Live Report : Chthe'ilist @ Covenant Festival by NoCleanSinging.com
Updated: Jun 18, 2020
Via No Clean Singing : "Montreal is one of my favourite cities in this strange, fragmented nation of ours. After the calamity that befell the ill-fated Messe des Morts VI in November, we had an easy decision regarding a return trip after looking at the line-up for Covenant Montreal. Covenant has been active since 2015, the inner circle being composed of members of Auroch/Mitochondrion, Crooked Mouth, and other acts.
Sparguntur glacies et Tenebraeā¦
Neige et Noirceur opened the festival with a ritualistic dark ambient set featuring a range of eccentric instruments, shrieking vocalizations, and eerie chanting. This was a perfect mise-en-scĆØneĀ for the night, and an excellent reflection of Spiritusā capacity to create a wide range of sonic landscapes. More Natura Mortis Sonoris than Les TĆ©nĆØbres modernes, their short-but-powerful set was at once imaginative and haunting.
The Black God and the Barren Wasteland
Raw, energetic and furious, Tchornobogās death-inflected black metal roared to life immediately following. It was great to see Markov play live so soon after the release of this debut. The thickness of Tchornobogās sound is an interesting juxtaposition with the ethereal minimalism of Aureole, and it carried well in a live setting.
Predatory Twilight
One of the major draws for me was the chance to see Chtheāilist live. Where else can one find Legend of Zelda-inspired madness in the world of metal? Le dernier crepuscule was a favourite album of 2016. and the bandās lineup reads like a whoās who of instrumental archmages in the Quebecois scene, sharing members with Beyond Creation, First Fragment, Serocs, and Zealotry (among others).
The band was an incendiary whirlwind of technical virtuosity, and, with āThe Voices from Beneath the Wellā, summoned the festivalās only moshing. The solo tradeoffs here between Phil Tougas and Claude Leduc were inspired and inspiring, and Phil Boucherās virtuosic drumming and Antoine Daigneaultās frenetic, creative bass work were also unbelievably good.
Precision Haruspex
This was the first real surprise of the festival for me. I am a huge fan of Kevin Hufnagel, but actually find a lot of Dysrhythmiaās music slightly sterile. And while I do like more recent stuff like Psychic Maps and Test of Submission, Veil of Control left me cold. TL; DR? The live performance was fucking masterful. Clinically precise, yes, but also hypnotic, mesmerizing, and brimming with vibrancy.
Originally written by Conchobar for NoCleanSinging.com

Originally written by Conchobar for NoCleanSinging.com