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Concert Review – Nervosa (Hard Luck Bar, Toronto, ON, 10/10/2024)

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Five excellent bands of the current Thrash and Death Metal scene led by the all-female beast Nervosa brought the Great American Jailbreak to Toronto on a night of pure underground madness.

OPENING ACTS: Prospects, Duskwalker, Hatriot and Lich King

Just one day after the incredible Sepultura concert in Toronto, it was time to head back into the battlefield (aka circle pit) for THE GREAT AMERICAN JAILBREAK TOUR 2024 with NERVOSA, LICH KING, HATRIOT, DUSKWALKER and PROSPECTS, who despite having the fierce “competition” of Skeletal Remains and Bewitcher at the exact same date and time at The Rockpile, put on an amazing show to a small but unstoppable crowd at Hard Luck Bar. In addition, all those shows happening at the same time in the city forced Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I to divide and conquer, but while he was covering the show at The Rockpile I fortunately had the support of the amazing metal photographer Afrida Nawar, which is why you’re seeing some classy photos of the night instead of my terrible mobile ones. Once again due to work commitments I missed the show by Toronto’s own Progressive Metal band PROSPECTS, and again I have no idea which songs they played, but if you’re curious about their music you can find them on Spotify and on BandCamp. Spoiler alert, they’re awesome.

Band members
Robert Medeiros – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Jerry Zhang – guitar
Matthew Lothian – bass
Anthony Zicari – drums

As mentioned, the venue wasn’t even half full when Niagara Falls-based Thrash/Death Metal act DUSKWALKER kicked off their frantic, heavy-as-hell and devilish show, with their frontman Joey Scaringi roaring nonstop and with a lot of passion as if he was playing in front of a sold out arena with 20,000 fans watching him. Well, those guys simply love the underground from the bottom of their hearts, which is more than explicit in their new album Underground Forever (available in full on Spotify), and that energy translated into a small but most excellent mosh pit during their entire set. The title-track for their new album, Underground Forever, sounded amazing live, with the band demanding us all to raise our fists and horns in the name of our beloved underground scene. Duskwalker are a killer crew, and I can’t wait to see what they can do in front of a bigger audience, opening for a band like Exodus or Death Angel, for example.

Setlist
Crippled at the Core
Shadowcreeper
The Loss
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
Vanquisher
Underground Forever
The Crawling Tongue

Band members
Joey Scaringi – vocals
John Robinson – guitars
John Neadow – bass
Cale Costello – drums

Speaking of Exodus, the third band of the night was formed of brothers Cody and Nick Souza, sons of the legendary Exodus frontman Steve “Zetro” Souza, plus Kosta V. and Miguel Esparza on the guitars, collectively known as California’s Melodic Death/Thrash Metal beast HATRIOT, and holy shit, what an amazing performance by one of the most hardworking bands of the current American scene. Playing basically songs form their 2022 album The Vale of Shadows (available on Spotify), with Horns & Halos, Clemency Denied and Hymn for the Wicked sounding absolutely demented, plus the excellent new song Forest of Illusion, the entire band sounded ruthless on stage, with Cody not only blasting inhumane screams (like an even more demonic version of his amazing father), but also showing how much the entire band loves the underground, just like Duskwalker, thanking us all for another unforgettable night in Canada for them. Those boys are an incredible live act, and if you have a chance to see them live don’t think twice and simply go for it, getting ready for an intense night of mosh pits, blast beats and crazy screams.

Setlist
Horns & Halos
Delete
Forest of Illusion
Clemency Denied
Ethereal Nightmare
Hymn for the Wicked

Band members
Cody Souza – vocals, bass
Kosta V. – guitars
Miguel Esparza – guitars
Nick Souza – drums

Another quick break and it was time for Amherst, Massachusetts-based Thrash Metal/Crossover brigade LICH KING to show us all why they’re considered one of the precious gems of the underground scene, a cult band that always delivers an endless amount of adrenaline on stage for the lovers of our gold old Thrash Metal. In 2015, original vocalist Tom Martin stopped performing with the band, remaining a “shadowy puppetmaster”, writing the band’s material and running things; in addition, their last official release dates way back to 2017, the excellent The Omniclasm (available on both Spotify and BandCamp), which means there’s nothing new from those guys since then. Do you think that means their show was weak or lame? Quite the contrary, it was total anarchy led by their unstoppable frontman Zach Smith, and the band also had the support of Cody Souza of Hatriot on bass as their bassist Mike Dreher could not join the band here in Toronto. Everyone at the pub simply loved each and every second of their show, leaving us all eager for more Lich King in the near future, and more than pumped for the main attraction of the night.

Setlist
All Hail
Attack of the Wrath of the War of the Death of the Strike of the Sword of the Blood of the Beast
In the End, Devastation
Lich King V: Stalemate
Crossover Songs Are Too Damn Short
Waste
Combat Mosh
We Came to Conquer

Band members
Zach Smith – vocals
Nick Timney – lead guitars
Joe Nickerson – rhythm guitars
Cody Souza – bass
Brian Westbrook – drums

NERVOSA

A lot has changed for the beyond talented and hardworking Prika Amaral and her Thrash/Death Metal creature NERVOSA since the last time they played in Toronto opening for Destruction in 2022. Now with a completely different lineup, including Prika being now responsible not only for the guitars, but also for the vocal duties, the now half-Brazilian, half-Greek band formed of Prika alongside Helena Kotina on the guitars, Hel Pyre on bass and Gabriela Abud on drums sounds even more infuriate than before, which can easily be seen in their 2023 album Jailbreak, available on Spotify and on BandCamp. As a matter of fact, due to personal reasons, Hel Pyre could not join the band on this North American tour, being replaced (at least in Toronto) by the beautiful Natalie Nova, vocalist for Los Angeles, California-based Heavy/Groove Metal band Beyond the Roots, who by the way spent pretty much the entire time the opening bands were playing together with fans at the floor section, dancing, headbanging and enjoying some good underground heavy music nonstop.

And Prika, Helena, Natalie and Gabriela simply destroyed on stage, sounding amazing from the first notes of Seed of Death until the very last seconds of Endless Ambition. There were mosh pits, horns being raised everywhere, fans screaming the lyrics together with the band, and so on, with things getting even more serious during true bangers like Death!, Kill the Silence, Kill or Die, and my two favorite songs of the night, Jailbreak and Guided by Evil. Prika promised the band will return to Toronto sooner than later, and I really hope next time they get a much bigger crowd because they definitely deserve it. After their electrifying show was over, I had the pleasure of briefly chatting with Prika, who was very humble and thanked me (an everyone else) for attending the show and supporting Nervosa. To be fair, I was the one who wanted to thank her and the girls for such an awesome night, and despite being tired for back to back shows with amazing bands the likes of Obituary and Sepultura on one night and Nervosa on the next, a good dosage of Death and Thrash Metal like what the girls provided us with this Thursday night is exactly what we all needed to regain our strength and keep headbanging nonstop in the name of live music.

Setlist
Seed of Death
Behind the Wall
Death!
Nail the Coffin
Kill the Silence
Perpetual Chaos
Venomous
Ungrateful
Masked Betrayer
Under Ruins
Kill or Die
Jailbreak
Guided by Evil
Endless Ambition

Band members
Prika Amaral – vocals, guitars
Helena Kotina – guitars
Natalie Nova – bass
Gabriela Abud – drums

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Concert Review – Nervosa & Destruction (Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON, 05/01/2022)

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The German butchers of Thrash Metal struck back in another diabolical night of heavy music in the city of Toronto.

OPENING ACTS: VX36 and Sunlord

There’s nothing better than ending another fun weekend and getting ready for a cold and rainy Monday than a night of pure Thrash and Death Metal, and that’s exactly what several Torontonian metalheads were able to enjoy last night at Lee’s Palace thanks to the ruthless Diabolical North American Tour 2022, with the bands VX36, SUNLORD, NERVOSA and the iconic DESTRUCTION offering their fans exactly what they needed to slam into the pit and raise their horns nonstop. The first band to hit the stage was Geyserville, California-based Thrash/Groove Metal band VX36, led by vocalist and guitarist Nate Klug, who inspired all thrashers at the venue to bang their heads to great songs such as Satan’s Fury and Blood War. That was an excellent start to the night, and I just wish the band had new material to present as everything they played, despite being awesome, was from over seven years ago I believe.

Band members
Nate Klug – vocals, guitar
Gage Higgins – lead guitar, vocals
Nick Altenburg – bass
John Lorence – drums

After a really, really quick break, it was time for Jackson Heights, New York’s own Heavy/Speed Metal trio SUNLORD to kick some ass on stage. Comprised of vocalist, guitarist and founder Alfonso Ferrazza, bassist Ashely Wells and drummer Lamar Little, the band delivered a solid show including the fun songs Forbidden Witch and Turn Me Loose, with Lamar stealing the spotlight with a beyond professional and thrilling performance behind his drums, adding an extra touch of groove and heaviness to the band’s music. In the end, Sunlord might not be as thrash as the other bands from the night, but they definitely proved why they were chosen to open for Nervosa and Destruction with their energy and passion for heavy music.

Band members
Alfonso Ferrazza – vocals, guitars
Ashely Wells – bass
Lamar Little – drums

NERVOSA

Finally, after years and years waiting, I was able to see for the first time ever the all-female thrashing machine NERVOSA pulverizing everything and everyone live on stage. One of the most multinational bands of the current metal scene, as the band is now formed of Spanish frontwoman Diva Satanica, Brazilian guitarist and founder Prika Amaral, Italian bassist Mia Wallace and Greek drummer Eleni Nota, the quartet was infernal with their fusion of Death and Thrash Metal from start to finish, with the stunning Diva Satanica not only showcasing a breathtaking vocal performance, but her stage presence was also a thing of beauty. Still promoting their 2021 opus  Perpetual Chaos, Nervosa made a lot of awesome noise playing songs the likes of Kill the Silence, Masked Betrayer, Into Moshpit, Guided By Evil and Under Ruins, as well as my favorite ones of the night, Genocidal Command, Time to Fight and Rebel Soul, where not only Diva Satanica was flawless on vocals, but Prika, Mia and Eleni were also smashing their instruments in great fashion. I just wish the girls had some time to interact with their fans at their booth (which apparently was reduced to just a few random items as their shirts couldn’t be delivered on time), but again, what really matters is what they do on stage, and they more than succeeded by inflicting that nice pain in our necks due to all headbanging involved.

Band members
Diva Satanica – lead vocals
Prika Amaral – guitar, backing vocals
Mia Wallace – bass
Eleni Nota – drums

DESTRUCTION

Another short break and there they were, German Thrash Metal institution DESTRUCTION, ready to show everyone at Lee’s Palace what old school thrash is all about. Anything I say about the band’s frontman and mastermind Schmier won’t be enough to depict his energy, his charisma and his onstage performance, kicking ass from the very first second and showing absolutely no mercy for our souls armed with his metallic bass and raspy vocals. Blending classics the likes of Nailed to the Cross, Born to Perish, Mad Butcher, Thrash Till Death, Bestial Invasion and The Butcher Strikes Back with songs from their recently released album Diabolical, including the amazing title-track and the pulverizing No Faith in Humanity, Schmier and his henchmen Damir Eskić and Martin Furia on the guitars and Canadian beast Randy Black on drums gave a lecture in Thrash Metal to their fans, showing why they’ve been alive and kicking since their inception in the distant year of 1983. By the way, close to the end of the show, Schmier had some very nice words to say about a guy that was present at the venue who was their first ever North American fan, being the first person in the US and Canada to purchase their 1984 demo Bestial Invasion of Hell. That was a really cool moment, and that guy, who was not too far from where I was standing, seemed deeply touched by such amazing tribute by one of his favorite bands of all time. That’s pure Thrash Metal, and after all was said and done (already past midnight, by the way), we were all certain those Teutonic metallers will return to destroy Toronto once again in a not-so-distant future.

Band members
Schmier – vocals, bass
Damir Eskić – lead guitars
Martin Furia – guitars
Randy Black – drums

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Album Review – Nervosa / Perpetual Chaos (2021)

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What happens when you put together four metalheads hailing from Brazil, Italy, Spain and Greece? A deadly and thrashing lesson in perpetual chaos, of course.

Staying true to their roots while exploring new terrains with a revitalized international line-up now comprised of Brazilian founding guitarist Prika Amaral, Spanish growler Diva Satanica (of Bloodhunter), Italian bassist Mia Wallace (of bands such as Abbath, Triumph of Death and The True Endless) and Greek drummer Eleni Nota (of Lightfold and Mask of Prospero), the ruthless all-female Death and Thrash Metal powerhouse Nervosa is ready to attack with inexorable fury, pungently sharp riffs and aggressive vocals on the 13 massive tracks from their newborn spawn, entitled Perpetual Chaos, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2018 opus Downfall Of Mankind. Recorded at Artesonao Casa de Grabación Studio in Málaga, Spain, produced by Prika Amaral and Martin Furia at Studio Porino, and mastered by Yarne Heylen, Perpetual Chaos builds upon the turbulence, adding diverse musical elements to create an infallible new standout that will strike the listener in a way only Nervosa could, therefore placing the album as one of the best releases of 2021 hands down.

The unstoppable Prika ignites their thrashing machine with her flammable riffs in the brutal Venomous, sounding pulverizing from the very first second with Diva Satanica being a true she-demon on vocals while Eleni showcases all her skills and rage on drums, whereas in Guided by Evil the rumbling, obscure sounds blasted by Mia and Eleni are everything Diva Satanica needs to growl the song’s vile words (“Desire consumes you, blinds you, takes you off the line / But you go slowly cause all you do is lie / Every step taken, misfortune is your delight / Tormented by feelings, swallowed by quicksand”) in another ass-kicking fusion of Death, Thrash and Black Metal. Following such frantic start, People of the Abyss is perhaps one of the most infuriated and heaviest of all songs in the history of Nervosa where Prika will pierce your ears mercilessly with her classy riffs and solos accompanied by the devilish bass by Mia, therefore inflicting some serious pain in your neck due to the intense headbanging needed. And more of their demented and grim sounds is offered in the title-track Perpetual Chaos, with Eleni and Prika making a hellish duo and, consequently, providing Diva Satanica a solid base for her to haunt our souls with her otherworldly screeches and gnarls.

Featuring guest guitarist Guilherme Miranda (of Entombed A.D.), Until the Very End is a high-octane fusion of Death and Thrash Metal brought forth by those unrelenting women where Prika is once again phenomenal armed with her killer strings; and it’s time for Nervosa to smash our skulls mercilessly in Genocidal Command, with German thrash legend Schmier, from the one and only Destruction, making a demented vocal duo with Diva Satanica, always supported by the thunderous kitchen by Mia and Eleni. Slower but heavy-as-hell, Kings of Domination presents hints of Groove Metal added to the guitar lines by Prika and the bass jabs by Mia, resulting in the perfect sound for headbanging like there’s no tomorrow, while Time to Fight is another short and sweet display of their thrashing savagery, inviting us all to slam into the pit while Eleni pounds her drums in great fashion. If you think the girls from Nervosa are tired already of so much violence, you better get ready for more of their Stygian sounds in Godless Prisoner, showcasing a straightforward sonority led by Prika while Eleni dictates the pace with her solid beats, albeit not as powerful as the other songs from the album.

Blood Eagle gets back to a more ferocious and somber musicality, with Prika and Mia being in total sync with their stringed weapons while Diva Satanica adds her personal dosage of Death Metal to the band’s core Thrash Metal through her devilish gnarls; and Eric A.K. (of Flotsam and Jetsam) lends his trademark vocals to Rebel Soul, a Motörhead-inspired metal extravaganza that will invite you to raise your horns and bang your head like a beast, bringing forward Diva Satanica and Eric on absolute fire from start to finish. Never slowing down nor selling out, and always loyal to the foundations of Thrash Metal, the band offers us all Pursued by Judgement, with Mia hammering her evil bass accompanied by the crushing drums by Eleni, keeping the album at a high level of animosity before we’re treated to the closing tune Under Ruins, presenting disruptive words viciously barked by Diva Satanica (“I feel death coming / Getting lonelier everyday / In the cravings that consume me / Self destruction without limits”) while her bandmates make sure the electricity keeps flowing nonstop through their wicked instrumental.

To be fair, I was a little worried about the future of Nervosa after the departures of vocalist and bassist Fernanda Lira and drummer Luana Dametto last year, but the moment Prika announced Diva Satanica, Mia Wallace and Eleni Nota as the new members of her thrashing squad I was more than sure their new album would sound phenomenal to say the least based on their unique talent and background in heavy music. Well, let’s say those four metal ladies exceeded all expectations in Perpetual Chaos, delivering an album that’s at the same time brutal, melodic, thrilling and detailed. Hence, don’t forget to give the girls a shout on Facebook and on Instagram to let them know how much you enjoyed their newest creations, to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their distinguished music and videos, to stream all of their catalogue on Spotify, and above all that, to purchase Perpetual Chaos from their own BandCamp page or webstore (America or Europe), or simply click HERE for all locations where you can buy or stream what’s by far one of the most exciting metal albums of the year. And before I forget… VIVA PERPETUAL CHAOS!

Best moments of the album: People of the Abyss, Genocidal Command, Time to Fight and Rebel Soul.

Worst moments of the album: Godless Prisoner.

Released in 2021 Napalm Records

Track listing
1. Venomous 3:46
2. Guided by Evil 3:30
3. People of the Abyss 3:27
4. Perpetual Chaos 3:39
5. Until the Very End 3:18
6. Genocidal Command 2:56
7. Kings of Domination 3:41
8. Time to Fight 2:32
9. Godless Prisoner 3:19
10. Blood Eagle 3:41
11. Rebel Soul 3:17
12. Pursued by Judgement 3:27
13. Under Ruins 3:57

Band members
Diva Satanica – lead vocals
Prika Amaral – guitar, backing vocals
Mia Wallace – bass
Eleni Nota – drums

Guest musicians
Guilherme Miranda – additional guitars on “Until the Very End”
Schmier – additional vocals on “Genocidal Command”
Eric A.K. – additional vocals on “Rebel Soul”