Show Review: Heavy MTL Day 1 @ Parc Jean-Drapeau, July 24, 2010, Montreal, QC

I got to Parc Jean-Drapeau around the same time 36 Crazyfists hit the stage. I could hear them rocking both past songs and new songs off their upcoming release Collisions And Castaways. The live set was sounding great as I stood waiting to get in. After came Skeletonwitch killing fans with their death/thrash mixture. By the time I got in they were on their second last song and fans were definitely mesmerized by their talent.

Finally in, I was ready to see my first full set. Baptized In Blood came on stage and got right into it. They performed songs on their pending self-titled record and were definitely bringing dirty back running around and banging their heads. The crowd created a circle pit for the boys and two fellows even got into a brawl as the band kept performing. These guys ended on a high note making it a definite incline for bands to top.

When High On Fire came on I left to go sit on the hill to watch them from afar. Even though I am not a fan, they sounded excellent. Kids got into them and then near the end of their set I went back up and stood ready for hometown celebrity Melissa Auf der Maur. Being the softest group of the festival they started off with breaking down as heavy as MAdM does it. After, they got into her music and the local crowd sang along to her popular hits. She stunned the people with her powerful vocals and then after, the next local gods came on…

KATAKLYSM, the crowd chanted as the band hit the stage. They blasted the crowd with pure death metal and everyone in ear length was attacked by the heaviest band of the festival. The crowd loved it as Kataklysm windmilled their hair and destroyed their home of Montreal. Everyone was hanging off vocalist Maurizio Iacono’s words as he spoke in French to the sea of people… made me wish I knew how to speak the language.

After that brutal set I returned to the hill for Fear Factory. They performed some tight songs from both past and present as fans went crazy for the reunited band. Next up were the movie stars of metal Anvil. They took the stage and rocked out for the crowd. These heavy metallers were adamant in saying how excited they were to be able to play to such a massive crowd. I noticed at one point vocalist and guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow got a hold of a purple dildo which he would turn on and off to play his guitar. It was a funny antic from this classy band.

When Anvil was done it was time to get serious and kiss our lives goodbye. Standing in front of the Jägermeister stage you see Testament’s amazing stage setup which looked like a massive castle. “For The Glory Of…” came on over the PA’s and the band walked across the walls and got right into “More Than Meets The Eye”. Fans all over were headbanging and throwing the horns up to these trash masters. One song that got everyone going extra crazy was “Into The Pit”. It was hard to stand still during the entire set.

Next up was a real metal legend. Judas Priest’s vocalist Rob Halford came on with his solo act. It was their second show since their hiatus and the full band got right into it. Since it was only a second show back, the band seemed to be a little nervous but they still awed the crowd and even performed a brand new song off their next release. This will be an album to keep your eyes peeled for!

When the legend was done I went back to the hill to sit and relax my tiring feet. Mastodon came on and performed a few songs from past albums. Slayer then came on, who unlike Mastodon performed only one album. They performed Seasons In The Abyss in its entirety and happy, trashing fans sang along to all 10 tracks.

Who likes shock rock? I know Montreal does ’cause Alice Cooper popped up on stage and gave one of the best performances of the night delivering a rock opera type of show. He started with his hit “Schools Out For Summer” and then streamed a handful of songs together to put on a show that told a story about the frontman himself. He was decapitated, injected with a needle and beat a woman right on stage. The performance blew me away and was totally epic… all of which led nicely to the final performance of the night.

MEGADETH dressed up the stage with their ‘Rust In Peace’ theme and not only did the album take over the stage, but was also played in its entirety. All nine tracks were played in order and everyone in the crowd seemed to sing along to every word. As the alum finished, the band came in with “Trust”. After, Dave Mustain told the crowd they were going to perform a few more songs and “Head Crusher”, “À Tout le Monde”, “Symphony Of Destruction” and “Peace Sells” then all followed. The crowd went nuts for every tune singing along and rocking out with the legend Dave Mustain.

With a crazy buzz in the air, everyone seemed to leave the show in extreme excitement for the second day of Heavy MTL.  [ END ]

Check out the song: “Down And Out”