My show review
(Translated by me and Michel Renaud)

I attended the Hanker Electric Grave show at the Bar Orsainville on April 21, 2000 and here are my impressions.

The show began with the performance of Electric Grave, a quartet heavy metal band that has been together for approximately 6 months, but all members have several years of experience. The group played for one hour some great heavy metal classics, especially of the eighties (and I will not complain). We heard Restless & Wild by Accept, Metal God by Judas Priest, Cat Scratch Fever by Ted Nugent, Be Quick Of Be Dead by Iron Maiden, Welcome Princess Of Hell by Mercyful Fate, Accident Of Birth by Bruce Dickinson and several Black Sabbath songs, like Zero The Hero, Children Of The Grave and War Pigs. The band's performance was very appreciated, it was good to hear true pure heavy metal without ostentation! The band finished the set with their only composition, Demon's Seed, an excellent D-tuned song, very heavy. Excellent band that plays some excellent music, well done guys!

Hanker's show starts with a little delay (as it happens frequently in this kind of place...) The band arrives and bombards us blow on blow with two fast songs of the album In Our World: I'd Like To Know and Bloodbath In Heaven. A small moment to take our breath and Pascal announces the next song, the classic You Won't Live Eternally followed with another great classic of the band, Disturbing The Brain.

Hanker is in top shape, the guys trash about and are giving their 100%. The show goes on with a first impression of the highly anticipated new album, Snakes And Ladders, the excellent high-speed Ad Patres followed by The Pardoner. The songs are carried out to perfection! I know it, I had almost the nose stuck to Patrick's guitar! The band continues with Pay No More and Holy Screen before returning to the new album with Seven, Confidence Man, On the Verge Of Tears and The Eternal Struggle. We can easily notice that the new songs are really pure and hard Hanker! It is obvious that an enormous effort was devoted to the new stuff. The Eternal Struggle's solo is the proof, what a beautiful harmony! Also, the new songs are very charged on the drum and Luc played them to perfection! The new songs are really excellent!

The shows continues with a drums solo of Luc and here is the intro of The Age Of The Quick Fix. The last song is once again a new one from Snakes And Ladders: Hail To You.

The crowd want more and Hanker returns to interpret us their always excellent This Could Be Heaven. Denis plays the excellent solo to perfection.

The band gives only one encore due to the delay. It's my only negative criticism concerning the show. I know that it's not Hanker's fault, but I can't take it anymore (and I'm not the only one) that a show is announced for a specific hour and starts much later. The reason is well-known: to make fans drink more... but that doesn't work with me!

Beside that, everything was perfect! Hanker delivered a great performance with a lot of energy. And with seven songs played on the new album, I can certify to you that this album passes superbly well in a live show and that Hanker has reached a new musical level of complexity without sacrificing the most important... the song!

Hail to Hanker!

Show playlist:

I'd Like To Know, Bloodbath In Heaven, You Won't Live Eternally,
Disturbing The Brain, Ad Patres, The Pardoner, Pay No More, Holy Screen,
Seven, Confidence Man, On The Verge Of Tears, The Eternal Struggle,
drum solo, The Age Of The Quick Fix, Hail To You
Encore: This Could Be Heaven

Pierre Bégin