Arch Enemy At L'Olympia

We haven’t hit the month of June yet, but already Montreal has been blessed with a series of great metal shows.  Perhaps blessed isn’t the right choice of word for the “Devil’s Music”, but cursed certainly isn’t the right one either.  It’s a safe bet that none of the sold-out crowd that filled the Théâtre L’Olympia felt cursed as they went out of their minds.  If anything, they may have been feeling blessed themselves as they roared in unison towards the alter of rock that was before them.  Arch Enemy was in town, and they brought some friends with them.  After a short break after a building melting performance by Martyr, check out the link for the photographs,  Metallica’s “For Whom The Bell Tolls” played over the house PA.  As the crowd sang along, Sweden’s gift to heavy music, Arch Enemy, made their way to the stage.  Out last, and admittedly to the loudest applause, was singer Alissa White-Gluz, Montreal’s reigning scream queen and vocalist with the group for almost 11 years now.  Filled with some hometown pride, Alissa immediately let loose her trademarked roar and began to bang her head, sending her blue hair flying in all directions.  Arch Enemy opened their set with “Deceivers” which put their musical power on display right from the word go.  “Dream Stealer”, from their most recent album, Blood Dynasty followed shortly after.  The album was released just a few weeks ago and is a perfectly brutal addition to their musical catalogue.  By this time, the circle pits had already been formed and bodies were quickly surfing by on their way to the front of the stage.  It may have been raining and a little chilly outside, but Arch Enemy was raising the heat to devilish highs.  That wasn’t going to stop them, or their fans, from giving their all.  What followed was a set list that represented much of their glorious history.  The songs kept heads banging, arms pumping and bodies surfing until the final notes were played.  It is a safe bet that ears were probably still ringing in to the next morning, but the dull voices those fans heard the next day should have only served to remind them of the awesome spectacle that they had been part of the night before.  All of the photographs were taken at f/3.2 while using various different shutter speeds, ISO settings and focal lengths.  Here are the rest of the photographs that I took of Arch Enemy while they were performing up on the Théâtre L'Olympia stage.

If you would like to find out more about Arch Enemy and their music, you can do so by following the link to their website.  If you would like to see the photographs that I took or Martyr, who performed earlier that night, you can do so by following the link.  Much thanks goes out to Sarah Lutz and Bernice Chan of Looters Marketing and Christopher Gonda of V13 Media for getting me a pass to photograph the show.  As always, it is very much appreciated.  The North American Blood Dynasty tour has come to an end, but Arch Enemy will surely be hitting the road again soon.  Don’t miss them when they come to play in a town near you.

Martyr At L'Olympia

Being such a large city, it isn't much of a surprise to learn that many Montreal-ers have gone to to be rather successful in various walks of life.  Some of Montreal’s Heavy Metal Royalty were on display for a rocking show at Théâtre L'Olympia a short while ago.  First up was Daniel Mongrain and his band Martyr.  Mongrain is best known as ‘Chewy’ from Voivod, but I know him as the man with one of the greatest smiles in metal.  In a genre that is known for snarls, scowls and angry faces, Chewy is non-stop smiling on the stage.  After an 11 year break, Martyr, a band he originally formed with his bassist brother François, got back together in 2023 and this was their big return in Montreal.  They don’t play very many shows, but when they do, it’s unforgettable.  Martyr may have been an opening band on this night, but they had a home field advantage.  The band played mostly songs from their Warp Zone album as the crowd raised their first and alternated between singing along or chanting the band’s name.  Genuinely one of the nicest people to pick up a guitar, Daniel even hung around the merch stand long after their set had finished to chat with any fans who seemed more interested in chatting with him rather than listening to the headlining act.   On stage, the band tore through their songs, while the fans gave as much energy back from the floor in return.  This was their moment to shine and they gave everyone in attendance several loud musical moments that none of them will forget.  All of the photographs were taken at f/3.2 while using various different shutter speeds, ISO settings and focal lengths.  Here are the rest of the photographs that I took of Martyr while they performed up on the Théâtre L'Olympia stage.

If you would like to find out more about Martyr and their music, you can do so by following the link to their website.  If you would like to see the photographs that I took of Arch Enemy, who performed later that night, you can do so by following the link.  Martyr doesn't get out and tour very much, but if you even find that they are playing near you, don't dare miss out on seeing their show.