Volbeat & Three Days Grace Bring Their Metal & Boogie Rock to Laval, QC [Photos]

The creed of the post office goes “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” I don’t know if such a creed exists among the music photographer community, but this past Monday night, it would have read “Neither traffic, nor detours, nor forgotten battery grips will prevent me from getting my shots.” Some traffic laws and speed limits may have been broken, but it wasn’t going to stop me from making it to the Place Bell in Laval. Three Days Grace and Volbeat were in town, and missing it was not an option. Before we get any further, the bigwigs at V13 cover any speeding tickets we get while getting to our assignments, right?

The evening got off to a rough start as after sitting through 40 minutes of traffic and getting halfway to the venue, my “Spidey Sense kicked in to let me know that my battery grip was still on the kitchen counter at home. I managed to make it back to the arena with minutes to spare before Three Days Grace hit the stage, and was very thankful that I did. With original singer Adam Gontier back in the band, Three Days Grace has become a two-headed vocal monster as Adam shares the stage with Matt Walst. The two trade lyrics off each other while looking like they are having the time of their lives. The band opened with “Animal I Have Become,” and it was apparent from the opening notes that they were there to leave a mark.

While most of the attention goes to both singers, not to be forgotten is guitarist Barry Stock. He shreds with the best of them while making the complex riffs and melodies seem effortless. He also has the best beard this side of ZZ Top. The band have a new album, Alienation, due in August that features both singers, and they debuted a couple of songs from the new album, “Apologies” and “Mayday.” The rest of their set was a collection of hits from the last 20 years and a very solemn version of the Alice In Chains hit “Rooster.” Three Days Grace were making their second appearance in the Montreal area this year, and the way that the crowd was reacting, they wouldn’t mind seeing them again. Who says it can’t happen?

The other half of this awesome double-bill was Volbeat. Some people say that you shouldn’t listen to the band you are going to see immediately before or after their show, but as their hit “The Devils Bleeding Crown” played on the radio on my way in, it motivated me to push a little harder to make sure that I wouldn’t be late. It was all the sweeter when I got to hear them perform the song a little bit later during their set. In a rock world full of different genres, Volbeat have managed to carve a niche of their own. Their mix of metal, rockabilly and 1950s rock is unique to them and has your toes tapping as much as your head is banging.

They opened their set with “Pool Of Booze, Booze, Bouza” as the fan went wild. Singer Michael Poulsen is in fine form as his voice just seems to be perfectly suited to their style, which makes sense since it was his main force in creating the band. Guitarist Flemming Lund is his usual great self. I just love to watch him play. The same goes for bassist Kaspar Larsen, who spent the night rocking out in this Three Days Grace t-shirt, leaving me wondering if someone from that band had been wearing some Volbeat merch that I had missed.

The band had just released their latest album, God of Angels Trust, a week before the show, and we got to hear four of the new tracks. Included in that group was the awesomely titled “In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan’s Spawn in a Dying World of Doom.” They ended their set with “Still Counting” and invited kids from the audience up on the stage with them for the performance. Hopefully, planting some rock star dreams in the minds of the next generation.

This tour by Volbeat and Three Days Grace is only a very short ten dates, but both bands are sure to continue trekking the planet with their wonderful sounds again this year.

Volbeat & Three Days Grace @ Place Bell (Laval, QC) on June 16th, 2025

44 photos