Saying goodbye is never easy. But, when done before a sold-out crowd of diehard fans, some of the emotional sting can be taken out of the moment. With that in mind, Montreal metal fans turned out en masse to say goodbye to one of their favourite heavy bands, Brazilian import Sepultura.
After 40 years of existence, Sepultura has decided to call it a day and has embarked on one final tour. The run will see them perform across the world over the course of 18 months. During 40 of these farewell dates, live tracks will be recorded to eventually be released as a huge live compilation. Last Thursday, Sepultura brought their farewell tour, titled “Celebrating Life Through Death” to the Théâtre L’Olympia.
If you’re going to throw a goodbye party, you better make sure to have a good set of friends with you. Sepultura definitely surrounded themselves with an awesome set of tour partners.
Up first was veteran Minnesota rockers, Harvest. I went into the show not knowing a thing about the band, but I got a quick education on how awesome they are live on stage. Frontman Dave Walker stalked the stage, waiting to verbally pounce while the band kept the volume at 11. They’ve been around for 30 years themselves, but, as the old saying goes, it’s never too late to make a good first impression. Colour me impressed.
Up next were the New York hardcore legends, and the band I was most looking forward to seeing after the headliners, Agnostic Front. Out first was band leader and self-professed ‘Most Interesting Man In The World,’ it says so in his book, Vinnie Stigma.
The band got their set off to a blazing start, but things got serious when singer Roger Miret hit the stage. Pounding his chest like a caged gorilla, he called for the first circle pit seconds after taking the mic. The crowd was only too happy to oblige, and Stigma himself joined in on the fun by jumping in himself a few songs later. They didn’t steal the show, but they definitely lived up to their reputation and the high expectations I had walking in.
The third band on the bill were in a tough spot. Having to follow up the metal tornado that was Agnostic Front and also performing before our headliners were due to hit the stage. Luckily, this was no ordinary band, and Obituary had more than enough songs in their groove metal bag to keep the mosh pit full. Moody lighting and killer riffs were on full display as the band chugged through their setlist. Much like their tour mates, Obituary has been at this for nearly 30 years. They know exactly how to get the crowd going. Any fears of there being any third-band-on-the-bill blues were quickly put to rest.
There was still a rumble in the crowd as we waited for the band of honour to hit the stage. After 40 years, this would be the final time that Sepultura would hit one of our stages. Though none of the actual original members remain, this version of Sepultura has been together the longest, save for drummer Greyson Nekrutman who just joined the band this year.
Classic and newer songs alike, vocalist Derrick Green has made them his own, while guitarist Andreas Kisser is a shredding machine on the guitar. By this point, I have seen several ‘goodbye performances’ by other bands, so I take those words with a grain of salt, but since my crystal ball is not currently working, I have no choice but to take the band at their word. One thing is certain: if this was our final time seeing Sepultura, they certainly left an unforgettable final impression.
Though they have wrapped up the North American portion, Sepultura continue their farewell tour through December. Be sure to check it out and pay your respects to one of metal’s biggest bands ever.
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