It's ironic that even with Montreal the quality metal capital of North America, we were only good enough for the single most hyphenated bill of the Sounds of the Underground tour. Having attended last year's illustrious debut of this new summertime extravaganza, which was stacked with reliable draws like Clutch, Gwar, Opeth, Lamb of God, and Unearth but made a controversial impression locally due to the seemingly endless venue and sound problems that put a damper on the event, I had been wondering all year as to what the promoters had learnt from last year's debacle, and ultimately, what this year's version of the festival would look like.

Sure enough they played it safe this time bringing in what seemed like the minimum amount of bands possible, a mere seven acts, but with ticket prices remaining curiously high, and moving the show to a smaller and more reputable venue, The Metropolis. Most metal bands cite Montreal as among their favorite places to perform, visiting at least once a year, unlike many smaller markets in the U.S., so it wasn't as though this was fans' only chance to see the this year's bands. But with the majority of the audience well below the age of 20, it was obviously their first time. Which is exactly why, with a few exceptions, the lineup here was kept extremely safe and featured only the most popular and mediocre bands currently leading the charge in popular metal.

One of the exceptions was The Black Dahlia Murder, a hardworking and hype-driven melodic death metal band that has toured seemingly non-stop since the release of their sophomore album Miasma, in spite of a revolving drum seat that has been manned by death metal greats Zach Gibson, Tony Laureano, Kevin Talley, and most recently, Pierre Langlois. While far from the majority that would arrive later, the floor was sufficiently populated to denote respect for the show's opener. And the band clearly respected the audience back, because those who were there witnessed possibly the tightest set of the entire evening. Even bands on tour for half the time The Black Dahlia Murder have been aren't usually this tight, and I must admit to sheer astonishment at how potently the band performed material from both albums. Their more urgent material from Unhallowed like "Funeral Thirst" and "Elder Misanthropy" effected the most pit damage, while their more evolved songwriting output from Miasma like "Novelty Crosses," "I'm Charming," "Statutory Ape," and "Crosses" carried most of the set with strength. Frontman supreme Trevor Strnad did not miss one note, neither high scream nor low growl, wildly flailing his large American body about to ensure each word emerged from it. He was the most inspired and soul-bearing of the entire evening's frontman; with possible exception of Gwar's Dave Brockie, however The Black Dahlia Murder's music is far more demanding. The impact of their set shows one need not write stale, mid-paced garbage to get on a tour like this. But clearly, to headline, you do. More on that later.

As a lifelong admirer of Scott Vogel's passion and energy for hardcore from his early projects Slugfest and Despair to Buried Alive, a band I was fortunate enough to see perform five times, it was only fitting that he one day be given command of the same Metropolis stage that was stomped on by Slayer, Mr. Bungle, Sepultura, Hatebreed, and Biohazard. Another non-stop touring machine and on the verge of releasing what could become their biggest album yet, Always The Hard Way, Terror came armed with Martin from Donnybrook and Gook from Agents of Man and Cold As Life on guitar and bass respectively, the latter replacing the recently added Jonathan Buske for undisclosed reasons. The two scene veterans Vogel and Gook displayed a constant outpouring of energy which is why both are where they are at this stage in their careers. Despite being the odd band out stylistically, Vogel's constant praise ("you people are all beautiful, I love every single one of you"), command ("jump on people's heads, stage dives, more stage dives"), and respect ("if you have a dick or a pussy it doesn't matter, we're all the same in here, we're all human, no rock stars") for the audience paid off as dozens of n00bs tried their hands (and legs) at hardcore dancing while the band performed songs from all three albums. It's their effort that counts because let's be honest, there aren't many things worse than kung-fu dancing done properly.

I heard many a metal fan calling tonight's show "Cannibal Corpse" and with good reason: They were arguably one of the only bands that actually mattered. For a city as metal-hungry as Montreal, the Corpse had taken long enough before returning: Nearly five years, to be exact. Shirt-adorned fans rushed the floor in droves, and the venue finally filled to a reasonable capacity for the first time all evening. A bunch of old faces emerged in the audience, namely the members of Kataklysm, ex-Neuraxis and current Empathy Denied guitarist Steven Henry, and Eric Galy of Galy Records, to witness this highly anticipated performance. New old guitarist Rob Barrett, having spent the better half of the past decade writing and performing with Florida neighbors Malevolent Creation, has begun playing live with Cannibal Corpse for the first time in over ten years. And seeing one of the most well-regarded Florida death metal guitarists onstage gave the set even more meaning. The band was flawless, assaulting the audience with classic murder anthems like "Devoured By Vermin," "Hammer Smashed Face," "Pounded Into Dust," "Stripped, Raped and Strangled," and new single "Make Them Suffer." The highlight of the night occurred when George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher dedicated a song to the ladies in the house; the song was "Fucked With A Knife," and Fisher simulated a vaginal-stabbing motion during each chorus, just in case the Trivium-anticipating ticket holders misunderstood the conceptual crux when it was first announced. Theirs was easily the most rowdily received set of the entire evening, and many of the Corpse shirts dwindled in numbers the moment they departed.

The most entertaining set of the night, unsurprisingly, was Gwar who have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years due to stronger-than-usual albums Violence Has Arrived and War Party. This late-eighties' phenomenon are never at a loss for energy, just like the entire pit is never at a loss for red and blue dyed water to soak their metal-hungry bodies from head to toe. Certain Montreal veterans like Voivod founder Blacky had arrived exclusively for Gwar's set, who were among the hundred or so visibly enjoying the music rather than just enthralled by the band's famous mannequin-disembowlment display. Never afraid to dip into their hilarious repertoire of songs, Gwar featured "Bring Back The Bomb," "The Horror of Yig," "Gor-Gor," and "War Toy" in a set that saw the "slaves" rip apart likenesses of President George W. Bush, the stereotypical Gwar fanboy, and engage in an epic battle with their pet dinosaur Gor-Gor. True entertainers who in their early forties may finally be on the verge of gaining some respect for their increasingly-memorable slow thrash. Keep an eye out for their upcoming album Beyond Hell, and more legendary tours later this year if you can't catch them spraying fans aplenty this summer with Sounds Of The Underground.

[Around this time I ran into my old friend Miki, the mysterious, swarthy young man in charge of Lambgoat's distribution table. It is long way to have come for a once-lowly business student who attended Montreal's most prized institution of higher learning, McGill University.]

Just as the show was getting good, Trivium, In Flames, and As I Lay Dying followed each other with one forgettable set after another, effectively castrating the event and entertaining what seemed to be only the uninitiated. I understand very well that without the rising profile of these rather insipid metal bands, lesser-known and better quality bands like the aforementioned may not have as big an audience for whom to showcase their material and stage shows. Then again, a show like this is intended to give young audiences more bang for their buck than having to catch each band for twenty-five bucks each time they swing through. As a result the quality of the show dipped considerably with these three bands, at least in the eyes of experienced metal fans with good taste. And there had to be a significant number of those, because the numbers visibly shrank following Gwar's spooge-shooting and fittingly climactic set.

Embodying every cliche in the book from the tough looking, jean vest clad guitarist, back to the shirtless drummer, and up-front to the visually appealing and James Hetfield-emulating singer/guitarist Matt Heafy, Trivium can really only appeal to the lowest common denominator. They are to a nu-metal fan as Origin are to a Cannibal Corpse fan - mind-blowing; a sad fact to witness unfold in a live setting. Even though the crowd sang, moshed, and cheered along for the band, its praise was far from the deafening welcome Cannibal Corpse received following and, in many cases, during each song. I was literally falling asleep on my feet during Trivium's set and sales figures aside, their forced old-school posturing was an unwelcome addition to a show that kept me on my toes prior to their arrival.

Steadfast about their creative growth and other buck-passing terms for $elling out, Sweden's In Flames seemingly forgot that this show was supposed to embody metal and the underground, two terms that can no longer be associated with them. Their numbingly boring set featured only the slowest and most melodic tracks from their three controversially mainstream albums: Reroute To Remain, Soundtrack To Your Escape, and this year's acclaimed but no less unexciting Come Clarity, save for "Only For The Weak" from Clayman, for good measure. But the measure was far from good, with their set falling embarrassingly short of expectation for the metal fans in attendance. It was a mainstream rock set by a band that used to bring so much more to the table. But with Come Clarity, their best selling album yet, having begun breaking through Stateside, we can expect more of the same from these rock stars in the making.

In an attempt to end the evening off in "brutal" fashion, the surprising success story called As I Lay Dying delivered an indistinct, bass heavy, and largely unsatisfying set of their early Killswitch Engage-worship metal, bludgeoning the remainder of the crowd with sound-alike songs from Frail Words Collapse and Shadows Are Security. Seemingly mechanized cheers met the ending of each song, with the true metal fans having all but vanished from the venue, leaving only the youngest and most eager to fully partake in likely their first metal show ever. And by the looks of the turnout the promoters probably did just fine, but for all intents and purposes, the untouchable Cannibal Corpse should have headlined the event and Behemoth should have been booked for Montreal. Considering the early efforts put forth by Gwar and The Black Dahlia Murder, the show did not live up to its potential for the seasoned metal fan.