A full catalog of photos from the show can be found here.
A taste of the Illinois metal scene at the Brass Monkey in Ottawa Tuesday night.
Making their way across Southern Ontario on the North American leg of their tour in support of The Simulation, Born of Osiris stopped off in Ottawa at the Brass Monkey Bar & Billiards with Oceano, The Last Ten Seconds of Life, A Scar For The Wicked. Car Bomb, unfortunately, wasn’t able to make it. Our Lucy Sky was there and brings you this review and photos.
2019 Didn’t Stand A Chance Against Born of Osiris
With the release of their fifth studio album, The Simulation, early this year, a comprehensive touring schedule, an excellent and long-awaited instrumental solo release (Infinite Mind) by guitarist/composer Lee McKinney, and talk of another Osiris album release not far away, Born of Osiris showed 2019 who was boss.
The Brass Monkey, or ‘the Monkey’, as locals refer to it, is known for bringing in an eclectic mix of acts and is a hot-spot for music enthusiasts in Ottawa. The hidden treasure venue, in the basement of a strip mall, often sells out because of the scale of the acts they acquire and is never somewhere that you come out of without having shed a few pounds in sweat alone. While they’re known to bring in big-ticket acts, they also support the local music scene in a way that you don’t see many other venues do.
Chicago’s Metal Scene, A Force To Be Reckoned With
This was an early show on a Tuesday night, so, unfortunately, we were not able to make it out in time to see The Last Ten Seconds of Life or A Scar For The Wicked. Although Oceano and Born of Osiris put on a show so wild it left a longing to head to Chicago for more of a taste of what else lies inside the metal scene that both of these bands come from.
Oceano’s energy and enthusiasm fuelled the crowd up so much that in between sets more than half of the attendees noticeably stepped out for a breath of fresh air. Once Born of Osiris hit the stage, the crowd went completely mental, the vigour and vivacity of both the band and the crowd, unparalleled. For a relatively small venue in suburban Ottawa, the mosh pit was of impressive proportion.
Brotherly Love
Another overlooked attribute of this venue that is not always utilized, is the piping hanging from the unfinished ceiling, of which Born of Osiris took full advantage. The stage may be small, but these Illinois natives used every single inch of it and of course made their way out into the crowd for some surfing as well. The connection between the bandmates was unmistakable to anyone watching closely enough to notice the smiles on their faces and the comradery between the five members. Side-by-side from start to finish, you couldn’t miss the brotherly love throughout the band and it adds a special, unique spice to the live performance.
If this is a little preview of what the Illinois music scene holds for metal fans, it’s safe to say that a lot of Canadians are going to be dreaming up a trip across the Great Lakes.
Thank you to the Brass Monkey, Spectastronic, and the Born of Osiris team for having us out to this one! Big shoutouts to everyone involved in putting this together.
lucy sky press 