April 7, 2023 – Corona Theatre, Montreal, Quebec
Rewind back to February 20, 2013 where a massive winter storm had struck and was blanketing a large portion of the United States and Canada in snow. In some places, more than thirty inches of snow were recorded over night, and right smack dab in the midst of it, were a collection of vans and trailers ploughing along down the highway. The tour, humorously dubbed the Winter Rite tour, was in serious peril.
While every other band that was scheduled to play left the road to seek shelter and wait out the impressive storm that was causing havoc along the frozen tundra headed to Montreal, one band refused to yield. Of course, that band was Enslaved whom I imagine have had experience with rugged winter conditions, given that they hail from Norway and all – a land known for having some harsh weather conditions from time to time.
See Also: Static-X at MTelus, Montreal
Every rational human being would have understood had Enslaved chosen safety in place of potential danger and joined their touring mates in Ancient Vvisdom and Pallbarer, secularly and snuggly stowed away in some seedy motel off the side of the highway. Yet that isn’t the path that Enslaved were willing to consider, and despite already being heinously late for their gig at the Foufounes Electriques, they pushed on.
Replacement bands, Karkaos and Alcholator, had been brought it to cover for the lost time, as Enslaved and the promoter kept in touch by phone during their trek, but those opening bands had finished their sets by nine o’clock, and there was still no sign of Enslaved. Those that had turned out were now faced with a choice – stay and wait it out and hope that the band arrived, or head home before the worsening conditions outside made it too difficult to do so.
I chose to stay with a good portion of the crowd also choosing the same option, and eventually, the back door to the venue burst wide open, and there, like for four hefty bearded Santa Clause impersonators, emerged Enslaved, carrying gear. There was an almighty cheer as many rushed to help haul gear in and load it straight up onto the stage, where they set up and at one o’clock in the morning playing a blinding an intimate nine-track set that wasn’t just worth the wait, but also one of the greatest sets I have ever witnessed. Enslaved were as thankful to us for sticking around as we were to them for showing up and it is a night I will never, ever forget.
I have been a diehard fan of Enslaved ever since and I imagine I always will be. That night was special in every sense of the word. It was an absolute bitch to get home, but if Enslaved could do it – so could I.
Fast-forward to today, a decade and two months later, and the same scenario came close to repeating itself once again. This time, Enslaved arrive in Montreal just two days after the city and surrounding area was hit by a massive ice storm that tore down trees and has left a half a million residents still sat without electricity or heat. Maybe Enslaved should consider coming to see us in the summer months instead. Like in 2013 though, Enslaved were here and they were going to play come hell or high water – albeit without Ivar Bjørnson who has had to take leave from the entire tour, due to immediate family issues. We here at Modern Free Press hope all is well and stays that way for the foreseeable future.
Black Anvil
What a tour package this is. I first caught New York’s Black Anvil on a bill here in Montreal, with Mayhem, and although I was in attendance for the Norse legends; I left that night being more impressed with Black Anvil. I believe they were touring for their As Was album at the time, which is still by far my favorite recording of theirs to date. Six years on, and this time there weren’t any riot police waiting outside of the building, because the ANTIFA groups had nothing to phone in threats about this time, as they had when Mayhem had played. (Nothing happened. Smoke, no fire.)
Tonight, Black Anvil came out in full corpse paint and ready to lay down a blanketing of Satanic black metal. On Good Friday. There’s something highly amusing about that, isn’t there? Black Anvil play a traditional style of black metal that also pulls in some non-traditional aspects, too. That, I believe, is their strength. Being unafraid to experiment and do things a little differently.
Tonight, their set was comprised of six tracks, all of which came from their newest album – Regenesis. That is both a blessing and a curse; at least for elder fans of the band that wanted to hear selections off the As Was record (my favorite Black Anvil release to date.) Luckily for me, I was able to see those songs played when they toured for that album.
Insomnium
There is no doubting that Markus Vanhala ranks highly on my own personal list of metal guitarists, both for his great work with Insomnium and with Omnium Gatherum as well, and in a live setting – his expressive facial expressions and his body language make everything so much better. The man always looks to be having the time of his life and truly loves being up stage and playing for his audience.
When the music and its energy that is being played matches that of the musician playing it; it further amplifies the whole package. Not only do Insomnium and Vanhala provide brilliantly melodic and emotional charged passages, the visual matches that energy too. I’ll never grow tired of seeing artists that perform in such a way. I deeply appreciate witnessing bands like Insomnium and these guys are la crème de la crème when it comes to melodic death metal as it is.
Tonight, they are certainly the best of the three acts. In terms of performance, visuals and the energy they emit to the audience. Vanhala also amazes me, with his incredible playing and the ease in which he makes it all look. Flinging his guitar above his head, or resting it on his knee to showcase his playing to his audience, all the while playing pitch perfect, note for note, perfectly accurate. This isn’t anything new, though, as anyone that has seen Insomnium or Omnium Gatherum can attest to. This man is just on a tier of his own, and that is a fact.
Enslaved
Using an audio clip from the cult classic A Clockwork Orange as an introduction, especially when it ends with the famous ultra violence bit, will always sit well with me.
There’s no denying it; the absence of guitarist Ivar Bjørnson was significant. Not only did the stage look barren without him, but the sound felt incomplete as well. That is to take nothing away from Bjørnson nor Enslaved, because family should always come first, and the circumstances around his absence must be serious enough for him to miss an entire tour. Hopefully a quick and amicably positive outcome resolves whatever issue he and his family are facing.
It must be said, that Arve Isdal did a fantastic job picking up the slack and carrying Enslaved on his shoulders. This is a band that has a lot of nuances to their music. A lot of complicated and intricate riffing, thus to be able to keep the band at such a compete level with just the one guitar is commendable. Well done Isdal. I imagine the news of Bjørnson’s leave came too close to the tour kicking off to find a session replacement for the tour. A series of unfortunate events.
As always, Grutle Kjellson brought a massive presence to the stage, providing subversive bass lines and acting as the main vocalist for the band. With Håkon Vinje in the distance, providing keyboards and the clean vocals, drummer Iver Sandøy brought the final piece to the puzzle, the pulsating rhythm that is the percussive side of the foray, and dispute being short a man, Enslaved still managed to play a fairly strong set.
Read More:
>> Ghost at Centre Videotron, Quebec City
>> In Flames at Corona Theatre, Montreal
>> Testament at London Music Hall, London
For a band that seems to put a whole lot of effort into their imagery, especially when it comes to their physical albums and shirts, it sure ends up in an anti-climax when the band spends their entire set playing in a dimly lit fog. How does this make any sense whatsoever? In a time where ticket prices for live events are ludicrously expensive, shouldn’t artists be trying to lure fans to shows? If playing a record from your living room results in a better visual experience than seeing the artist in a live setting – why wouldn’t just do that? Call up your buddies, sit on the couch and order a pizza and all for less than the price of admission to a club where you spend an hour stood in a club trying to make up the musicians on stage. It doesn’t make sense.
Yes, the fans come out on any given night to hear music, but this is still the entertainment industry, and there is only so much time that a person can be expected to stand there looking at nothing before they grow bored and head home. It happened on this night. Luckily for Enslaved though, they are an incredibly skilled band with intricate and interesting compositions, and the majority of the room stuck it out until the final moments.
