Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats: Riffs and Wailing

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats + Danava @ Bar le "Ritz" P.D.B presented by Greenland Productions and Evenko

I was really excited to finally be able to see Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, as this was their first appearance in Canada. Of course, the summer of 2013 saw their North American debut at the Maryland Deathfest, but this was their first tour of this land. I remember discovering them late one night on YouTube while browsing stoner/doom metal videos, and the album cover of their sophomore effort Bloodlust appeared on the "suggested videos" column of my browser. I liked the retro look of the album cover, and decided give it a chance. After a collection of sound clips on the intro track, the music started and I felt chills. These were some heavy riffs and great vocals. I had no choice but to acquire the albums, listen to them every day, and champion their cause. As such, news of Uncle Acid's first tour on Canadian soil captivated me, and I just had to go. 

Their Montreal stop was at Bar le "Ritz" P.D.B (formerly known as Il Motore). I've been to this venue a number of times, but it was my first time there since the management renovated the space. The stage is now at the opposite end of the room, the bar has moved to the side, and it is generally much more colourful with a brand new paint and tiling job. It's a lot nicer now. I grabbed a beer and watched the opening band. This show had only one opener, and they were Danava from Portland, Oregon. They were a pleasant bunch of lads with nice haircuts and respectable clothes. Their set included heavy riffs, rocking vocals, and some singing harmonized guitar lines. It was some very catchy stuff, and well worth showing up early to see. 

Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, however, were an unstoppable freight train of rock and roll fury. They were so raw and powerful, and the riffs could have overturned STM buses on the neighbouring street with the sheer magnitude. People straight up boogied to their hits, and they played every song that I repeatedly listened to on my iPod. Every time I heard the opening riffs to one of my favourite songs, I got so incredibly stoked anticipating what was to come. The vocals were as they were on the albums, and I was not disappointed. See this band. It is worth the money and time. Buy their stuff. They could use the money for cheeseburgers.

--Sean Z. hosts Sublime State Of Doom every Monday at 8 PM EST on CJLO. Only the heaviest and most brutal extreme metal.