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Concert Review – Blood Incantation (Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON, 11/30/2024)

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The mighty Blood incantation blasted our minds with the full play of their newborn masterpiece in a night to remember in Toronto.

OPENING ACT: Midwife

The cozy Lee’s Palace might fit only around 500 people, but that’s by far one of my favorite venues in Toronto precisely due to that, as every show there becomes very intimate, with a much stronger connection between the bands and the crowd. That’s exactly what we got this Saturday night with the pulverizing, brilliant and unique performance by BLOOD INCANTATION (supported by MIDWIFE) during their Absolute Elsewhere Tour North America 2024, one of the most successful events brought to the city by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. And let me tell you I felt sorry for my friend Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi as due to the fact this was a sold out show, it was really rough for him (and for all other photographers) to brave the wild circle pits while trying to take some good shots of the band. It was insane, the place was jam packed, and Blood Incantation simply killed it onstage in one of the most memorable concerts of the year, and the perfect one to conclude my own 2024 “world tour”.

Before that, the task to open the night and warm up the crowd for Blood Incantation was given to MIDWIFE, which is basically a one-woman project by American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer Madeline Elizabeth Johnston, who describes her music as “heaven metal”. Having released this year the album No Depression In Heaven (available on BandCamp and on Spotify), she delivered a very delicate, weird and soft presentation to an already completely full Lee’s Palace, and although I would have enjoyed the show a lot more if it was a regular metal band instead of Midwife, let’s say she did a decent job overall, and the crowd applauded her effort and showed a lot of respect for her for facing around 500 metalheads only armed with her guitar and her gentle, frail vocals. The music by Midwife is not my cup of tea, but I would recommend anyone to listen to her music at least once to try to understand and feel the message in it.

Setlist
Colorado
Vanessa
2018
Killdozer
S.W.I.M.
No Depression in Heaven

Band members
Madeline Elizabeth Johnston – vocals, guitars

BLOOD INCANTATION

It was already past 10pm, which is by the way a late time for a headliner to kick off a concert in Toronto (but hey, it was a Saturday, so who cares?), when Denver, Colorado’s own Progressive Death Metal entity BLOOD INCANTATION hit the stage for an absolutely mesmerizing and incendiary performance, playing in full their newborn spawn Absolute Elsewhere, a masterpiece of extreme music that will surely feature among the best albums of the year in countless lists all over the world, and also available in full on BandCamp and on Spotify. The beyond talented Paul Riedl, Morris Kolontyrsky, Jeff Barrett and Isaac Faulk, plus guest musician Nicklas Malmqvist on synths, put on an electrifying show for their avid Torontonian fans, and the energy flowing from the band and the crowd during the entire show was a thing of beauty.

The small floor section was so full I decided to leave halfway through their set to find a better spot to watch them kick some serious ass from a different spot with more space to move (which was almost nonexistent, by the way). The insane mosh pits were moving frantically while Blood Incantation played both songs from the album, The Stargate and The Message (each one split into three parts, as you might know), to perfection, and outside of “the eye of the storm” all other fans were simply having the time of their lives to each note blasted by the band. I can’t decide which part of the show was the best, but let’s say the last part of their new album, when they were playing The Message [Tablet III], was one of the most epic moments of the year in Toronto.

There was still time for two more songs after Absolute Elsewhere, Inner Paths (to Outer Space) and Obliquity of the Ecliptic, both also flawless, and after all was said and done I had the chance to briefly chat with the amazing Paul Riedl, thanking him for their superb concert, and of course for the breathtaking Absolute Elsewhere. He’s such a nice, humble and cool guy, and we must all be thankful for having him in the metal community. We need more Paul Riedls not only in music, but in life in general, no doubt about that. I told him I can’t wait to see Blood incantation live again in Toronto, and I’m sure based on the wild reaction form the crowd that we’ll see one of the best bands of the current scene coming from outer space to take the city by storm again sooner than we can say “stargate”.

Setlist
Absolute Elsewhere
The Stargate [Tablet I]
The Stargate [Tablet II]
The Stargate [Tablet III]
The Message [Tablet I]
The Message [Tablet II]
The Message [Tablet III]

Inner Paths (to Outer Space)

Encore:
Obliquity of the Ecliptic

Band members
Paul Riedl – vocals, guitars
Morris Kolontyrsky – guitars
Jeff Barrett – bass
Isaac Faulk – drums, gong
Nicklas Malmqvist – synthetizers

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Concert Review – Zeal & Ardor (The Opera House, Toronto, ON, 11/28/2024)

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Fans in Toronto had the pleasure of enjoying a very diverse and dark night of heavy music on a cold and chilly Thursday in the city.

OPENING ACTS: Zetra and Gaerea

Traffic to get to Toronto and to leave the city any day of the week is brutal, but Thursday nights seem to be the worst of all. It took me forever to arrive at The Opera House this Thursday night to enjoy the concerts by ZETRA, GAEREA and ZEAL & ARDOR during their North American Tour 2024, to the point I completely missed the show by London, England-based Synth Rock duo ZETRA. Not only that, the way back home was even worse as two lanes of the QEW were closed due to construction, which turned my usual 25-minute drive into a 1h40min nightmare, but I’ll stop my rant here and focus on the music, which is what really matters. Fortunately, my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi was there to enjoy their show and take some killer photos of them, and of course you can listen to their self-titled 2024 album on BandCamp and on Spotify. I’m not sure if they were the right choice to open the night, as some fans considered their show a bit weird for their taste, but I can’t say much as I wasn’t there.

Setlist
Sacrifice
Starfall
Shatter the Mountain
Suffer Eternally
Gaia
The Angel Cries

Band members
Adam – vocals, guitars
Jordan – vocals, synthesizers

It was not even 8pm when Porto, Portugal’s own Black Metal creature GAEREA kicked off their stunning performance, and even with the huge delay due to traffic and the hassle of finding a parking spot I made it to the venue exactly two seconds before they began their show. And what a show that was, my friends! Those uncanny black metallers sounded brilliant during their short but extremely captivating and hypnotizing set, with their theatricals, especially the moves by their ultra talented and charismatic lead singer, certainly converting several Zeal & Ardor fans to the Gaerea cult. The entire band was on fire, and the reaction of the crowd, including some intense mosh pits, made their whole show even more memorable.

It was my third time seeing Gaerea live, and I don’t know if it was the fact that this was by far the best venue they played in, if the songs from their newborn spawn Coma like The Poet’s Ballet, Hope Shatters and World Ablaze (all available on BandCamp and on Spotify, by the way) are among the best they’ve ever created, or if it was a combination of both, but this was by far their best ever presentation in the city of Toronto. The crowd was in total sync with the band, and you could notice everyone headbanging nonstop, some with their eyes closed to simply let their music do the entire job. I honestly hope Gaerea return to Toronto in a not-so-distant future as a headliner, because they definitely deserve a lot more time to kick some ass onstage with their unique music.

Setlist
The Poet’s Ballet
Hope Shatters
Unknown
World Ablaze
Wilted Flower
Laude

Band members
*Information not available*

ZEAL & ARDOR

I’m going to be honest with all of you and confess that I had pretty much zero idea of what ZEAL & ARDOR was before this show, and not even listening to their 2024 album GREIF helped me identify their genre or style. Although they’re labeled by some as an Avantgarde Metal band that mixes sounds of African-American spirituals with Black Metal, once they hit the stage the task of identifying what the hell they were playing got even worse, as each song sounded completely different form the other, sometimes sounding like a Gospel band, sometimes like an Experimental Rock one, and even showing elements from Djent in their music (and you can check all that on BandCamp and on Spotify). Don’t get me wrong, Manuel Gagneux and his crew did a great job and the reaction from their fans was fantastic, but for me personally it was a weird combination of different sounds from start to finish.

When they played their heavier songs, like Feed the Machine, it felt more like a metal concert, but then there were some weird songs like Devil Is Fine in their setlist that were a bit boring in the end. One thing that worked really well onstage was the presence of backing vocalists Denis Wagner and Marc Obrist, who not only added depth to all songs, but the fact they kept dancing, headbanging and interacting with the crowd the whole time inspired the band’s most diehard fans to jump up and down and scream even louder. As I said, it was a phenomenal concert for fans of the band, but for me Gaerea stole the night with their much heavier and sinister performance. Well, I’m a Black Metal enthusiast, so maybe my opinion shouldn’t count, right? Anyway, I wouldn’t mind seeing Zeal & Ardor again live as those guys are excellent musicians, mainly bassist Lukas Kurmann who’s indeed a metallic beast, and you should give them a try too as their uncompromised blend of styles might be exactly what you’re looking for if you’re thinking about exploring new lands in music.

Setlist
the Bird, the Lion and the Wildkin
Wake of a Nation
Götterdämmerung
Ship on Fire
Erase
Gravedigger’s Chant
Tuskegee
Blood in the River
Kilonova
Run
Golden Liar
Sugarcoat
Death to the Holy
to my ilk
Feed the Machine
Devil Is Fine
Trust No One
I Caught You
Clawing out

Band members
Manuel Gagneux – lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, synthesizer, programming
Tiziano Volante – rhythm guitar, lead guitar
Lukas Kurmann – bass
Marco Von Allmen – drums
Denis Wagner – backing vocals
Marc Obrist – backing vocals

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Concert Review – Exodus (The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, 11/19/2024)

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***Review by Kevin Ibbitson and photos by Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi***

OPENING ACTS: Dead Heat, Candy and Havok

Here I am Filling in for my man Gus, Who couldn’t make it out tonight due to other obligations and I’m sorry to say that I am quite happy to do it. Gus… you missed an absolute banger of a show brother! Traffic is such a fucking bitch in this city, I was worried my brother Keith and I were going to be late for the opening of the doors of the Phoenix Concert Theatre in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It was a cool damp Tuesday evening and people were driving like the usual idiots they are and we had to make a couple of detours along the way. Luckily we made it in time and found a parking spot thankfully. We found some friends in line and proceeded into the venue to check in at the box office. Keith and I split up to get to our usual spots as he was the photographer this evening and I made my way to the front barrier beside our good friend Scott Herod whom I had the pleasure of rocking out beside in the same spot for the Black Dahlia Murder show this past remembrance day. Scott and I were both bewildered to the fact that Security was criminally understaffed with only two men working the barrier. Those boys had their work cut out for them tonight and their efforts were to be applauded. Injuries and all, these two security guards put in the work and did a fantastic job.

The show got started at 7 p.m. with Oxnard, California’s DEAD HEAT. Despite their enthusiasm and talent, their set fell a little flat for me through no fault of their own due to poor sound quality and slight technical issues. It is important to note that the venue at this time was about a quarter full so crowd participation was at a minimum. So it was a bit of a rough opening but they put in a noble effort and I appreciated that. Next up was the experimental hardcore band CANDY out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and they fell flat as well for the same reasons. We could barely hear the vocalist, the drums were not mic’d up very well and the bass overpowered the guitar. Also Candy’s style of ending their songs abruptly was a bit confusing for us in the crowd as we couldn’t gauge if the song ended or was about to launch into a fat breakdown, so the band missed out on our feedback and response. Technical issues ruined their mojo a bit and it showed. Not so sweet for Candy sadly, no knock against them.

As my spirits were down, Denver Colorado thrash lords HAVOK turned my frown upside down and absolutely blew my fucking face off with a blistering set that had the crowd going totally bonkers. If Havok was the only band on this bill I would have left the show an insanely happy man. Oh my gawd! The energy in the building was incredible. Security had its hands full with endless waves of crowd surfers. The venue was almost full and by this point the pits were massive. We were having the time of our lives, loving every minute of it. Havok’s sound engineer was on point and the quality of it was on another planet compared to the opening bands. The gulf between them was enormous. David Sanchez’s vocals and riff shredding was absolutely killer as well as the solos of Reese Scruggs. Pete Webber destroyed it on the drums and the stand-out was the stand-in bass player Kaden Hunsacker (guitar tech/road manager) was incredible. If you had never seen them before you would never know that he was not their actual bassist. Havok alone was worth the price of admission. 11/10

EXODUS

Now with everybody in attendance positively buzzing with energy, we couldn’t contain ourselves when EXODUS hit the stage. The Bay Area thrash legends blessed us with a show for the ages. This was one of the most fun shows I have ever been to in my life and this arguably had to be the best show of the year. I have never seen so much crowd-surfing at a show ever. Non-stop action in the pit as well as countless waves of surfers. Seriously the crowd was insane. Toronto made me so proud that night and it was an honour to be among them. Gary Holt was on fire and Lee Altus was phenomenal on lead guitar. Jack Gibson held everything down with his stellar bass playing and Tom Hunting was pulverizing on the drums. Vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza was electric and remarked that whenever they visit Canada, the crowds are always insane. He also gave a shout out to the two brave security guards handling all of the surfers coming over the barrier. The crowd was rowdy and rambunctious but kept it fun too without any animosity towards each other.

Everyone in attendance was there for a good time and were all on the same page, to let loose and boy did we do that. I think that we gave Montreal a run for their money. Steve also pointed out that next year will be the 40th anniversary of their seminal record, 1985’s Bonded By Blood and that they will be coming back to Toronto for that tour. I’m definitely saving up for that show. Exodus are legends for a reason, they totally kick fucking ass live and they sounded fucking incredible! At the end of the show, I turned around to observe everyone’s faces and they contained the look of pure satisfaction as I’m sure mine did as well. Personally I can’t wait until next year and I will be counting the days. What a killer show with killer bands. 11/10

Setlist
The Last Act of Defiance
Blood In, Blood Out
Fabulous Disaster
And Then There Were None
Body Harvest
Prescribing Horror
The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)
Brain Dead
Deathamphetamine
Blacklist
Metal Command
War Is My Shepherd
The Toxic Waltz
Strike of the Beast
No Ordinary Love (Sade song)

Band members
Steve “Zetro” Souza – vocals
Gary Holt – guitar
Lee Altus – guitar
Jack Gibson – bass
Tom Hunting – drums

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Concert Review – W.A.S.P. (History, Toronto, ON, 11/11/2024)

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Countless fans in Toronto had the pleasure of witnessing a once in a lifetime explosion of classic Heavy Metal and Hard Rock by one of the most iconic bands of all time.

OPENING ACT: Armored Saint

If you love first-class live music played to perfection, then you must join W.A.S.P., with support of ARMORED SAINT, during their Album One Alive World Tour 2024, just like what happened at the beyond excellent History this Monday night in Toronto. Seriously, both bands were absolutely flawless during their incendiary shows, and of course Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to witness those giants (as the word “dinosaurs” seems a bit to old for them) of heavy music. It was quite chilly in Toronto, and of course really dark, but that didn’t stop countless lovers of our good old Rock N’ Roll to take the venue by storm on the worst day of the week for anything, and to have a great time together with the bands.

Precisely at 8pm, Los Angeles, California’s own Heavy Metal/Hard Rock juggernaut ARMORED SAINT kicked off their electrifying, classic and perfect performance in Toronto, blending old school songs the likes of Can U Deliver and Reign of Fire with a new tune from their 2020 album Punching the Sky, the excellent End of the Attention Span. John Bush was phenomenal as usual, delivering his striking vocals for the delight of the crowd, and even getting down to the floor section to sing one of the songs close to the soundboard. Seriously, his voice hasn’t aged at all. What a vocalist! And what to say about Joey Vera on bass, or the Sandoval Brothers? In other words, if you’ve never seen Armored Saint live, don’t miss the chance because those guys are simply superb on stage.

Setlist
End of the Attention Span
Delirious Nomad
The Pillar
March of the Saint
Aftermath
Book of Blood
Win Hands Down
Can U Deliver
Reign of Fire

Band members
John Bush – vocals
Phil Sandoval – guitars
Jeff Duncan – guitars
Joey Vera – bass
Gonzo Sandoval – drums

W.A.S.P.

After a short break (where I desperately went for a pizza, as I was starving), it was time for one of the most iconic bands to ever arise from Los Angeles, California, Heavy Metal/Hard Rock legends W.A.S.P., to melt our faces with one of the most hypnotizing performances of the year in Toronto. Blackie Lawless (or maybe I should call him “Blackie Flawless” after Monday), Doug Blair, Mike Duda and Aquiles Priester took no prisoners in their quest for old school heavy music, kicking some serious ass with the full play of their 1984 self-titled cult album (referred to as “Album One” by Blackie himself), plus a bunch of other classics during the encore.

Blackie even mentioned that when they started thinking about playing the whole album on this tour, one of the managers he consulted with said the idea was terrific, but only if they played all songs in the same order of the album. Blackie said that was insane as they had never opened a W.A.S.P. show with I Wanna Be Somebody, but in the end that’s exactly what they did, and the fans in Toronto embraced the whole idea with tons of love, respect and admiration for Blackie and his crew. It was a “once in a lifetime” concert for everyone at History, as Blackie said they’ll never do that again, and song after song you could see the joy and energy flowing from fans of all ages. I mean, who can stand still and not start dancing and headbanging to On Your Knees or Tormentor, right?

The background of the stage was also a thing of beauty, playing the official videos of all songs being played live by the band, connecting their past, present and future in a compelling way, and of course things only got rowdier and more fun during the encore with songs like I Don’t Need No Doctor, Wild Child and Blind in Texas inspiring all of their Torontonian fans to sing along the lyrics with Blackie. As already said, this was a unique opportunity to see the band playing their debut album live from start to finish, and I guess none of the fans at History this Monday night will ever forget the awesome experience of witnessing that blast of classic rock and metal live by one of the most important bands in the history of music. Who knows, maybe we’ll see them playing other albums in full in the future, but until then I’m sure Toronto will keep the electricity of such a stunning live rendition of “Album One” flowing through their veins.

Setlist
The End (The Doors song)
W.A.S.P. Medley
W.A.S.P. Album One Alive
I Wanna Be Somebody
L.O.V.E. Machine
The Flame
B.A.D.
School Daze
Hellion
Sleeping (in the Fire)
On Your Knees
Tormentor
The Torture Never Stops

Encore:
The Big Welcome
Inside the Electric Circus / I Don’t Need No Doctor / Scream Until You Like It
The Real Me (The Who cover)
Forever Free / The Headless Children
Wild Child
Blind in Texas
Riders on the Storm (The Doors song)

Band members
Blackie Lawless – vocals, guitars, keyboards
Doug Blair – guitars
Mike Duda – bass, backing vocals
Aquiles Priester – drums

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Concert Review – The Black Dahlia Murder & Dying Fetus (The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, 11/06/2024)

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***Review by Kevin Ibbitson and photos by Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi***

OPENING ACTS: Vomit Forth, Angelmaker and Spite

On Wednesday November the 6th legions of local headbangers amassed in front of The Phoenix Concert Theatre located at 410 Sherbourne St. Toronto, Ontario for an exhilarating evening of sonic punishment and brutality brought to us by our good friend Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment with one of the best line ups I have seen this year consisting of headliners THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER (Michigan) and DYING FETUS (Maryland), supported by the bands SPITE (Bay Area, California), ANGELMAKER (North Vancouver, B.C.) and VOMIT FORTH (Connecticut), during their Beg to Serve 2024 Tour stop in the city.

VOMIT FORTH opened the show with some hardcore brutal death metal rife with brutal breakdowns whipping us metalheads into a frenzy, inciting a whirlwind of feet and fists inside some pretty gnarly circle pits, and from there on the crowd was on fire for the rest of the show. 8/10

ANGELMAKER was up next and they absolutely fucking killed it with an amazing set that impressed me tremendously. It was my first time seeing them live and I think they might be one of my favourite bands now. These guys should be headlining shows for sure. The crowd was mad with bloodlust during their set and everything ratcheted up a few notches with some of the craziest crowd surfing I have ever seen. Bodies were flying all over the place literally! And it was fun as fuck to see too. AngelMaker’s vocalists were so mind-blowing and the band sounded so friggin’ good. Seriously it was an epic set.10/10

SPITE had some mighty big shoes to fill and did not disappoint. They put on an amazingly brutal show and held their own among the giants amongst them, keeping the energy going, stoking the flames of the behemoth engine that we call a crowd. The crowd was absolutely nuts that night! Non-stop action on our side of the barrier. 9/10

DYING FETUS

Marylands’ brutal tech death juggernauts DYING FETUS were up next and slew us with a blistering set full of old school death metal chugging and brutal slams. Fetus’ sound quality was top notch and holy shit what a band! Trey Williams drumming was killer and Sean Beasley was beastly on the bass guitar. John Gallagher was on fire with the riffage and solos on guitar. Vocally, both John and Sean were on point. Dying Fetus are one of the G.O.A.T.s of the genre, an absolutely tremendous trio of a band. Sometimes old is gold. 10/10

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER finished off the show providing the killing stroke on the slaughter-room floor so to speak. The crowd got even crazier and one brave soul even dove head first with reckless abandon off the stage, trusting that the rest of the crowd would catch him and thankfully they did. Even before Dahlia got on the stage fans were crowd surfing in anticipation. To call it crowd surfing is a bit of a misnomer, it was more akin to midget-tossing (pardon the expression). The Black Dahlia Murder did not disappoint and put on a fantastic set full of old and new material which satisfied the crowd. Brian Eschbach brought some much needed levity to the evening with some of his crowd banter referring to Doug Ford taking him on a cocaine fueled bar-hop and seance to talk to his brother Rob. It was a nice surprise to see when I got home that The Black Dahlia Murder live streamed their set on YouTube, so I watched it again. It’s now a couple days later as I’m writing this and Nocturnal is still playing in my head. This was seriously one of the best shows of the year for me personally and I along with the crowd had an amazing time. Great show. 10/10

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Concert Review – Carnifex (The Opera House, Toronto, ON, 10/22/2024)

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Metalheads from all parts of Toronto enjoyed a killer Tuesday night in the city, celebrating the brutality and energy of Death Metal and Deathcore blasted by five incredible bands.

OPENING ACTS: Heavy//Hitter, Organectomy, Mental Cruelty and Cryptopsy

What a wild night of love, friendship and collective tree hugs brought to the city of Toronto by HEAVY/HITTER, ORGANECTOMY, MENTAL CRUELTY, CRYPTOPSY and CARNIFEX during their Necromanteum Part II USA and Canada Tour 2024 at The Opera House, setting the circle pits on fire throughout the entire event. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to witness such a moshing party blasted by those five amazing bands, and although I had to miss Orlando, Florida’s own Deathcore unit HEAVY//HITTER due to work, as the whole show was a very early one with doors opening at 5pm and Heavy//Hitter hitting the stage already at 6pm, I highly recommend you go after their music as it’s freakin’ heavy and hits you in the face mercilessly, just like what the name of the band says. You can find their music on Spotify and BandCamp, and get ready for their brand new EP Moments of Misery out this November 8.

Setlist
(Unknown) (unreleased)
Paved in Blood
(Unknown) (unreleased)
Waste Of Life
No Mercy, No Remorse
Heaven’s Gate
Wall of Wax

Band members
Austin Hayes – vocals
Dane Loeprich – guitar
Chris Perez – bass
Josh Archeval – drums

However, I was lucky enough to get to The Opera House just in time for New Zealand’s heaviest band of all time, the demented Christchurch-based Brutal Death Metal squad ORGANECTOMY, who led by the infuriated, unstoppable frontman Alex Paul (and sporting shirts of their idols Cryptopsy, by the way) put on a fantastic show, crushing our damned souls and demanding us all to slam into the pit like there’s no tomorrow. I’m a fan of all of their albums, I had seen them live once, but I must say their new songs Plague Mouth, Corpsethrone and Tracheal Hanging (all available on Spotify, by the way) sounded absolutely insane live, and I can’t wait for their next full-length album whenever they’re thinking about releasing it. After their show I went to their merch booth and got a very cool, high-quality beanie for a very decent price, and had a chance to chat a little with Alex about his music and his stunning country (as I was there recently on my Maiden quest in Australia and New Zealand). He’s a really nice guy, an extremely talented growler, and a hardworking musician, putting his heart and soul into his onstage performance. Having said that, don’t waste a single second and go check the music by one of the best bands ever hailing from New Zealand, and get ready to be smashed like an insect if you have a chance to see those ruthless metallers live.

Setlist
Concrete
The Third Mutation
Corpsethrone
Plague Mouth
Tracheal Hanging
Terror Form
Entropic Decay

Band members
Alex Paul – vocals
Sam McRobert – guitars
Matthew Bolch – guitars
Tyler Jordan – bass, backing vocals
Levi Sheehan – drums

The other band that I was utterly eager to see live again was Karlsruhe, Germany-based Symphonic Deathcore beasts  MENTAL CRUELTY, and let’s say their show this Tuesday night was way more explosive and fun than the first time I saw them at Hard Luck Bar, despite the fact the setlist was pretty much the same based on their most recent opus, the masterpiece Zwielicht (available on Spotify and on BandCamp). The band kicked some serious ass during their entire set, with their frontman Lukas Nicolai stealing the show with not only a flawless vocal performance, but his interaction with the crowd was amazing as well, with him getting on top of the barricade to sing together with the crowd and with a nice show of flashlights during Zwielicht, right before they blasted our minds with their best song to date, Symphony of a Dying Star. I also had a chance to talk to Lukas about Mental Cruelty, about the fact I keep trying to convince my German friends to listen to their music, and got a nice patch from those guys. Needless to say, the next time Mental Cruelty takes the city of Toronto by storm, I’ll certainly be there.

Setlist
Midtvinter
Obsessis a Daemonio
King ov Fire
Forgotten Kings
Nordlys
Zwielicht
Symphony of a Dying Star

Band members
Lukas Nicolai – vocals
Nahuel Lozano – guitars
Marvin Kessler – guitars
Viktor Dick – bass
Danny Straßer – drums

After a very quick intermission, it was time for the iconic Montreal, Quebec-based  Brutal/Technical Death Metal institution CRYPTOPSY (aka the “Kings of Hallmark Romantic Christmas Movies”) to simply destroy anyone who dared to face them inside the circle pit. What a bestial show by Matt McGachy, Christian Donaldson, Olivier Pinard and Flo Mounier, sounding one hundred percent heavy, enraged and evil from start to finish, with songs like Slit Your Guts, Crown of Horns, Open Face Surgery and Flayed the Swine (this one from their amazing 2023 album As Gomorrah Burns, available on Spotify and on BandCamp) demolishing our souls and melting our faces, all while Matt kept roaring like a demonic creature and headbanging in the best Corpsegrinder stile. Hell yeah, Canada has its own Corpsegrinder, ladies and gentlemen! Flo was also infernal behind his drums, proving why he’s one of the best of the entire genre, and his dexterity, fury and passion for heavy music inspired the fans to keep the circle pit moving absurdly fast. I honestly don’t know how I was able to catch one of the guitar pics thrown by Christian because the floor section was nonstop madness, but I can’t wait to see them again live and, who knows, grab something else like a drumstick next time.

Setlist
Slit Your Guts
Crown of Horns
Graves of the Fathers
Sire of Sin
Open Face Surgery
In Abeyance
Flayed the Swine
Phobophile

Band members
Matt McGachy – vocals
Christian Donaldson – guitars
Olivier Pinard – bass
Flo Mounier – drums

CARNIFEX

The last attraction of the night was also the one most fans at The Opera House (a mix of very young fans and way older metalheads, but still young at heart) were waiting for, and they didn’t disappoint the crowd at all, bringing forth a massive display of heaviness and hatred on stage. I’m talking about San Diego, California-based Deathcore masters CARNIFEX, who armed with their pulverizing 2023 album Necromanteum, available on Spotify, sounded insane on stage and, therefore, fueled some of the sickest mosh pits of the night. Vocalist Scott Ian Lewis didn’t stop screaming, barking and roaring, and I honestly don’t know how he can do that night in, night out without losing his voice, bringing even more fury to already furious songs the likes of Torn in Two, Graveside Confessions, Hell Chose Me and Heaven and Hell All at Once. It was total chaos until the very last second of Drown Me in Blood, and I must say I was very happy the show ended before 10:30pm as I had enough time to get back home and have a decent night of sleep. To be fair, if their show had been longer I wouldn’t have complained at all, because you know, first comes heavy music, then the superficial stuff like sleeping, eating and working, right?

Setlist
Torn in Two
Graveside Confessions
Dark Days
Necromanteum
Slit Wrist Savior
Crowned in Everblack
Lie to My Face
Hell Chose Me
Heaven and Hell All at Once
Dark Heart Ceremony
Hatred and Slaughter
Drown Me in Blood

Band members
Scott Ian Lewis – vocals
Cory Arford – guitars
Neal Tiemann – guitars
Fred Calderon – bass
Shawn Cameron – drums

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Concert Review – Opeth (Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto, ON, 10/14/2024)

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There’s nothing better than a night of Progressive Rock and Metal to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in Toronto.

OPENING ACT: Tribulation

There’s nothing better than celebrating Thanksgiving in Canada than with an ass-kicking metal concert, don’t you agree? That’s exactly what we got in Toronto this Monday when OPETH and TRIBULATION paid a visit to the city during their North American Tour 2024 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, in another event organized by the awesome Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. And if you think the venue was empty due to one of the biggest holidays in Canada, you’re absolutely wrong, as fans simply took the venue by storm in a sold out (or almost sold out) night of sheer progressiveness and heaviness. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to cover such a unique display of heavy music made in Sweden, and I guess both bands will surely return to Toronto sooner than later with a new show as not only both have new albums coming out in the next few weeks, but the reception of the crowd to them was also fantastic during the whole night.

Precisely at 7:30pm, Stockholm’s own Death/Gothic Metal outfit TRIBULATION hit the stage for a dynamic and diverse performance, and I say diverse because their sound has evolved and changed so much through the years it feels like every song is a different band playing on stage, plus the fact each band member looks like they belong to a different music style. That doesn’t mean the show was bad or boring; quite the contrary, the quartet was on fire during their entire show, with their new songs Tainted Skies, Hungry Waters and Saturn Coming Down, from their new album Sub Rosa in Aeternum (to be released on November 1) sounding really strong and vibrant live. I personally prefer their older material when they were more inclined to Death Metal, but any of their phases work really well on stage, and the crowd’s reaction to each song played proved that. Now let’s wait and see what their new album will bring to us all, and next time they visit Toronto I’m sure a lot of people that were at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to see only Opeth will feel more than excited to see Tribulation headlining a concert in the city.

Setlist
Tainted Skies
Nightbound
Suspiria de Profundis
Hungry Waters
Saturn Coming Down
Strange Gateways Beckon
Melancholia

Band members
Johannes Andersson – vocals, bass
Adam Zaars – guitars
Joseph Tholl – guitars
Oscar Leander – drums

OPETH

As Stockholm’s iconic Progressive Death Metal/Rock institution OPETH was scheduled to start their performance at 8:45pm, I honestly thought the show was going to end earlier than most shows in the city, maybe even earlier than 10:30pm, but when the band in question is Opeth you can rest assured they’ll provide you with a long and detailed concert, to the point I only got back home close to midnight. The charismatic Mikael Åkerfeldt and his henchmen did a fantastic job on stage not only with their unique blend of progressiveness and heavy music, but also with the bonus “stand up comedy show” by Mikael in between songs. Seriously, the guy was on fire, and as I love that type of dark humor that only made the concert even more fun for my personal taste.

Their new songs §1 and §3, of their upcoming new album The Last Will and Testament (to be released on November 22), plus classics the likes of Ghost of Perdition, Sorceress and Deliverance, drove their fans crazy during their entire set, and as mentioned, Mikael’s jokes about only getting the munchies and eating an entire package of ham and one of cheese after trying marijuana for the first time, or saying that they’re not a pop band to accept requests for songs unless it’s the next song in their setlist, put an even bigger smile on the faces of everyone at the venue. I’m not a diehard Opeth fan but I believe there’s a recurring joke with the song “You Suffer”, by Napalm Death, and Opeth ended up playing it four or five times demanding us to “sing” its lyrics along with them. If you know that specific song, you can imagine how funny that was.

This was my third time only seeing Opeth, the latest one being my first (or second) show after the pandemic was over, when they played alongside Mastodon, and I don’t know why, maybe because I was more prepared this time, Opeth sounded way cooler to me, putting on a very entertaining and vibrant show exactly the way their Torontonian fans were asking for. The sound quality was excellent, the visuals were stunning, and the band sounded sharp and tight from start to finish. Having said that, I won’t be surprised if they visit Toronto again next year with a full tour focused on their new album due to the amazing reception from all fans this Monday, and I’m sure the venue will be pretty much sold out again as Opeth are becoming one of the most beloved bands by metalheads (and even non-metalheads) from Toronto and surroundings.

Setlist
§1
The Leper Affinity
The Grand Conjuration
The Devil’s Orchard
Eternal Rains Will Come
In My Time of Need
Face of Melinda
Heir Apparent
§3
Ghost of Perdition

Encore:
Sorceress
Deliverance

Band members
Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitars, cittra, mellotron, percussion
Martín Méndez – bass, backing vocals
Fredrik Åkesson – guitars, backing vocals
Joakim Svalberg – keyboards, Hammond organ, mellotron, piano, synthesizers, backing vocals
Waltteri Väyrynen – drums, percussion, backing vocals

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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 – Skeletal Remains & Bewitcher (The Rockpile, Toronto, ON, 10/10/2024)

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Two of the most demonic bands of the current American scene fragmented the city of Toronto to a small but very active crowd.

***Review and photos by Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi***

OPENING ACT: Dominant Species, Phobophilic and Witch Vomit

Unfortunately, due to the show by Nervosa at the exact same day and time at Hard Luck Bar, I had to miss DOMINANT SPECIES, PHOBOPHILIC, WITCH VOMIT, SKELETAL REMAINS and BEWITCHER during their Toronto stop of their Fragmenting North America 2024 Tour at The Rockpile, but my friend Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi was there to cover the show and take some amazing shots of all bands involved. It’s frustrating when you go from a period of almost zero shows like July and August to an avalanche of concerts happening all at once like this September and October in the city, which in my opinion is nastily hurting the attendance of all shows, in special the underground ones, because it’s just humanly impossible to go see all bands under those circumstances.

The first band of the night, DOMINANT SPECIES, is a Toronto based Heavy Metal and Hardcore band that’s part of Reel Wolf Productions. This band is quite new in the scene but it is gaining some traction here in Toronto. As a matter of fact, their singer is actually the owner of Reel Wolf Productions, a small video production company used for rap and metal bands, so if you’re curious to know more about the band and the company you can visit their official website. They say they play “grimy brutal riffs with hip hop fusion”, and according to Keith that’s exactly what they delivered at The Rockpile.

Then hailing from North Dakota, PHOBOPHILIC are a Death Metal band with two demos, an EP, a split and a 2022 full-length album titled Enveloping Absurdity already under their belts. Although vocalist and guitarist Aaron Dudgeon is no longer with them, that didn’t stop the band from moving forward as a three-headed beast formed of Christian Alm on bass, Vincent Tweten on drums, and Josh Poer on vocals and guitars, plus lead guitarist Miles McIntosh during their live concerts, and they surely put on an energetic show with their no shenanigans Death Metal. And after that it was time for the third opener of the night, Portland, Oregon-based Death Metal act WITCH VOMIT, formed in 2012 by vocalist and guitarist Temper and drummer Filth. Witch Vomit play dark Death Metal in the American tradition with elements of Scandinavian evil and ancient Doom Metal, and that combination of styles created a truly demonic vibe when they hit the stage at The Rockpile for the delight of all fans present at the venue.

SKELETAL REMAINS

Founded in 2011 under the name Anthropophagy, Whittier, California’s own Death Metal squad SKELETAL REMAINS was one of the headliners of the night, kicking some ass with their share of brutality and speed. The band led by founding members Chris Monroy (guitars and vocals) and Mike De La O (guitars) was phenomenal on stage, and despite the smaller than expected crowd their whole performance was insane. Their new album Fragments of the Ageless, released in the beginning of 2024, is an amazing piece of Death Metal that’s definitely worth a listen if you haven’t done so already, and the songs from that album sounded even more fun live, like for example Void of Despair and Relentless Appetite. I’m sure they’ll soon return to Toronto and to a much bigger crowd if all logistics and promotion are done properly next time.

BEWITCHER

The second headliner of the night, Portland, Oregon-based Black/Speed Metal horde BEWITCHER, also has a new album out, Spell Shock, released only a couple of weeks ago. Formed of A. Magus on bass and backing vocals, M. Von Bewitcher on vocals and guitars, and A. Hunter on drums, the band kicked ass at The Rockpile for a crowd of less than 100 people, and just like Skeletal Remains they didn’t care about that small attendance at all, keeping the fires of the underground burning nonstop during their pulverizing set. Their new songs Starfire Maelstrom and Spell Shock worked really well with their classics Satanic Magick Attack and Bewitcher, and again, just like what was said about Skeletal Remains, I’m sure next time they visit Toronto they’ll play to a much bigger audience.

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Concert Review – Sepultura (Rebel, Toronto, ON, 10/09/2024)

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The city of Toronto celebrated life through death together with the most important metal band to ever arise from Brazil.

OPENING ACTS: Harvest, Agnostic Front and Obituary

I personally do not trust any farewell tours, because let’s be honest, all bands that scheduled farewell tours kept touring for years and years after that, and some are still touring. Anyway, if this was the last time the city of Toronto ever saw Brazilian metal titans SEPULTURA on stage, alongside OBITUARY, AGNOSTIC FRONT and HARVEST during their CELEBRATING LIFE THROUGH DEATH NORTH AMERICAN FAREWELL TOUR 2024 at Rebel, let’s say they’re going down in style, as it was an amazing night celebrating their impressive 40 years of career. I just have zero idea if the concert by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Hardcore outfit HARVEST was good or not as I couldn’t make it in time for that. Well, for most of the tour the opening act was Brazilian Death/Thrash Metal veterans Claustrofobia, which would have been a lot more appealing to me, but I’m pretty sure Harvest put on a very decent show this Wednesday night. I don’t know their setlist, nor their lineup, but if you want to know more about them you can find their music on Spotify and on BandCamp, and of course enjoy the nice shots Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi took of their performance.

I might have missed the entire show by Harvest, but I was lucky enough to get to Rebel a few minutes before New York City’s own Hardcore Punk legends AGNOSTIC FRONT hit the stage for a solid and electrifying concert, igniting some sick mosh pits led by the band’s iconic frontman Roger Miret. My brother and a few of his friends are huge fans of Agnostic Front, so it was a pleasure for me to watch them live for the first time ever, playing some classic punk songs like For My Family and Gotta Go, therefore keeping the action flowing frantically inside the circle pit. I don’t remember exactly which song this happened, but one of their guitarists got down to the floor section in the middle of the circle pit while fans kept running around him, which was a really nice touch to their show in my opinion. I also saw part of their show form the back as I was in line to grab a Sepultura shirt, and I gotta say the quality of the sound way back was excellent, just like in every single show at Rebel.

Setlist
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Theme
AF Stomp
The Eliminator
Dead to Me
New Jack
For My Family
Friend or Foe
Toxic Shock
Victim in Pain
All Is Not Forgotten
Peace
Gotta Go
Addiction

Band members
Roger Miret – lead vocals
Vinnie Stigma – lead guitar, backing vocals
Craig Silverman – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Mike Gallo – bass, backing vocals
Danny Lamagna – drums

One year and a few months after their demolishing headlining show in Toronto, Florida’s own Death Metal machine OBITUARY kicked the city in the ass again without a single drop of mercy with a killer performance as the more-than-special openers for Sepultura, and it felt almost like a headlining show because the band spearheaded by the Tardy Brothers had a lot of time to distill their undisputed blend of heavy music for the delight of their fans. All songs sounded extremely heavy, thunderous and ruthless, including The Wrong Time, War, and Dying of Everything, from their 2023 beast Dying of Everything, and when the band started playing their all-time classic Slowly We Rot it was absolute anarchy inside the circle pit. The guys from Obituary surely love Toronto from the bottom of their hearts, and I bet it won’t take long for John, Donald & Co. to attack us again with their redneck-infused Death Metal.

Setlist
Snortin’ Whiskey (Pat Travers song)
Redneck Stomp
Threatening Skies
By the Light
The Wrong Time
Deadly Intentions
Chopped in Half / Turned Inside Out
Solid State
War
Circle of the Tyrants
Dying of Everything
Slowly We Rot

Band members
John Tardy – vocals
Kenny Andrews – lead guitars
Trevor Peres – rhythm guitars
Terry Butler – bass
Donald Tardy – drums

SEPULTURA

In my humble opinion, there was a slight miscalculation in the time each band was going to start their show, because by the time the speakers started playing War Pigs, followed by Polícia, it was already close to 10pm, which means it was getting REALLY late for a full-bodied concert like the one we got from Brazil’s one and only Thrash/Groove Metal institution SEPULTURA. That wasn’t a big issue, though, because as soon as the band kicked off their metallic ceremony with the classics Refuse/Resist and Territory, everyone forgot it was a Wednesday night and decided to slam into the pit, jump up and down, raise their fists and scream the lyrics to all songs together with the band. Their setlist was a thing of beauty, including songs from pretty much all of their albums, therefore properly celebrating 40 years of existence. Songs like Attitude, Choke, Dead Embryonic Cells, Orgasmatron and Troops of Doom sounded perfect for some vigorous headbanging and circle pit action, plus of course the beauty of the tribal beats of Kaiowas.

One of the new “features” of a Sepultura show these days is the addition of the very young and insanely talented Greyson Nekrutman on drums. Known first and foremost as a jazz drummer from New York, he was recruited by Andreas Kisser himself to take care of some of the most iconic beats in the history of heavy music, and oh boy, he kicked some serious ass on stage, proving why he was the chosen one to be the band’s new drummer. And it felt like Derrick, Andreas, Paulo and Greyson got even more infuriated and sharp during the last part of the show, blasting our minds with the all-time classics Inner Self, Arise, Ratamahatta and Roots Bloody Roots, the last one of course inspiring everyone at the venue to jump and scream together like a true “Sepultribe”, putting a beyond climatic ending to their show. Let’s see what happens next with Sepultura, if they’ll call it quits for good, or if we’ll see a return to the stages in the next few years. Well, just like Slayer, hopefully we’ll see Sepultura back sooner than later because they still have a lot of fuel to burn, and the city of Toronto would definitely love to host “Sepultura do Brasil” again in the near future.

Setlist
War Pigs (Black Sabbath song)
Polícia (Titãs song)
Refuse/Resist
Territory
Kairos
Phantom Self
Attitude
Means to an End
Choke
Guardians of Earth
Breed Apart
Escape to the Void
Kaiowas
Dead Embryonic Cells
Agony of Defeat
Orgasmatron
Troops of Doom
Inner Self
Arise
Ratamahatta
Roots Bloody Roots

Band members
Derrick Green – lead vocals
Andreas Kisser – guitars, backing vocals
Paulo Jr. – bass
Greyson Nekrutman – drums

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