Wayfarer @ Piranha Bar
w/ Sonja, Valdrin
May 16th, 2024
Extensive Enterprise
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
I’m always quick to admit when I’m not super familiar with an artist. I had heard the name Wayfarer around the way and may have even heard a song or two from them over the years, but I’d never delved into their discography at length. Sonja and Valdrin, though? That’s another story. Readers of this blog may recall the high scores I gave both to Sonja’s debut Loud Arriver, which was one of my favourite albums of 2022, as well as Throne of the Lunar Soul, Valdrin’s fourth album, which blew me away right at the tail end of 2023. Despite both bands being in vastly different genres, with Sonja being goth rock influenced classic heavy metal and Valdrin being off-kilter symphonic black metal, seeing both of them together on the same bill was a dream touring package for me personally, and so even though I didn’t know the headliner I knew I’d be going to this show for sure.
The first band to take to the stage was Valdrin, the black metal quintet from Cincinnati, Ohio whose music revolves around the fictitious Ausadjur mythos. The band kicked things into high gear right from the beginning of their set, launching into feverish passages of discordant-yet-harmonious guitar leads from Carter Hicks and Colton Deem that do a wonderful job painting a picture of the mythical and wondrous world of Ausadjur. The guitars were joined by meticulous and mirthful bass playing James Lewis, who looked like he was having a great time displaying his fretboard wizardry to the crowd, as well as Ryan Maurmeier behind the drums, who was nothing short of masterful behind the kit. Valdrin is easily one of my favourite recent discoveries in the world of black metal and seeing them live for their first time in Canada felt like a special experience.
Once Valdrin finished it wasn’t long before the members of Sonja took to the stage. As each member walked out I felt like I was in for a real throwback of a set based just on what the members were wearing. Frontwoman Melissa Moore emerged with an off-white business outfit that looked straight out of the 80’s, complete with outrageous shoulder pads and high heels. She was followed by Ben Brand on bass and Grzesiek Czapla on drums, both of whom had their eyes caked in a generous amount of eyeshadow combined with sleeveless shirts, fishnets and studs. If this isn’t the most 80’s worship band in the world, I don’t know who is. They started off their set with their album’s opener “When the Candle Burns Low…”, one of my favourite cuts off the record, and played a healthy amount of other tracks from Loud Arriver, including “Fuck, Then Die”, “Moans from the Chapel”, as well as, of course, “Nylon Nights”. They also performed their new song “Discretion for the Generous”, which only dropped last month. Their performance was all around fantastic, though I did notice that during the first three or four songs the vocals weren’t high enough in the mix. This issue was eventually fixed but it was disappointing to not get the full brunt of Sonja’s sonic experience for a solid third of their set.
Following Sonja it was time for the headliner, Wayfarer. When these guys initially walked out on the stage I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially given that their left stage guitarist, Joe Strong-Truscelli, was wearing a particularly stylish solid black gambler cat. Indeed the entire band was wearing what appeared to be matching black outfits, making them appear as a group of pilgrims or old west preachers about to serenade the audience with tunes about the struggles of frontier life. Serenade us they did, for this band absolutely crushed their performance and no doubt made a fan out of me this night. Their music was heavy and impactful in terms of the general weight of all the instrumentation, but they combined that heaviness with fantastic stage presence and an atmosphere that reeked of the sweating summer sun and frigid winter wastes of the old west. If there was to be a film made about heavy metal cowboys, Wayfarer would need to provide the soundtrack. I thoroughly enjoyed their performance from beginning to end. The crowd was into. I was into it. And the band was into it too.
Getting to see Sonja and Valdrin together on the same bill here in Montreal was a very memorable experience, especially given that it was both bands’ first time ever playing in Canada. It felt like being present for a special moment in metal history, and I hope that both groups get to experience long and prosperous careers in the metal sphere for years and years to come. They’re both incredibly talented and natural performers and would deserve it. Seeing Wayfarer live and getting to experience their music in the live setting before ever listening to them on record was just the cherry on top. I became an instant fan and will no doubt go see them again next time they roll through Montreal. If you get a chance to see any of these bands live, especially on this current tour, go do it. You won’t regret it. Especially if your taste is anywhere close to mine.
~ Akhenaten
Where Strides The Behemoth? 