AMPSANDGREENSCREENS.COM OFFICIAL SHOW REVIEW
A rainy Friday isn't something that deters Edmonton's heavy metal community from hitting up various venues to catch some of the coolest bands out there. On June 12th, this definitely wasn't a problem! A little rain can't stop YEG's metal heads from heading down to the Pawn Shop to catch what is possible the most EPIC show of 2015. Kicking off Friday evening with local deathcore metallers GREAT WHITE SHARK FIGHT, the Pawn Shop comfortably exploded into a frenzy of moshing and headbanging as these five shredders delivered a crushing set, demonstrating who they are, and what they're all about; A perfect fit for this bill.
Revocation was about to hit the stage, and I could feel the anticipation rising within myself, and the rest of the room. As each member took their place on stage, Revocation immediately blasted into 'Labyrinth Of Eyes' from newly released album 'Deathless', causing the Pawn Shop to erupt like a volcano. Chaos from wall to wall! An abundance of moshers, stage divers, and crowd surfers were launching from all directions as Revocation continued to pump adrenalizing riffs and roars through the monitors. As frontman and guitarist, Dave Davidson, expressed his gratitude and excitement to be back in Edmonton, he commanded the Pawn Shop to raise their 'wizard fingers' for a song that has "a few weedlies and deedlies" the audience broke into a mass frenzy more aggressive than ever before as the band boomed into 'Invidious' from 2013's self titled album. After delivering one final blow to the Pawn Shop by closing with 'Witch Trails' (Deathless 2014) Exchanging handshakes with their fans, and flicking guitar picks and drum sticks to the audience, After stealing the show, Revocation left the stage, knowing they had just put on THE heaviest, deadliest and most aggressive show to have hit Edmonton so far this year. Epic on all fronts!
Firing on all cylinders, Veil of Maya began their performance in the best way possible: Loud, fast and in-your-face! Blowing their audience away right from the get-go with 'Lucy' and 'Mikasa' from their newly released album 'Matriarch'. Within their well articulated 13 song set, Veil of Maya had a taste for audible annihilation, playing a variety songs from albums spanning across their music careers such as 'Punisher', '[ID]', 'Subject Zero' and many, many more. Continuing on with the bleeding riffs of Marc Okubo piercing through the thundering drumming and bass lines of Dan Hauser and Sam Applebaum, all the while complimenting the raspy but aggressively beautiful voice of Lukas Magyar. Taking their audience back to their second album 'The Common Man's Collapse' Veil of Maya put the cherry on top of their set with 'It's Not Safe To Swim Today', causing their fans to throw down harder than ever before. Veil of Maya always puts on an impressive performance every time they visit Edmonton, but this time, the band put on their best show yet that wont soon be forgotten!
