Messe des Morts VIII – Genèse

Piranha Bar, Montréal.  Thursday the 22nd of November, 2018.

It’s the eighth edition of this feast of black metal.  Having attended a few times in the past, this humble fangirl was primed to expect excellence.  And, all told, I have to say this was my favourite Messe yet.  Of course, being able to finally shoot this beast of a festival certainly helped.  Read on for the first part, the warm-up soirée, which consisted of five acts.

Opening the festivities was local cloaked trio Pénombre.  To be the first set on a weekend like this is no small thing – I arrived to see an already sizeable crowd taking in their smoke-filled spectacle.  Through the cloud of fog and lights they captured the attention of the place, including that of yours truly.  Trenchant followed, from Austin, Texas.

Sortilegia took the stage with all of their signature pieces intact; the darkness, the fire, the scent of burning compounds sweetening the air with smoke.  While the scene may have been familiar, I was pleasantly surprised to note the ways in which their sound has evolved.  Not to be outdone in atmosphere, Gevurah ensured the now two-to-three hundred strong crowd’s appetite for intensity and ritual was satisfied.

To top off the first night, I was completely blown away by Negative Plane.  They were simultaneously meditative, psychedelic and totally uncompromising.  It was everything that makes a set truly impressive.

Stay tuned for the continuation of Messe des Morts VIII, featuring:

Psaume I

Théatre Paradoxe, Friday November 24

Neige Éternelle | Catacombes | Délétère | Miserere Luminis | Svartidaudi | Ragnarok | Mysticum

Psaume II 

Théatre Paradoxe, Saturday November 25

Tsar Stangra | Ossuaire | Sinmara | Temple of Baal | Forteresse | Seth | Tormentor

https://www.messedesmorts.net