Montreal's metal sensation, The Agonist, made a stop at Union Hall on Saturday night to kick ass and take names with new powerhouse femme-fatal frontwoman, Vicky Psarakis, leading the charge. Being a fan of The Agonist for many years, seeing them dominate the stage for the first time was so exciting for me.
Tearing into their set with "Thank You, Pain" and "Gates of Horn and Ivory", demonstrating the dynamic shreddery of Danny Marino and Pascal (Paco) Jobin, the audience immediately erupted into a whirlwind of headbanging hair and moshers, causing smiles to form on the faces of the band. Playing an adrenalized 9 song set, the Canadian 5-piece band was pleasantly received by their Edmonton crowd. Carrying on to play a handful of tracks both old and new to the tastes of long time fans, The Agonist thrashed and bashed their way through old fan favorites such as: "Panophobia", "The Tempest" and "Business Suits and Combat Boots", causing an uproar of break-neck headbanging to the thundering drumming of Simon McKay, and bubbling bass lines of Chris Kells.
With their in-your-face performance, The Agonist stole the show on Saturday night. Positive vibes were at an all time high, and the excitement in the air was contagious. Seeing a Canadian metal band doing so well while on tour makes me proud to be a (very small) part of the Canadian music scene, and inspires me to keep on keepin' on. I can't wait until The Agonist is back in town, because I know that they will not only dominate the stage, but totally blow the minds of everyone who goes to see them!
