This past week, Portland’s own Red Fang played Victoria for the first time, accompanied by Vancouver heavy metal bands Bison and Black Wizard.
I’ve been a huge fan of Red Fang ever since I saw the band gear up as beer-can armoured knights for their “Prehistoric Dog” music video 5 years ago. They have, undisputed, the best low budget videos. Check out “Wires” if you don’t believe me. I was super excited to find out that Blueprint Promotions had booked them for a Victoria show.
Musically, Red Fang isn’t the high piercing guitar solo and guttural vocals one might think of when they hear the words “heavy metal.” Their sound is slow, low, and undeniably heavy, and it unanimously blew the crowd at Distrikt away.
Both Bison and Black Wizard did a hell of a job getting the crowd into the mix; it really didn’t take long to get a pit going. I went in having never heard of Black Wizard, and left the venue a fan. They have an absolutely massive sound.
Bison, who have been around for the better part of a decade, are absolute riff-machines, with hard-hitting stoner metal from start to finish. If you haven’t had a chance to catch them live, you’re missing out.
