Show Overview: D5R 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY! Saturday, September 24th 2011
Doors: 10pm | $7.00 (band order will be drawn at random)
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Black Moor - https://www.facebook.com/b
Death Valley Driver - https://www.facebook.com/D
Dischord - https://www.facebook.com/D
Last Call Chernobyl - https://www.facebook.com/l
Orchid's Curse - https://www.facebook.com/o
Red Tentacle - http://redtentacle.ca/
Diminished Fifth Records - http://diminishedfifthreco
Pavement Postering - https://www.facebook.com/p
Overview: Isaac Thompson
Photos and Video:Tiffany Naugler
Audio: Dan Nightingale
East coast Canadian Metal is probably in healthier shape than ever and it is largely thanks to Diminished Fifth Records. For the last five years, D5R has been collecting the best metal bands the Maritimes has to offer, and it’s a diverse lot – Everything from thrash to metal-core to stoner rock. It has become something for local metal bands to strive for, if your metal band isn’t on D5R’s roster, then you’d better get practicing because it’s the place to be. Having brought us countless brutal albums and winning tons of accolades along the way, D5R invited their top bands to celebrate at Gus’ Pub with a rip-roaring, booze fueled party you’d be a fool to miss. But in case you happened to miss it (and I hope you’ve got a good excuse) here’s a recap.
Black Moor started the show at 10:30 sharp and the bar was already packed. There were so many people at Gus’ that all of the tables were removed from the bar and stored in a transport truck so they could fit as many metal heads into the place as possible. The bar was transformed from its usual well lit, foresty aesthetic into a darkened head banger’s paradise with a killer lightshow directed towards the stage. D5R are a group who have their shit together, their organization skills were self evident by how on schedule everything was (if you’ve ever tried to organize a group if rowdy musicians you know what an amazing feet this was).
Black Moor is a band who gets better every time I see them. They are quickly becoming one of my favourite live acts. Their early 80s thrash metal shtick is a blast and they play it so sincerely and well that it doesn’t feel like a shtick at all. These guys are the real deal. If your metal tastes lean towards Iron Maiden, Megadeth and old Metallica then there’s no doubt you’ll love this band. They have the chops to pull it off and the songwriting skills to keep it interesting. Get on the Black Moor bandwagon now before everyone in town beats you to it.
Dischord followed up and while their style of metal isn’t as much to my taste as Black Moors, they do their thing with precision. They’re the kind of band who plays fast, heavy music that cannot afford to be sloppy, with vocals that are more of a blunt percussive instrument than a melodic devise. Dischord pulls this off well, their music, though fast and heavy, sounds clean and polished because everyone is playing exactly in their pocket. At this point, the small mosh pit in front of the stage was growing both in size and in lack of control. Shit was getting crazy and would only get crazier once Orchid’s Curse took the stage.
Orchids Curse came next and kicked the righteous ass of everyone within earshot. These guys have their act down to a science. They’re so well known around town that describing their sound is moot; they’re simply one of the best metal acts to ever emerge from the scene. It’s not very often you see people singing along to local acts, but Orchid’s Curse are at the point where whenever they play their hit “The Workhorse Walks Alone” everyone, and I mean everyone, screams along. It’s a sight to behold. This is something you usually see with stadium bands and hardly ever see at Gus’ Pub. The guys peppered in some astoundingly heavy new songs that show them expanding their sound into exciting new territory while maintaining the essence of what makes them special.
Up next was a very animated Last Call Chernobyl. These guys always put on an insane show, but during this set they were on fire, especially the bassist, who’s instrument spent more time twirling in the air than it did in his hands. He even jumped into the ever intensifying mosh pit, being thrown around like a rag doll while still playing his heart out. These guys are a blast and their Dillinger Escape Plan meats Satan routine is executed perfectly.
P.E.I.’s Death Valley Driver closed the place down with a solid set of stoner metal. These guys wear their influences (Pantera, Down) a little too much on their sleeve, but they have a lot of promise and a solid groove. Even though the bar had cleared out quite a bit DVD matched the massive energy of the rest of the lineup.
Congratulations and a big thanks to D5R for their 5th year of entertaining the hell out of the east!
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