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Concert Review – Kamelot (The Opera House, Toronto, ON, 08/22/2023)

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A memorable night of Symphonic and Power Metal in the city of Toronto where the women from all bands stole the show with their undeniable talent, energy, beauty and charisma.

OPENING ACTS: Xandria and Battle Beast

I’m sorry, all guys from the three bands that kicked some as last night at The Opera House in Toronto during the Awaken the World Tour 2023 with the bands XANDRIA, BATTLE BEAST and KAMELOT, but the girls absolutely stole the show. On a very pleasant summer night in the city, Ambre Vourvahis of Xandria, Noora Louhimo of Battle Beast, and Melissa Bonny of Ad Infinitum ( who’s taking care of the female vocals for Kamelot during this North American tour) were flawless on stage, exhaling talent, charisma and passion for heavy music, gaining nothing but respect and admiration from the crowd who turned the venue into a “metal sauna”. It was a very special night for me as it was my first time ever watching all three bands live (plus Melissa!), and they didn’t disappoint this extreme music fan here at all; quite the contrary, I only have good things to say about all bands and musicians responsible for a very special night in Toronto.

Precisely at 7pm, Bielefeld, Germany-based Symphonic Metal outfit XANDRIA kicked off the night’s metal ceremony with a short but extremely powerful and vibrant performance spearheaded by the Greek goddess Ambre Vourvahis, who was clearly very excited for playing in Toronto for the first time in her career, and visibly emotional for the warm and wild reception received from her Torontonian fans to the point she didn’t even know anymore if yesterday was Tuesday (something that made everyone laugh together with her, of course). Ambre was amazing not only during their setlist formed mainly of songs from their excellent new album The Wonders Still Awaiting, those being You Will Never Be Our God, Reborn and Ghosts (my favorite of their setlist, by the way), plus the fan-favorites Nightfall and Valentine, inspiring everyone at The Opera House to raise their horns, screams and dance together with her. It was a little weird seeing Xandria on stage without a bass player, as apparently Tim Schwarz had some issues to get his visa to Canada in time for the show (and I’ll never understand why our government gives a hard time to hardworking musicians to grant them their visas, while at the same time they easily allow a bunch of garbage into the country), but the four members who were there put on their hearts and souls into their performance, and I bet we’ll see Xandria in Canadian lands soon based on the total sync and endless energy flowing between the band and the crowd.

Setlist
You Will Never Be Our God
Reborn
Nightfall
Ghosts
Valentine

Band members
Ambre Vourvahis – vocals
Marco Heubaum – guitars
Rob Klawonn – guitars
Dimitrio Gatsios – drums

Right after a quick break, Finland’s own Heavy/Power Metal torchbearers BATTLE BEAST started their lecture in what can be labeled as “Dance Metal” for the delight of all fans at the venue, making everyone extremely happy (and I was beyond happy for finally seeing them live after an over 10-year wait) due to the level of electricity and power crafted by the band on stage. Still promoting their 2022 album Circus of Doom, those Finnish rockers put on a breathtaking show, with songs like Straight to the Heart, Wings of Light and Eden making everyone at the venue dance even if they didn’t want to. And what can I say about the incendiary performance by Noora Louhimo on vocals? That woman is a beast live, showcasing not only a flawless, jaw-dropping vocal performance, but her onstage presence, moves and charisma are way beyond awesome, and at least for me there’s no other woman in metal, rock or pop music capable of uniting all those qualities at the same time like her. Well, of course Noora’s striking performance is only that good because of the support she gets form her bandmates, in special bassist Eero Sipilä and drummer Pyry Vikki, and the result was a mesmerizing show that made every single person inside (and maybe some outside the venue) to keep their fists and horns high in the air nonstop. Thank you, Battle Beast! And please get back to Toronto soon for another “metal party of our lives”, like Noora herself said.

Setlist
Circus of Doom
Straight to the Heart
Eye of the Storm
Where Angels Fear to Fly
Wings of Light
Eden
Master of Illusion
King for a Day

Band members
Noora Louhimo – vocals
Joona Björkroth – guitars, backing vocals
Juuso Soinio – rhythm guitars
Eero Sipilä – bass, backing vocals
Janne Björkroth – keyboards, orchestrations, backing vocals
Pyry Vikki – drums

KAMELOT

There was a minor delay in the start of the atmospheric and cinematic show by Tampa, Florida’s own Progressive/Melodic Power Metal masters KAMELOT, but nothing that would take away the excitement from a jam packed venue. Blending songs from their newest album The Awakening, including Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem), One More Flag in the Ground and NightSky, with some of their classics such as March of Mephisto and Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife), the band created back in 1987 by guitarist Thomas Youngblood was on fire throughout their entire set, inviting the crowd on a metal journey full of epic guitar solos, whimsical keys, and the classy vocals by Swedish frontman Tommy Karevik (who’s by the way married to Canada’s own Kobra Paige, the awesome frontwoman for Kobra and the Lotus), driving their loyal fans to ecstasy with each and every song played. There was even time for an excerpt of Queen’s classic “We Will Rock You” during one of the songs, led by Tommy, a tribute to Canada’s institution Rush during Alex Landenburg’s drum solo when he played part of the all-time hit “Tom Sawyer”, and a touching tribute by Tommy to everyone we lost due to the pandemic in the past few years.

As aforementioned, just like what happened in the past with several amazing vocalists the likes of Simone Simons, Charlotte Wessels, Elize Ryd, Alissa White-Gluz, Floor Jansen and Noora Louhimo, the female vocals on this tour were masterfully done by Melissa Bonny, known for her work with Ad Infinitum, The Dark Side of the Moon, Evenmore and Rage of Light, and let me tell you that the band couldn’t have chosen a better vocalist for the task as Melissa is simply fantastic with both her clean vocals and harsh growls. As a matter of fact, it was clear how much the crowd at The Opera House loved Melissa when she delivered her enraged roars in her stylish attire, turning the temperature up considerably during the show. I’m a huge fan of female growlers, and of course I was stunned every time she was a she-demon incarnate on stage. If you know nothing or have never heart of Melissa before, I highly recommend you go after all of her work because she’s by far one of the most talented singers of the new generation.

After the last few notes from Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy), the crowd kept screaming as loud as possible to thank Kamelot for their awesome performance, while the band couldn’t hide the huge smile on their faces for another truly successful concert. They promised they’ll return to Toronto sooner than later, and let’s be honest, as Tommy is married to Kobra Paige, why not having a Kamelot plus Kobra and the Lotus tour in Toronto and other Canadian cities in the near future? I’m sure all fans would love to see Tommy and Kobra singing together on stage, right? And speaking about females vocalists touring with Kamelot, after the concert was over my friend Keith Ibbitson of Lower Eastside Photography (responsible for all the amazing photos of this review) and I had the utmost pleasure of meeting Melissa in person (thanks to my friend Pedro, of A&P Reacts), and I must says she’s a really down-to-earth, humble and sympathetic person, apart of course form being a sensational vocalist and performer. Needless to say, she needs to return to Canada as soon as possible, but next time with Ad Infinitum to show the Canadian metallers everything she’s capable of. To be honest, all bands need to return to the city for a lot more concerts, and I’m sure that will happen really soon because Toronto needs more Melissa Bonny, more Xandria, more Battle Beast, and more Kamelot without a shadow of a doubt.

Setlist
Overture
Veil of Elysium
Rule the World
Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)
Insomnia
When the Lights Are Down
Vespertine (My Crimson Bride)
New Babylon
Karma
Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)
Song for Jolee
NightSky
Drum Solo
March of Mephisto
Keyboard Solo
Forever

Encore:
Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)
One More Flag in the Ground
Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)

Band members
Tommy Karevik – vocals
Melissa Bonny – vocals
Thomas Youngblood – guitars
Sean Tibbetts – bass
Oliver Palotai – keyboards, orchestrations
Alex Landenburg – drums

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Metal Chick of the Month – Melissa Bonny

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Feel the fire dancing with your soul, now you’re alive…

I honestly find impressive the huge amount of excellent metal bands hailing from the glamorous Switzerland, a country of only around 8 million inhabitants, but that has already provided the world remarkable acts such as Celtic Frost, Eluveitie, Gotthard, Hellhammer, Krokus, Sybreed and my favorite Swiss band of all time Triptykon, as well as tons of amazing underground groups already reviewed at The Headbanging Moose like Voice of Ruin, Henriette B, Way Of Changes and Black Diamonds. We already had a while ago the absolutely stunning Vanja Šlajh as our Metal Chick of the Month, and now it’s time to get back to the “Land of Milk and Honey” to pay a tribute to another fantastic Swiss metaller, a rising star named Melissa Bonny, lead singer of the up-and-coming Swiss bands Rage Of Light and Evenmore.

Born in Montreux, a traditional resort town on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, on January 23, 1993, Melissa started her life in music when she was only 6 years old by singing in a school choir for several years.  When she finished school, she spent most of her free time making music by herself or with some friends and took part in several events in her area, singing on stage, alone or accompanied. She also mentioned that one of her favorite pastimes was to make parodies of famous songs, and that the unexpected success of those parodies convinced her that she should move forward with her music career. That was when she started looking for a band, singing during a short time with a cover band from Valais, a canton in southern Switzerland, in 2012 before being recruited that same year by Symphonic Folk Metal band Evenmore as their lead vocalist, which gave her the opportunity to release her creativity while writing music and the chance to broaden her horizons and perform on great stages before well-known bands such as Lacuna Coil, Eluveitie and Xandria.

Owner of a potent and versatile voice, which allows her to sing as a mezzo-soprano or to do guttural growls the likes of Angela Gossow and Alissa White-Gluz, Melissa is highly influenced by several amazing metal acts, in special female-fronted groups like Delain, Eluveitie, Arch Enemy, Nightwish, Within Temptation, The Agonist, Amaranthe and Epica, as well as bands with a very epic and melodic sonority such as Kamelot and Sonata Arctica. For instance, among her favorite albums you’ll find several classic releases that perfectly represent her passion for dark and imposing metal music, including the albums The Black Halo by Kamelot, Origins and Helvetios by Eluveitie, and Shadows Of The Dying Sun by Insomnium. As you can see, Melissa nurtures a profound admiration for more contemporary Melodic Metal, where the music is joined by an exciting theatrical piece that became a trademark of almost all bands from her playlist.

Her list of favorite songs obviously includes many compositions found in her favorite albums, and you’ll notice that all of those songs have an epic vein, a potent punch and a detailed focus on the overall harmony. You can bang your head together with our dark-haired muse and feel the energy flowing from modern classics such as Kamelot’s March of Mephisto (featuring the one and only Shagrath, from Dimmu Borgir, as a guest vocalist) and The Haunting (featuring the stunning Simone Simmons, from Epica); Epica’s Storm the Sorrow; Arch Enemy’s You Will Know My Name; Sonata Arctica’s Only the Broken Hearts; Delain’s Get the Devil Out of Me; After Forever’s Energize Me; and my favorite from this list, The Agonist’s kick-ass hit Thank you Pain. We have to admit this is a damn good playlist of modern-day metal music, don’t you agree?

Although Melissa is already working on her own solo material, which had been left aside for several months, let’s focus on her two bands, Evenmore and Rage of Light, as those are already a reality in the world of heavy music and also where Melissa has been shining bright with her fantastic vocal range and mesmerizing looks. Let’s begin with Evenmore, a Symphonic Folk Metal band from Romont, a municipality and capital of the district of Glâne in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland, formed in 2011 which, since its creation, has for ambition to offer its audience intense moments while listening to its musical creations. Apart from Melissa, the band is composed of guitarist Landry Pernet, bassist Frederic Jorand, drummer Florian Bard and pipes/whistles player Matthieu Bopp.

It was in June 2014 that Melissa and her bandmates from Evenmore relased their first EP, titled The Beginning, comprised of four distinct songs, including the excellent The Black Knight. Welcoming new instruments and aiming at creating a beautiful balance between metal and traditional music, Evenmore worked hard on developing their Celtic vein, culminating with the release of their first full-length album in 2016, named Last Ride, which received many positive feedback thanks to the versatility and the quality of its compositions, transporting the audience into a story that evolves song after song. From that album, you can enjoy Melissa’s unique vocals in the songs The Ride Begins, Eleana and Breaking The Silence. Furthermore, if you prefer watching the band live to actually confirm if they have what it takes to succeed in the world of metal, I recommend you go to YouTube to check some good quality footage from their live concerts, such as the songs Winter is Over at the Grande Salle de Cojonnex in Montreux in 2014, The Ride Begins at the famous Z7 in Pratteln in 2015, and also Last Breath at the Rocking Chair in Vevey in 2014. Hence, after listening to such powerful tunes, you’ll see why Evenmore already had the pleasure of sharing the stage with renowned acts like Lacuna Coil, Eluveitie and Xandria in their short but solid career.

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In regards to Swiss Trance Metal act Rage of Light, this hybrid project was actually conceived several years before our ebony growler joined the band in 2015. Rage Of Light was born in 2007 from the desire of its creator, multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Pellet, to combine two music styles that he loved for a long time, those being metal and trance, inspired by the Swiss trance scene of the early 2000’s and by the sound crafted by Melodic Death Metal bands. However, due to his duties with the bands Dysrider and Nodafreth, Jonathan had to put Rage of Light aside for a few years, until reigniting it again between 2011 and 2015 by writing new material and recruiting Melissa for the vocal duties and his bandmate from Nodafreth, Noé Schüpbach, for the guitars. The trio released in 2016 their debut EP, titled Chasing a Reflection (which can be enjoyed in its entirety HERE), comprised of four original songs, Beautiful Slave, Deception, Sick and Requiem, and a cover version for Lollipop (Candyman), a hit single from the 90’s originally recorded by Danish Dance-Pop group Aqua. You can compare Rage of Light’s version with the original one by clicking HERE, but I guess I don’t even need to point out that the new version by the Swiss power trio is a billion times better.

And it seems that Rage of Light truly enjoyed giving a new arrangement and taste to a classic hit, as earlier this year they released a stunning version for Amon Amarth’s unparalleled hymn Twilight of the Thunder God, which you can take a shot at the end of this tribute to Melissa. In my humble opinion, this is the perfect example of a cover song that’s already fantastic musically speaking, but that its official video makes it even more majestic thanks to the alluring solitude and passion exhaled by Melissa up in the Swiss Alps. If I were you, I would definitely keep an eye on Rage of Light’s BandCamp page, as I’m pretty sure this very entertaining project will soon publish more of their excellent material and maybe even another vibrant cover song for an old classic.

As aforementioned, Melissa is also working on a solo project which hasn’t taken its final shape and form yet, but that doesn’t mean you cannot have a good time watching her videos from her own YouTube channel, where she covers some of her favorite bands and artists, such as these versions for Kamelot’s March of Mephisto, Hozier’s Take Me To Church and Epica’s The Second Stone. If any of these cover songs are an indication of what’s her solo project is about to be, I guess we can be more than excited for her original material then, don’t you agree?

Melissa is obviously a very normal woman with more-than-usual habits, hobbies, likes and dislikes, just like any of us. In one of her interviews, she stated that among her favorite activities besides making music and her bands we’ll find travelling, hanging out with her friends, cooking, and watching several TV shows such as Vikings, The 100 and Game of Thrones. Well, let’s say those TV shows are indeed a great source of inspiration for Melissa when writing her music and obviously when performing live, as you can see in the official videos as well as all the unofficial footage of Evenmore playing live. Who knows, maybe one day the guys from Vikings or even Game of Thrones will get to watch her amazing performances with Evenmore and Rage of Light, and we can then enjoy our Swiss Valkyrie kicking ass on one of those shows with her stunning looks and magnificent voice.

Melissa Bonny’s Official Facebook page
Melissa Bonny’s Official Twitter
Melissa Bonny’s Official Instagram
Melissa Bonny’s Official YouTube channel
Evenmore’s Official Facebook page
Evenmore’s Official Twitter
Evenmore’s Official YouTube channel
Rage of Light’s Official Facebook page
Rage of Light’s Official BandCamp
Rage of Light’s Official YouTube channel

“Boredom follows me but I’m too fast!” – Melissa Bonny