Show Review: Black Label Society at Metropolis

Black Label Society: Good ol’ Metal

 Last night, the Metropolis looked like an 80′s throwback.  Metal heads filled the Montreal venue for the Californian band Black Label Society and their leader and lead singer, Zakk Wylde.  A quick look at Wylde’s roadmap (he played for acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Twisted Sisters is part of his entourage, he’s introduced in the rock hall of fame for his career and more) explains that the vast majority of the crowd was wearing shirts sporting the BLS logo and name.

After a few supporting acts, Pop Evil took the stage with their garage rock.  With a song similar to Canadian band My Darkest Days, the crowd was pleased with the 30 minutes set where lead singer Leigh Kakaty and his band mates gave all the energy they had, praising the fans that brought their kids to the show to show them music that was something else than Justin Bieber.

 Next up was Whitby, Ontario’s Protest the Hero.  From all the acts of that night, Protest the Hero was by far the heaviest band in terms of genre, as most of the other bands were more into a post-grunge, sludge metal genre.  The progressive sound of the band and the great voice of lead singer Rody Walker was a match that the crowd enjoyed.  Of all the acts, Protest the Hero was the one that stood out by the quality of its vocals and rhythmically complex guitar riffs.  One of the songs that were the most acclaimed by the crowd was Wretch, from their album Fortress.

Last but not least was Black Label Society.  The LA based band took the stage with a 15 minute delay, just enough to spike the crowdzakk and make it burst when the lights closed, with only the skull logo lighted in red in front of the stage.  As their stage intro, the band played a pre-recorded track of the Canadian hymn before sirens blared through the venue.  Through guitar riffs and screams, the black drape fell to reveal the band on a minimalist stage that only had a back drop of the band and tons of amps.  Through the songs, Wylde changed several times his guitar and played at the height of his talent.  What stood out of the band’s performance is the presence of several solos – guitar, drum and even piano! – That were between the songs.  The crowd enjoyed every last bit of the show, as they stayed even after the very last song in hopes that the band would play another encore.