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Fans of death metal had a good reason to make their way to the Studio TD last Friday in Montreal to see Vader as well as Krisiun and Decrepit Birth.

There were not a lot of fans in the Studio TD when Decrepit Birth got on stage, in fact, there might have been more fans at the balcony than on the floor. This prompted signer Bill Robinson to make a public announcement before the first song to the fact that the balcony was now closed and that it was mandatory for fans to come to the floor to create a gigantic mosh pit.

Their set started with “Vortex Of Infinity – Axis Mundi” and “Spirit Guide” quickly followed. The musicians are energetic on stage, especially Bill who does not hesitate to go into the crowd a few times to activate the mosh pit. Their music is energetic and the band pleased the crowd with hits like “Diminishing Between Worlds”, “The Infestation” and “Prelude To The Apocalypse”. They also included their great rendition of Deicide’s “Once Upon the Cross” before ending their brutal set with “Symbiosis”. This was a great way to start the evening.

After a short set change, it was now time for the Brazilian trio of Krisiun to show the now bigger crowd how much they liked to play in Montreal. “Kings Of Killing” and “Swords Into Flesh” put things in high gear immediately and fans were pushing each other furiously. Brothers Alex and Moyses are not the most dynamic on stage, but they are very imposing. 

Their sound is very powerful and is well complemented by the vocals of Alex. As usual, “Combustion Inferno” is a crowd pleaser that generates a big mosh pit and “Apocalyptic Victory” gets fans to headbang like there is no tomorrow. The band surprised the crowd with an explosive cover of Motörhead’s “Ace Of Spades” and that got fans to push each other once again towards the end of their set.

It was now time for Vader to get on stage and fans were waiting, and waiting, the introduction seemed way too long for many but the band finally got on stage and played “Dark Age” and “Vicious Circle”. The crowd went wild and the band members were loving every second of it. Their sound was loud and crisps and the visual aspect was matching the intensity of their music. Peter experienced issues with his amp early in the set but it was during the song “Chaos” that it simply died and the technicians ended up swapping his cabinet head as the rest of the band finished the song. Surprisingly the band played many songs from their 1992 debut album The Ultimate Incantation and only played “Shock And Awe” from their most recent album. 

This was also the first time in Montreal for new drummer Michal Andrzejczyk, and he did not disappoint with his technical abilities to bash precisely at great speed on the drums. Even with his mishap earlier in the set, Peter interacts with the crowd like nothing happened but the bad luck was far from behind them. The PA system when out in the middle of the song “Sothis” and the band had to wait until things came back to life so they could finish the song. Their set ended with the songs “Cold Demons”, “Wings” and “Carnal” before the band returned for their encore with their cover of Slayer’s “Hell Awaits”.

This night was far from perfect but fans still loved every second of it!