MAY 16th, 2024
CANCER CULTURE OVER NORTH AMERICA TOUR
Review by: Metal Mom Rita
Photos by: Char Tupper
Gallery: http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/cancer-culture-over-north-america/

Tonight was an epic night of heavy metal titans from across the globe, including Poland, Greece, USA, even our own, Eastern Canada. Epic start to the Modified Ghost Festival! The one complaint I have for this show though was the lighting, it was so dark, at times I couldn't even see most of the band members, and I would say 90% of the time, if you didn't know better there was no drummer to see, which is disappointing, as they are often the "heart beat" of the band. I know it is important to have that death metal vibe, which often is a darker atmosphere, but it is also important for the fans to see them up there, the lights don't have to be bright, but at least let us see you up there. It is why I also didn't spend much time inside, I could still review by sitting out in the corridor where the music could be heard loud and clear.

DECAPITATED, out of Poland, have been around since 1996 and  over the years they're noted as one of the international leaders of their genre, technical death metal. It was kind of funny before they started, a young man was staring in my direction, then came over and said to me, "I remember you, we sat on this bench talking about Decapitated and other Polish bands." The fan  was originally from Poland, and now living in BC, but it was a pretty cool way to start the show tonight, with a flashback down memory lane, to when Decapitated was last here. (Which, by the way, was back in 2015!). Tonight they came out and gave 110%, crowd surfers started very early on in their set, fans were very excited to have them back. They played a variety of their songs, with lots of moshing too. This was a great way to end the night. I couldn't watch the whole set I just didn't like all the strobes, took away from watching the band and a little irritating to the eye after a few songs.

SEPTICFLESH, the metal greek gods, never fail to put on a fantastic show. Forming in Athens, Greece in 1990, they have created and mastered their craft of symphonic death metal, my favourite by far tonight, all around visually and musically. Last time I saw them play was back in January 2019, a year before the pandemic! It was definitely awhile back, but I knew what to expect. Love how they brought with them the stage backdrops, very impressive and visually it really adds to the atmosphere. They played a variety of their classics, like "Anubis", "Vampire of Nazareth", "Communion", and of course new tracks like "Desert Throne" . I also find it great when Seth(vocals/bass) got the attention early be talking to the crowd, making them feel like like they are apart of the experience, asking them to start a circle pit, or to chant along with him, us fans always enjoy these interactions. These guys nailed their set to perfection, I always enjoy these guys, from the moment I discovered them when they opened for Behemoth in Seattle back in 2009. This is who I came to see, and I was not disappointed, I stayed the whole time inside the venue, admiring the talent of each musician, plus no irritating strobe lights. They gave 150%, for each and every one of us. I have to say though, when they ended their time on stage, I felt like they only played a few songs, like in a blink of an eye, the set ended. I guess that is when you know they did a phenomenal job. So glad they came to Vancouver for this tour run.

KATAKYLSM, who we are proud to call one of our own top extreme musical bands to date out of Montreal, Canada. They have been around now for over 20 years, so they have nailed their style down to perfection. You want some moshing, well you got it. They played, they pushed the crowd into a frenzy, getting the crowd surfing started from pretty much song 1, all the way to the end of their set. Great selection of songs, it seemed to be a bit muffled up at the back, and that is usually where the best sound in the house is. But the fans were crazy for them, and an overall good experience, but sadly sound quality wise, not their best night.

ALLEGAEON out of the United States, out of Colorado to be exact, a true technical death metal for sure. You could tell right from the first note, that deep heavy tones mixed with speed and intricate guitar work, plus, talk about energy, they had it plus more. They gave and they got back. The moshing was fun to see (from a safe distance, I was not getting in the middle of it, haha!) Seems this was a great choice for this tour package.  The band is somewhat newer to the metal scene, only releasing their first EP back in 2008. In their somewhat short career, they have grown quite quickly to playing events like 70,000 tons, Ozzfest Meets Knotfest in California, and many others, giving them large audiences to help them expand and grow. From the crowd energy, you could tell that growth is rapidly happening, and cannot wait to see in another 10 years, how much bigger they become.

TRUENT, the first band to set the mood tonight. These guys are our local representatives to start off the Modified Ghost Festival, with a progressive death metal sound that is all their own. I stayed to watch the first couple of songs, but the sound was just not my cup of tea, however, for those who enjoy the throaty deep sound, mixed with heavy riffs, this was for you! Don't get me wrong, they did a great job up there and the crowd did cheer and support them, which is always great to see, as local openers always have a challenge, since most these days wait to show up for the last couple bands of the night, so for those who came early, they got a bonus and got to experience some local death metal.