Album Review – Crown of Madness / Memories Fragmented (2025)

An up-and-coming duo from Canada attacks with their first album, unique in the style of Dissonant Death Metal, sounding and feeling deeply personal and palpably emotive.

Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada-based Dissonant Death Metal duo Crown of Madness has put out a slew of short-form releases, improving upon their sound with each one and culminating in their first full-length opus that sees the most evolved version of their music so far, entitled Memories Fragmented. Displaying an apocalyptic artwork by Erskine Designs, the new album by Sunshine Schneider on vocals, guitars and bass, and Connor Gordon on drums happens to be unique in the style of Dissonant Death Metal, sounding and feeling deeply personal and palpably emotive, and that poignant, introspective mood pervades their entire album, being therefore highly recommended for fans of Ulcerate, Devenial Verdict, Dysgnostic, and Gorguts, among others.

The beyond cryptic, devilish intro Visions From A Past Life will penetrate deep inside our psyche before the duo crushes our souls in Sovereign Blood, with Sunshine sounding amazing with her harsh vociferations and dissonant riffs, supported by the demolishing drums by Connor; and the same Connor continues to show his undeniable dexterity in Burdened, offering Sunshine exactly what she needs to shine with her she-demon gnarls. Ashes of Mine is another classy, visceral fusion of Death Metal with Dissonant, Experimental and Avantgarde Death Metal, perfect for some mosh pit action; and Sunshine and Connor sound even more in sync in When I Don’t Remember You, darkening the skies to their gripping riffs and blast beats.

The second half of the album begins in full force with Deafening, bringing forward two and a half minutes of top-of-the-line Dissonant Death Metal, inspiring the duo to sound even more demented in Sea of Fangs, in special Sunshine with her deep, venomous roars. Dreamless Nights No Longer brings to our avid ears an avalanche of Stygian, dissonant sounds by Sunshine and Connor that will invade our deepest thoughts, sounding ruthless form start to finish, and they keep blasting our senses with another cryptic tune entitled Hollow Thresher, which could have been slightly heavier or more dynamic, though. And lastly, we’re treated to The Grand Design, presenting more of their amalgamation of dark, doomed styles with pure insanity.

In a nutshell, Memories Fragmented is a beautifully tempered album underpinned by unforgettable melodies, an ambitious release but one completely devoid of pretence, which is bound to be regarded as one of the standout albums in the style in the years to come. Having said that, don’t forget to go check what the duo is up to on Facebook and on Instagram, to stream their music on Spotify, and of course to purchase a copy of such an incendiary album from the duo’s own BandCamp page, as well as from the Transcending Obscurity Records’ BandCamp, main store, EU store, or US store. This is first-class, unparalleled Death Metal made in Canada by a beyond talented duo, and I bet you’ll fall in love with them once you let the music found in their newborn spawn be the soundtrack to your own fragmented memories.

Best moments of the album: Sovereign Blood, When I Don’t Remember You and Dreamless Nights No Longer.

Worst moments of the album: Hollow Thresher.

Released in 2025 Transcending Obscurity Records

Track listing
1. Visions From A Past Life 2:30
2. Sovereign Blood 3:43
3. Burdened 3:06
4. Ashes of Mine 4:46
5. When I Don’t Remember You 4:32
6. Deafening 2:30
7. Sea of Fangs 3:52
8. Dreamless Nights No Longer 3:53
9. Hollow Thresher 2:56
10. The Grand Design 4:13

Band members
Sunshine Schneider – vocals, guitars, bass
Connor Gordon – drums

Album Review – Torrefy / Necronomisongs (2024)

This Canadian horde is offering us all the Songs of the Dead in their new opus, a fusion of ripping Thrash Metal and abrasive Black Metal.

Formed in 2011 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, the unrelenting Blackened Thrash Metal horde known as Torrefy has just unleashed upon humanity their fourth full-length beast, titled Necronomisongs, following up on their 2020 album Life Is Bad. Recorded by Torrefy and Cody Baresich at Circle A Studios, mixed by Cody Baresich, mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, and displaying a cadaverous artwork by Blackstory, the new album by John Ferguson on vocals, Adam Henry and Ben Gerencser on the guitars, Simon Smith on bass, and Daniel Laughy on drums brings to our avid ears ripping Thrash Metal and abrasive Black Metal as its prime elements, yet the band’s self-described unorthodox approach to composition has paid big dividends, as the album slashes, burns, and genre-bends with unhinged ferocity, all without sacrificing an ounce of memorability.

Of Wind and Worm offers a ruthless attack from the very first second, with a demonic roar by John already welcoming everyone to the band’s thrashing extravaganza while the wicked solos by Adam bring an extra dosage of fury to their sound. Adam and Ben put the pedal to the metal in Street Reaper, with the support of the rumbling bass and drums by Simon and Daniel, respectively, resulting in a sulfurous display of Thrash Metal by the band, followed by Corpseback Rider, portraying a beautiful name for a heavy and grim creation by Torrefy, with the deep gnarls by John sounding inhumane. And Arachnomancer starts in an eerie way, kinda jazzy to the low-tuned bass by Simon, exploding into a Skeletonwitch-like sound to the massive, venomous beats by Daniel.

Back to a more infernal sonority, the band will crush our damned souls to pieces in Enslaved New World, a true Blackened Thrash Metal beast where John’s demented vociferations are nicely supported by the riff, bass and drum hurricane crafted by his bandmates, whereas Nature Vs Torture is another song with a very peculiar name surpassing the six-minute mark, with the strident and piercing riffs by Adam and Ben sounding absolutely thrashy and vile. Those guys certainly know how to name their songs in a fun way, which is the case with Apex Shredatorr, and the song’s epic, somber intro once again evolves into a metallic party by the band, showcasing their love for the riff and sheer violence. And last but not least, the band ventures through more melodic lands in Total Perspective Vortex without forgetting their usual rage and heaviness, and the final result is perfect for some action inside the pit with Daniel dictating the pace with his intricate beats and fills.

You can join the dark side of Thrash Metal by listening to Necronomisongs in full on YouTube and on Spotify, by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram to stay updated with all of their news and tour dates, and of course, by purchasing their sulfurous new opus from their own BandCamp page, from the Witches Brew webstore, or by clicking HERE. The Necronomicon might be the Book of the Dead, but let’s say Torrefy are bringing to our putrid ears the Songs of the Dead with their caustic new album, and you better be ready because once you start listening to it, you’ll begin your one-way descent into the underworld.

Best moments of the album: Of Wind and Worm, Enslaved New World and Total Perspective Vortex.

Worst moments of the album: Arachnomancer.

Released in 2024 Witches Brew

Track listing
1. Of Wind and Worm 5:34
2. Street Reaper 4:18
3. Corpseback Rider 4:38
4. Arachnomancer 5:49
5. Enslaved New World 5:48
6. Nature Vs Torture 6:20
7. Apex Shredatorr 6:06
8. Total Perspective Vortex 6:25

Band members
John Ferguson – vocals
Adam Henry – lead guitar
Ben Gerencser – rhythm guitar
Simon Smith – bass
Daniel Laughy – drums

Concert Review – Hyperia (Rivoli, Toronto, ON, 07/07/2024)

A fantastic heat wave of Canadian underground metal hit the city of Toronto this Sunday night with three of the most must-see bands of the current scene.

OPENING ACTS: Invicta and Thunderor

The heat is on in Toronto, and together with it comes an overdose of the Canadian underground like what happened last night at Rivoli when TUNDEROR, INVICTA and HYPERIA kicked off Hyperia’s sensational Constricting Canada/Europe Tour 2024, and I believe it’s the first time ever this thrilling band from Vancouver, British Columbia is touring not only Eastern Canada, but also venturing through European lands. Needless to say, Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to celebrate the music and professional growth of Hyperia, proving Canadian metal is alive and kicking, with band’s like Hyperia, Invicta and Thunderor being more than ready to take over the world.

I must confess it was a little late for the doors at Rivoli to open, only at 8:30pm on a Sunday, but nobody seemed to care about that late start, and a little after 9pm Kitchener, Ontario-based Melodic Death/Thrash Metal outfit INVICTA kicked off the metallic ceremony with a fast-paced, heavy-as-hell performance, inviting all concert goers for some vigorous headbanging. The band spearheaded by the talented vocalist and guitarist Kyle Edissi, who also plays the guitar for Heathen on their live shows, delivered the goods, playing songs from their two album Halls of Extinction and Triumph and Torment (both available on BandCamp and on Spotify, by the way) for the delight of the small but excited crowd that attended the show. Those guys should definitely be opening for renowned acts like At The Gates, Sylosis, Arch Enemy and so on during their future tours in Canada, and I’m sure once more people get exposed to Invicta’s first-class heavy music, they will go places.

Band members
Kyle Edissi – vocals, guitars
Jonah Kay – guitars, backing vocals
Steven Rowlands – bass, backing vocals
Reef Hassanien – drums, percussion

The show must go on, and after a short break where everyone could enjoy good quality beer for a very decent price (which doesn’t happen very often at concerts, as you might know), Toronto’s own Heavy Metal trio THUNDEROR began their melodic and incendiary concert based on their 2022 debut Fire It Up, available on BandCamp and on Spotify, including Fire It Up, Dangerous Times, Thunderor and On the Run, putting everyone to dance and have a very good time in the name of Rock N’ Roll. Guitarist Johnny Nesta and bassist Brycen Gunn were obviously amazing, but it was the band’s mastermind JJ Tartaglia (of bands like Skull Fist and Final Trigger) who truly impressed me the most. How can he sing and play drums at the same time, and sound so good in both? He has indeed become a staple of the Canadian underground scene, and if you have a chance to see him playing live, please go for it, because he’s a great person and a superb musician that deserves all our recognition.

Band members
JJ Tartaglia – vocals, drums, keyboards
Johnny Nesta – guitars
Brycen Gunn – bass

HYPERIA

I’ve been a fan of Melodic Thrash/Death Metal machine HYPERIA since day one, having already reviewed all of their albums, those being Insanitorium (2020), Silhouettes of Horror (2022) and The Serpent’s Cycle (2023), but I honestly had no idea if I would ever be able to see them live as touring from one coast of Canada to the other is extremely pricey these days. Well, to my total surprise and sheer happiness, yesterday I had a fantastic time witnessing frontwoman Marlee Ryley, guitarists Colin Ryley and Skyler Mills, bassist Jon Power, and drummer Aaron Bell kicking some serious ass on stage in preparation for their more-than-deserved debut European tour starting on July 14 at Masters of rock in the Czech Republic. It was wild, intense, and above all that, as metal as it could be, putting a huge smile on everyone who was brave enough to stay at the venue until (very) late on a Sunday night, completely ignoring the fact the next day would be an always boring Monday.

Most of their setlist was based on their newest album The Serpent’s Cycle, with songs like The Serpent’s Cycle, Trapped in Time and my favorite of the night, Automatic Thrash Machine, sounding killer live, and the band was so relaxed and having a good time that Marlee herself went down to the floor/pit to have a good time with the fans more than once, with Jon also joining the crowd during the last song of their set, the excellent Pleonexia, and that translated into a very warm and vibrant reaction form the crowd. All of their wicked creations are available on BandCamp and on Spotify, and if you’re in Europe and have a chance to catch Hyperia live in the coming weeks, don’t miss the chance to see one of the coolest names of the current Canadian scene. I would love to see them on July 21 at the famous Carts & Horses, the birthplace of Iron Maiden, because they definitely deserve to reach new heights with their undisputed thrash, and hopefully when they return from Europe I’ll have another chance to see them here in Toronto in a not-so-distant future.

Band members
Marlee Ryley – vocals
Colin Ryley – guitars
Skyler Mills – guitars
Jon Power – bass
Aaron Bell – drums

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Album Review – Atavistia / Inane Ducam EP (2024)

One of the most interesting names of the Vancouver, Canada scene is back with an amazing new EP, an album of the band’s most extreme influences and their darkest release yet.

Exploring various forms of metal within their music, resulting in a symphonic mix of nature, atmosphere, and technically precise musicianship, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based Melodic/Symphonic Death Metal act Atavistia is ready to unleash a brand new EP titled Inane Ducam, which translates as “I will lead into nothingness”, and sometimes you’ll even find the album labeled as Inane Ducam (I Will Lead Into Nothingness), an album of the band’s most extreme influences and their darkest release yet. Produced and engineered by Mattias Sippola and Max Sepulveda, recorded at Atavistic Studios, mixed by Mattias Sippola, and mastered at Fascination Street Studios, the album includes some of the most complex guitar riffs, fastest drums, and bellowing screams by vocalist and guitarist Mattias Sippola, newcomers Elia Baghbaniyan on the guitars and Spencer Budworth on bass, and drummer Max Sepulveda, perfectly depicting the diversity of Atavistia much like a forest in the full bloom of spring.

The title-track Inane Ducam is an atmospheric, cryptic intro that kicks things off by setting the stage for the band to darken the skies in Timeless Despair, an explosive Melodic Death Metal aria bursting with epicness thanks to all symphonic elements in the background, while Max hammers his drums in the name of extreme music, perfectly supporting Mattias’ devilish vocals. Then we have Dark Isolation, sounding even more imposing and bold, a multi-layered composition showcasing the caustic riffs by Mattias and Elia while Spencer keeps the ambience as heavy and it can be with his bass lines. Unattained Creation is another wicked creation by the band where the austere, harsh roars by Mattias match perfectly with the rumbling bass and drums by Spencer and Max, respectively, flowing into the closing song of the EP, titled The Void, which is also the most detailed grim and infernal of all tracks, with Mattias leading his horde with his hellish growls while Max keeps blasting his drums like a demented beast, resulting in over seven minutes of first-class metal music that put a beyond climatic ending to the album.

If you want to know more about Atavistia, their music, tour dates and so on, you can start following and supporting one of the most interesting names of the current Canadian metal scene on Facebook and on Instagram, stream their creations on YouTube and on Spotify, and of course purchase a copy of the excellent Inane Ducam from their own BandCamp page or by clicking HERE. Atavistia keep exploring new lands in Inane Ducam while always remaining loyal to their origins, and that translates into some amazing heavy music that I’m sure you’ll enjoy a lot as soon as you take your very first listen to their new release, undoubtedly one of the best EP’s of 2024 so far.

Best moments of the album: Dark Isolation and The Void.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Independent

Track listing
1. Inane Ducam 1:41
2. Timeless Despair 3:55
3. Dark Isolation 5:23
4. Unattained Creation 5:17
5. The Void 7:06

Band members
Mattias Sippola – vocals, guitars
Elia Baghbaniyan – guitars
Spencer Budworth – bass, backing vocals
Max Sepulveda – drums

Concert Review – Archspire (The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, 06/08/2024)

A night of horror, brutality, circle pits, walls of death, fun games like Twister and the “shoey”, and a lot more in Toronto, courtesy of the fastest and most technical brigade in the history of Canada.

OPENING ACTS: Alluvial, Carcosa and Aborted

It was a beyond wild and fun night at The Phoenix Concert Theatre this Saturday when ALLUVIAL, CARCOSA, ABORTED and ARCHSPIRE took the city of Toronto by storm with their fulminating Everything’s F#*!@d Tour 2024, another extremely successful event brought to the city by the one and only Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment, and I say wild and fun because that’s exactly what the four bands offered to us all, blasting our heads with their sick, infernal music, while at the same time demanding nonstop action inside the circle pit. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were patiently awaiting for this concert as we love the music of all four bands, and I must say I couldn’t be happier with everything we got during the event’s four hours of brutal, thrilling and captivating heavy music. Not even the (brutally) bad traffic to get to Toronto made me less excited about the show, and if you know how horrible traffic has been to get to and back from the city lately, especially when there’s rain involved, you know the show was fantastic to the point you don’t even remember the problems to get there, right?

The first band to hit the stage precisely at 7:30pm was Atlanta, Georgia’s Deathcore/Djent outfit ALLUVIAL, who have recently released a great new EP titled Death Is but a Door, the follow-up to their 2021 album Sarcoma. Let’s say their setlist was a mix of those two albums, and although I have no idea of the names of all songs I’m pretty sure they played Bog Dweller and Fogbelt, two songs perfect to ignite some intense mosh pits with whoever was already at the floor section (instead of stuck in a huge line at the way too hot merch area). Their frontman Kevin Muller was a beast during their whole set, and after that fans had a chance to meet him and the other guys at their merch table, which was a very nice touch by the band to create a stronger connection with their fanbase. If you want to know more about Alluvial, go check their BandCamp and Spotify for all of their music, and don’t miss the chance to see them live as they’re insane onstage.

Band members
Kevin Muller – vocals
Wes Hauch – guitars
Tim Walker – bass
Zach Dean – drums

As I wanted so bad an Archspire “Stay Tech” pin plus a patch, I was stupid enough to face the sauna-like merch line right after Alluvial and had to miss the beginning of the concert by Vancouver, British Columbia-based Deathcore/Djent act CARCOSA, but that was OK as I still had plenty to enjoy from their infernal setlist as all bands had a lot of playing time, including the openers. Still promoting their 2021 album Anthology, the band formed of Johnny Ciardullo, Andrew Baena, Cooper Lagace, Laptop and Travis Regnier crushed the souls of everyone at the already packed venue with their heavy-as-hell music and intense energy onstage, and you know how good a band is when a renowned musician like Aborted’s Sven De Caluwé sports a Carcosa shirt during their set. Hence, don’t forget to buy and stream Carcosa’s music on BandCamp and on Spotify, because those Canadian dudes are freakin’ awesome.

Band members
Johnny Ciardullo – vocals
Andrew Baena – guitar
Cooper Lagace – guitar
Laptop – bass
Travis Regnier – drums

After another short and sweet break, Belgium’s own Death Metal/Grindcore masters ABORTED opened up their Vault of Horrors and kicked off one of the most pulverizing, demented and frantic concerts of the past few years in Toronto. It was absolute chaos and madness thanks to guitarist Ian Jekelis, bassist Stefano Franceschini, drummer Ken Bedene, and of course, one of the most demented frontmen of all time, the unparalleled beast Sven De Caluwé. That man was on fire throughout their entire set, hitting his head with his hands, jumping up and down nonstop, making crazy faces, pretending to be firing a machine gun when Ken was blasting his drums manically, and so on, which translated into an overdose of violence, gore and mosh pits to the delight of all fans of the band in the city.

The opener Retrogore was beyond pulverizing to say the least, followed by an avalanche of old school Aborted and new songs from their bestial 2024 album Vault of Horrors (available on BandCamp and on Spotify, by the way), including the fantastic Dreadbringer, Brotherhood of Sleep, and Death Cult. By the way, I told my friend who’s not very familiar with Aborted that someone was going to die during Death Cult so heavy and insane it is, and that almost happened as one guy stayed on the ground for a while to the point several fans inside the pit asked the band to stop playing to check if he was OK. The guy was apparently fine, but I have no idea if he had any sort of concussion that would manifest during the next few days. As I said, Death Cult almost resulted in a real death inside the pit. There was still time for more brutal action with the demolishing tunes Insect Politics, Threading on Vermillion Deception and The Saw and the Carnage Done, leaving everyone in awe and more than ready for more Aborted and their world renowned walls of death in Toronto in the near future.

Setlist
Retrogore
Bathos
Dreadbringer
Condemned to Rot
Brotherhood of Sleep
Death Cult
Insect Politics
Threading on Vermillion Deception
The Saw and the Carnage Done

Band members
Sven De Caluwé – vocals
Ian Jekelis – guitar
Stefano Franceschini – bass
Ken Bedene – drums

ARCHSPIRE

After seeing Vancouver, British Columbia’s own Extreme Technical Death Metal brigade ARCHSPIRE kicking some serious ass live in Sydney, Australia last year, I was beyond eager to witness what they could do in Toronto, and this Saturday night they proved why they’re one of the must-see names of the extreme music scene worldwide with their ruthless aggression, undisputed technique, and a really nice sense of humor. Just to give you an example of all that together, when a concert starts with a narration saying things like “after the invention of the horse” you know it’s going to be brutal and fun. Just the idea of someone “inventing” the horse is already a good joke to kick things off.

And as soon as the unstoppable Oliver Rae Aleron on vocals, Dean Lamb and Tobi Morelli on the guitars, Jared Smith on bass and Spencer Prewett on drums began their beyond fast, pulverizing and insane concert, it was total madness inside the pit until the very last second. Their last record to date might still be the 2021 opus Bleed the Future, but honestly all songs from that album and from Relentless Mutation (which are the only two albums they currently play in their concerts, “ignoring” for some unknown reason the also great The Lucid Collective, from 2014, and All Shall Align, from 2011) sounded killer live, and you can enjoy both in full on BandCamp and on Spotify, by the way. They kicked off the show with the inhumane Bleed the Future to give all concert goers an idea of what their Extreme Technical Death Metal means, and continued their feast of technical insanity with already classic songs like Acrid Canon, Remote Tumour Seeker and Golden Mouth of Ruin, all played to perfection and at the speed of light (or maybe even faster than that).

An Archspire concert is not complete without some good jokes, and the band didn’t’ disappoint at all with a selection of nonsense that added a very nice touch to their already flawless concert. We got the Twister game inside the pit which ended with an infernal wall of death, a sweet tradition already in their concerts, and the also sick “shoey”, which is something Oliver said they learned in Australia. If you don’t know what that is, it’s simply drinking beer from your own shoe as fast as you can, with the winner getting a custom shirt made by the band. The Toronto one had something written about the Maple Leafs that I honestly didn’t get, but it was really cool and the guy who won it put it on right away, as he was really excited of being onstage with the band. And what to say about their introduction to all bands from this tour, saying Aborted only accepted their invitation to play with them (because they needed a big band to seel tickets, as they couldn’t do it by themselves) after they sucked their dicks? This one might sound childish for some people, but it was a good one as well.

Perhaps the most absurd and hilarious moment of the show was when Oliver explained why they had two Christmas trees onstage. Yes, that was their stage stuff, really weird, right? It all made sense when Oliver said that they got some “lab results” and their guitarist Tobi was “not gonna make it to next Christmas”, so they decided to celebrate Christmas with him during this tour. Yes, Christmas IN THE MIDDLE OF JUNE, and they even brough to stage what they called “Summer Santa” to throw picks to the crowd and give Tobi a dildo to complete his guitar, because according to Oliver that was the same guitar he got from his mom when he was a kid living with his poor Italian family, all in the same room. That was mental, but what was even more mental was the ending of the show with the infuriated, fast-as-a-shark song Involuntary Doppelgänger, and my favorite of all, Drone Corpse Aviator. I have no idea how Oliver can sing so fast like that, nor how Spencer can sound like a stone crusher without making too much effort behind his drums, nor how the other guys manage to play their guitars and bass at an insane speed without making any errors, but I know for sure that Archspire are by far one of the coolest bands of the entire Canadian scene, and I can’t wait to see them live again in the near future. And until then, we must all… STAY TECH!

Setlist
Bleed the Future
Abandon the Linear
Reverie on the Onyx
Acrid Canon
Remote Tumour Seeker
Golden Mouth of Ruin
Drain of Incarnation
Involuntary Doppelgänger
Drone Corpse Aviator

Band members
Oliver Rae Aleron – vocals
Dean Lamb – guitars
Tobi Morelli – guitars
Jared Smith – bass
Spencer Prewett – drums

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Album Review – Unleash The Archers / Phantoma (2024)

Canada’s most innovative Power Metal institution returns with a bold and thrilling concept album, recounting the trials of AI gaining sentience on a dystopian, near-future planet earth.

Vancouver/Victoria, British Columbia, Canada-based Melodic Death/Power Metal powerhouse Unleash The Archers does not shirk from the tough stuff. Their unique blend of heavy music, pop, and prog comes together with brutal force on their brand new album, entitled Phantoma, the striking follow-up to their 2020 opus Abyss. Produced and recorded by Andrew Saunders and JJ Heath at Silverside Sound, mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, and displaying a futuristic, dystopian artwork by Dusty Peterson, the new beast by vocalist Brittney Slayes, guitarists Grant Truesdell and Andrew Kingsley, bassist Nick Miller, and drummer Scott Buchanan concerns itself with the influx of AI and what the future looks like with it involved in our art and society. Led by the album’s protagonist Phantoma, a Phase 4 / Network Tier 0 unit – model A, the story recounts the trials of AI gaining sentience on a dystopian, near-future planet earth, while musically speaking the album represents a huge leap forward in the band’s towering trajectory.

Just hit play and sounds of nature will instantly blend with the guitars by Grant and Andrew in the opener Human Era, before Britney comes ripping with her deep, powerful vocals in a gentle but impactful Power Metal tune, flowing into the title-track Ph4/NT0mA, where the band puts the pedal to the metal and delivers sheer adrenaline led by the classic beats by Scott, resulting in an amazing song that will drive fans crazy whenever played live. Let’s keep galloping together with the band to the future in Buried in Code, another fast-paced composition where Britney’s striking vocals walk hand in hand with the riffage by the band’s guitar duo, supported by the rumbling bass by Nick, followed by The Collective, starting in an ethereal manner before exploding into more of their ass-kicking Melodic Power Metal, and it will surely inspire some mosh pits during their live performances. And we then face Green & Glass, with its darkly poetic lyrics declaimed by Britney (“All around me, I see / Formations of green and glass shining in the sun / Never before have I seen such a beautiful display of how it was once / Before the earth was changed, they ruined every / Mesmerized, in a dream / Roaming so aimlessly, blinded by it all / Wonders abound in a way reminiscent of a time they can no longer recall”) being boosted by a delicate yet piercing sonority.

Then investing in an 80’s Synth Pop-inspired sound, Unleash The Archers will penetrate deep inside your soul in Gods in Decay, with Nick’s bass sounding massive while the band’s guitar duo embellishes the airwaves with their trademark riffs and solos. After an overdose of lightning Power Metal, the band brings forward the power ballad Give It Up or Give It All, which sounds even more 80’s than the previous song, albeit a bit generic in the end. Ghosts in the Mist, the first single of the album, offers more of their stylish words (“From out of shadows, and without warning / They’ve come to join the war, who’re they fighting for / Like phantoms in the dark, they’re hunting / They silently command who is the unseen hand”) with the keyboards adding a futuristic vibe to the song’s very melodic rhythm; whereas Seeking Vengeance is one more lecture in pure Heavy Metal where the incendiary riffs by Grant and Andrew sound fantastic, not to mention the song’s atmosphere is also very pleasant, melodic and thrilling. Lastly, we’re treated to the epic, cinematic finale Blood Empress, a darker, more melodic tune by the band that concludes the Phantoma storyline on a vibrant note, with Scott kicking some as usual on drums.

Britney and the boys are waiting for you to join them in the dystopian future of Phantoma on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Spotify, and you should definitely purchase a copy of the best Power Metal album of the year so far by clicking HERE or HERE, letting their music flow through your brain like perfect coding. The band is now embarking on a wild, thrilling tour to all four corners of the earth, and if I were you I wouldn’t miss the chance to see them kicking some ass live with their old classic and brand new tunes, as Unleash The Archers are definitely one of the driving forces of the current Canadian metal scene. They’re heading to the future singing about the future while remaining loyal to their roots, and that’s what makes Phantoma so compelling, a timeless album about the past, present and future of mankind that will certainly take the name of the band to even further lands.

Best moments of the album: Ph4/NT0mA, Buried in Code, Gods in Decay and Seeking Vengeance.

Worst moments of the album: Give It Up or Give It All.

Released in 2024 Napalm Records

Track listing
1. Human Era 5:40
2. Ph4/NT0mA 6:30
3. Buried in Code 3:39
4. The Collective 5:53
5. Green & Glass 5:30
6. Gods in Decay 5:02
7. Give It Up or Give It All 7:35
8. Ghosts in the Mist 5:46
9. Seeking Vengeance 5:22
10. Blood Empress 5:10

Band members
Brittney Slayes – vocals
Grant Truesdell – guitars, additional vocals
Andrew Kingsley – guitars, harsh growls, additional vocals, synths
Nick Miller – bass
Scott Buchanan – drums

Concert Review – Thy Art Is Murder (The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, 04/12/2024)

If you love mosh pits from the bottom of your blackened heart, then Friday night in Toronto was the place to be, courtesy of four insane bands in a feast of pure, brutal Deathcore.

OPENING ACTS: Snuffed on Sight, Signs of the Swarm and Angelmaker

I have no idea what’s happening with the traffic to get to Toronto. I mean, it has always been bad, but this weekend it seems that things got even worse, which delayed my arrival at The Phoenix Concert Theatre to see SNUFFED ON SIGHT, SIGNS OF THE SWARM, ANGELMAKER and THY ART IS MURDER kill everything and everyone during the Toronto stop of their Godlike North America Tour 2024, another fantastic event brought to the city by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment, and “day 1” of my more-than-awesome “metal weekend” with three days of shows in a row. Besides the heavy traffic to get in and out of the city, there was also a lot of wind and rain, but nothing that could stop a horde of avid Deathcore and Death Metal fans to invade the venue and generate some of the wildest mosh pits I’ve ever seen live. Holy shit, the kids were mental inside the pit, with the action flowing nonstop until the very last second.

Due to traffic, I couldn’t make it in time to see San Francisco, California-based Brutal Death Metal/Hardcore act SNUFFED ON SIGHT, but fortunately my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi was there to take some wild pictures of the band, and to confirm what I suspected after listening to their 2023 album Smoke, that they’re extremely heavy and really fun to see live. If you want to experience their fury, you can stream their sick creations on BandCamp, Spotify, or any other streaming service, as well as get to know more about the band by clicking HERE, and as soon as you realize how brutally amazing this band is, you’ll be smarter than me and plan your trip ahead of time to be able to see them kicking some serious ass on stage.

Setlist
Intro
Blunt Cough
Time 2 Dip
Dummy
(smoke break)
Smoke
All Talk
Slippin

Band members
Seven Kane – vocals
Walid Gad – guitars
Spencer Metala – bass
Kendric DiStefano – drums

Although I had to miss Snuffed on Sight, I was lucky enough to witness live one of the heaviest, most insane concerts ever, courtesy of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s own Deathcore beast SIGNS OF THE SWARM. Led by the amazing frontman David Simonich, the band delivered sheer violence, groove and fire during their short but extremely destructive set, playing songs form their most recent album Amongst the Low & Empty such as the title-track Amongst the Low & Empty, Tower of Torsos and Pray for Death. The circle pits, walls of death and crowd surfing were freakin’ insane during their whole concert, showing how electrifying their music is (and you can check it out yourself on Spotify or by clicking HERE). I can’t wait to see those guys again live, but I’ll be sure I have some sort of body armor to endure their sick mosh pits, no doubt about that.

Setlist
Amongst the Low & Empty
Tower of Torsos
Pray for Death
Borrowed Time
Between Fire & Stone
Dreamkiller
Malady

Band members
David Simonich – vocals
Carl Schulz – guitars
Michael Cassese – bass
Bobby Crow – drums

Next on the bill was North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based Deathcore infantry ANGELMAKER, and yet again The Phoenix Concert Theatre became a hurricane of mosh pits thanks to their incendiary performance on stage. It’s interesting that they were able to fit all seven members of the band on stage, because not only they have three guitarists, but they also have two demented vocalists, Casey Tyson-Pearce and Mike Greenwood, and oh boy, their double vocal attack is beyond infernal. Playing songs the likes of Godless, Hollow Heart and Leech, it was a wild ride together with those Canadians, keeping the action in the mosh pit moving as fast as a shark hunting for food. Go check their crazy creations on BandCamp and on Spotify, and don’t miss the chance to see those seven wicked musicians live whenever they hit your city, as it’s absolutely worth it.

Setlist
Radiance in the Light of a Dying Sun
The Bridge Between
Suffer Forever
Day/Day
Godless
Gutless
Shia LaBeouf
Vengeance
A Dark Omen
Hollow Heart
Leech

Band members
Casey Tyson-Pearce – vocals
Mike Greenwood – vocals
Colton Bennett – guitars
Matt Perrin – guitars
Johnny Ciardullo – guitars
Cole Rideout – bass
Steven Sanchez – drums

THY ART IS MURDER

After three insane openers, it was then time for the main attraction of the night, Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia’s own Deathcore institution THY ART IS MURDER, to crush the souls of all concert goers with their visceral, harsh and furious performance. Promoting their 2023 album Godlike, the band now fronted by the talented Tyler Miller, of Australian Technical Deathcore band Aversions Crown (as the iconic Chris “CJ” McMahon has recently quit music for good, starting a career in real estate) kicked some ass during their solid performance (just as good as the last time I saw them opening for Cannibal Corpse back in 2019), with songs like Slaves Beyond Death, Death Squad Anthem, Make America Hate Again, Godlike, and of course Puppet Master, driving all fans crazy inside the wild mosh pits that kept moving frantically in the middle of the floor section. Leaving concerts earlier than the end seems to be the new norm in Toronto, maybe due to public transportation hours, maybe due to the increase in violence at night, but I would say more than 90% of the crowd stayed at the venue until the very last second, and hopefully it won’t take long for the band to return to the city for another demented concert like Friday night.

Setlist
We Like to Party (Vengaboys song)
Destroyer of Dreams
Slaves Beyond Death
Death Squad Anthem
Make America Hate Again
Blood Throne
Join Me in Armageddon
Holy War
The Purest Strain of Hate
Godlike
Keres
Everything Unwanted
Reign of Darkness
Puppet Master

Band members
Tyler Miller – vocals
Andy Marsh – lead guitar
Sean Delander – rhythm guitar
Kevin Butler – bass
Jesse Beahler – drums

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Concert Review – Archspire (Factory Theatre, Sydney, NSW, Australia 10/13/2023)

There’s nothing better than slamming into the circle pit Down Under on a Friday the 13th, courtesy of three of the best tech death bands of the current worldwide scene.

OPENING ACTS: Werewolves and Ingested

I honestly still can’t believe that in the middle of my business trip to Sydney, Australia, I was able to catch WEREWOLVES, INGESTED and ARCHSPIRE during their phenomenal Tech Trek Australia Tour 2023 at this really cool and well-located venue named Factory Theatre this Friday night. Not only that, if you’re not familiar with the public transportation system in Sydney, let me tell you that it makes it extremely easy to get anywhere you want, which allowed me to get to the venue as soon as the doors opened at 8pm without rushing or anything like that, giving me enough time to buy some merch from Werewolves, grab a beer, and even chat with some locals who were all truly surprised I came all the way from Toronto for the show.

Precisely at 8:30pm, with the venue being almost full already, Melbourne, Australia’s own Technical Black/Death Metal savages WEREWOLVES kicked off the night with a pulverizing and memorable performance for the delight of everyone who was already positioned inside the pit for some action. Vocalist and bassist Sam Bean, guitarist Matt Wilcock and drummer David Haley (that man is a beast on drums!) took no prisoners during their short and sweet set, blasting our ears with their uncompromised, venomous hybrid of Black and Death Metal with songs from all of their insane albums, including their latest beast My Enemies Look and Sound like Me. Those Aussie metallers know exactly what needs to be done on stage to inspire the crowd for some wild headbanging and circle pits, and songs like No More Heroes, Under the Ground, Crushgasm, and specially the closing one, the antisocial hymn I Don’t Like You, sound even better live than in the studio. There were even some wild howls coming from some (drunk) fans in the audience, just to prove how awesome the band was.

I’m extremely happy that I had the chance to see those guys live in Australia, and hopefully the metal community worldwide will give them the attention they deserve and we’ll finally see Werewolves assaulting the stages in North and South America, Europe, and anywhere else where violence and hatred are an intrinsic part of music. Furthermore, don’t forget to stream their visceral creations on BandCamp and on Spotify, and if you ever witness Werewolves live I highly recommend you go chat with the band after their show as they’re fantastic guys. Sam even joked by asking me if I had a suggestion for a name of their next album, which they’re already working on, but I missed the chance to say something like “Powerslave”, “Painkiller” or “Reign In Blood”. Well, maybe next time I’ll be quick enough to come up with something like that, right?

Setlist
Know Your Place
No More Heroes
Sublime Wartime Voyeurism
Under the Ground
Crushgasm
Crushing Heaven’s Mandate
Showering Teeth
I Don’t Like You

Band members
Sam Bean – vocals, bass
Matt Wilcock – guitars
David Haley – drums

After a short break, it was time for Manchester, England-based Slam/Brutal Death Metal/Deathcore outfit INGESTED to crush their fans in Sydney for the first time ever  with their infectious brutality and endless energy on stage. I must admit they sounded even tighter in Sydney than the last time I saw them in Toronto, just to prove how excited they were to finally blast their wicked music Down Under. Still promoting their 2022 album Ashes Lie Still, the band spearheaded by the charismatic and lunatic Jay Evans was on fire throughout their entire performance, with songs like I, Despoiler and Skinned and Fucked turning the circle pit at the Factory Theatre into pure madness and devastation.

Jay was by far the most excited for playing in Australia, and it was actually hard to take pictures of him on stage because the guy doesn’t stop moving not even for a single second, as if he was part of the crowd, like a fan who will slam into the pit until the very last second of the last song. By the way, when the band announced their last song, the bloodthirsty aria Echoes of Hate, all hell broke loose inside the pit for the pure delectation of Jay and his crew. It’s a real pleasure seeing a hardworking band like Ingested going places, and based on the rowdy reaction they got from their fans in Sydney I’m sure they’ll return to Australia sooner than you can say “slam”. Hence, don’t forget to also check the band’s furious fusion of extreme styles on BandCamp and on Spotify, and to keep an eye on their tour dates to avoid missing the opportunity to see them crushing your city to pieces live.

Setlist
Impending Dominance
Invidious
I, Despoiler
Shadows in Time
Skinned and Fucked
Echoes of Hate

Band members
Jay Evans – vocals
Sean Hynes – guitars, backing vocals
Thomas O’Malley – bass
Lyn Jeffs – drums

ARCHSPIRE

It was close to 10:30pm when the main attraction of such fun and entertaining night, Canadian Technical Death Metal masters ARCHSPIRE, kicked off their breathtaking, mesmerizing performance, generating a schizophrenic atmosphere with their flawless fusion of violence, wrath, dexterity and energy on stage. Their flammable frontman Oliver Rae Aleron is not only a superb growler (and I’ll never be able to fully understand how that guy can sing guttural so fast as if he was rapping in the name of evil), but his charisma allowed him to basically control everything the crowd was doing, with his requests for some insane mosh pits being promptly answered by an avid Australian crowd.

Having released the album Bleed the Future in 2021, the band put on a beyond extraordinary show, with songs like Bleed the Future, A Dark Horizontal and Involuntary Doppelgänger sounding perfect live thanks to the undeniable, superb musicianship by all band members, with guitarist Dean Lamb and bassist Jared Smith stealing the spotlight with a lecture in shredding. If you’re curious to know more about one of the fastest and most talented bands of the current Technical Death Metal scene worldwide, you can enjoy all of their wicked albums in full on BandCamp and on Spotify. However, I must warn you that the demented vocals by Oliver will haunt your damned soul for all eternity so insane they are.

And last but not least, I have to say the Canadian humor and jokes the band presented on stage were simply awesome, adding a very welcome touch to their irreprehensible performance. For instance, before playing one of their bestial songs, Oliver asked the crowd to split the pit in the middle, but this time it wasn’t for a traditional wall of death; he threw a Twister game mat to the crowd, and then out of nowhere several sweaty fans were playing Twister instead of doing their regular slamming and headbanging. Then after another couple of songs he invited two fans for a shoe drinking contest named “shoey”, a gross Australian drinking tradition that for some reason Archspire seem to love. Well, it was gross, no doubt about it, but seeing the winner receiving a custom shirt made by one of the guys form the band with some weird drawing of Wolverine and a dingo was a really cool moment of their show. I would never, ever drink beer directly from my shoes, but one thing I’ll certainly do is to attend all concerts I’m able to by Archspire in the future for more awesomeness in the form of Canadian tech death.

Setlist
Bleed the Future
Abandon the Linear
A Dark Horizontal
Remote Tumour Seeker
Golden Mouth of Ruin
Human Murmuration
Calamus Will Animate
Involuntary Doppelgänger
Drone Corpse Aviator

Band members
Oliver Rae Aleron – vocals
Dean Lamb – guitars
Tobi Morelli – guitars
Jared Smith – bass
Spencer Prewett – drums

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Concert Review – Disturbed (Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, 05/01/2023)

Over ten thousand fists were held high in Toronto on another breathtaking (and very emotional) performance by one of the most important metal bands of the past three decades. 

OPENING ACT: Theory of a Deadman

Concerts on Mondays are always exhausting, it doesn’t matter who’s playing, the time of the year, and even if you’re on vacation or not. However, it didn’t look like a Monday last night at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, with THEORY OF A DEADMAN and DISTURBED continuing the Canadian leg of the Take Back Your Life Tour 2023 before heading to Europe for several summer festivals, and then returning for the US leg of the tour. The ingredients for the same type of awesomeness from their last appearance in the city back in 2019 were there, including thousands of avid fans (many already off from college or university, which means nothing to do the next day), an ass-kicking new album, a very decent weather and so on, turning it into another memorable night of modern metal music in the city.

The band chosen to be Disturbed’s opener, North Delta, British Columbia-based Alternative Rock/Metal act THEORY OF A DEADMAN, hit the stage precisely at 8pm armed with their fusion of classic and modern Rock N’ Roll, plus a brand new album named Dinosaur, entertaining most of the fans who were already at the venue. And I said most of the fans because I was one of several who were not entertained at all, I mean, I’m either getting too grumpy with age, or my growing taste for extreme music is now blocking me from enjoying anything that’s way too soft like the music by those Canadian rockers. They’re competent musicians, no doubt about that, and some of the songs from their setlist worked really well like Bitch Came Back and Bad Girlfriend, but overall it was a semi-snooze fest with their boring cover version for Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game being the icing on the cake (in a bad way). Not even the snippets from Guns N’ Roses’ Paradise City and Pantera’s Walk made me bang my head, perhaps because they were just snippets, but that’s fine. At least the younger kids were enjoying the show, so it’s all about our personal taste for music, right?

Setlist
Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond song)
Dinosaur
Bitch Came Back
Two of Us (Stuck)
Angel
Wicked Game
Ambulance
Better Off
Nutshell
Santa Monica
Hate My Life
Rx (Medicate)
Paradise City (Snippet)
Walk (Snippet)
Bad Girlfriend

Band members
Tyler Connolly – vocals, guitars, piano
Dave Brenner – guitars, backing vocals
Dean Back – bass, backing vocals
Joey Dandeneau – drums, backing vocals

DISTURBED

It was close to 9:30pm when the main attraction of the night, Chicago, Illinois-based Alternative Metal titans DISTURBED began their always electrifying performance, driving everyone at the venue crazy already to the first few notes of their new song Hey You, from their 2022 album Divisive. David Draiman, Dan Donegan, John Moyer and Mike Wengren were obviously sharp and focused, and not even the fact that their stage was not as detailed or innovative as the one from 2019 took away the energy from their entire set.

Songs like Ten Thousand Fists, The Game and Indestructible sounded as awesome as usual, but their new songs Bad Man and Unstoppable, plus the ballads A Reason to Fight and The Light, were the ones that stole the show and made yesterday’s performance so captivating. Bad Man was amazing because David himself said the band was eager to play that song live to their fans, and the feedback form the crowd, with tons of headbanging, fists raised in the air and some mosh pits put a big smile on the faces of the band members. And when they played the other new song, Unstoppable, they came out all wearing Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys, talking about how the “curse” of not advancing to the second round of the playoffs has been broken after 19 years, and that it’s time for the Leafs to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada. Well, let’s see if the Maple Leafs are as unstoppable as Disturbed in the coming weeks, right?

And although it was supposed to be a metal concert, which means speed and heaviness, it was during two of their ballads that things got serious and David took the moment to send powerful messages to everyone at the concert. As you might already know, every single time Disturbed play A Reason to Fight, David gets very emotional and dedicates it to his deceased friends Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) and Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave), among others, always saying he’s tired of losing such close friends to suicide and talking about the importance of reaching out to your friends and family when you suffer from mental issues; however, this time David (in tears, by the way) opened up and mentioned that he also has to deal with addiction and depression (in fact, all members of the band have to do so as well), and that around eight months ago he almost joined his friends on the other side. That was a shocking moment for all of us fans, but it also showed no one is safe from mental diseases, and that we must all stay together to fight that, saying that mental issues are like an invisible cancer growing inside of us and taking over our entire body until it’s too late.

The other emotional moment of their performance connected with that message, when he called fans Sean and Charlotte (who were part of the Meet & Greet with the band earlier yesterday) to the stage, both going through tough times and suffering from mental issues, before playing the beautiful The Light. Actually, it was the second Sean who was supposed to be on stage all the time, but apparently John Moyer confused him with another guy, and there he was the “wrong Sean”, visibly drunk, enjoying his time with the band on stage. Anyway, those fans had the pleasure of enjoying the entire song sitting near the drums, while David asked everyone to raise their lighters or smartphone flashlights when he said the words “the light”, creating a stunning effect inside the arena while reminding everyone of the positive power of music in our lives.

One of the most electrifying moments of the concert was of course when they played their undisputed hit Down With the Sickness, with all fans jumping up and down, engaging in some action inside the mosh pits, or screaming the famous “Oh, ah, ah, ah ,ah!” together with David during the entire song, and after everyone got down with the sickness there was still time for another incendiary song, the excellent Inside the Fire, inspiring all fans for one last round of insanity inside the pit on a Monday night. So remember, everyone, to keep banging your heads while enjoying high quality heavy music like what Disturbed are always providing us with, and if you need any type of mental help or support in Canada you can contact the Canadian Mental Health Association, COAST Hamilton, the Suicide Prevention Middlesex-London, or the Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region, among others. We all want to see YOU at the next Disturbed concert in Toronto, raising your fists in the air together with one of the most important metal bands of the past few decades.

Setlist
Hey You
Stupify
Ten Thousand Fists
Prayer
Are You Ready
Bad Man
The Vengeful One
A Reason to Fight
Land of Confusion
The Game
The Sound of Silence
Indestructible
The Light
Stricken

Encore:
Unstoppable
Down With the Sickness
Inside the Fire

Band members
David Draiman – vocals
Dan Donegan – guitar
John Moyer – bass
Mike Wengren – drums

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