Choosing Slaughterfest as my first show to photograph of the new year was an excellent choice, as Edmonton's heavy metal community flocked to the Rendezvous Pub on January 9th to get a little crazy on a Saturday night.
After a prolonged hiatus, Slaughterfest 2016 wouldn't have been possible without the planning and preparation of Sean Watson of Display of Decay, Saturday night's headlining band. Part of Sean's hard work behind Slaughterfest was primarily to bring light to those of lesser known metal bands of the Alberta heavy metal community, and he did just that! With a bill made up of 8 bands spanning the Alberta scene, the likes of: Display of Decay, Path to Extinction of Calgary, Tyrant, The Dead Cold, Demise Without Reason of Red Deer, Immunize, Tales of the Tomb and Decrepitation were pleasantly received by all attending the evening event.
As concert goers filed into the dimly lit venue, the audience size grew with such momentum, which only made the experience of this event that much sweeter. Voices could be heard whooping and hollering as each band took to the stage to show Edmonton what they were all about; each bringing a different dynamic to the event, while displaying the diversity within the metal community of Alberta with ease.
It was a pleasant sight seeing so many familiar faces, along with plenty of new ones as well, which makes me so proud to have been a small part of not only this event, but of the heavy metal community in Alberta. The passion and love for heavy metal is alive and well within our music scene, and watching people come together to collectively celebrate the revival of a great festival such as Slaughterfest completely warms my heart! Here's to the strength of our community and to more gigs like Saturday night's Slaughterfest!
