Via MontrealRocks.ca : "I’ve been waiting for this show since June, so let’s say I was pretty excited to finally see First Fragment play live again. They’ve been among my favourite bands since the release of their second album ‘’Dasein’’ in 2016, I just never get tired of listening to that album. It’s been a long time since it’s release tho and I’ve heard from their guitarist Phil Tougas that they’ve been working on a third studio album that should release in 2020. Of course, I was hoping we would have the chance of hearing a sample of that album during the show.
The first band to play was a local band named Kruhl, I’ve seen them in the past playing at piranha bar. It’s death metal with groovy and technical riffs. Overall good performance, but the sound of the mic wasn’t loud enough so we could hardly hear the voice of Gonzalo Quintana Zunino. Hr had a lot of energy on stage tho, compared to the rest of his bandmates. I find that their sound is nice and heavy but lack a bit of originality. They are supposed to release their first full-length record sometime soon, so I hope its sound will make them stand out of the crowd a bit more. It’s a band with a lot of potential so keep your eye open for their record when it drops.
Second band to play was a band from Quebec city: Decerebration. It was the first time I had heard of them. Their sound of old school death metal impressed me, they were a nice surprise to discover. The riffs reminded me of the band Death at times but the vocals sounded more guttural like cannibal corpse. Their vocalist Fred Laberge has a powerful voice and a huge presence and energy on stage. Their lead guitarist Martin Langelier also caught my attention, he added a nice melodic touch to their sound with his melodic parts and solos.
My favourite song was ‘’Virtual Brutality’’, the song is from their new album that they just started recording. So that’s another album release to keep in mind.
Next to hit the stage was Archons, a melodic death metal band from Rouyn-Noranda. The band was releasing their new album ‘’Buried Underneath the Lies’’ on the day of the show and they seemed pretty happy to play their new songs live. Their performance was tight and both their guitarists Simon Charette and Francis Beaulieu had impressive technical skills. They had one missing member tho, it was their bassist Simon Descoteaux. Unfortunately, his absence could be heard, I think their music would have sounded even better and heavier with a bass player.
Now time for the band I have been waiting for: First Fragment. They had a missing member too, one of their guitarists, Nick Miller couldn’t be at the show and the guys decided not to find a replacement. They still gave an excellent show but something was missing to their signature sound, the harmonic melodies and the solo exchanges between both guitarists. Aside from that, Phil Tougas and Dominic Forest Lapointe were amazing as usual, hitting every note perfectly at supersonic speed. I’m always impressed by how they play. Every time I just stand there staring at their hands like I’m hypnotised by their technical skills.
Their songs are incredibly fast and hard to play, yet they never seem to struggle and they always sound clear and fluid. Also, my wish for new songs has been granted as they played two songs for their upcoming 2020 album. The first new song was called ‘’Soif Brulante’’ and the other ‘’Solus’’, both were very good and I can’t wait to hear them again with the full lineup. Overall I was impressed with their performance and the rest of the crowd seemed to be pleased too. Their set has made me hungry for more, I’ll be waiting patiently for their next album and their next Montreal concert."
Review by Isaac Asselin-Bishop Originally written for Montrealrocks.ca