The least we can say is that there was excitement in the air. It had been more than six years since Meshuggah stopped in Quebec – eight for the Montreal region! Time has worked in the group’s favour, which is unequivocally at the peak of its popularity. We are far from the time when the quintet had to be content with a well-filled Club Soda. Last Saturday, a packed stadium awaited the masters of rhythmic phase shifting. It must be said that a nice lineup of big names from the metal scene was also on the program to drum up interest in the event. Regardless, this evening was nothing less than a successful gathering, a mega heavy music event that will leave its mark on people’s minds for years to come.
Whitechapel
Whitechapel… here is a band that has changed a lot since its beginnings at the head of the very brutal deathcore movement of the 2010s. In the past, death metal influences were always clearly audible under a hardcore coating peppered with exuberant breakdowns. In the immensity of Place Bell, we had the impression of witnessing the performance of a completely different group. Whitechapel only had 25 minutes to leave their mark, and it is clear that the group did very little to showcase their musical evolution. None of the six pieces played made use of Phil Bozeman’s singing voice, a major novelty on the last two records. Conversely, there were very few quick moments taking us back to the era of the first three albums.
So there remained grooves on top of grooves, which gave a good average of the group’s current sound without revealing its more dynamic colors. We can also dispute the presence of three guitarists, at least two of whom always play the same thing. Is it purely for the sake of raw sound power? The bass was, apart from a tremor in the background, essentially inaudible. In the end, none of this bothered the audience, who were very enthusiastic about the muscular performance of the American group.
Voïvod
True to four decades of innovative eccentricities, Voïvod was in many ways the anomaly of the place. The cult group from Jonquière was only scheduled for this one and last date of the tour, obviously a favored invitation from the headliner. The quartet immediately took us back, with a more old-school thrash metal, even punk, energy. Having released a compilation of covers in the summer, Voïvod offered us a succession of classics, going through the highlights of his discography. We were even treated to the famous metallic version of Astronomy Domine’ by Pink Floyd. Two pieces from recent albums still testified to the creative vitality of the group, which does not seem to be dying out. The resilience of the group must be applauded. He not only knew how to reinvent himself through tragic losses and personnel changes, but he also remained at the pinnacle of experimentation in his respective genre. Drummer Michel Langevin and singer Denis Bélanger, both in their early sixties, still behave like tireless stage performers. Seniority aside, it was without compromise and with impressive vitality that Voïvod put on a show in front of a crowd that did justice to his legacy. We will only regret a mediocre sound system for the bassist, practically inaudible.
In Flames
Having practically invented the melodic counterpart of Swedish metal, In Flames are another band to have gone through their share of stylistic changes. Since the 2000s, the group has evolved towards a more accessible sound, multiplying choruses expressing vulnerability and controversial albums. Foregone, newly released this year, however, demonstrates a desire to synthesize this evolution through a certain return to the sources. Like this new album, In Flames offered a powerful and flawless performance, like a group in full possession of its means.
Through its new pieces, In Flames punctuated the evening with pieces taken from top-rated albums. The band even went back to 1994 to play a rarity from debut album Lunar Strain! There were also hits from the Reroute to Remain (2002) and Come Clarity (2006) eras, the choruses of which were sung excitedly by the crowd. All in all, the selection was judicious and evoked as much nostalgia as the freshness of a new musical direction.
We must salute the charisma of singer Anders Fridén, whose particular technique seemed in great shape, as did his sense of humor. The playing of the instrumentalists was on point and the sound was there, which will not have displeased the fans who came especially for In Flames.
Meshuggah
The opening notes of Broken Cog immediately set the tone for the next hour and a half: rumbling, oppressive nine-string guitars and powerful, enigmatic drumming. All this paired with spectacular, precisely pre-programmed strobe lights. The visual aspect is therefore of capital importance for the performance, because the musicians barely need to move on stage to give off a captivating aura.
With an impeccable sound system and very little interaction with the public, Meshuggah played classics and pieces from the new album Immutable. Some highlights of the concert stood out, bringing the audience out of a certain psychedelic torpor. That’s what happened when all the lights went out and the track ‘Mind’s Mirrors’ from Catch 33 (2005) came on. The sparse, atonal guitar whirs and vocoder narration created a terrifying weightlessness. This was followed by the interpretation of the complementary pieces In Death – Is Life and In Death – Is Death, following the chronological logic of the same album. This twenty-minute segment, like the rare ‘Humiliative’ from the EP None (1994), was a real gift for fans of the group. Note that for each title, or even each musical section, a specific lighting design energized the sensory experience.
At the end of this masterful performance, Meshuggah chose to end the evening in style by playing ‘Bleed’, an instant classic, and Demiurge, whose final breakdown energy is as contagious as it is devastating. We couldn’t have asked for a better reminder. Once again, the Swedish group stood out for the originality of its art and its strength of execution. The time has now come to wait for the next album and tour cycle, when Meshuggah will emerge from the long creative dormancy to which the entity has accustomed us.
Photos by Pat Seguin
