A&E assive appeal

os RON GRE EE CR Ge eee Me eee ae

8 ‘In the Amelia

SE

Highway Freak

by Trent with), a fiery young seminar- _ buffoonish priest a living, ; ‘Douglas Gallery : ian, studying to become a breathing human being. é i. orgive me Father, forI priest. Van Stralen brings the — The script has a tendency i have sinned. It has right amount of passion and towards sermonizing (what i been almost three ambivalence to his character, did you expect ina play eeks since Mass Appeal and his on-stage struggles about priests?), but the real bpened, yet it was only this —_ with the duality of the strength of the play comes in riday (February 7) that I institution of the church, and _ the characterization and Chaos and Order:

as able to get to Pacific Theatre to see it. In doing so, I have committed the sin of com- iplacency towards this fine production, starring two of Pacific Theatre’s finest repertoire actors. Mass Appeal is the story of a complacent Catholic priest and an upstart young deacon assigned to his parish to “learn tact.” The elder priest is a “song and dance theologian,” witha love of attention and good wine. He performs for his audience, jumping through hoops to please them, while the young deacon’s first Sermon steps on more than a ew toes. The young deacon, a firebrand, burns people ith his words because he sees “what they could be,” but fails to love them for ho they are. Dirk Van Stralen is nwaveringly honest in his performance as Mark Dolson Deacon Dolson, he says, marvelling at the ridiculous onicker fate has stuck him

the duality of his sexuality, are painfully apt and accurate, especially for a stage situated in the base- ment of a church. Van Stralen seems comfortable in the role; a twenty something angst-ridden student, smashingly intelligent, stridently rebellious, and passionately angry. But his motives for joining the priesthood are ambiguous. I know people studying to be ministers who are a lot like this character, and the characterization rings frighteningly true.

Tim Dixon has the uphill battle, trying to bring humanity to a character who is just that; a character. Father Farley is a foil to the earnest questions of the young deacon—one part comedy, one part sermoniz- ing, add wine and stir—and it takes some effort to get past the surface caricature to find subtlety and nuance in Bill Davis’ script. Dixon pulls it off with ease, making the complacent, sometimes

direction. The play jumps from almost sitcom-esque comedy to heart-wrenching drama, sometimes in the space of one line. Such dizzying mood swings leave the audience unbalanced and disarmed—the play’s intended effect.

Like many Pacific Theatre productions, the staging is sparse, focusing the atten- tion squarely where it should be, on the actors, and the small studio space brings the audience right into the action. There’s something very appealing about a theatre where the front row marks the start of the stage, breaking down the barriers between performance and reality, and when Dixon's character steps down from the pulpit which he has placed between himself and the congregation, the act transcends the play, touch- ing on the very nature of theatre itself.

Mass Appeal runs to Feb 15. It would be a sin to miss it! .

“How long do I have to lie here and hold her before I can get up and go home...

.uls thirty seconds enough?”

Just because they say it’s safe doesn't mean sex can't be dangerous emotionally, While you're saying “I love you,” your partner may be thinking “I love it.” For a great booklet on love, sex and relationships, just call 1-800-236-9238 for your free copy. (headline quoted from the movie “When Harry Met Sally”)

Real love. Don’t settle for anything

ad

1-800-236-9238

Paid ad by Campus Crusade for Christ

less.

ick Perreault, member of Highway Freak

Ticket, and an employee of our Student Society, gave a

Opeth Morningrise

Candlelight

The term ‘progressive metal’ has become something of a joke in media circles over recent years; a disparaging oxymoron used, more often than not, to unfairly malign an entire genre of music, by the same people who really believed, deep in the core of their being, that the genre was as dead as the nails in Bon Scott's coffin; the same people who said with a straight face “Yeah man, Snoop really has something valid to say,” and “How about those Beatles...uh, I mean Oasis guys? There’s an original group with a great career ahead of them.” Aaahhh...the beauty of irony...

Well metal naysayers, the tide is indeed showing signs of turning once again. As “tha Dogefather” and his ilk begin to fade into bargain- bin obscurity following the 15 minutes of fame accorded to their debut recordings, and everyone's favourite Brits continue to lead the charge in the “alternative” musical clone-wars, a newer, hungrier breed of musician has arrived, bringing with it all of the power, intensity, and originality born of the now underground Heavy Metal scene. And yes, O adidas-clad minions, people are listening.

Leading this slavering wolfpack is Sweden’s Opeth, an alternative to the alterna- tive, a group seemingly bent upon breathing a new life and vitality into heavy music while simultaneously giving whole new meaning

g °Q fed az oe o = = Vv k= wi

tight performance Thursday night at The Gate. Congratulations to Highway Freak Ticket’s CD release; all the best Rick!

to the terms “progressive” and “metal” in the bargain. Morningrise, their soph- omore release following 1994’s masterpiece Orchid, displays a richly textured majesty and uncompromis- ing talent that is sadly remiss in much of the music of the ‘90s.

Never content to follow the trends, Opeth has comprised a work well over an hour in length, consisting of five epic tracks including ‘Advent,’ ‘The Night and the Silent Water,’ ‘Nectar,’ ‘Black Rose Immortal,’ and ‘To Bid You Farewell,’ showcasing a dazzling technical profi- ciency which com-bines obvious classical training with the extreme power of Death, or Black Metal, mixing both ‘clean’ and guttural vocal styles to create a dark, haunting ambience. Not for the impatient or closed-minded music afficianado.

Opeth could, given time and increased exposure, grow into a power to be reckoned with, along with other talented yet relatively unknown artists such as - Amorphis, Paradise Lost and Cathedral, to name but a few. Heavy Metal may have taken a kick in the pants so to speak, but it is still very much alive and breathing, and it demands to be heard. Take a chance folks, try something that’s not force- fed to you by the corporate powers at MuchMusic. You may actually like it.

by Ciaran Meeks

Cathedral Supernatural Birth Machine Earache

Perrennial merchant of doom, Cathedral returns once again, with its latest release, Supernatural Birth Machine, the highly antici- pated follow-up to 1995’s The Carnival Bizarre, and ’96’s EP Hopkins: The

Life Patterns

mixed media by Heffa.

Opening Reception, February 14 1997, 4 pm-8 pm

Artist's Talk, February 18, noon in the Gallery

Free Admission Everyone is welcome Douglas College, 4th Floor North, 700 Royal Ave, New West

RE RO

i WAR F

CD Reviews

Witchfinder General, adding yet another jewel in the crown of a band that has helped redefine and revital- ize that oft-maligned genre of music known as Heavy Metal.

Cathedral’s current lineup proves to be its most tal- ented and consistent to date, including vocalist Lee Dorrian, guitarist Garry Jennings, bassist Leo Smee, and drummer Brian Dixon, continuing to pump out some of the most brain- jarring Sabbath-inspired heaviness this side of Lucifer’s Listening Booth!

Unlike many of their fellow Brits, who shall remain nameless (did ° someone say Blur by any chance?), Cathedral spits in the face of the current trend towards pop-laced drivel that continues to wash up unmercifully upon North American shores, preferring instead to inject near lethal doses of (God forbid!) power and energy into their music, combining the most doom- laden of guitar-riffs with ‘70s flavoured camp.

Personal faves include ethereal opener ‘Cybertron 71/Eternal Countdown’ which immediately blasts into the adrenalized menace of ‘Urko’s Conquest,’ an ode to everyone’s favourite simian villain of Planet of the Apes fame. ‘Fireball Demon’ is a surprisingly catchy number without compromis- ing the “crunch-factor” so vital to this type of music, and ‘Birth Machine 2000’ and ‘Dragon Ryder 13’ demonstrate Cathedral in classic form, creating that epic Sab-throb that would cause even the mighty Iommi to prick up his ears and nod in grim approval.

All in all a fine effort, which comes as no surprise to one who has faithfully followed the lads’ career from the beginning. Tankards of Guinness all around! And as Dorrian himself would proudly exclaim: “Doom On!”

by Ciaran Meeks

The Other Press February 101997 9