After annihilating stages across Hamilton, Ottawa, and Montreal, Toronto heavy metalers Black Absinthe arrived on home soil for the final night of their regional tour to promote their new single “On Earth or In Hell” and upcoming album.
Queen St West’s Bovine Sex Club would be the backdrop for the November 11th evening, providing what Black Absinthe vocalist and guitarist Jack Cerre describes as, “the ultimate party bar that ticks all the boxes to be able to go f***in’ nuts.”
Opening sets from Barrie’s sleazy heavy metal band Loöse and Hamilton’s stoner/sludge band Twin Banshee paved the way for Black Absinthe to unleash their rain of heavy metal hellfire upon the unwavering crowd.
By 12:30am, the three-piece emerged from the tightly packed crowd to climb the steps and assume their positions. Swathed in red stage lights, studded vests, flared pants, faux fur and dark eye makeup, Black Absinthe was instantly striking.
“I need a little Jim Morrison reverb on the mic please,” was the only form of introduction from Cerre before a full-forced eruption into their anthemic, riff-driven set with an unreleased track, “Sweet Serenity”. With moments for each member and instrument to shine, it made for the ideal opener and previewed the distinguished stage presence and charm that would carry the entire performance.
One of the set’s many highlights was the almost comedic and animalistic intensity of bassist Kyle Scarlett. His eyes maintained a theatrically widened glare from beneath their thick rim of smudgy black makeup which continued down to his arms and torso.
Drummer Fernando Villalobos kept a thundering pace with his bare feet, often offering impressive deep growls in tandem with Cerre’s highs and even singing lead vocals at times.
Vocalist and guitarist Jack Cerre is a force. From behind his matte black guitar, Cerre led the charge with equal parts skill and charisma as he effortlessly switched between both clean singing and screams; summoning even more vocal flourish than their recordings.
With the performance of their latest single, “On Earth or In Hell,” the trio harnessed the same ferocious energy seen in their new music video for the track, shot and directed by Toronto cinematographer Michael Jari Davidson. Audience members were impressed to see the music video playing across each of the bar televisions during the live rendition.
Encircling the corner stage rails were the flashes of eagre photographers and a swirling sea of hair belonging to loyal front-row headbangers. The crowd kept the entertainers entertained with their nearly constant stage diving and a level of crowd engagement rarely seen at 19+ bar shows. Routine surfers fearlessly risked life and limb to keep the party going and turn the stage into a diving board.
After ending their set at 1:30am, it was clear that Black Absinthe still had the crowd in the palm of their hands, and starving for more. Chants of “ONE MORE SONG” rose from the crowd and were sated by a cover of System of a Down’s “Sugar”. The band met both the vocal and instrumental challenges of the song with ease, coated in all the beloved theatrics of the original.
Black Absinthe managed to strike the ideal heavy metal balance of keen intensity while also not taking themselves too seriously. The fun they were evidently having was infectious to the audience, such as their ominous and comical song intros like “Sometimes you have to do things the hard way,” and “Each and every one of us has this, and it’s not nipples; it’s twisted pasts.”
Equally impressive was the reaction to the many unreleased songs within the set which were met with just as much enthusiasm as their better-known tracks. “We’ve been lucky to workshop the new songs live,” shared Cerre, “It changes their perception of the album to hear the songs live first.” Scarlette revealed plans for the upcoming album coming in early 2024, describing the project as “the biggest, baddest, loudest version of the band.”
Check out Black Absinthe’s website blackabsinthe.com and their Instagram @blackabsintheto to stay up to date on the album release and future show dates.
Header photo courtesy of Michael Jari Davidson
