Black Dahlia Murder + Suicide Silence + Chelsea Grin @ Club Soda

Presented by Extensive Enterprise

Well, well, well. Another autumn rolls around and you Montreal metal fans generally know what that means: The Black Dahlia Murder returns. This time around, the crazy fellows co-headlined a set with Suicide Silence, supported by openers Chelsea Grin and Alterbeast at Club Soda on October 7th. Unleash the Miasma and let your veins jolt back to life (pushing the fluids of the damned and all that song reference jazz).

When I arrived at the venue, I was instantly taken aback by the line stretching all along Saint-Laurent past the subway. The show started a bit late, doors opening around 7 pm, as Alterbeast had (unfortunately) hit some issues at the border and were forced to drop the bill. Chelsea Grin was up next. Admittedly, I hadn't heard much of them apart from some buzz around them a few years back, so I listened in with fresh ears. They were... A band. Between a flurry of bass-drops and breakdowns, one could faintly hear the hint of a riff (almost as though there was a song behind it!). Highlight of their show was that it seemed everyone and their Mom was there for them (seriously, you still had a troop of die-hard scene kids this day and age who dragged their parents to see this), so the energy was pretty high. All in all, not my cup of tea, but if you're into that, you probably came for wuggas, but stayed for the jiggy juggas.

Next up was Suicide Silence, and oh boy was that interesting to see. This is the first time I saw them since the induction of Eddie Hermida as vocalist, and I was eager to see how he would fill the now iconic shoes of Mitch Lucker who passed away November of last year. He did a decent job I'd say, though I feel as though they were noticeably slower. I only really knew a handful of songs, but they got around to all of them, and I was a little miffed at the change of tempo. That being said, I still jumped into a decent fray for their hilariously titled, "You Only Live Once" (#YOLO!). 

The Black Dahlia Murder ended the night with their usual brand of energy and riffs. Playing off their three early albums (with a mix of more recent), it was an interesting set to say the least. Opening with "In Hell Is Where She Waits for Me", and going into some oldies like the usual favourite "Close Casket Requiem" and surprise jam "Elder Misanthropy". They are always a fun band to check out, and if you haven't, do so soon! They release albums every odd year, so get prepped for a 2015 release (it's not announced yet, but they haven't missed an odd year in ages).

All in all, it was a pretty all right show. Though I couldn't get into the first few bands, The Black Dahlia made up for it. My one complaint would have to be the completely unnecessary amount of on stage security. My regards to the guy who decided to throw a crowd surfer out during Suicide Silence (classy), and the guy who decided to throw me into an empty space in the crowd.

--Orin Loft hosts The Noisy Loft every Sunday at 8 PM on CJLO. Tune in for some Loud things. Very loud things.