Archgoat + Valkyrja + Hellfire Deathcult + Blackscorn @ Piranha Bar

This was one of those shows that separated the true from the false, the poseurs from the authentic headbanging stalwarts of the metal scene. This was the closest approximation of the hall of which Manowar spoke, the same hall that Sarcofago said falses must not entry because they would consequently be burned and died. This shit was serious. It was also another instance of Piranha Bar picking up the slack with the metal shows in this city. It is becoming a real nexus point in Montreal's metal scene, as the improved space in the bar's upstairs area is able to take on more and bigger shows. I find this to be a welcome change, as we can use all of the friendly venues for heavy metal music that we can get. The evening had four bands, and Blackscorn opened the evening.

Blackscorn were the evening's local band. Theirs was a brand of black metal that was in the vein of the Norse bands of old such as Mayhem or Gorgoroth. In fact, I would say that they carried a heavy Mayhem influence. Their songs did the job that they were supposed to, and the execution of these songs did the job of warming up the crowd to a more than sufficient degree. They were corpsepainted and battle-jacketed, and they brought a number of props, such as severed animal heads wrapped in barbed wire and sacrificial altars, to the stage. This attention to detail, however, got them into trouble later on in the show. See, they ended up leaving those animal heads and altars on the stage after they finished. Now, I thought that they belonged to one of the later bands on the bill until one of Valkyrja's crew members curtly asked them to remove their shit from the stage. Here's a piece of free advice to local bands: don't leave your props on the stage after your set. It's a real gig foul.

Hailing from Chicago, Hellfire Deathcult were the real deal. Theirs is a style of black metal/grindcore crossover that tends to be called "war metal." While, in my opinion, a stupid genre name, it is nonetheless a style that includes groups like Revenge, Blasphemy, Beherit, and Conqueror. Their set included non-stop blast beats with indistinguishable hyper speed guitar riffs, along with belchingly low lead vocals. It sounded like a big fat blackened mess, and was a good representation of the style. They were dressed in cloaks and balaclavas. A charismatic bunch.

Valkyrja were another group of corpsepainted men, and they took things a step further by also being very dusty It was as though they were ancient black metal knights that had laid dormant for centuries in a darkened crypt only to come alive at the moment of their set. They were that dusty. One wonders how none of the members had a coughing fit on stage from all of that dust. I guess you get used to it after a while. Their music was melodic black metal roughly in the style of Watain, rife with rollicking riffs and shredding guitar solos. They delivered the goods, and the crowd was appreciative of that delivery.

Archgoat were the band of the night. It was the must-see event of the week. They took to the stage with an incredible presence, as these corpsepainted comrades kicked all of our asses. They ground us into a fine paste with slow, doomlike passages, and incited extreme mosh-pitting with blast sections. People feared for their lives in an Archgoat most pit. Lead vocalist/bassist Lord Angelslayer belted out his lyrics with the lowest otherworldly gurgling that I have seen on stage in a long time. It was majestic. They were playing in support of their new split album with Satanic Warmaster, of which guitarist Ritual Butcherer said was a fun re-recording of two classic EPs from two old school Finnish groups. He said that it was good to revisit those old songs from the Angelcunt (Tales of Desecration) EP, as the band's sound has evolved since then to incorporate lower guitar tunings and other, similarly more brutal and extreme improvements. He additionally told me that it was a DIY affair, as Archgoat has not stepped into a proper studio since 1993. All of these aspects befit such an extreme and anti-commercial black metal group, who famously took a ten year long break from performing and recording in protest of what they saw as a commercialization of black metal music. Truly, they are one of the reigning champions of true black metal. All opposed must leave the hall.

--Sean Z. hosts Sublime State of Doom every Monday at 8 PM, only on CJLO.