Akitsa / Photo courtesy of the artist
Montreal, Canada’s undisputed cultural capital, has always been known for its remarkable and quite revolutionary metal scene. Often compared as a mix of Paris and New York, but still completely different (and perhaps rougher!) than both, this city has historically attracted the attention of bands from all over the world, which in turn influenced the bands of today. Montreal is where Voïvod relocated from Northern Quebec in 1985. Montreal was the grounds that held the first North American international metal festival, World War III, which featured Celtic Frost’s third gig ever, as well as Destruction, Possessed, Nasty Savage, and of course, Voïvod! Montreal additionally held one of the best and most underground record shops of the continent, Rock en Stock, which also had its own label, Banzaï Records… who originally created the now-iconic speed metal wheel.
It apparently wasn’t rare to see 1,000 people at a metal show back then, and it was quite common to see insanely dangerous homemade pyrotechnics (Voïvod had quite a reputation for these), rabid fans trashing (the Quebec way of saying “moshing!”) on- and offstage, or seeing skinheads beat the shit of headbangers—and vice versa. It was a rough, leather-and spikes-clad scene. If you read French and want to know more about it, or just see cool photos, get Félix B. Desfossés’ book L’Évolution du métal québécois.
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Fast-forward a few decades, and the scene has gone through a phase of death metal (mostly technical—the legacy of our space metal forefathers), a very underground black metal scene, and nowadays, you see more of a resurgence of bands that are deeply rooted in the beginnings of the genre. Is the latter perhaps a reaction to the ultra-technical bands of the last decade? Who knows. There are many local metal bands in Montreal that often play at strongholds Katacombes and Foufounes Électriques, but here are some of my very own favorites from my beloved city (not including my own heavy/doom band, Cauchemar, of course!):
VOÏVOD
Very few bands from the 80s that are still around now sound as fresh and exciting as Voïvod. Even with the tragic passing away of revered guitarist Piggy and the absence of former bassist Blacky, the band has been able to re-invent itself and not only release amazing material, but also play some of the most intense live shows I’ve ever seen. This band is legendary for a reason! And living in Montreal, you always see the guys in the streets – Away on the way to rehearsals, Snake at gigs, Dan “Chewy” Mongrain drinking at a microbrew pub (which he owns in part), and Blacky doing sound for Gorguts. We are incredibly proud to have these guys around and still kicking asses all over the world!
GORGUTS
Montréal Colored Sands Considered DeadCHTHE’ILIST
Amechth’ntaas’m’rriachth, Le Dernier Crépuscure , Chthe ‘ilist’s main composer and vocalist, Phil TougasPHOBOCOSM
Malicious death metal with a thick and bleak atmosphere. My favourite parts they play are the doomy passages, which creates a great spectrum of variety, and makes the faster parts sound even more brutal! They are also excellent live, and uses all sorts of special effects in between songs that leaves you lost in their spiderweb-like ambiance.
METALIAN
Metal, Fire and IceSTARLIGHT RITUAL
AKITSA
This band is one of the oldest (if not the oldest?) Montreal-based black metal bands still active these days. They are also one of the most obscure, as they have always stayed hidden beneath the darkest shadows, spitting forth some of the rawest, angriest and most simplistic black metal ever heard. They have their own trendless radical sound and charm, and they are simply fantastic! Outre Tombe, the vocalist from the band, has the most extensive underground black metal label/distro in town, too: Tour de Garde Records.
VERGLAS
Lo-fi, in-your-face black metal with punk elements and straight-to-the-point drumming. Verglas is cold as fuck (hey, the name means icestorm!), raw and effective.
GEVURAH
Formed in around 2011, this Montreal duo plays relentless Swedish-style black/death metal with mystical and Satanic lyrics. They have only recently started to play gigs, but their shows have been incredible so far – bleak, hypnotic and powerful. They are on the verge of releasing their first full length, on Profound Lore records.
BASALTE
DOPETHRONE
Heavy as hell New-Orleans-style sludge riffs, raw vocals and pounding drums make this trio one of the bleakest bands around town. They also tour extensively all over Europe and have released amazing BBQ spices! Really! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uhcZYaDNFw)
MOUNTAIN DUST
INEPSY (RIP)
This band has been broken up for a while, but they are my favorite local band and the members are still seen out around town all the time, so let’s just say their ghost is still part of the punk/metal scene. It’s not 100 percent metal, but they take huge influences from NWOBHM and especially Motörhead, so I still included them here. Everything they’ve ever written, is good so if you don’t know them already, just buy everything!
THE ABYSSED
Montre al’s Gods Craving NoiseMUERTOS
This band has only played one show, but are going in the studio this winter to record a demo or an album, as they have plenty of material written. I’ve heard some rehearsals, and they sound incredible – like a violent mix of Morbid Angel and Colombia’s Reencarnacion with killer, throat-ripping vocals. Remember this name and check out their material when it comes out!
Annick Giroux is not on Twitter, but she stays busy working as a graphic designer, author, gig promoter, and DJ, as well as singing for the heavy/doom metal band Cauchemar.
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