PHOTOGRAPHED & REVIEWED FOR VUE WEEKLY
Flaunting a display of dark imagery and promiscuous bombast, Los Angeles' very own femme fatale fronted metal core masters In This Moment commanded Edmonton's Shaw Conference Centre with ease on Sunday night. Bringing with them fellow L.A based rap-rockers Hollywood Undead, Of Mice & Men and Avatar, all the way for Gothenburg, Sweden to lead the charge into Sunday night's debauchery.
Opening up the night with Avatar was like a proverbial punch to the face when it comes to energy; the perfect way to kick off a bill such as this. The Swedish group was performing in Edmonton for their first time ever, and promised that it certainly won't be their last thanks to the remarkable crowd response. Moving on to Of Mice & Men, who threw down a hard hitting half hour set consisting mainly of chuggy breakdowns and gritty vocals. Hollywood Undead dominated the stage with a punchy, punky, in-your-face performance that had their audience jumping with hands waving in the air for what seemed to be the entirety of their set. Their apparent "don't-fuck-with-us" attitude translated well with their Edmonton crowd, as they shouted and shrieked for more.
Appearing in a mass of fog and a mix of shadow and light, front woman Maria Brink's bewitching beauty and gothic outfit had caught the attention of everyone in the room immediately as the stage curtain dropped to the floor. Through numerous costume changes, Brink and her band of ghoulish musicians hammered through a brief, but heavy hitting 12 song set, featuring covers such as the infamous Phil Collins' tune "In The Air Tonight" as well as a mash up jam session of Metallica's classics "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "Creeping Death". An array of spooky theatrics, costume changes complimented by stage dancers made each song larger than life, tightening the grip on In This Moment's already mesmerized audience. Bringing the night to a close with the pounding hit track "Whore" In This Moment delivered an unforgettable show to a packed awe-struck floor of people, leaving an impression on their Edmonton audience unlike any other.
