Harm's Way

Centre Communautaire Portugais les Amis Unis, Gatineau QC, September 4

Photo: Calum Slingerland

BY Bradley Zorgdrager Published Sep 5, 2015

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Hours after a 60-minute break for a church service to happen upstairs at the venue, Chicago punishers Harm's Way took the stage. It was an appropriate contrast, as the sinister industrial styling of "Infestation" kicked off the set.
 
Guitarist Jay Jancetic threw his guitar around during the sampled opening, making good use of his axe even when not playing it. In standard fashion, vocalist James Pligge's shirt came off before the band broke into Isolation's "Breeding Grounds" and "Timing." Punching the air and bouncing around, the low-end rumblings gave the band's movement direction. The crowd found solace in the brutal beatdowns; though the show was certainly on the stage, you'd find equally enthusiastic performances in the pit.
 
It was a no-frills set: "We just put out a new record called Rust. This next song is called 'Amongst the Rust,'" Pligge stated plainly; when Harm's Way get up on stage, the only goal is destruction.
 

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