Shadows Fall / Shai Hulud / Unearth / Cephalic Carnage / A Perfect Murder

The night kicked off with local hardcore band A Perfect Murder and was non-stop heaviness from there. Cephalic Carnage spooked the audience with their driving metal anthems and their oh-so-scary Kiss masks. Unearth was plagued by a missing drummer, but Cephalic Carnage and Shai Hulud both lent their drummers to allow Unearth to play a short but mind-blowing set. Unearth are a Montreal favourite and even their five-song set was warmly welcomed. Shai Hulud rocked the crowd with their signature double-edged riffs and anti-climatic melodies and a nice mix of both old and new songs. Headliners Shadows Fall closed the show with their chunky "too heavy to be hardcore" signature sound. They kept fans of their dreadlock power rock in check. Rocking out to songs off their newest critically acclaimed record, The Art of Balance, Shadows Fall exhibited a strong stage presence, especially energetic front-man Brian Fair. The audience left the show charmed and satisfied.