American metal acts Volumes and the Contortionist stopped by Montreal’s Underworld for on their “The Canadian Rehabilitation Tour” on may 24^th. Montreal local act Pandora’s Wake set the stage for two of contemporary metal’s most cutting-edge groups, who both provided unparalleled heaviness.

Montreal act Pandora’s Wake warmed up the crowd hastily with A New Chemistry, battering the audience with blistering riff after riff, answered alacritously with pummelling breakdowns. The young group’s fresh take on Metalcore visibly pleased the agitated crowd, as Pandora’s Wake welcomed Daniel Lafontaine (ex-Truth Behold) for guest vocals on Impact. The show saw the act feature their new bassist Frederick Dranglehart, who along with the rest of the group played an impressively tight set. The up-and-coming metalcore players set the tone for a dynamic and untiring concert.

Second to last act The Contortionist pleased eager listeners with their unique blend of djent-infused deathcore with spacey post-rock. The group focused predominantly on the technical nature of their songs over stage presence. The Indianapolis natives produced an unexpected encore with the rarely heard Primal Directive, to the crowd’s excitement. The Contortionist succeeded in immobilizing a crowd of aggressive teenagers throughout their post-metal moments, but stirred a vigorous crowd into moshing during heavy riffs.

Headliners Volumes wasted no time before having all of Underworld jumping and moshing to their groovy, yet ultimately heavy take on Metalcore. The djent giants opened with Limitless, off their recent release, Via. With dual vocalists (echoes of Montreal death metal heroes Despised Icon certainly ring true), Volumes exceled in stage presence, creating a spirited and vivacious atmosphere. The sweaty and heated Underworld crowd reciprocatedVolumes’ energy, as they moved on to Wormholes. The Southern California band regrettably played no encore, leaving fans without having heard crowd favourite Through the Trees. Fans of today’s metal scene should do themselves a favour and catch Volumes upon their return.