Phaeton has been a noticeable force in the underground Canadian progressive metal scene since their debut self-titled album in 2018. The band has amassed a dedicated following for their instrumental attention-focused listening experience. One drenched in joy and wonder and the emotional, visceral release that only prog-metal can deliver. The lack of lyrical interference only allows the listener the better opportunity to let their imaginations run wild with the music, drifting emotionally away on the solar winds to wherever they wish to soar. Their second album “Between Two Worlds” was released back in April 2023 and now they are ready to bring to a live atmosphere with their first two live shows since October 2019.
Phaeton’s first show date will be on March 29th in Fernie, BC at the Fernie Elks Hall with Vancouver’s SVNEATR and Boise ID’s WEALD & WOE along with their other live performance on April 12th as a special guest opener for the Calgary Wacken Battle Final at Dickens.
Phaeton bassist Ferdy Belland adds about their upcoming performances:
“It’s beyond exciting for us to be playing live onstage for the first time since before the pandemic. We had the Between Two Worlds album completed, mixed, mastered, and ready for release, and what do you know – that was the first week of March 2020. Great timing or what? The whole wide world shut down the following week, and we had to wait, and wait, and wait, like everybody else did. And then, when the pandemic restrictions were gradually stumbling away, and we were all frothing at the mouth to get back to the abnormal we used to know, Colin got sick. There was no frustration over that – fuck the band, that was our friend who almost died. But he pulled through and got back into fighting shape again, and then we began to think of ourselves as a band again. So we released the album and watched in curiosity as the world tried to make sense of us if they could. Quite a few did, and they really got off on Between Two Worlds, which was so very gladdening for us. The positive reviews we received made the wait worth it. So now we had to remember what it was like to be a live act again. Our last live show was at Vern’s Pub in Calgary back in October of 2019, playing with Atavistia and Syryn. We only had maybe half a dozen shows under our belt when that gig happened, since we started off as a composing and recording project; after the first album was released we immediately started receiving requests to play live, so finally we just shrugged our shoulders and said ‘okay, let’s rehearse these things. And from our first show, we were always very well-received by excitable audiences. Not that I think we’re astonishing, but that certainly propelled us to seek out more shows. And then the pandemic erupted while we were making other plans. I suppose all good things come to those who wait. Looking so forward to getting back onstage, and staying onstage for a while. See you soon!”
Event details for both events can be found below.
March 29 – Fernie, BC – Fernie Elks Hall
April 12 – Calgary, AB – Dickens
The members of Phaeton are fascinated with astronomy, and the idea of life itself, in all its beauty and wonder and majesty, emerging from an instant of catastrophic cosmic violence intrigued us conceptually. This is reflected in their dramatic music which emerges from the void in thrilling bursts and unexpected turns.
Photo by Julian Bueckert
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1. Predestination 2. Oceans of Time 3. Terra Australis 4. Monsoon 5. Refraction 6. Geomorphic 7. Magma Chamber 8. Between Two Worlds |
