Cancer Bats Incite Cannibalistic Carnage
The intimate rock venue known as Hobos, has proven itself time and time again to be a music venue fit enough for the likes of some serious arena artists. Each promoter however, would naturally aim to repeatedly challenge themselves on how they could steadily raise the bar and it appears that the Cancer Bats knew exactly what the small Welsh town craved, which was cannibalistic carnage.
The crowd for INCITE was surprisingly small until a few tracks managed to lure the majority of the early bird attendees into the main room. The front man Richie Cavalera may have the advantage of having a family well immersed in the music scene, but it is his own raw vocal talent and charismatic intensity that makes him stand out as an individual. Not only that, but the strong foot pedal accompaniment and head-rocking thrash riffs are a clear indication that this band should have a place in everyone’s current playlist.
Lord Dying were next to brandish their unique take of Oregon Metal, which consisted of an assortment of meaty bar chords and fast-paced drum fills in a tightly rehearsed package. The grinding quality of Mr Olson’s speaking voice seemed to inject testosterone into the hearts of every male rocker within the first five rows, but unfortunately was not pumped hard enough to reach the unappreciative spectators at the back who watched on with a jaded gaze.
Palm Reader proved to be a lucrative hardcore quintet who, with the use of their wild crab kicks, spontaneous leaps across stage and gentle encouragement from Mr McKeown, steadily convinced the listeners to fill the beer-soaked circle and finally let their hair down and loosen up.
Pushing his screeching vocals to their limits as the veins popped from his neck, the talented vocalist bellowed over the floor speakers, snarling and growling at the nameless faces surrounding him with a face of euphoric malice. The group illustrated a combination of involuntary wildness and instrumental control which had not been demonstrated from previous acts, but left with a light and surprisingly polite farewell of “thank you very much for watching us play our songs”.
The support had gradually built a moderate amount of excitement for the main event, but no one was prepared for the events which would unfold. On came Cancer Bats, wasting no time in counting in Mr Cormier’s introduction as he barks “Need to remind myself who I really am!”
“True Zero” left no room for second thoughts as low tuned guitar notes caused the crowds centre to swell and explode, showering the surroundings in sweat and the stench of hysteria. Hands, legs and the blindly led were strewn into the air among the rash of crowd surfers, close enough to one another to exchange pleasantries before hurtling back to planet earth.
To the concern of the staff, a technical issue caused the lights to cut throughout half of “Bricks and mortars”, but think again if this was to cause the evenings festivities to falter. The horde revealed several iPhones activating their unusually powerful flashlights, which illuminated the stage until the proprietors were able to remedy the problem.
Like a fever, the Canadian quartet infected these law-abiding citizens with relentless mayhem, causing the venues core temperature to rise until the walls began to drip. Their tenacity merciless, but their objective aimed at nothing but nailing the night for their fans.
Ending the show on their popular Beastie Boys cover “Sabotage” and much-loved track “Satellites”, it goes to show that the small town may have bagged themselves contenders in the past, but tonight’s headliners may have taken the title.
To donate to the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (which Liam is collecting for), please click the link below:
www.thepmcf.ca/events
