Arguably the most prominent art in our community is music. As my years of youth have progressed in The Battlefords, I've been pulled into the communities' music scene (despite my extreme lack of musical talent) and been shown the quality, not to mention quantity, of musicians in the area. One genre of music in the city which seems largely deprived of attention, despite its size, is the heavy metal scene.
In the past couple of years North Battleford has been fortunate enough to host a large number of metal shows, with bands born and bred locally playing alongside artists coming from as far away as Victoria. The shows are always well attended, with fans of all ages and cultures showing up. It's always interesting to see people at a folk house concert one week and a hardcore metal show the next.
The most recent metal concert in The Battlefords was held May 1. The lineup included local metal bands Kingdom of Ravens, Iron Prophets and, from Saskatoon, black metal artists Desecrate Scripture. The concert, hosted by Safira Lachapelle and Ashraf Gabriel Ogramand, was attended by 20-30 people. The metal night was the second hardcore show in town within a month, with hopefully many more to come. The genre is undoubtedly growing in The Battlefords and, with the number of fans present, the number of bands will only grow.
The man organizing all of the shows, Kingdom of Ravens guitarist Michael Martin says, "I eventually came to the conclusion that if I can set up a show every few months, that I can create a place where young people can go to have fun, and not feel pressured to drink or do drugs. Just a place where kids are safe, can get some aggression out through moshing and listen to talented bands. Some people may get the wrong idea about metal bands, but I've met some of the most calm, funny, interesting and generous people through being in a metal band, and I hope this scene grows more and more. Anyone that wants to be involved in this is free to do so. Like a band on Facebook, come to a show, buy a CD. Every little thing you do means the world to us."
Even if you aren't a fan of the music, you have to hold a high level of respect for local musicians, some of them young teenagers, who are able to hold their own concerts, playing with signed bands from all across Canada. Keep an eye out for the next show, and come view an art form hidden in your own community.
