Arena Rock: Epica, Threat Signal, Blackguard
Threat Signal goof around after their show. Photo by Alli Pickard.
Epica, Threat Signal, Blackguard Sugar, Feb. 13
When most people think of Sugar Nightclub, they don’t expect the place to be filled wall to wall with metal fans. On Feb. 13, we proved them wrong with the biggest gathering of the metal legions in a long time.
It was the last Canadian stop on the North American tour for Dutch headliners Epica, bringing along Canadian acts Threat Signal and Blackguard.
The show started off with a bang as Montreal natives Blackguard broke into their song “The Sword,” pounding every note out and bringing the crowd in one by one. For not being very well known by much of the crowd, they left everyone with a great impression. As lead singer Paul Ablaze proclaimed, “We are here to warm you guys up!” This described Blackguard’s performance to a tee, preparing us for the rest of the show.
Next up were the boys from Hamilton, ON—Threat Signal—bringing an ass-kicking and popping the ear cherries of those hearing them for the first time.
They started with “Afterlife” off of their new album, Vigilance. The members of the band continued to carry out each riff and harmony flawlessly, making every song seem to come alive.
For being such as amazing band, it’s sad to see Threat Signal still unknown to most on this side of their country. But after ripping through “A New Beginning,” they were no longer unknown by anyone attending the concert at Sugar.
Last, but not least, was Epica. Their hour-and-a-half set began with each of the members making their way onto the stage while a gothic choir medley played in the background. The band created a grand energy and it was clear which band the fans truly came to see when everyone rushed to the stage.
Unfortunately, it was a little too cliché; the sexy lead singer with operatic vocals, the guitarist who doubles on screaming vocals, a keyboardist, and the band hailing from Europe.
The instrumentation, however, was amazing. And Simone Simon’s vocals were very powerful and stood out from the rest of the band, but she was flat for most of the songs she was performing.
Overall, their performance wasn’t bad, but the set changes and intermission between the groupings of songs ruined their performance.
Jon Howard, lead singer for Threat Signal, told us after the show that “each band is so different and we never thought we would tour with bands like this.”
Those who didn’t go to the show missed out on some truly great music. If and when these bands roll through our city again, make sure to take some time and check them out.
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i usually think of all the metal shows ive been to at sugar if i think about the club at all