Union Hall
November 4, 2014
Huntress opened the show to an eager crowd who seemed mostly familiar with their material and excited to witness their set. It wasn’t difficult to see why Huntress has been praised time and time again for their live shows. Jill Janus’ impressive vocal range, combined with a stage presence reminiscent of a predatory spider, made for an impressive combination whether you like Huntress’ vibe or not.
While the merch table lineups certainly would not have indicated so, Kreator had many fans in the audience. The German thrash masters executed a blazing set, inciting a pretty decent pit considering the size of the floor area in the venue. According to vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza, Edmonton is known worldwide for its love of metal and good mosh pits. How much truth there is to this statement, who knows. There was an attempt made at a wall of death, but in comparison to some of the others witnessed in this same city, it was a failure. Mind you, this failure had nothing to do with Kreator, as they provided as much energy and enthusiasm as can be expected from any band. The majority of the set contained post- ‘Enemy of God’ material, with a few old songs thrown in for good measure.
With seemingly half the crowd adorned in new Arch Enemy merchandise, it was no small surprise that they were exuberantly welcomed on stage. New vocalist, Alissa White-Gluz, was electrifying. Her performance suggested that the shoes left to fill by former vocalist Angela Gossow might even be too small. Full of energy, she definitely met (and exceeded) expectations. Not surprisingly, Arch Enemy drew the majority of their material from the latest album, ‘War Eternal’, which features White-Gluz. Several other tracks from their catalogue were tossed into the mix such as “Dead Eyes See No Future”. While one would expect a top-notch performance from musicians of the calibre found in Arch Enemy, this tour is a proving ground for White-Gluz. The reception from the audience was fantastic, and her performance as front woman equally so.
Personally, while Angela Gossow is a legend in her own right, I feel as though Alissa White-Gluz has the edge in being a well-fitting vocalist in this band. While I’m more of a casual Arch Enemy fan, I certainly enjoyed their set on this particular evening, as the rest of the crowd seemed to as well. I quite liked ‘War Eternal’, and I’m often a little skeptical of changing vocalists when the current vocalist works. In Arch Enemy’s case, this seems like a well-planned move which will only bring them to greater heights.
* Starkill was not present for the Canadian dates of this tour, which was somewhat disappointing as they have been solid openers for a number of other shows that I have attended.
