Let me start off by saying this was by far the WORST show I've ever been to. I was surprised that I didn't flip, but I was damn near close. I hate to come down on indie bands, but what entered my ears I will NEVER forget. I will now question going to a future show if one of these bands are on the bill. However, my complaints don't stop at this particular band. Read on and witness my Hell.
The Generator. What a fucking horrible place for bands to play. The stage is at the very back of the bar, and it's sideways so only the back 1/3 of the place can see the band actually playing. Coupled with the heat (and apparent lack of air conditioning), it made my blood boil. "What else could go wrong?", I said to myself. You fool, you.
Starting off the night's festivities were Fleshless, who I had seen before previously with this being only their second show. Fleshless, I must say, are a great band, play brutal death metal the way I like it: with plenty of tempo changes and technical/skilled guitaring. The band impressed much of the 80-100 on hand to see the show, actually a good turn out considering Toronto's pathetic metal scene (excluding some indie bands).
Next were Endless, who carried the momentum well with their mid-paced death metal music. Dueling growls was cool, along with the superb drumming that make the band stand out and move away from mediocrity. A classy act, hopefully a lot will be in store for this talented band.
Okay, here's where Hell breaks loose. Setting up and ready to take the stage were St. Catherines' The Wicked. I had seen this band in London with Hemdale (see CoC #19) but I guess the heat and shitty club had me extra irritated by the band's industrial/gothic/black metal musical shit. The band's drum machine sounded beyond pathetic, while the keyboards just sounded cheesy. The singer's vocals ranged from typical black metal vocals to a yelling sound (a la Marilyn Manson), but picture it done as unconvincingly as possible. The highlight of their set was when I noticed that behind the bar was a television, where it was showing a Saturday Night Live repeat episode with the Spice Girls performing. I would have given my soul (had I not already sold it to Satan) for The Wicked to just stop, but I was reduced to reading zines that I had brought along and cleaning my glasses to absolve me of the boredom.
Finally the aural-assault (literally) ends and we (Adrian "The Energizer" attended as well) leave, missing Infernal Majesty, who was the band we originally came to see. Why, you ask? Both Adrian and I were sickened by what we heard in addition to being exhausted by the shitty conditions of this bar. We couldn't stand to stay for another minute. What an unforgettable night. [ed: You guys are wimps. -- Alain] [ed: Yeah, fucking wimps! -- Gino]
Fleshless and Endless rule, check them out if you get the opportunity to do so. If The Wicked comes to your town, run for your life. Your ears will thank you for it.