are gifted musicians, the British Columbians were plagued by a succession of gear-related difficulties throughout their set, ranging from instruments going out of tune, strings breaking, cords getting yanked out of jacks, and so on, all of which took a cumulative toll on the band’s performance. Two songs from the end, guitarist Braden Farr left the stage, having insufficient time to get his axe back into working order given the tightly scheduled event. I’d never seen a band struck by so much bad luck in so little time. Perhaps their blood sacrifices were found wanting by their infernal masters? Jesse Hett pulled double guitar duty for the rest of the set, and the remaining band members did an admirable job fighting on with grit and determination. Technical troubles notwithstanding, the audience was clearly impressed by Apollyon. There’s no doubt that many look forward to seeing them play in Calgary again, hopefully under more favourable circumstances. Photo: Xavier Cattarinich for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 Hometown boys Hammerdrone had the privilege of closing out the night. This was the third time I had seen them play live over the past three months, and no lie, these adepts of melodic death metal never fail to awe. Their unofficial motto: “No clean singing, no symphonics.” Hammerdrone kicked off their set with “Karakoram” from Dark Harvest (2017), which always takes me to that remote corner of the world I had once yearned to explore, where Pakistan, India, and China meet. Lead vocalist Graham Harris stormed the stage like a man possessed, and made me feel so much smaller than my already diminutive 5’7 stature whenever my gaze happened to lock with his. I was sure that his stare would shatter my camera lens. Rick Cardellini deftly guided the audience to the heights of epic soundscapes with his soaring leads, while rhythm guitarist Curtis Beardy, bassist Teran Wyer, and drummer Vinnie Cardellini provided the bedrock for Hammerdrone’s atmospheric compositions. Playing an incredibly tight set throughout, the lads concluded the show with the title track off their debut EP, A Demon Rising (2012), and left the audience on a high. | Written by: Xavier Cattarinich Photography: Xavier Cattarinich (Ravenkin Photography) for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 metalmasterkingdom.com @ Dickens Pub Calgary, AB, Canada April 6, 2018 Western Final band line-up: Protosequence (Edmonton, AB) Apollyon (Kelowna, BC) Wasted Heretics (Saskatoon, SK) Hammerdrone* (Calgary, AB) * winner Guest Judges: Joshua Wood - Managing Editor/Writer at Metal-Rules.com, DJ and programmer on Megawatt Mayhem at CJSW 90.9FM Wally Laurier - DJ and programmer on Rock Bottom at CJSW 90.9FM Laura Vezer - DJ and programmer on Rock Bottom at CJSW 90.9FM Chad Persley - Business Development Executive at Absolute Underground Magazine Geoff Bourie - Head Promoter at Loud as Hell Festival Jesse Valstar - Co-Founder at Armstrong MetalFest Having defeated several of their brethren in fierce, juried competitions, four bands that had achieved the status of newly minted metal gods in their respective regions now vied for the Western Canadian metal crown. Hundreds of miles three of them drove through an April snowstorm to converge on Calgary for the Wacken Metal Battle Canada 2018 Western Final. The victors would then be one step away from representing the nation at the world’s most prestigious metal festival, Germany’s Wacken Open Air, in August. The contenders? Protosequence, from Edmonton (AB); Apollyon, from Kelowna (BC); Wasted Heretics, from Saskatoon (SK); and Hammerdrone, from Calgary (AB). Nary a note of clean singing would be heard all night between these four bands, which roared their collective message loud and clear to their eastern adversaries: western Canada’s chosen are deadly, and unapologetic in their brutality. Prepare to die. The order in which the groups would play determined at random, Protosequence were first to sunder the blast doors with technical deathcore drawn from their first two EPs, Schizophrene (2016) and Biophagous (2017). Dynamic song structures, djent riffs, melodic shredding, grinding machine gun drums, heavy grooves, and exquisitely subtle instrumental passages, Protosequence had it all. Their virtuoso performance and boundless energy set a high bar for the acts that would follow. Photo: Xavier Cattarinich for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 Saskatoon’s Wasted Heretics followed with their own brand of blackened death influenced by the likes of Cattle Decapitation, Suffocation, and Archspire, among others. Vocalist Michael Pichula grunted, gurgled and shrieked his way through the set. His features were constantly veiled, both by a mop of hair and the microphone he held vertically and upside down before his face. For much of the show, Pichula looked as though he intended to swallow the mic whole. Skin pounder Carly Brown blew the audience away as she brought down the thunder, and hair-whipping bassist Nolan Ochitwa gave Protosequence’s Kyle Hunter a run for the title of happiest ray of sunshine at a death fest. The guy was clearly having the time of his life. Photo: Xavier Cattarinich for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 |
The show over, Dickens Pub remained abuzz with people speculating as to who would stand victorious after such hard-hitting performances from all contenders. Subsequent to careful deliberations that lasted nearly a half hour, guest judges Jesse Valstar and Geoff Bourie—co-founder of B.C.’s Armstrong Metal Festival and head promoter of Alberta’s Louder Than Hell festival, respectively—delivered the jury’s verdict. To the delight of their local supporters, Hammerdrone were hailed Wacken Metal Battle Canada 2018 western champions, and now had the honour of bearing the regional standard to the national final, which will be held in Toronto in June.
Throughout the WMBC 2018 events held in Calgary, a spirit of camaraderie between bands has been evident, and this night was no exception. Above all, the performers were all stoked to be on stage playing metal and sharing their passion with an appreciative audience. Given the caliber of the acts that spectators had the privilege of seeing, it’s clear that the scene across western Canada is healthy and strong, and that we can expect many great things—if not legendary figures—to emerge from it in the coming months and years.
A tip of the hat to Hammerdrone, Wasted Heretics, Apollyon, Protosequence, and all the other bands that dared step in the ring this year; to all the guest judges for giving so generously of their time; to Dickens Pub (and Distortion) for hosting the event; to Nancy Barnes and Nate Reno at Big Nate Productions, for making it all happen, and for making everything run like clockwork; to Casey Rogers and the others who also helped with sound and technical stuff; and last but certainly not least, to those who came out to support the bands, especially when the neverending winter weather might have made them want to stay home.
Will Hammerdrone end western Canada’s drought at the Wacken Metal Battle Canada national finals? Sadly, we’ll have to wait until June 9 to find out. While I, for one, am disappointed that I won’t be able to witness that grand showdown in person, you’ll go with the goodwill of a united western Canadian metal community, Hammerdrone. We know that you’ll make us proud.
Throughout the WMBC 2018 events held in Calgary, a spirit of camaraderie between bands has been evident, and this night was no exception. Above all, the performers were all stoked to be on stage playing metal and sharing their passion with an appreciative audience. Given the caliber of the acts that spectators had the privilege of seeing, it’s clear that the scene across western Canada is healthy and strong, and that we can expect many great things—if not legendary figures—to emerge from it in the coming months and years.
A tip of the hat to Hammerdrone, Wasted Heretics, Apollyon, Protosequence, and all the other bands that dared step in the ring this year; to all the guest judges for giving so generously of their time; to Dickens Pub (and Distortion) for hosting the event; to Nancy Barnes and Nate Reno at Big Nate Productions, for making it all happen, and for making everything run like clockwork; to Casey Rogers and the others who also helped with sound and technical stuff; and last but certainly not least, to those who came out to support the bands, especially when the neverending winter weather might have made them want to stay home.
Will Hammerdrone end western Canada’s drought at the Wacken Metal Battle Canada national finals? Sadly, we’ll have to wait until June 9 to find out. While I, for one, am disappointed that I won’t be able to witness that grand showdown in person, you’ll go with the goodwill of a united western Canadian metal community, Hammerdrone. We know that you’ll make us proud.
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