Exactly three weeks ago, I went to see one of my favorite bands of all times in concert. After work, I took a taxi to the next bus station to get a quick ride from Ottawa to Montreal. I realized I wasn't the only one who had decided to travel for two and a half hours since I met a handful of other fans who attended the same concert on the bus. Once I arrived in Montreal, I met with a good friend of mine and we took the metro to Bell Center. Six weeks earlier I had taken us almost half an hour to get inside the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens for a Black Sabbath concert but that night we found a different entrance and it didn't even take thirty seconds to pass the security measures. That's why we had plenty of time to take a look at the merchandise section. The band had a selection of numerous shirts that cost fifty dollars each. Despite those elevated prices, I decided to grab three shirts: one to support the upcoming Android game Legacy of the Beast, a limited event shirt for the Canadian dates of the tour only and a shirt inspired by the legendary cover artworks of ''Powerslave'' and ''Brave New World'' with a twist of the new ''The Book of Souls'' style. I also bought a huge flag inspired by the last cover artwork for thirty dollars. It was an expensive night but I got some real high-quality products that I display and wear with pride. Up next, my friend and I went to our excellent seats in the front row of the top level. Throughout the entire concert, there were no disturbances and we had an outstanding view despite a sell out crowd of 14,963 people that night.

Opening band The Raven Age hit the stage for a set of seven songs that lasted for a little bit longer than half an hour. Just like heavy metal legends Black Sabbath that chose underwhelming blues rock band Rival Sons as opening band for its important farewell tour, Iron Maiden's choice in favor of melodic metal newcomers The Raven Age that has no international touring experience and only released one EP two years ago, seemed like a poor choice. The reason behind this choice was that the band's guitarist George Harris is actually the son of Iron Maiden bassist and founder Steve Harris. To my surprise, The Raven Age delivered a quite good show compared to the tedious performance by Rival Sons one and a half months earlier. Their music sounded like a mixture of modern alternative rock acts like Fall Out Boy and melodic metal in the key of In Flames without harsh vocals to me. This is definitely not the kind of music most Iron Maiden fans would listen to but the band convinced with a sympathetic interaction with the crowd, a couple of great guitar melodies and solos and a solid vocal performance. The crowd cheered the band and reacted surprisingly positively.

After a break of a little bit more than half an hour, the tape switched to UFO's famous hard rock anthem ''Doctor Doctor'' which announced that the British heavy metal legend was about to get going. A short and not so impressive animated video clip of Iron Maiden's Boeing 747 stranded in the Central American jungle led to the first sounds of last record's opener ''If Eternity Should Fail''. This song wasn't the best choice as an opener since the track has a rather long overture with overlapping vocal effects that work well on record but not in concert. These vocal parts sounded strangely cacophonous and there were also some minor sound issues concerning specifically the vocals during the first three songs. Once the song sped up, the crowd reacted positively and the British heavy metal legends hit the stage with a lot of energy.

Drummer Nicko McBrain was solid and joyful on drums despite his age of sixty-three years, bassist Steve Harris was running around the stage and banging his head, guitarist Adrian Smith looked relaxed and his performance was spot on, his colleague Dave Murray kept a very low profile but looked very happy and third and last guitarist Janick Gers was proving his flexibility with his entertaining stunts. The best performer that night was by far singer Bruce Dickinson. Let's not forget that the charismatic singer had beaten cancer last year but he was running around and hitting all the high notes as if he was in the prime of his youth. In addition to this, Bruce Dickinson constantly interacted with the crowd and most importantly spoke only French throughout the entire show which is a big sign of respect for the local crowd. He even underlined that the fans in the beautiful province were the most enthusiastic in the whole world. I'm not sure if Bruce Dickinson makes this kind of comment in front of all bigger crowds but when he said it that night, everybody could feel that he really meant it in that special moment.

Another element that must be mentioned is the stage setting that recalled both an ancient Mayan temple and the majesty of Iron Maiden's legendary Powerslave tour more than three decades ago. The giant back drops were also originally colorful and changed for each track after a few technical problems during the first three tracks. One could also admire different puppets and statues of band mascot Eddie. Eddie's giant head that appeared behind the drum kit during the band anthem ''Iron Maiden'' and especially the brand-new Mayan Eddie that entered the stage to fight Janick Gers and to get his heart ripped out, cooked up and thrown into the crowd by Bruce Dickinson during ''The Book of Souls'' were absolutely jaw-dropping and added to the bombastic entertainment of the show. A chillingly devilish puppet loomed behind the stage during the opening encore ''The Number of the Beast''.

The band played fifteen songs and performed just under two hours. From the new songs, especially the title track ''The Book of Souls'' sounded much more energizing and structured in concert than on the album which was also due to the fitting and memorable effects including the Mayan Eddie, Bruce Dickinson's and Janick Gers' addicting energy, an exotic bowl right behind the drum kit and several light and other special effects. The last record's first single ''Speed of Light'' had a nice nostalgic touch yet tons of energy and was a clear step in the right direction after the less efficient opener. The epic and classic ''The Red and the Black'' was played much faster than the studio version and the band really nailed the exciting instrumental parts in twelve and a half energizing minutes. Among the older tunes, the inclusion of the mysterious epic ''Powerslave'' was a bright decision since it perfectly fit to the theme and style of the more recent material. The last three songs of the regular set ''Hallowed Be Thy Name'', ''Fear of the Dark'' and ''Iron Maiden'' always work great in concert and made the crowd go wild. Many people wondered whether the very last track ''Wasted Years'' would be a good choice to end the show and in my opinion it was refreshing to conclude an amazing set with one of the band's catchiest and most emotional hits instead of another classic epic. The band really poured its heart and soul out during the performance of this final masterpiece that satisfied the crowd which saluted the band with long and loud standing ovations long after the six artists had already left the stage.

In the end, Iron Maiden delivered a constantly entertaining, perfectly choreographed and refreshingly juvenile performance that satisfied everyone in the large sellout crowd. This was the second time I have seen Iron Maiden and this concert was even more diversified, enthusiastic and personal than the show I had witnessed five and half years earlier at the same place. The band really proved that it's still one of the very best live bands on the planet in 2016. This concert didn't beat the incredible performance by Black Sabbath I had witnessed at Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa back in 2014 but it's a realistic candidate for the second best concert I have ever attended. Needless to say that I would immediately go see the band again in concert if they came around with some new material in a few years. If you haven't seen the band yet and care only a little bit about rock and metal music, you should go see this band as soon as you can.

Tunisian progressive power metal quintet Myrath has completed its shift from more complex structures to a much more accessible song writing with the release of ''Legacy''. Almost each of the eleven new tracks plus the opening instrumental tune is immediately appealing, catchy and has the passionate Middle Eastern signature sound that makes this group so unique. The band has once more increased its symphonic elements and folk melodies but almost each song offers some welcome experimentation. This album is both incredibly diversified and entertaining and comes close to the high quality song writing standard of Orphaned Land. Let's also point out the band's admirable message of freedom, hope and optimism that can be felt in almost each song.

After an atmospheric, cinematic and folkloristic overture in form of ''Jasmin'', the band blows its audience away with the first single ''Believer'' which is by far the band's catchiest track ever. The lyrics are positive and powerful, the melodies find the right balance between exotic sounds and heavy energy and the chorus is extremely catchy and passionate. The epic background chants only add to the power of this track. This masterpiece makes the mysterious world of One Thousand and One Nights come to life like no other rock song ever before. The brilliant video clip is clearly influenced by the Prince of Persia video game series and fits perfectly. If you don't feel the passion of this track, you probably don't feel anything at all anymore and shouldn't bother listening to the rest of this highly emotional record.

Those who prefer the band's more technical side, get immediately rewarded with ''Get Your Freedom Back''. In less than four minutes, the song has more ideas than other bands put inside entire albums. Technical progressive metal riffs are intertwined with airy acoustic guitar sounds that meet a dreamy fusion of Middle Eastern folk sounds and classical symphonic elements. This atmospheric brew is spiced up with a funky bass guitar solo and decent tribal drum patterns that somehow blend in very well. This exciting song sounds like a mixture of Heaven's Cry and Orphaned Land and just like these two bands, Myrath manages to sound both technically appealing and passionately catchy.

The band shows its opposing sides in the next two tracks. ''Nobody's Lives'' is the record's calmest song and mixes relaxed melodies with melancholic tones and convinces with an enchanting chorus performed in Arabic. The guitar work and even the rhythm section take a break and let the symphonic folk elements and the lulling vocals take the lead. ''The Needle'' has a much more sinister and dystopian tone and comes around with intense power metal riffs and rhythmic keyboard patterns before the song gets much more mysterious and builds up to another passionate chorus you won't get out of your mind.

A promising element is the way the band uses piano and keyboard sounds to its advantage throughout the entire album. The epic and peaceful ''Through Your Eyes'' becomes truly magical when fragile and harmonious piano sounds take the lead. The confident vintage piano sounds in ''Endure the Silence'' serve as an unusual yet fitting overture and coda that immediately get the attention of the audience. The more progressive ''Duat'' rather features floating keyboard patterns that recall the space metal project Ayreon. Traditional folk elements and futuristic sound patterns fusion perfectly on this album highlight. Another track that sound like a traditional Arabic folk tune gone contemporary rock song is the great bonus track ''Other Side''. Make sure to purchase the digipak version with this track that ends the album on a high note and summarizes very well what Myrath sounds like these days.

Another standout song is ''I Want to Die'' which is clearly the record's most epic track. The Maghreb symphonic elements and soothing vocals are so dominant yet elegant that this could easily be the title track of a future James Bond movie.

This leads me to the conclusion of my review. Myrath's ''Legacy'' is the band's most diversified, emotional and epic record and never gets boring. The only negative element is that the passionately vibrating vocals and the cinematic symphonic elements are sometimes too overwhelming. The sound of this record is at times a little bit too theatrical, overloaded and epic and the natural main instruments such as guitars, bass guitars and drums rarely stand out and sometimes even lack power. I hope the band will include a few heavier tunes on its next album that might actually loosen the ambitious soundscapes from time to time and get back to the basics in a refreshing way. Apart of this little detail, ''Legacy'' is a solid candidate for the top spots of the rock and metal music lists of this year's best records. Join the Maghreb metal revolution.

Final rating: 90%

Voivod's lovely crafted new EP ''Post Society'' is both a logical continuation of the previous full length output ''Target Earth'' and another return to the band's progressive thrash metal outputs of the late eighties and the mellower progressive rock albums of the early nineties. If compared to the material on the immediate predecessor, the new songs are a little bit more complex and need quite a few spins to open up to the listener. This doesn't take anything away from the consistent high quality of each tune and Voivod fans are used to be open-minded and patient anyway. 

The consistency of the new material is surprising since the band went through a major line-up change since the last release. Original bassist Jean-Yves ''Blacky'' Thériault left for the second time and was replaced by Dominique ''Rocky'' Laroche who usually plays for blues musician Steve Hill. ''Post Society'' is a perfect introduction to the new member. His bass guitar play is as distinctive and technical as Blacky's and the sound of the instrument is even more prominent and vivid in the mix than on the last release. His skills perfectly harmonize with Michel ''Away'' Langevin's precise and tight drumming. The two musicians sound as concise as if they had been working together for a lifetime. This perfect chemistry of the rhythm instruments is supported by more memorable dystopian guitar riffs and psychedelic solos by Daniel ''Chewy'' Mongrain and the unusual vocal lines by Denis ''Snake'' Bélanger who varies between his aggressive, raw and spontaneous approach and his more eerie, hypnotizing and psychedelic skills. 

As a matter of fact, all four new songs vary between powerful up-tempo parts and floating progressive breaks. This mixture probably works best on ''We Are Connected'' which is more than just a reference to ''Killing Technology'' but an adventurous space rock trip that summarizes the band's unique sound in seven and a half diversified minutes that never let the listener go. This song is easily one of the best in the band's entire career. The rawest song on the new output is without a doubt the straight and discordant up-tempo title track ''Post Society'' where Rocky's bass play really dominates while Chewy delivers some of his most uneasily intense riffs since he joined Voivod. Despite all the madness that is going on musically, Snake delivers the record's most gripping vocal parts on here. This is another standout song that any Voivod fan should adore. ''Fall'' starts like a melancholic ballad with poetic spoken word passages going back to the style of ''Angel Rat''. The extraterrestrial guitar solo towards the end is one of the best of its kind in recent memory. Despite some truly original songwriting and numerous amazing melodies, the track doesn't get as much to the point as the best songs on Voivod's mellowest and most underrated record released twenty-five years earlier. ''Forever Mountain'' is slower and more plodding and rather reminds of ''The Outer Limits'' era in its calmer moments. The track focuses much more on its psychedelic and progressive parts and is less poignant than the other songs on this release. It's still a very good song but not as outstanding as the other three. As a little bonus, the band offers a cover of Hawkwind's space rock anthem ''Silver Machine'' and honours the late Lemmy Kilmister in a great way. Their version of the classic perfectly captures the cool, liberating and rebellious spirit of the original but manages to add Voivod's technical brillance, epic space sound and dystopian melodies to the track. This balanced mixture is a prime example for a well-executed cover song. Obviously, this track is by far the catchiest tune on the release and is a welcome change of style after Voivod's four original tunes which are much more complex.

In the end, this EP is a mandatory buy for any fan of the band. I'm aware of the fact that the physical version is hard to find and rather expensive but it's definitely worth the chase. All four new tracks plus the cover song are at least very good, the production suits the band very well and the fitting cover artwork is the cherry on the cake. Those who don't have any physical release from the band yet should also buy this exciting record since it brings Voivod's diversified soundscapes to the point and returns to the band's most influential records from the mid-eighties to the early nineties. The band sounds as inspired and hungry as ever and I can't wait for the next full-length release with this promising, new line-up.

Final rating: 90%

Good afternoon!

Over the past few weeks, I've spent quite a lot of time in Montreal to attend numerous concerts with some of my friends. A couple of concert and theater play reviews are coming soon. Since spring has finally arrived, one of my friends and I also took a walk through the city yesterday and we took a couple of random pictures that I simply wanted to share with you. Have fun and enjoy the beautiful weather!

 My buddy in front of his new  dwelling where he is living in a bunker

 A random picture of my friend taken in front of a nearby building  

 What a beautiful fountain... without any water

 A great view on Montreal from Saint-Joseph's Oratory

 Picture of a little chapel beside Saint-Joseph's Oratory

 My friend doesn't seem to appreciate Brother André... don't ask me why...

 My buddy pulls a Pierre Karl Péladeau... in French, please!

A creepy road beside a sinister wood atop of Mont-Royal

 A nice view on Montreal's other side

 In front of some statues at Cemetary Notre-Dame-des-Neiges

My friend in front of the supermarket ''Atlantique'' where I use to buy some German food

In front of an independent record store with a new EP by Canadian progressive thrash metallers Voivod and a limited vinyl of Iron Maiden's new single 

 My  friend in front of Institute Raymond-Dewar

 Fooling around at Square Saint-Louis

Many people expected Babymetal to be a short-lived hype, a gimmicky one-album wonder, an overrated and vapid product of contemporary social media activities. All these naysayers are definitely proven wrong. The band is still alive and kicking and hasn’t split up or changed line-up as many other idol groups. Babymetal has toured the biggest and most renowned festivals around the world and has a more massive media presence these days than ever before. Three dynamic female Japanese teenagers and their solid backing band continue to revolutionize an entire genre and the music business in general by breaking down stylistic boundaries in an open-minded, juvenile and energizing way. Babymetal has even pioneered an entirely new genre called kawaii metal that saw bands such as Band-Maid, Deathrabbits, Fruitpochette, Ladybaby, Tokyo Rockets and others rise to fame in their homecountry over the past few years. In general, the band has had an emancipatory impact on the awareness of female rock groups in its country. Despite the concurrence, Babymetal is still the undisputed leader of this movement and so far the only band with a significant international market. The band’s second full length output ‘’Metal Resistance’’ underlines the band’s massive stautus as role model for its genre. Even though fans of the band’s first release will definitely find all the band’s charismatic  and classic trademarks on this output, this second album isn’t a safe copy of the first breakthrough record but pushes the exciting evolution of kawaii metal even further. It’s an intriguing coming-of-age album. While the eclectic, energizing and entertaining predecessor had a carefree, chaotic and juvenile spirit with many hit and miss experiments that were all over the place, this second strike shows a perfectly balanced mixture between this youthful attitude and a more homogeneous, mature and skilled artistic approach.

‘’Metal Resistance’’ focuses even more on metal music than the first output. Most tracks are clearly influenced by melodic power metal and a few visual kei elements but occasional extreme metal sounds add even more power at the right spots. Several songs still include a few influences from other genres covering electronic, folk, pop, reggae and even swing music but these elements are much better dosed than on the predecessor as they always add something essential to each song and never sound all over the place for the sake of experimenting. The musicianship has become more complex and technical and yet remains catchy and focused enough to make each of the twelve new songs a potential chartbreaker. The guitar riffs are more gripping than before, the emotional solos sound unchained and the diversified rhythm section is the vivid backbone of this powerful genre. Main singer and dancer Nakamoto Suzuka sounds even more versatile, mature and elegant than two years earlier and is a very welcome, skilled and powerful change compared to the high number of exchangeable operatic female singers in the metal scene. Backing vocalists Mizuno Yui and Kikuchi Moa have evolved quite a bit and offer more than occasional screams, gang shouts and dance performances this time. They still sound juvenile but even more powerful as they have leading performes on this record’s darkest, fastest and heaviest tunes. Their brutally grounded energy complements the main singer’s elegantly uplifting skills. The band as a whole and the twelve compositions sound more efficient, focused and homgeneous than two years earlier.

Let’s take a closer look at this record’s most outstanding songs in chronological order. A track that represents the evolution of the band very well is the new single ‘’Karate’’. The verses are rather dark and feature gripping modern metal riffs. Backing vocalists Mizuno Yui and Kikuchi Moa still sound juvenile but not as childish as on many tracks from the first record. Their performance actually adds a slightly mysterious and experiemental tone to the track that fits with the floating bridge. The chorus is uplifting, powerful and catchy and main singer Nakamoto Suzuka hits every note in a perfect way. The balance between metal and pop elements sounds perfectly balanced. The transitions between the harsh verses and the soft choruses sound quite coherent. Babymetal have perfected their very own style from the first album and the new songs sound much more mature and serious without using their carefree lightness.  

My favourite track on the record is the epic ‘’Meta Taro’’ that features a harmonious chorus reminding of a national anthem with an uplifting Olympic spirit. The only metal song that reaches a similar level of epicness is Stratovarius’ often overlooked ‘’Wings of Tomorrow’’. As if that wasn’t enough, this song also features vivid European folk elements in a refreshing way and easily beats everything bands of that genre such as Elvenking or Eluveitie have accomplished on their last records. Occasional male growls add some fitting yet contrasting grounded dynamics to an otherwise ceremonial masterpiece.

‘’From Dusk Till Dawn’’ is an electronically driven new age song that reminds me of Enigma and Robert Miles. It builds up an enchanting and mystic atmosphere that fits well in between the heavier tracks of the album. This transitional song adds a whole new dimension to the band sound and is only included on album editions made out of Japan.

The improvement of backing vocalists Mizuno Yui and Kikuchi Moa can be heard on ‘’GJ!’’ and ‘’Sis. Anger’’ where main vocalist Nakamoto Suzuka takes a break. The two younger singers sound energizing in the verses and prove that they have worked on their technical vocal skills in the more melodic choruses. These two songs are darker, faster and heavier than most of the other tracks on the album and invite both to dance and mosh along to them without losing their addicting catchiness. Especially ‘’Sis. Anger’’ is quite a surprise with its blastbeats, death metal riffs and sinister atmosphere. Musically, this track could be one of the best Morbid Angel tracks of the last two decades.

‘’No Rain, No Rainbow’’ is an emotional visual kei ballad where Nakamoto Suzuka proves what a competent singer she is. This kind of song should be a welcome alternative for those who are still waiting for X Japan’s first album in two decades that has been delayed for more or less convincing reasons for nearly five years in a row. While these legends have become an overrated copy of their former selves and fail to do their jobs accurately, Babymetal already deliver at their young age and represent a vivid future without forgetting about Japan’s traditional metal sounds.

‘’Tales of the Destinies’’ is one of the most experimental songs in the career of the band. It’s a sinister and progressive tune with incredibly skilled guitar solos, a pumping bass guitar, a furious percussion performance and vivid keyboard patterns. This unpredictable song is more exciting and experimental than the entire last Dream Theater record. Even the vocal performances vary constantly and adapt perfectly to the eclectic musicianship. Despite all this frenzy, the track still comes around with a beautiful chorus that holds everything together. This courageous masterpiece is easily my second favourite song on the record.

The final ‘’The One’’ perfectly closes the circle to the opening ‘’Road of Resistance’’ as both songs are rooted in European power metal. While the opener features DragonForce’s charismatic guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, the more progressive album closer is a beautiful, introspective yet powerful anthem about the band and its supporters. This is the only track which is performed in English on the international versions which is a great sign of respect from the band towards its more and more numerous fans. The Japanese release features an alternative version with Japanese lyrics. While most Japanese adults struggle with pronounciation when it comes to foreign languages that are extremely different from their mother tongue, the three girls deliver a great job since they both sing and articulate very well the open-minded message they want to spread.

I could write so much more about this perfectly produced album which is an improvement over the already outstanding predecessor but I would simply encourage any fan of contemporary rock and metal music to give this band a fair chance without any prejudice and listen to their twelve new compositions right away. This is a first serious candidate for the album of the year. The only negative elements I can find about this record are the uninspired cover artwork and the disappointing booklet of the international version of this release. Join the metal revolution and buy this record!

Final rating: 9.5/10