AGGRESSOR, SHOTGUN CURE, EVIL SURVIVES, Diemonds Live Show Review

May 14th, 2011 Toronto, ON – Bovine Sex Club

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a show review for local thrash legends Shotgun Cure, and thrash titan Aggressor.  My last review had me at odds with the Poor Alex venue. However, after the latest show I have nothing but good things to say about the Bovine Sex Club. First off, I’ve been to four Shotgun Cure and Aggressor shows, all of which have cost 10 dollars or less. Considering you’ll get one of the best live shows in Toronto, you really have no excuse to not go. Having seen Shotgun Cure over the past 10 months, it’s amazing how much they've evolved and progressed. Each show outdoes the last, and you end up wondering why bands like Shotgun Cure and Aggressor haven’t been signed yet. 

I’ve never been to the Bovine Sex Club before, so I was really afraid of a repeat event like the Poor Alex Venue. But the moment I stepped into the venue, I knew it was going to be a great time. The Bovine is just one of those places that is built for metal heads. I didn’t have to wait long for Shotgun Cure to take the stage.

The gig would show the addition of a new member to the line-up of Shotgun Cure, Dmitri Gorillius Maximus III (as Harut introduced him). The band would tear into “Sustainment”, a song that not only gets the crowd pumped but the band as well. Interested to see how the new guitarist would fare in the shadow of the shred God Harut, Dmitri definitely gave it his all. Within seconds Dmitri was upfront, banging his head as hard as possible while laying down the riffs. Clearly he was pumped and ready to play. James (bass) gave the best performance I’ve seen from him. He really is an amazing bass player, but in the past I find that the bass has been lost under the sound of the guitar and drums. At the Bovine it really came through. It was also the most engaging he has been live. I personally believe that a bassist can steal the show if he really digs in there and plays, which James did. Soon I’ll be calling him James Burton.  Kyle (drums) was flawless. Absolutely FLAWLESS. I honestly can’t sum it up any better than that. He was fast, precise, and aggressive. Finally, that leaves me with Harut, the vocalist and lead guitarist of the band. I’m running out of positive things to say about the guy. It seems like every time I see him play live he has jumped leaps and bounds when it comes to mastering his instrument. Unfortunately, the only technical difficulty that I heard of the night was when the mic cut out during the second last song of the set. It was quickly fixed and Harut’s unique thrash voice could be heard over the vicious riffs he played.

Aggressor would take the stage soon after. It too had some new members of the band. Both Kyle and Harut of Shotgun Cure joined the Aggressor thrash machine. This merging has, in my opinion, created a thrash metal super group. Bryan (lead singer/guitar) keeps getting more insane by the show. He’s an aggressive performer that’s for sure. From wind milling at speeds that are inhumanly possible, to pouring beer into the audience, Bryan really is all about the show. He parties and plays, and he does it very well. Aggressor has single-handedly become one of my favourite bands due solely to their live performances. “Mission to Mosh” is a banner to…well…mosh. It’s a band that you can get drunk to, mosh to, have unprotected sex in a bathroom to, etc. Ultimately, Aggressor has and always will bring the party.

With these two bands sharing members it is safe to say that they will be playing a lot of gigs together. For a total cost of 8 dollars these two bands will not only give you a great show but the Friday night thrash party we as metal heads love and adore. So if you're in the Toronto area, and have some extra change in your pocket, you really have no excuse not to see them.

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