that rely on loud guitars and a fuck-you
attitude been able to so successfully take
root in this particular place?
Talking to those involved in the scene, all
will acknowledge that there’s something
special about the relationship between
Quebec and heavy metal and punk. Few
will be able to offer theories as to why
that is.
Nick Guerin thinks he has it figured
out.
Guerin is the owner of Dungeon
Works Productions, a Montreal-based
about a province that was very controlled
by the Catholic church until the mid-
‘60s or so with the Revolution Tranquil,
which was basically separating church
and state. Elvis was banned from playing
in Quebec back in the day, so the role of
rebellion is going to be similar to places
that have always been held back. You see
that a lot in Eastern Europe, like Poland.
There’s a big metal scene there. They
share a history of repression.”
It’s an interesting train of thought,
but one that Matt Collyer doesn’t think
pertains to the popularity of the current
The Planet Smashers
promotions and booking company that
focuses on heavy metal, putting on up
to 80 shows a year with both local and
international acts. To hear him explain it,
there’s something in Quebec’s very DNA
that allows aggressive music to thrive.
“In general demographics, you
have Quebec, which sticks out like a
sore thumb when you compare it to the
States and the rest of Canada as a whole.
Quebec is obviously a French nation and
with that comes the European influence,
and metal is a lot bigger in Europe,” he
says. “If you go back to the beginnings of
the music scene in Quebec, you’re talking
40 C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N
crop of artists in those scenes.
The longtime frontman for ska-punk
act The Planet Smashers, Collyer is also
the founder of Stomp Records and orga-
nizer of Pouzza. I run a version of Guerin’s
theory by him - that French Canada, sur-
rounded as it is by Anglophone culture in
the Rest of Canada and the United States,
has developed an innate cultural chip on
its shoulder. Combined with the effects of
the Quiet Revolution of the ‘50s and ‘60s,
in which the social and political authority
of the Catholic church was largely over-
thrown, a good chunk of the province
has found itself relating to the anti-
authoritarian politics and outsider culture
of heavy music.
Collyer points out that, these days,
punk isn’t particularly punk.
“The rebellious nature of the punk
rock movement has been diluted over
the years,” he says. “The new punk rock
phase, which I actually like a lot, they’re
all clean looking, very politically correct…
Nobody wants to step on anyone’s toes.
They’re worried about offending anybody
– probably all good things these days...
I think the rebellious nature of the punk
rock movement is effectively over. It’s not
what it’s all about; it’s more about the joie
de vivre.”
Still, there’s something to the theory
of a people who historically have felt
alienated from their neighbours gravitat-
ing towards outsider music. Many bands
in the province are fronted by French-Ca-
nadians, though perhaps ironically, many
choose to sing in English, including
Voivod.
“The main root influence of Voivod
was the new wave of British heavy metal,
so it was totally natural for us to sing in
English if we wanted to become a heavy
metal band touring the world,” says Lan-
gevin. “We did our best to sing in English,
but I must say, the first couple of albums,
it was more Frenglish.”
Jonathan Cabana, the singer for
metalcore band Blind Witness, is among
those who writes lyrics in a language
that is not his native tongue. He says it’s
a conscious decision made to expand the
band’s appeal into the Rest of Canada,
Europe, and the U.S.; still, there are hold-
outs – bands who adamantly choose to
perform in French despite any negative
effects on earning potential.
“It’s a different generation. It attracts a
lot of older people to shows,” says Cabana.
“Groovy Aardvark, Grimskunk, those older
bands that are still making music, speaking
French and trying to be metal or punkish,
it’s something different. Playing with these
guys and talking to these guys, it’s a differ-
ent mentality.”
Those bands are taking the outsider
ethos of heavy music and living it. Most
punk rock might not be as inherently po-
litical as The Dead Kennedys these days,