UADA | MORTIIS | ROME | WRAITH KNIGHT

WRAITH KNIGHT

It is always a gamble to see a band or act for the first time; live is the best experience, in my opinion. With a bit of a delay from the posted set times, the cloaked solo artist Wraith Knight stormed to the stage with no banter, fanfare, or anything and got straight to the music. Because of this, the crowd was absolutely confused by the music coming from the stage. Was this an intro, or was this the set? The atmospheric, synth-heavy set by Wraith Knight had a very medieval feel, almost like a soundtrack for a movie or a video game. I brought this up to someone at the show, and I was told “dungeon synth” which made complete sense. Although the artist was dominated by the physical size of the cabinet for the multilevel keyboards, the sound was large and painted a picture. Adorned by spikes on the wrists, you were able to see the fist in the air in between songs, and it didn’t take long for the crowd to get into this. The passion from this artist absolutely stood out as keen observers were able to see the headbanging of the artist at certain angles. This set was quick and impactful, and I’m sure the artist had some new fans by the end of the performance, judging by the cheers at the end.

ROME

“Let beauty be the witness to our questioning of the world.” This was on a banner for a single microphone on the stage, and then the incoming crowd was greeted by another solo artist, Jérôme Reuter, and his main project, Rome. Gracing the stage with an acoustic guitar, the venue was graced by another dynamic of a genre different from the previous one. In neofolk fashion, Jérôme made quick work of the six-stringed instrument, dominating the stage with a very powerful voice, and the venue was completely entranced by this artist the entire time. In between songs, the crowd was thanked a lot in both English and French; with Jérôme being multilingual, some extended banter in French was lost on this English-speaking crowd, except for one concertgoer who screamed with approval; maybe the message was for them. Quick work was made of the set, and again, by the time Rome was off the stage, they were met with a round of applause from the crowd.

MORTIIS

Having seen the legendary Mortiis before in my concert-going days, I was not sure at all what to expect from this specific performance, but from what I heard from others before the show even started, this tour’s performance was something special. The stage adorned with a full drum kit, a live guitarist, and stage banners with album art, the crowd was treated to an industrial genre-style setlist spanning four different albums, but playing a majority of the set from the groundbreaking album The Smell Of Rain from 2001 as a part of a 25th-anniversary celebration rather than playing a majority of the set from the most recent release Ghosts Of Europa. A very unique and awesome spin on the previous visit to Toronto that added a lot more depth to the music coming out of the speakers, with the aforementioned additions to the members on stage; someone on keyboards would have taken this performance to another level of intensity. For close to an hour, the touring trio took the venue on a rollercoaster of tempos, bringing the energy up and down throughout the synth-fueled performance. A bit tongue-in-cheek, as the band definitely put a hex on the crowd, as not many phones were out capturing the action; however, a lot of movement by swaying and dancing in the same spot was done by members of the alternative community who seemingly showed up for this set only—a true testament to how unique this set was and the drawing power of Mortiis playing this specific genre for this tour.

SETLIST
‘Ghosts Of Europa’, ‘Marshland’, ‘You Put A Hex On Me’, ‘Mental Maelstrom’, ‘Spirit In A Vacuum’, ‘Monolith’, ‘Parasite God’, ‘Tundra, Heart Of Hell’, ‘Demons Are Back’, ‘Doppelganger’, ‘Smell The Witch’

UADA

Co-headlining but not a rotation through the tour, on this night, the last act, Uada from Portland, graced the stage, with thick plumes of fog force-fed into the venue by an industrial fan. Additionally, the venue’s lighting was completely turned off for added effect. The band used the lighting they brought, strategically illuminating the backdrop of Earth’s moon in the shape of a U for the band’s logo. With an intro to begin the Devoid Of Light set, the howl of a wolf was piped over the speakers, prompting rabid reactions from the crowd, with howls echoing from the back, though the band didn’t notice this, given how loud the music was just from the intro alone. The four-piece band, complete in leather jackets, hoodie sweaters, and face coverings, took little time to get situated on stage, and the intensity was already maxed out not only in volume but in furious, commanding riffs. It took even less time for the crowd to respond, as the floor was welcoming to movement, headbanging, and rowdiness.

Uada, performing their debut album Devoid Of Light in its entirety as a 10th-anniversary celebration, also played a set celebrating 30 years of Ceremonial Castings (the symphonic black metal band by vocalist Jake Superchi). Even though the band has numerous roots in black metal, there is something really melodic about the version the band brings to its performances, shifting between blistering attack riffs and rhythmic melodies that Uada is just masterful at. In the middle of the tour, the band’s relentless energy didn’t disappoint or falter at any point during the long performance; with a new album set to be released next month, Uada will no doubt be back before we know it.

SETLIST
Devoid Of Light Set: ‘Natus Eclipsim’, ‘Devoid Of Light’, ‘S.N.M.’, ‘Our Pale Departure’, ‘Black Autumn, White Spring’  Ceremonial Castings Set: ‘Immortal Black Art’, ‘Into The Black Forest Of Witchery’, ‘Barbaric Is The Beast’, ‘Come Forth Damnation’, ‘Damned Be Those Of The Craft’, ‘Midnight Deathcult Phenomena’ Encore: ‘I Am The Black Wizards’ (Emperor cover)