With a night off between their current powerhouse tour with a reunited Death From Above 1979 and a House of Vans show in Denver with Run the Jewels, Toronto noise merchants METZ could have explored the city or caught up on sleep; instead, the three piece scheduled another show, where they ploughed through tracks from their stunning Sub Pop debut and unveiled a number of new songs the group have been working on.
Obviously indebted to bands from San Diego, Touch and Go and early '90s Seattle, guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins, bassist Chris Slorach and drummer Hayden Menzies are connected to their label's legacy not just because of their thick, overpowering sound, but because of the unbridled passion they pour into every moment live.
Right out of the gate, the group's ferocity, even on a Wednesday night, was apparent, as they started off strong with "Dirty Shirt," "Knife in the Water" and "Get Off" before blasting through "Headache" with wild abandon. It was a frantic pace that would build to a crescendo later in the night.
Pushing the Good Will's sound system to the edge, Slorach's rumbling bass riffs were enough to shake your ribs, while Edkins' guitar exploded with the force of a pipe bomb in a small room; Menzies' galloping drums kept everything moving forward.
By mid-show, they had locked into an unrelenting pace; one was left wondering how they were going to keep up that level of intensity. That was quickly forgotten as they unleashed new cuts like "Wait and Learn," "Swimmer," "Spit You Out" and "Wasted," off their debut.
While it may have been the first time the group played "Spit You Out" live, the inclusion of new material really differentiated the show from the one they played the night before with DFA 1979. The Toronto-based trio also pulled out a cover of the Damned's "Neat Neat Neat" that they original recorded for A.V. Club Undercover segment.
Bathed in squalling feedback, the group finished the night with an extended, jammed out version of "Wet Blanket," which ended with Slorach breaking his bass while Edkins climbed up the drum set and used the ceiling of the club to extract whatever sound he could from his guitar before the group finally left the stage.
If this is how much blood, sweat and tears they put into a show on a night off, just think what they can do after a few days rest.
Obviously indebted to bands from San Diego, Touch and Go and early '90s Seattle, guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins, bassist Chris Slorach and drummer Hayden Menzies are connected to their label's legacy not just because of their thick, overpowering sound, but because of the unbridled passion they pour into every moment live.
Right out of the gate, the group's ferocity, even on a Wednesday night, was apparent, as they started off strong with "Dirty Shirt," "Knife in the Water" and "Get Off" before blasting through "Headache" with wild abandon. It was a frantic pace that would build to a crescendo later in the night.
Pushing the Good Will's sound system to the edge, Slorach's rumbling bass riffs were enough to shake your ribs, while Edkins' guitar exploded with the force of a pipe bomb in a small room; Menzies' galloping drums kept everything moving forward.
By mid-show, they had locked into an unrelenting pace; one was left wondering how they were going to keep up that level of intensity. That was quickly forgotten as they unleashed new cuts like "Wait and Learn," "Swimmer," "Spit You Out" and "Wasted," off their debut.
While it may have been the first time the group played "Spit You Out" live, the inclusion of new material really differentiated the show from the one they played the night before with DFA 1979. The Toronto-based trio also pulled out a cover of the Damned's "Neat Neat Neat" that they original recorded for A.V. Club Undercover segment.
Bathed in squalling feedback, the group finished the night with an extended, jammed out version of "Wet Blanket," which ended with Slorach breaking his bass while Edkins climbed up the drum set and used the ceiling of the club to extract whatever sound he could from his guitar before the group finally left the stage.
If this is how much blood, sweat and tears they put into a show on a night off, just think what they can do after a few days rest.
