With Divide and Dissolve

By: Sun Noor

Right off the heels of her masterful seventh LP, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She, Chelsea Wolfe made her long-awaited return to Montreal on Saturday March 16th. This time delivering a loud, eerie, and emotive set to a a sold-out crowd. A different vibe compared to her previous American Darkness Acoustic Tour in 2019.

Australian doom metal duo, Divide and Dissolve, which is comprised of guitarist and saxophonist Takiaya Reed and Sylvie Nehill on percussion. The pair, whose ethos as a band revolves around viewing music as a tool for liberation, decolonization and resistance, managed to grab the attention of the packed audience within the first note. The band’s set was nothing short of cathartic through their heavy instrumental tunes with harsh textures.

The dark atmosphere set the tone for Chelsea Wolfe’s captivating performance. The energy in the room quickly shifted as the band slowly appeared on stage, commencing with the industrial-tinged “Whispers in the Echo Chamber.” Wolfe took center stage, clenching the mic stand under minimal lighting, performing an emotive rendition of She Reaches Out’s opening track. Wolfe’s impressive set design encapsulates the record’s contrasting ambiance with the lighting slowly alternating between deep blue hues and fiery reds.

Naturally, the setlist leans heavily towards the new record, with the first half of the show capturing its dark and haunting aura, from the visceral “Tunnel Lights” to the deeply moving “House Of Self-Undoing.” In between the new tracks, Wolfe dusted off a handful of fan favourites including the genre-defying “16 Psyche” and “Feral Love.” The shift between the warm ballads and harrowing, experimental numbers off her catalogue created a pleasant contrast. Some of the more notable moments from the show included “Eyes Like Nightshade,” a the harrowing, trip-hop influenced number. Wolfe also closed out the night with a mini intimate acoustic set, performing “The Liminal,” solo to an attentive crowd.

Setlist

1. “Whispers in the Echo Chamber”
2. “Everything Turns Blue”
3. “House of Self‐Undoing”
4. “Tunnel Lights”
5. “16 Psyche”
6. “The Culling”
7. “Feral Love”
8. “House of Metal”
9. “Survive”
10. “Salt”
11. “Unseen World”
12. “Eyes Like Nightshade”
13. “Place in the Sun”
14. “Dusk”
15. “They’ll Clap When You’re Gone”
16. “Flatlands”
17. “The liminal” (acoustic)

Chelsea Wolfe’s North American tour continues throughout March with the final date taking place in Los Angeles. The European run kicks off in April.