1349 @ Le Studio TD
w/ Spectral Wound, Antichrist Siege Machine, Spirit Possession
May 21st, 2024
Extensive Enterprise
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
When I got home from work yesterday I was pooped, and I strongly debated whether or not to just lie down and rest for the remainder of the evening or go out to a sick as hell black metal extravaganza. As the minutes ticked by the decision became easier and easier to make as I summoned up my willpower, kicked my ass into gear, bought myself a ticket, and moseyed on down the road to Le Studio TD to catch the legendary Norwegian black metal band 1349, backed by Montreal mythoclasts Spectral Wound, war metal battalion Antichrist Siege Machine, and the ripping riff maestros Spirit Possession.
I had listened to Spirit Possession before but honestly something about their sophomore record Of the Sign… didn’t quite pull me in, despite otherwise being music that I would normally be really into. As such I was curious to see how much I’d enjoy them in the live setting. Turns out that the band’s brand of strange, flamboyant, harmonized, tapping riffs captivated me way more on the stage than it did on record. The whole performance was so raw, from the primitive drumming to the wailing, banshee vocals, all of which was devoid of a bass guitar. Despite lacking the low end Spirit Possession didn’t lack anything in terms of volume or presence, and easily won me over as the opening act.
Up next was Antichrist Siege Machine. The band had made their way to Montreal in the past but unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it out to any of their past performances, so this was my first experience with them. I was a big fan of their second album, Purifying Blade, but hadn’t checked out their newest album, Vengeance of Eternal Fire. That said, this is war metal. It doesn’t matter if you can barely understand the riffs that are being played. All that matters is oppressive noise, bomb blasts, and the most wretched, violent vocals you’ve ever heard, and that’s exactly what Antichrist Siege Machine brought. Their performance was mesmerizing, reflecting the violent nature of the music on record, full of energy and brutal force. Much like Spirit Possession this band also performed as a two piece lacking the low end, and let me tell you that the lack of bass did nothing to impact the sheer wall of chaos that Antichrist Siege Machine brought tonight. They easily stole the show in my opinion.
Following this pair of pairs was Spectral Wound, everyone’s favourite Montreal black metal outfit. As they took to the stage they ripped through their first song but it was clear that there some technical difficulties afoot. The band began their second track but had to stop and fix an issue with the guitars before proceeding. Unfortunately, despite the guitar sound for Spirit Possession and Antichrist Siege Machine being pretty much perfect, the guitars for Spectral Wound were overpowered by the drums and the vocals. The band still killed it, rampaging through certified bangers from their last album like “Frigid and Spellbound”, but the lack of punch in the guitars and bass was really bothersome.
After Spectral Wound it was time for the main act, Norway’s 1349, bringing the black plague back to Canada. Admittedly I’m not super familiar with 1349’s entire catalog. I’ve listened to a couple of records here and there but haven’t really delved into them beyond that. Normally this doesn’t bother me, but unfortunately the same issue that was present for Spectral Wound’s set persisted here. The guitar and bass were both relatively muted in comparison to the overpowering triggered bass drum and the vocals, which cut through the entire mixture. It’s a shame because the band did a fantastic job enthralling the crowd and inspiring a certain degree of rowdiness in the mosh pit, with vocalist Ravn commanding control from the audience all the way through. I just wish that I could’ve heard the riffs with more clarity.
Despite the technical difficulties and sound boondoggles this show was still fucking kickass from beginning to end. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen a full lineup of absolutely disgusting “true” black metal acts (Nunslaughter and Profanatica from earlier this year notwithstanding), and it felt damn good. Black metal just has this certain atmosphere of frigidity and triumph that other extreme metal genres don’t have, and this show immediately reminded me of that. Spirit Possession and Antichrist Siege Machine both crushed it, with the former winning me over as a fan and the latter easily being my favourite performance of the night. Spectral Wound and 1349, despite their sound issues, still performed magnificently and put on a great show for the crowd. Killer sets all around.
~ Akhenaten
Where Strides The Behemoth? 