Imperial triumphant provides a unique live experience. They describe their music as the sounds of New York City. If you’ve never heard them before I would describe it as experimental black metal with a twist. Their stage presence is in your face and chaotic, as I assume most of the people who are wandering around New York are. If you’re into black metal, noise, and mayhem, then I highly recommend this band. Always be on the look out for the champagne bath at the end of their set!
Sylvaine is a solo project by Kathrine Shepard from Norway. It’s a beautiful melodic back metal project. Their live show is absolutely captivating watching Katherine whip around her long blonde hair while she screams and sings is an experience all in it’s self.
Zeal & Ardor is a Swiss avant grade-metal band formed and fronted by Manuel Gagneux, a Swiss-American musician who had earlier created a chamber-pop project called Birdmask. The group was formed in 2011 in the city of Bern, Switzerland, where they were originally called “The Zeal and Ardor Project”.
The N.A tour came through Phoenix, AZ on a Monday night for one of the last stops for Zeal & Ardor. I was able to get a glimpse of their set list and I think I can speak for everyone in the venue on how perfect their it was. Having 3 albums and an EP to choose from, the set consisted of a staggering 20 songs plus an intro. Before each member took the stage, there was something strangely missing and that was the two microphones normally on each side of Manuel. About half way through the set, lead singer Manuel finally acknowledged the missing microphones and members: “As you can tell there’s only part of us here,” as the other two members of the band both got incredibly sick. Instead of cancelling the show they decided to trek on since there were only a few dates left.
Zeal & Ardor took the stage in their signature look the black cloaks with hoods up. Opening up the night with the song “Church Burns” was perfect as Manuel got to serenade us right away with his haunting soulful voice. Manuel created such a unique sound with the blending of different genres. Their sound on record transfer’s right over to their live show, which will put you in a trance like state. The only difference is you can see and feel the passion. I’ve seen Zeal & Ardor multiple times now and Manuel has an incredibly unique look. He pulls his guitar down and his eyes raise slightly up with a sinister stare as if he’s staring right into your soul. As the show went on it started to get crazier as multiple mosh pits broke out. Then, towards the end of the night, multiple woman started their own mosh pit having a complete blast crashing into one another. The show ended with Manuel yelling “Right hand up, left hand down” as they ended on a perfect note by playing “Baphomet“.
