Ah, London Ontario. A place that Toronto metal fans could venture into to see extreme metal that their city couldn't offer. However, those days are now over since Toronto's metal scene is as strong or perhaps moreso than London's. But London still has some great shows, one of them being the annual London Death Fest. With some cunning words and many false assurances, a ride there and back was secured. Onward, ho!
Three hours later, we arrive as the first band are just starting their set. New York's Withered Earth boast a death metal sound, sounding tight albeit predictable. But damn if I can remember one tune or memorable moment. The crowd response was almost nil, as there was hardly a crowd to speak of. Most would arrive later to see the bigger acts on the bill.
Montreal's Necronomicon proves that Quebec is still producing some of the best metal bands in North America. Labeling themselves "occult metal", it's an apt description, as it fuses together some clever guitaring and interesting song arrangements. Yes, this is death metal, but it's a lot more than just that. Thumbs up go to the drummer for his psychotic drumming, but what's up with that drum stick twirling? Yikes! Also, the guitaring deserves an extra mention on two fronts. The Morbid Angel-isms and technical flair were appreciated, but a second live guitarist is sorely needed to fill in some of the holes in Necronomicon's live sound. Necronomicon already have a strong foundation; should they successfully build on it, then they'll receive the recognition they deserve.
Readers of CoC may know Summertime Daisies from either their appearance at last years' Milwaukee Metal Fest or from their coverage in prior issues (mostly in the form of live reviews). London death metal fans really came out to support the lone London band on the bill, and they showed their appreciation accordingly. To tell the truth, I've really given up on this band, as I thought Summertime did some great work on their first demo but have failed to live up to the potential they've demonstrated. The more the band played on the more interesting the Blue Jay game on a TV behind the bar became.
Deeds of Flesh played next to a noticeably smaller crowd as many of the Summertime supporters scattered or gathered at the bar near the back of the venue. I'll admit they were both technical and at times brutal, but so what? No memorability whatsoever. Playing songs off each of their CDs on Repulse Records (_Trading Pieces_ and _Inbreeding The Anthropophagi_), neither I nor most of the crowd got into their sound. Time to check to see what's happening with the Blue Jays...
Closing out the night were the headliners Dying Fetus, who not only demonstrated how to play both brutal and -memorable- death metal, but were tight as a ten-year-old to boot. Not only were tracks like "Blunt Force Trauma", "Skull Fucked", "Raped On The Altar" and the mighty "Nocturnal Crucifixion" played from the bands' infamous _Putrification Through Violence_ CD, but also a few new tracks from _Killing Adrenaline_ (just released on Morbid Records) were played, such as the title track and "Kill Your Mother / Rape Your Dog" (gotta love that title!). This is a live band that must be seen to be believed.
Incidentally, the Blue Jays won. Happiness is me.