Tag Archives: avant-garde death metal

Metal Chick of the Month – Maude Théberge

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Come dance la valse des condamnés!

As the heat is definitely on in the Northern Hemisphere, there’s nothing like icy cold blood to cool us all down, and that’s exactly what our amazing metal lady of this month of July has to offer with her undeniable talent, charisma and passion for heavy music. Not only that, July 1 is Canada Day, which means having a metal lady hailing from Canada makes things even better here on The Headbanging Moose. Owner of a powerful yet delicate voice, she’s the vocalist and keyboardist for a Montreal, Quebec-based Melodic/Symphonic Death/Gothic Metal band known as Sanguine Glacialis, as well as a growler for Growlers Choir (the world-famous choir of metal vocalists) and a voice actress and administrative assistant for La Fabrique de Monstres (or The Monster Factory). She can play the violin too, and she’s also a teacher and a model. Her name is Maude Théberge, and I’m sure that after knowing more about her life and career, you’ll get addicted to her voice, to her music, and be more than ready to dance “la valse des condamnés.”

Born and raised in the stunning Canadian city of Montreal, Maude has been a singer for more than 15 years, having already acquired two music degrees in classical piano interpretation and music teaching. Apart for being a sensational growler, she’s a soprano singer who can sing a wide variety of styles such as classical, jazz and pop, she can write and sing in French and English, and she’s also a composer and arranger who has her own studio at home, allowing her to write, compose, record ad edit her own parts, including midi instruments and orchestrations for any project with a specialty in string sections, as she’s also a pianist, keyboardist and violinist as already mentioned.

Our metal diva started started playing the piano at the age of 12 and the violin at the age of 13, continuing her studies at Cégep de St-Laurent, where she also had the opportunity to play jazz piano, classical violin and sing in a classical choir, obtaining her DEC in classical piano interpretation in 2012. Maude continued her studies at UQAM in music education (classical piano), where she still played classical violin, jazz choir, wind instruments and percussions, obtaining her Baccalaureate and her teaching certificate in 2016. Subsequently, she did a DESS in Management at UQAM and obtained her diploma in 2019. Finally, she took an acting and dubbing course in 2020 with French-Canadian director, dubbing director and acting coach Sergine Dumais.

It was in 2011 when Maude joined Sanguine Glacialis, in which she played the keyboards and did some backing vocals, taking over the reins of the band in 2016, being the only remaining member, rebuilding the project with new musicians, and becoming the lead singer of the band. Sanguine Glacialis have become her biggest project in life for over a decade already, allowing her to develop many skills such as classical and pop singing and growling as well as studio recording at home, in addition to developing managerial skills including production of albums, music videos and over 100 shows across Canada. Having already shared the state with renowned acts the likes of Dark Tranquility, Omnium Gatherum, Delain, Necronomicon, Unexpect and Anonymus, just to name a few, the band experiments with multiple musical styles, such as Jazz, Classical, folkloric music, Latin music, and so on, while keeping a very strong Melodic Death Metal accent.

Since their inception, the band has already released three full-length albums, those being Dancing with a Hanged Man, in 2012, Hadopelagic, in 2018, and Maladaptive Daydreaming, in 2023, plus the EP Pitch Black Sight, in 2016, and from those she did keyboards and backing vocals only in their debut album and their EP, becoming their frontwoman while still playing keyboards as aforementioned starting with their 2018 album. currently formed of Maude alongside Alexandre Lépine on the guitars, Marc Gervais on bass, and Jérémy Racine on drums, the band is in great shape and form, as you can see in this footage live in Quebec in 2023, and you can also enjoy all of their creations on BandCamp, on Spotify and on YouTube, including their ass-kicking official videos for the songs Kraken, Welcome, and Monsters,  and you can also click HERE for all things Sanguine Glacialis.

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Apart from her amazing years with Sanguine Glacialis, Maude has also been the vocalist for a Melodic Death Metal band from Toronto named Terminalcurse together with multi-instrumentalist Kirill Zorin (ex-Nachtmuse), having released with the project their self-titled debut EP in 2022. The EP is available on BandCamp and on Spotify, and you can also find all links and information about the duo by clicking HERE. Also, between 2017 and 2024, she was also the violinist for Montreal’s own Melodic Black/Folk Metal horde Valfreya, having recorded with them the excellent album Dawn of Reckoning, released earlier this year.

Maude can also be seen as a guest musician in distinct bands and projects; for instance, she did choir vocals for the song Dissociation, from the 2023 EP Survival Mode, by Canadian Avant-garde Death metal band Disorientation; also did vocals for the song Mordrake I – Birth, from the 2014 album Mordrake, by Canadian Symphonic/Melodic Black/Death Metal band Hollow; and recorded two albums with Canadian Symphonic Metal project Nachtmuse as their lead vocalist, backing vocalist or doing choir vocals, those being the 2022 release Solemn Songs of Nightsky & Sea, and the 2023 EP Darker Skies. Not only that, in 2018 she also released her debut album as a solo artist, titled The Simplest Expression, which is by the way an acoustic album. Furthermore, everything about Maude can be found HERE, by the way.

In March 2020, just before the COVID pandemic, Maude appeared on the show Tout le monde en parle, the biggest talk show in Quebec, to talk about the band and Le FestEvil – Quebec City Women Metal fest part 1, which was not only an important event for metal music in Quebec in 2020, but one that also provided women in metal with tons of support, with its first edition featuring the bands Your Last Wish, Valfreya, Sanguine Glacialis, Merkabah, Uriel, Within Embers and Fall Of Stasis, all amazing bands from the Quebec scene with very talented women like Maude in their lineups. Unfortunately, I don’t think the festival exists anymore, mainly due to the pandemic crushing any plans of live events anywhere in the world, but it would be amazing if we could see more festivals like that in Canada for sure, of course spearheaded by Maude and her Sanguine Glacialis.

Last but not least, Maude is also a pet lover, nurturing a deep passion for cats. In one of her interviews, she said that she had four cats, Jack (for Jack Black), Amélie (for Amélie Poulin), Vévé (because she has a V shape pattern on her forehead) and Gizmo (like the Gremlin), but unfortunately Vévé and Amélie have passed away since that, also talking a little about how she manages to take care of all of them while also continuing with her career in music, as for example saying her boyfriend or parents take care of them when she’s on tour. Also, when asked how they behave when she’s practicing at home, her answer was quite funny and curious. “All the cats, but especially the male cats, HATE my violin. They complain the whole time I’m trying to practice. I can growl all I want and they don’t care, but the violin.” Well, maybe they’re more into extreme music, right? So I believe as long as she keeps playing the awesome music by Sanguine Glacialis to them, she’ll surely keep four cats extremely happy, and of course countless happy metalheads worldwide.

Maude Théberge’s Official Facebook page
Maude Théberge’s Official Instagram
Maude Théberge’s Official YouTube channel
Sanguine Glacialis’ Official Facebook page
Sanguine Glacialis’ Official Instagram
Sanguine Glacialis’ Official YouTube channel
Sanguine Glacialis’ Official X

Concert Review – Abbath (The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, 05/12/2024)

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Despite a ridiculously small crowd, the iconic Abbath and his horde didn’t care at all about that and put on a fantastic performance in a celebration of pure Black Metal in Toronto.

OPENING ACTS: Final Gasp, Black Anvil and Imperial Triumphant

It was a very weird night at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on Sunday, when FINAL GASP, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, BLACK ANVIL and ABBATH presented their Dread Reaver North America 2024 to maybe less than 200 people (at a venue that supports close to 1,500 people), and I knew something was odd when I got to the venue and, to my total surprise, the parking lot in front of it was absolutely empty, when it’s usually full hours before any concert there. Based on what other people told me, the reasons for that very small crowd were of course Mother’s Day, the show being on a Sunday, and above all that, the fact that Abbath played the night before in Kitchener, which is only one hour from Toronto, so no one from any of the neighboring cities decided to come to Toronto as they could enjoy the same show on a much more pleasant Saturday night. It’s known that Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment tried to move the show to Lee’s Palace, but that was already booked for something else. There wasn’t even a barrier for the photographers, so Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and the others like Kim and Miles simply had to share the floor section with the crowd. It was very weird, but it is what it is, and in the end all four bands kicked ass on stage which is what really matters.

From when the doors opened at 6pm until Boston, Massachusetts-based Gothic Metal/Deathrock band FINAL GASP hit the stage, I don’t think there were even 30 people at the venue, but the band didn’t care about the low attendance and put on a great show, blasting sheer heaviness from their instruments nonstop. I have zero idea of which songs they played, but I know that their 2023 album Mourning Moon is really good, and that everyone should take a nice listen at it on BandCamp or on Spotify. It’s a real bummer that the whole night was a flop in terms of attendance because bands like Final Gasp are very entertaining live, so hopefully they’ll come back to Toronto supporting another metal giant in the coming months, and this time with a decent crowd to bang their heads together with the band.

Band members
Jake Murphy – vocals
James Forsythe – guitars
Peter Micanovic – guitars
Sean Rose – bass
Eric Lester – drums

After a short and very quiet break, New York’s own Black/Thrash Metal beast BLACK ANVIL kicked off their infernal set to a bigger but still ridiculously small crowd, and just like Final Gasp the guys from Black Anvil were extremely professional and put their hearts and souls into their performance without caring at all if there were 10 or 2,000 people in the audience. There were zero mosh pits again, which was very odd, but the show must go on, right? Anyway, their drummer R.G. is a demented beast and it’s worth every penny of the ticket price alone, and hopefully one day he’ll get the recognition he deserves for being so great behind his drums. P.D. was also infernal on vocals and bass, leading his demonic horde in great fashion and getting a very warm feedback form the crowd. Go check their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, like their 2022 album Regenesis, because their music is amazing and perfect for some vigorous headbanging.

Band members
P.D. – vocals, bass
Sos – guitars
Alex Volonino – guitars
R.G. – drums

Another short and silent break, and it was then time for the most unique attraction of the night, New York-based Avant-garde/Technical Black/Death Metal entity IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT, to blast our faces with an extremely heavy, cryptic and chaotic performance, again sounding very energetic and professional even in front of the night’s tiny crowd. Still promoting their 2022 album Spirit of Ecstasy, the trio formed of Zachary Ezrin on vocals and guitars, Steven Blanco on bass and backing vocals, and Kenny Grohowski on drums showed no mercy for our souls with a dissonant, mesmerizing and way too foggy show, stunning us all and getting us really pumped for Abbath. Steven even hit the floor section with his bass, playing in the middle of the 100 something fans at the venue, making their whole concert more intimate and gripping. Hence, if you know nothing about those mysterious creatures, don’t forget to check their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, as I’m sure you’ll have a good time listening to their eerie creations.

Band members
Zachary Ezrin – vocals, guitars
Steven Blanco – bass, backing vocals
Kenny Grohowski – drums 

ABBATH

As already mentioned, due to the Saturday gig in Kitchener, most fans who were supposed to be in Toronto on Sunday to see Bergen, Norway’s own Black Metal institution ABBATH didn’t come to Sunday’s show, but the brave ones who managed to be at the venue were treated to a very special and intimate concert by Abbath and his horde, and let me tell you that it was infernal, heavy and bold from start to finish. The whole band played all songs from their setlist to perfection, and the mix of songs from Abbath’s three solo albums, those being his self-titled debut, Outstrider, and Dread Reaver, such as To War!, Hecate, Ashes of the Damned, and my favorite of the night, Winterbane, with some Immortal and I songs like In My Kingdom Cold, Warriors, and One by One, turned the night into a true celebration of classic Black Metal. No mosh pits either, which was even more ridiculous, but there wasn’t much we could do about that.

My only complaint about their show was the excessive smoke during all songs, to the point we couldn’t see anything from Abbath’s attire or makeup. Why does he wear all that if the fans can’t see shit due to the smoke? Well, at least the music as phenomenal, which is what truly matters in the end. Speaking of Abbath, the guy was a beast onstage, showing that his rehab was more than successful and that he still has a lot of fuel to burn in the coming years or even decades for our absolute delight. It was a beyond memorable show, even for a ridiculous crowd, but I’m sure Abbath will return to Toronto soon, and next time the scheduling and logistics will be better managed so he can see what the fans in Toronto can do when he’s playing his visceral Black Metal onstage.

Setlist
To War!
Acid Haze
Dream Cull
Hecate
Ashes of the Damned
Dread Reaver
In My Kingdom Cold (Immortal cover)
Beyond the North Waves (Immortal cover)
Nebular Ravens Winter (Immortal cover)
Warriors (I cover)
Battalions (I cover)
The Artifex
One by One (Immortal cover)
Winterbane
All Shall Fall (Immortal cover)

Band members
Abbath – vocals, guitars
Ole André Farstad – lead and acoustic guitars
Andreas Salbu – bass
Ukri Suvilehto – drums

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