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Concert Review – Dying Fetus & Cradle of Filth (Rebel, Toronto, ON, 05/07/2025)

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And Toronto savored a wild and frantic night of pure chaos and carnage, offered by seven of the must-see names of the current extreme music scene worldwide.

OPENING ACTS: Corpse Pile, Vomit Forth, Undeath, Ne Obliviscaris and Fleshgod Apocalypse

If there’s one thing that has become a true torment in the lives of all metalheads that live in Toronto and vicinities, that is concerts with an early start time. Traffic to get to the city is already brutal on any regular day, but when the weather is amazing (meaning more people on the streets) and there’s also at the exact same time an NHL playoff game happening in the heart of the city, then it’s an absolute nightmare. Those are the reasons why I had to miss almost half of CHAOS & CARNAGE 2025 (from the must-see Chaos & Carnage series) this Wednesday night when CORPSE PILE, VOMIT FORTH, UNDEATH, NE OBLIVISCARIS, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, DYING FETUS and CRADLE OF FILTH arose from the underworld to crush us mere mortals with an overdose of darkness, heaviness and insanity at the almost-impossible-to-get-in-and-out Rebel. Fortunately, Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi made it in time for all bands, and gave me an overview of the first three attractions of the night, who were kicking ass onstage while I was still stuck in the horrid and tiresome QEW.

Houston, we have a problem. I think it wasn’t event 5pm when Houston, Texas-based Brutal Death Metal/Hardcore outfit CORPSE PILE hit the stage at Rebel, and just to give you an idea of how early that was, I was still in the office having a client meeting at that time. I confess I was listening to their 2024 EPs Hardgore Deathmetal and Holly Jolly Hardgore a few days before the show, plus their new single Fed To The Starved, all available on Spotify, hoping I could do some sort of magic trick and be there in time to see them live, but of course that didn’t happen. Well, Keith said they were insanely heavy and fun, already igniting some sick mosh pits with whoever was lucky enough to be at a concert in the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday. Maybe next time I’ll catch those guys live, as long as they don’t play at a “matinée” time again.

Setlist
Intro
Genesis Of Suffering
Kicked in Cadaver
Vengeful Hymns
For Flesh and All
Stacking Bodies
Fed to the Starved
Reality
Fuck Your Life

Band members
Jason Lionel Frazier – vocals
Landry Arredondo – guitars
Cody Webb – guitars
Davis Pryse Snyder – bass
Alex Covarrubias – drums

I also missed the next attraction of the night, Connecticut’s own Death Metal brigade VOMIT FORTH, who released last year the excellent album Terrified of God (also available on Spotify and all other streaming platforms), and again I was very disappointed for not having the pleasure of seeing those guys live. All my buddies who could make it to the venue in time for their show said they were ruthless onstage, blasting sheer Death Metal for the delight of a wild crowd avid for some action inside the pit. I’ll have to repeat myself and complain about the start time again, because I think it was maybe 5:30pm when they began their set. Who scheduled those early-as-hell times? Bands like Vomit Forth deserve bigger audiences, but if they keep playing at early slots like this a lot of people will end up missing them and will not care about buying their music or merch, you know what I mean?

Setlist
(Unknown)
(Unknown)
Sacred Apple
Rotting Wool
Negative Penance
Blood Soaked Death Dream
Pain Tolerance

Band members
Kane Gelaznik – vocals
Bailey Olinger – guitars
Ricky Brayall – guitars
Jett Stotts – bass
Luke Zeitler – drums

Guess what? Yes, I also missed the unrelenting performance by Rochester, New York’s Death Metal beast UNDEATH, because despite their starting time being a little later than the first two bands, it was still freakin’ early. Another huge bummer as their 2024 album More Insane, also available in full on Spotify and any other streaming service, is exactly that, an insane explosion of visceral Death Metal. Keith and the other guys said they put on a fantastic show, with the bigger (but not big enough) crowd going mental inside the circle pit. If you’re attending any of the shows from Chaos & Carnage 2025, I highly recommend you try your best to arrive in time at least for Undeath, because those guys are insane live and definitely know how to electrify fans of extreme music during their entire set.

Setlist
Dead From Beyond
Rise From the Grave
More Insane
Necrobionics
(Unknown)
Lesions of a Different Kind
Brandish the Blade

Band members
Alexander Jones – vocals
Jared Welch – guitars
Kyle Beam – guitars
Tommy Wall – bass
Matt Browning – drums

Finally, after my excruciating quest to arrive to Toronto, I made it to Rebel around 7pm, just in time to witness one of the most hypnotizing concerts I’ve ever seen in my life, the atmospheric, progressive and vibrant performance by Australian Extreme Progressive Metal unit NE OBLIVISCARIS. Having released the album Exul back in 2023 (also available on Spotify), the band now fronted by James Dorton, replacing the iconic Xenoyr, who was the band’s lead singer from 2003 until earlier this year (what’s going on with so many extreme music bands switching their vocalists these days?), put on  a short but beyond phenomenal show that inspired us all for some nonstop headbanging, horns raising and crowd surfing, plus of course some crazy mosh pit action to the sound of the crying violin by Tim Charles, turning it into one of the classiest heavy concerts of all time in Toronto. I can’t wait for those amazing musicians from Down Under to return to Toronto with another round of their unique music, and until then we all know what to do. Stay classy, and listen to Ne Obliviscaris.

Setlist
Equus
Suspyre
Painters of the Tempest (Part II): Triptych Lux
And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope

Band members
James Dorton – harsh vocals
Tim Charles – violin, clean vocals
Benjamin Baret – lead guitars
Matt Klavins – guitars
Martino Garattoni – bass
Daniel Presland – drums

Another band I was eager to see was Italian Symphonic/Technical Death Metal horde FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, and once again it was a jaw-dropping, unforgettable experience to all fans at Rebel. When the sensational soprano Veronica Bordacchini took the stage carrying a huge Italian flag, I knew we were about to enjoy a magnificent, epic concert, and that’s exactly what the band provided us with. Francesco Paoli was on fire during their entire set, as well as drummer Eugene Ryabchenko, who can play drums AND headbang at the same time, which was truly impressive in my humble opinion. In addition, not only their latest album Opera (also available on Spotify) is one of the best of 2024, but the songs played from that album, I Can Never Die, Pendulum, and Bloodclock, sounded way more powerful live, and as I’m always pro live music, those Italians won my heart with their flawless concert. Veronica’s voice live is something out of this world, simply beautiful and enfolding, and I highly recommend you go see such a unique band live at least once. And did we get a nice wall of death while Francesco Ferrini was playing his classic piano onstage? Oh, hell yeah! And what about the ending with their metal version of Eiffel 65’s dancing hit Blue (Da Ba Dee)? It was apotheotic to say the least!

Setlist
Ode to Art (de’ Sepolcri)
I Can Never Die
Minotaur (The Wrath of Poseidon)
The Fool
Pendulum
Bloodclock
Sugar
The Violation
Blue (Da Ba Dee) (Eiffel 65 cover)

Band members
Francesco Paoli – lead vocals, guitars, bass
Veronica Bordacchini – vocals (soprano)
Fabio Bartoletti – lead guitars
Francesco Ferrini – piano, orchestrations
Eugene Ryabchenko – drums

CRADLE OF FILTH

Almost three years after their last visit to the city, Suffolk, England’s iconic Extreme Metal miscreants CRADLE OF FILTH were finally back to the city with another round of their undisputed, sulfurous and blasphemous music, this time promoting their latest opus, the collection of sweet lullabies entitled The Screaming Of The Valkyries, which you can enjoy in full on Spotify, of course. Their set might have been extremely short (at least for me, as I would love to see them play for over two hours if possible), but it was as dark as the black wings of a Nazgûl, and as venomous as the bite of a King Cobra. Even after seeing Mr. Dani Filth live countless times I’ll never understand how he can scream like that, and if you add to that the violent yet very technical sounds blasted by his bandmates, there you have the perfect recipe for a wild concert with lots of mosh pits, horns in the air and demonic roars form the crowd. The new songs To Live Deliciously and Malignant Perfection sounded great live, but it was Nemesis plus the closing duo Death Magick for Adepts and Her Ghost in the Fog that inspired all fans to succumb to the dark side of music and worship Suffolk’s finest. Hopefully it won’t take another three years for Dani and his horde to return to Toronto, because Cradle of Filth are one of the best bands to see live in the history of heavy music. And if you’re not convinced yet, just as Richmond from IT Crowd.

Setlist
Resurrection
To Live Deliciously
Nemesis
She Is a Fire
The Principle of Evil Made Flesh
Malignant Perfection
Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids
Death Magick for Adepts
Her Ghost in the Fog
Blooding the Hounds of Hell

Band members
Dani Filth – vocals
Marek ‘Ashok’ Smerda – guitars
Donny Burbage – guitars
Daniel Firth – bass
Zoe Marie Federoff – keyboards, vocals
Martin ‘Marthus’ Skaroupka – drums

DYING FETUS

It was getting late but after facing the brutality of all the traffic to get to the city I needed some relaxing music before heading home, and there’s nothing better than the fusion of Brutal Death Metal and Grindcore by Baltimore, Maryland’s technical and savage trio DYING FETUS. Next time your company’s HR asks for ideas for this year’s office Christmas party, simply say “the Fetus Boys” (like how Dani Filth enjoys calling them), and I’m sure Karen from Operations will love the idea and will be in the middle of the band’s demented circle pit. Blending songs from all of their albums in their setlist, including some from their 2023 offering Make Them Beg for Death, also available on Spotify, John Gallagher, Sean Beasley and Trey Williams simply decimated every single living creature at Rebel, delivering a pulverizing, frantic and absolutely technical concert for the delight of their diehard fanbase. Not even the stress of trying to get out of the city after the show was enough to erase the joy of experiencing Dying Fetus live, and I’m sure whenever they return to the city, there will be blood, sweat, violence, and endless circle pits again.

Setlist
Praise the Lord (Opium of the Masses)
Unbridled Fury
In the Trenches
Wrong One to Fuck With
Compulsion for Cruelty
One Shot, One Kill
Your Treachery Will Die With You
Grotesque Impalement
Subjected to a Beating
Into the Cesspool
Killing on Adrenaline

Band members
John Gallagher – guitars, vocals
Sean Beasley – bass, vocals
Trey Williams – drums

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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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Concert Review – Hatebreed: 30th Anniversary Tour (Rebel, Toronto, ON, 09/30/2024)

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One of the torchbearers of Hardcore worldwide celebrated 30 years of existence on an electrifying night of endless mosh pits in Toronto.

OPENING ACTS: Crypta, Harms Way and Carcass

Do you know what Monday night means in Toronto? It means mosh pit night, which was exactly what we all got during the amazing HATEBREED: 30th ANNIVERSARY TOUR with HATEBREED, CARCASS, HARMS WAY and CRYPTA, another insane event brought to the city by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. The venue chosen for such a fun night of extreme music was Rebel, which despite being too far from everything in the city (plus the ridiculous parking cost of over $30), provides fans with an amazing view of the lake and the city, and this Monday night the weather was just perfect for some nice photos of the sunset. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to cover the entire party, and let me tell you that although I did not enter any mosh pits due to work commitments on Tuesday (yes, I’m getting old), I got tired just by seeing the nonstop action inside the pit during the performances of all bands.

The first band of the night was by far my favorite, and they kicked some serious ass to a half empty venue (due to the time the show started, not because of the quality of the band, of course) without caring at all about all those empty spaces. I’m talking about Fernanda Lira, Tainá Bergamaschi, Jéssica di Falchi and Luana Dametto, collectively known as São Paulo, Brazil-based Death/Thrash Metal brigade CRYPTA, and let me tell you that those girls sounded absolutely ruthless, heavy, evil and vibrant during their short but sensational performance. It was their first time ever playing in Canada, and their excitement was visible not only on their faces, but also on their playing, as they sounded extremely tight and visceral until the very last second. Almost all songs played, including the excellent The Other Side of Anger, Lord of Ruins and The Outsider, were from their 2023 beast Shades of Sorrow, plus the closing song from their 2021 debut Echoes of the Soul, the violent From the Ashes, my favorite of the night (and you can listen to all of them on Spotify, by the way). I was simply dying to meet the girls at their merch booth after their show, but for some reason they didn’t show up there. Well, maybe next time, because I’m sure they’ll return to Toronto sooner than later to spread their evil and aggressive sounds to us avid fans.

Setlist
The Aftermath
The Other Side of Anger
Lord of Ruins
The Outsider
Trial of Traitors
From the Ashes
The Closure

Band members
Fernanda Lira – vocals, bass
Tainá Bergamaschi – guitars
Jéssica di Falchi – guitars
Luana Dametto – drums

The good thing about Rebel is that their outdoor area is a thing of beauty, where you can have a beer, smoke a cigarette or a joint, chat with friends and enjoy the view of Toronto at night, and because of that I missed the first few seconds of the concert by Chicago, Illinois’s own Hardcore Punk outfit HARMS WAY. Spearheaded by the charismatic and unstoppable frontman James Pligge, the band delivered an overdose of aggression and fury to the crowd, igniting some sick mosh pits while all band members didn’t stop jumping around the stage. Blending songs form their 2023 album Common Suffering, like Sadist Guilt and Devour, with older songs (all available on Spotify as well), the band kept the energy built by Crypta flowing in great fashion, and although I knew almost nothing about those guys before I must say their live concerts are surely wild. After their gig was over, James himself went to the band’s merch booth and had an amazing interaction with anyone who waited in line to talk to him, even if it was just to say hi and not buy anything. That was very humble of him, and I’m sure there are a lot of new Harms Way fans in Toronto after such a powerful performance by the band in the city.

Setlist
Sadist Guilt
Human Carrying Capacity
Terrorizer
Become a Machine
Hollow Cry
Devour
Call My Name
Infestation

Band members
James Pligge – lead vocals
Bo Lueders – guitars
Nick Gauthier – guitars
Casey Soyk – bass
Christopher Mills – drums

Another quick bathroom/beer/smoke/chat break, and there they were again to pulverize our souls with their piercing fusion of Melodic Death Metal and Grindcore. Hailing from Liverpool, they might be four lads like The Beatles, but let’s say their music is considerably heavier. This was my third (or fourth, I don’t actually remember anymore) time seeing the mighty CARCASS live, the last one being their headlining show in Toronto in 2023, and their energy Monday night was just as insane as all previous times. The band only stopped a little to ask the crowd to sing happy birthday to guitarist Nippy Blackford, but apart form that it was nonstop circle pit action to tons of classics like Buried Dreams, Incarnated Solvent Abuse, Genital Grinder and Exhume to Consume, with Jeff Walker and Bill Steer sounding so savage as if they were in their early 20’s. My two favorite songs of the night were obviously No Love Lost and Heartwork, which are also my two top Carcass songs ever, and I guess most fans also loved the fact they played both on the same night. It was actually my first time seeing No Love Lost live, and I simply loved it. How long is it going to take for Carcass to get back to Toronto?

Setlist
Buried Dreams
Kelly’s Meat Emporium
Incarnated Solvent Abuse
No Love Lost
Death Certificate
Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1 in B)
Genital Grinder
Exhume to Consume
Corporal Jigsore Quandary
Heartwork
Carneous Cacoffiny (Outro)

Band members
Jeff Walker – vocals, bass
Bill Steer – guitars, backing vocals
Nippy Blackford – guitars
Daniel Wilding – drums

HATEBREED

And last but not least, think of the wildest mosh pit you’ve ever been to, and multiply that by 30. Bridgeport, Connecticut’s Hardcore Punk/Metalcore legends HATEBREED might be the ones celebrating 30 years of existence, but that demented mosh pit feast was their gift to their loyal Torontonian fans during their undisputed performance. As a matter of fact, just before the show started they played a really cool video with lots of celebrities congratulating the band for their 30th anniversary, including Ice-T, Gary Holt, Scott Ian, Brawn Stroman, CM Punk, and many more, showing how much the world loves Hatebreed. I think CM Punk said something in the lines of “whenever I’m tired, I drink coffee and listen to some Hatebreed.”

Jamey Jasta and his crew were even more demented than in 2023 when they demolished The Danforth Music Hall, fueling some of the fastest and wildest circle pits in the history of Hardcore. Their setlist was comprised of killer song after killer song, including Tear It Down, This Is Now, my favorite of their show Destroy Everything, As Diehard as They Come, and many, many more, and their fans, both old and new, were having the time of their lives while trying to survive inside the circle pit. It was so crazy that one of the security girls, one with curly hair (if she ever reads this review), was stunned by all the action going on during the concert. I have no idea what type of music she likes, but one thing I know for sure, and that’s she had zero idea of how crazy a Hatebreed concert can be. Maybe she’ll start listening to them, attend one of their concerts as a fan, and slam into the pit in the coming years, right?

Jamey mentioned several times they were impressed with both the amount of fans and their energy on a Monday night (but hey, Jamey, that’s how passionate the Toronto fans are when it comes to heavy music), and that sonic madness continued until the very last second without a single moment of peace for the delight of everyone at the venue. Were we all exhausted the following morning when we had to wake up early to go to work? Of course, but who cares? When Hatebreed call, we must all go to war inside the mosh pit together with one of the trailblazers of Hardcore. Thank you, Hatebreed, and here’s a toast to another 30 years of first-class Hardcore madness!

Setlist
Hatebreed 30th Anniversary Celebrity Intro
Tear It Down
A Call for Blood
This Is Now
Destroy Everything
Empty Promises
To the Threshold
Live for This
Before Dishonor
As Diehard as They Come
Ghosts of War (Slayer cover)
Everyone Bleeds Now
Betrayed by Life
Looking Down the Barrel of Today
Last Breath
Driven by Suffering
Perseverance
Seven Enemies
Proven
I Will Be Heard

Band members
Jamey Jasta – vocals
Wayne Lozinak – lead guitar, backing vocals
Frank Novinec – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Chris Beattie – bass
Matt Byrne – drums

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Concert Review – Cannibal Corpse & Mayhem (Rebel, Toronto, ON, 09/27/2023)

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An unforgettable night of mayhem, blood and chaos for all metalheads in Toronto, courtesy of two of the most important names in the history of extreme music.

***Review by Kevin Ibbitson, with photos by Keith Ibbitson of Lower Eastside Photography***

OPENING ACTS: Blood Incantation and Gorguts

The line up of CANNIBAL CORPSE, MAYHEM (the one true), GORGUTS and BLOOD INCANTATION steamrolled through Rebel on Wednesday evening on their North American Tour 2023, wreaking havok in their wake and leaving many fans satiated by the experience. The crowd got their money’s worth. It was my First time seeing these bands and honestly it was one of the best shows I’ve been to this year. Thanks Gus! The crowd was enthusiastic and bustling with energy. The pit was nuts the whole show and there was constant crowd surfing.

I’ve gotta say that the staff and security were friendly and welcoming (especially the guy in the box office who helped out with my review ticket situation). The line to get in wasn’t too crazy unlike the Parking lots. Traffic is always a bitch in this city but my brother and I avoided Lakeshore and took the back way down Lesley St. to Unwin Ave., then up Cherry St. to Polson St.. Easy as pie. Once in the venue I met some of the other media in attendance (Pedro From A&P Reacts, Jason and Kim from The Metal Pit). Such awesome people, it was great meeting them all. After grabbing a cold one I went and got settled in a decent spot foregoing my usual habit of hitting the merch stand early as the lines were crazy long.

The Lights went low and first up Was Denver Colorado’s own BLOOD INCANTATION with a short but fantastic three song set of their spacy/psychedelic brand of death metal. The pit instantly went into action as soon as the music started and soon after the crowd surfing began creating a fun atmosphere that was contagious. I wish they played a little bit longer but they gained a new fan out of me in the process. After their set I noticed the lines for merch were significantly shorter so I decided to queue up. How could I not cop a shirt or two?

Setlist
Inner Paths (to Outer Space)
Awakening From the Dream of Existence to the Multidimensional Nature of Our Reality (Mirror of the Soul)
Obliquity of the Ecliptic

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

While Standing in line, Sherbrooke Quebec’s resident Tech Death lords GORGUTS layed down a phenomenal set, whipping the crowd into a frenzy but alas, I was stuck in line but fret not, I was still able to enjoy the band from afar as the speaker set-up at Rebel is pretty decent as well as having TV monitors at every bar so I was still able to gauge their performance and the crowd’s reaction. Got an awesome shirt out of it and was glad they were still accepting cash because after all I’m still a f**king caveman apparently. Gorguts rules!

Setlist
Rottenatomy
Disincarnated
Bodily Corrupted
Orphans of Sickness
Obscura

Band members
Luc Lemay – vocals, guitars
Kevin Hufnagel – guitars
Colin Marston – bass
Patrice Hamelin – drums

MAYHEM

I met up with my brother Keith (photographer @lowereastsidephotography) out on the patio during the intermission. The moon was almost full, the air was cool and calm, setting up the vibe for the next band. A band that many in the crowd came to see, one of the original pioneers of the Norwegian black metal scene, the one true MAYHEM. The crowd packed it in even tighter, I couldn’t get anywhere near the pit so I had to hang back and enjoy it from a distance. Mayhem proceeded to absolutely kill it and the fans were just eating it up. The crowd surfing was absolutely nuts, even Mayhem’s bassist Necrobutcher pointed to a crowd surfer with a liberty spiked mohawk as he was jettisoned towards the stage. The band feeding off of the crowd’s energy as the crowd was feeding off theirs. After the first three songs, Keith met up with me to show me his selfie he got with George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher at the side of the stage (lucky f**ker). We decided to check out more merch while Mayhem was destroying it on stage and to our surprise Luc Lemay (guitarist and lead vocalist) of Gorguts was running his own merch stand. We were greeted with a handshake and a thank you from Luc for coming to the show which was nice. Luc was one of the most friendly and down to earth people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. So nice in fact that when the internet went down he accepted whatever cash we had on hand (we had half of what they were worth) for a signed limited edition picture disc of the album ” The Erosion Of Sanity” and a shirt. He totally didn’t have to do that at all and we appreciated the hell out of that. Such an awesome dude. Mayhem finishes their extra long set, everyone was ecstatic at this point, having an incredible night.

Setlist
Worthless Abominations Destroyed
Crystalized Pain in Deconstruction
Malum
My Death
Voces Ab Alta
Freezing Moon
Life Eternal
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Silvester Anfang
Deathcrush
Carnage
Pure Fucking Armageddon

Band members
Attila Csihar – vocals
Teloch – guitars
Ghul – guitars
Necrobutcher – bass
Hellhammer – drums

CANNIBAL CORPSE

Finally it was time for a band that I have always wanted to see but never had the time or money but as luck would have it an opportunity arose thanks to Gustavo Scuderi of The Headbanging Moose for hooking me up with a review ticket, taking his place as he is out west having a great time seeing his lifelong favorite band Iron Maiden. Currently promoting their amazing new album Chaos Horrific, American death metal institution CANNIBAL CORPSE is a band that is best heard live. Did I say heard? I meant felt. Cannibal Corpse is a band that is felt not heard. George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher’s gutturals are as concussive as a mac truck doing dentistry. At times I was at the back of the venue and the vocals were like a kick in the gut. What can I say other than Cannibal Corpse absolutely f**king rules!!! And I loved every second of it. The pit was absolutely insane and, in fact, the crowd was one of the best I’ve ever been in. Such an amazing atmosphere to be a part of. George’s crowd control and banter is always legendary and he is certainly one of the best frontmen in metal. I love watching the security guards reactions during George’s intro to “I Cum Blood”. I don’t have to tell you that everyone fails his headbanging challenge, I mean how can you even compete with that neck? You must “RESPECT THE NECK”. Props to the soundboard technicians. Great sound all night and I didn’t even have to use my ear protection. I left the show completely satisfied and I can’t wait to see them and any one of the other bands the next time they come to town. They all left me wanting more. Great show 10/10!

Setlist
Scourge of Iron
Blood Blind
Disfigured
Evisceration Plague
Inhumane Harvest
Death Walking Terror
Chaos Horrific
I Cum Blood
Summoned for Sacrifice
Pounded Into Dust
Disposal of the Body
Pit of Zombies
Stripped, Raped and Strangled
Hammer Smashed Face

Band members
George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher – vocals
Rob Barrett – lead and rhythm guitar
Erik Rutan – lead guitar
Alex Webster – bass guitar
Paul Mazurkiewicz – drums

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Concert Review – Trivium (Rebel, Toronto, ON, 10/25/2022)

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The awesome night where Trivium switched from being an Orlando band to a Toronto band. 

OPENING ACT: Khemmis, Whitechapel and Between The Buried And Me

My last concert of such intense month of October couldn’t have been any better, as the city of Toronto hosted a fantastic night of modern-day metal with the Deadmen And Dragons Tour at Rebel, with the bands KHEMMIS, WHITECHAPEL, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and the al-freakin’-mighty TRIVIUM proving that heavy music is still alive and kicking as opposed to what several “experts” say about it. It was a very comfortable night temperature-wise and the venue is awesome for concerts like that, with the only problem being as always their parking lot, which made several fans wait for over one hour to be able to get out of it as soon as the concert was over. Well, it is what it is, so let’s focus on the music which is what really matters in the end.

The first band to hit the stage at around 6:55pm was Denver, Colorado-based Doom Metal act KHEMMIS, which also opened for Mastodon and Opeth a few months ago, still promoting their 2021 album Deceivers. Their setlist might have been short but it was very cohesive and electrifying, inspiring an already big crowd to slam into the pit to their doomed and heavy creations. It was my second time seeing Khemmis, this time from the very beginning, and not only I must say I was impressed with their energy throughout their entire set last night, but I also think everyone at the venue felt the same chemistry with the band. If that’s not an invitation for Khemmy to keep coming back to Toronto, I don’t know what would be.

Setlist
Avernal Gate
Three Gates
Sigil
Isolation
A Conversation with Death

Band members
Ben – vocals, guitars
Phil – vocals, guitars
David Small – bass
Zach – drums

After a quick bathroom/beer break, Knoxville, Tennessee’s own Deathcore outfit WHITECHAPEL began their sonic attack for the delight of several diehard fans of the band at Rebel, and it was indeed a ferocious performance by frontman Phil Bozeman and his horde. From the opening tune I Will Find You, from their 2021 album Kin, to the closing moments of Doom Woods, Whitechapel drove the fans insane into the pit, with the whole band sounding on absolute fire specially during newer songs the likes of Lost Boy and A Bloodsoaked Symphony. Excellent performance by a band that I’ve never been into that much, but that I will surely give a few more listens in more detail in the near future.

Setlist
I Will Find You
Anticure
Lost Boy
Orphan
This Is Exile
A Bloodsoaked Symphony
Doom Woods

Band members
Phil Bozeman – vocals
Ben Savage – lead guitars
Alex Wade – guitars
Zach Householder – guitars
Gabe Crisp – bass
Ernie Iniguez – drums

The most “meh” moment for me of the entire night was the performance by Raleigh, North Carolina-based Progressive Metal band BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, which despite being very technical and precise in what they do, their setlist sounded a bit confusing and tiresome. The songs Revolution in Limbo and Never Seen/Future Shock, from their latest album Colors II, were played to perfection, but at least for me they lack that spark or special element that would make them truly entertaining live. There were a lot of BTBAM fans at the venue enjoying the show, though, maybe due to a different type of connection they have with the band, but as I said several people at the venue didn’t enjoy the band as much as they had fun with Whitechapel.

Setlist
Sun of Nothing
Revolution in Limbo
Extremophile Elite
Never Seen/Future Shock
The Future Is Behind Us

Band members
Tommy Giles Rogers – lead vocals, keyboards
Paul Waggoner – lead guitar, backing vocals, additional lead vocals
Dustie Waring – rhythm guitar, additional lead guitar
Dan Briggs – bass, keyboards
Blake Richardson – drums, backing vocals, additional lead vocals

TRIVIUM

Finally, at around 9:50pm, the lights went out and the DJ played Iron Maiden’s hit Run to the Hills through the speakers, inspiring everyone at Rebel to sing its iconic lyrics as a cool warmup for Orlando, Florida’s own Heavy Metal institution TRIVIUM. It was a nice moment for me personally as I had just seen Iron Maiden live in Newark last Friday, so that “bridge” from one band to another sounded really awesome to my ears. Then after the intro IX, Matt Heafy, Corey Beaulieu, Paolo Gregoletto and Alex Bent began kicking some serious ass with the excellent What the Dead Men Say, winning the hearts of everyone at the venue instantly.

In case you might be asking yourself why the tour is called Deadmen And Dragons Tour, that’s because when What The Dead Men Say was released back in 2020 we were in the middle of the pandemic, so there wasn’t a proper tour to promote that album before they released in 2021 the brilliant In the Court of the Dragon. That being said, their setlist was a fusion of both albums with a few old school hits the likes of Like Light to the Flies and To the Rats, resulting in a much better and obviously longer setlist than the one they played in Toronto opening for Lamb of God and Megadeth back in May.

Matt was really, really excited with the amount of people that went to see them last night and of course with the warm reception they had, reminding us all about their early days when no one knew what Trivium were in Canada. He kept saying in between songs he’s amazed with what the band and their Torontonian fans have built together, saying the crowd was so rowdy and vibrant to the point Trivium could switch from being an Orlando band to a Toronto band. I have no idea how loud their fans were in Calgary and other Canadian cities, nor how loud they’ll be tonight in Montreal, but yesterday was indeed a very special night for the band based on all mosh pits, screams and horns raised while they played pulverizing songs such as Amongst the Shadows & the Stones, In the Court of the Dragon and A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation, which by the way wasn’t played in most (or any) of their dates this tour.

By the way, Matt asked the band to stop playing In the Court of the Dragon right in the middle of it due to two stupid idiots that were about to start a fight in the circle pit. He asked them to split and stop with the fighting just like what he tells his four year-old twins, which was a funny moment that I’m sure no one at the venue will ever forget, in special those two idiots. Another thing that I find impressive is that their fans love their newest songs just as much as their old ones, with The Heart From Your Hate being one of the most special moments of the night alongside Shogun and In Waves. So now as promised, Matt, as Trivium “became” a Toronto band we want to see you guys playing ten or more concerts only in Ontario on the next tour, alright? We will be waiting for you with open arms, no doubt about that.

Setlist
Run to the Hills
IX
What the Dead Men Say
Into the Mouth of Hell We March
The Sin and the Sentence
Like Light to the Flies
Amongst the Shadows & the Stones
Chaos Reigns
The Shadow of the Abattoir
X
In the Court of the Dragon
To the Rats
The Heart From Your Hate
Shogun
A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation
Capsizing The Sea
In Waves

Band members
Matt Heafy – lead vocals, guitar
Corey Beaulieu – guitar, backing vocals
Paolo Gregoletto – bass guitar, backing vocals
Alex Bent – drums, percussion

Concert Review – Arch Enemy & Behemoth (Rebel, Toronto, ON, 04/25/2022)

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A night of rain, insanity, blasphemy and, above all that, first-class Heavy Metal for the delight of thousands of metalheads in Toronto.

OPENING ACTS: Unto Others and Napalm Death

Despite the heavy rain that decided to hit Toronto only a couple of hours before the fantastic tour named The North American Siege 2022 took the city by storm, the venue chosen for such metal attack, the spacious Rebel, was almost packed already when the first band of the night hit the stage exactly at 6:30pm, American Heavy Metal/Gothic Rock act UNTO OTHERS, and let me tell you I feel a little ashamed for not knowing those guys before last night. Promoting their 2021 opus Strength, vocalist and guitarist Gabriel Franco and his henchmen put on a sensational show, with songs such as Give Me to the Night, Summer Lightning and When Will God’s Work Be Done inspiring all fans to dance, slam into the pit, or simply raise their horns in the name of Rock N’ Roll. It was a short and sweet performance by such talented band, and I hope to see them again in Toronto (or anywhere else in the world) in a not-so-distant future.

Setlist
Subdivisions (Rush song)
Heroin
Give Me to the Night
No Children Laughing Now
Can You Hear the Rain
Nightfall
Summer Lightning
When Will God’s Work Be Done

Band members
Gabriel Franco – vocals, guitars, keyboards
Sebastian Silva – guitars
Brandon Hill – bass
Colin Vranizan – drums

Right after a bathroom/beer break (not necessarily in this order), it was time for the iconic Barney Greenway and his Grindcore/Death Metal institution NAPALM DEATH to show Toronto what noise is all about for the delight of admirers of the heaviest and most demented side of music who attended the concert. Having released earlier this year the album Resentment Is Always Seismic – A Final Throw of Throes, the band was on absolute fire from start to finish, with Shane Embury and John Cooke hammering their respective bass and guitar mercilessly throughout their entire set. Amidst a hurricane of infernal tunes the likes of Fuck the Factoid, Contagion, Scum and the one-second masterpiece You Suffer, Barney had time to distill his opinion about controversial topics such as illegal immigration, being always of course on the side of the less fortunate. Closing their boisterous setlist, the band smashed our faces with their rendition of Dead Kennedys’ all-time classic Nazi Punks Fuck Off, sending a message of love and peace, and warning us it won’t take long for those four British noisemakers to return to our beloved city.

Setlist
Unchallenged Hate
Fuck the Factoid
Backlash Just Because
Hung
Contagion
Continuing War on Stupidity
Everyday Pox
Invigorating Clutch
Suffer the Children
Breed to Breathe
Scum
Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism
You Suffer
Smash a Single Digit
Deceiver
Dead
Nazi Punks Fuck Off (Dead Kennedys cover)

Band members
Mark “Barney” Greenway – vocals
John Cooke – guitars
Shane Embury – bass, backing vocals, noises, effects
Danny Herrera – drums

ARCH ENEMY

Precisely at 8:35pm Sweden’s own Melodic Death Metal army ARCH ENEMY (although we can say the band is now 60% Swedish, 20% American and 20% Canadian) hit the stage and delivered exactly what the crowd wanted, which was a fusion of some of their best classics with the new songs Deceiver, Deceiver, House of Mirrors and Handshake With Hell, from their upcoming album Deceivers (to be released in July), spearheaded by the unstoppable Alissa White-Gluz and, of course, by one of the best guitarists of the Scandinavian metal scene, Mr. Michael Amott. It was clear in their faces how much they missed playing in front of an audience during the pandemic, in special Alissa who always gets very emotional when playing for her Canadian “family”, which translated into sheer adrenaline for our vulgar delectation. As a longtime fan of the band I was obviously more inspired to bang my head to songs such as Ravenous, Dead Bury Their Dead and Nemesis, but I must say their entire performance was awesome. How long will we have to wait to see Alissa and the boys again in Toronto? Massive circle pits like the ones we witnessed yesterday are not created out of silence, you know. We need Arch Enemy!

Setlist
Set Flame to the Night
Deceiver, Deceiver
The World Is Yours
Ravenous
War Eternal
My Apocalypse
House of Mirrors
The Eagle Flies Alone
As the Pages Burn
Handshake With Hell
Dead Bury Their Dead
Nemesis
Fields of Desolation (Outro)
Enter the Machine

Band members
Alissa White-Gluz – vocals
Michael Amott – lead guitars, backing vocals
Jeff Loomis – lead guitars, backing vocals
Sharlee D’Angelo – bass
Daniel Erlandsson – drums

BEHEMOTH

And at 10:05pm the gates of hell opened once again and the almighty Blackened Death Metal horde BEHEMOTH emerged from the underworld with another flawless and very theatrical performance, darkening the skies of Toronto and putting a huge, devilish smile on the faces of everyone at Rebel (at least on the faces of the ones not wearing masks). Kicking off their demonic concert with one of my favorite Behemoth songs of all time, the incendiary Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer, the multi-talented Nergal, Seth, Orion and Inferno did not disappoint their fans, sounding utterly heavy, dark and blasphemous until the very last second. Their brand new song, entitled Ov My Herculean Exile, from their upcoming (and still untitled) new album, sounded amazing live, but of course there’s nothing like raising our horns in the name of evil to masterpieces such as Ov Fire and the Void, Christians to the Lions, Chant for Eschaton 2000, and the hymn to Satan himself, O Father O Satan O Sun!, proving why Behemoth are one of the best and most obscure bands of the current metal scene. And when the night was over and those Polish blasphemers left the stage, it was time for us Torontonians to keep some of that darkness inside our hearts, face the cold and rainy weather outside again, and return to our lairs waiting for the next time Behemoth come back to crush the infidels in Toronto with their undisputed music.

Setlist
Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer
Wolves ov Siberia
Ov Fire and the Void
Evoe
Christians to the Lions
Bartzabel
Conquer All
Ov My Herculean Exile
Decade of Therion
Slaves Shall Serve
Chant for Eschaton 2000
O Father O Satan O Sun!

Band members
Adam “Nergal” Darski – lead vocals, guitars
Patryk Dominik “Seth” Sztyber – guitars
Tomasz “Orion” Wróblewski – bass guitar
Zbigniew Robert “Inferno” Promiński – drums and percussion

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Concert Review – Amon Amarth (Rebel, Toronto, ON, 10/09/2019)

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A night of epic battles, endless circle pits and heavy-as-hell anthems offered by a horde of Swedish bands to all of us “Vikings” in Toronto, spearheaded by one of the biggest names of the current metal scene.

OPENING ACTS: Grand Magus, At The Gates and Arch Enemy

What a fun night, my fellow Vikings! The Swedish invasion that took the city of Toronto by storm last night at Rebel was beyond entertaining, and I can’t find the right words to describe the heaviness and power from all four bands of the night, Grand Magus, At The Gates, Arch Enemy and the almighty Amon Amarth (all hailing from Sweden, of course). There was a lot of beer drinking, endless mosh pits, lots of screaming, horns in the air, the encounter (although playing at different times with their respective bands) of the talented “Erlandsson Brothers” Adrian and Daniel, and a humongous dosage of our good old Heavy Metal.

The first band of the night was Stockholm-based Heavy/Doom Metal power trio GRAND MAGUS, which I confess I didn’t know much before last night. And let me tell you they kick some serious ass with their fusion of classic doom with Nordic themes, setting the stage on fire with their crisp and thunderous performance. Currently promoting their new album Wolf God, the band comprised of vocalist and guitarist JB Christoffersson, bassist Fox Skinner and drummer Ludwig Witt thanked all fans that were able to arrive early at Rebel to witness their fantastic concert, with their closing song, the battle hymn entitled Hammer of the North, being the icing on the cake to their flawless performance. I hope they return to Toronto soon for another killer concert, and if I were you I would search for their music right now on Spotify or on YouTube as it’s definitely worth it.

Setlist
I, the Jury
Dawn of Fire
Like the Oar Strikes the Water
Iron Will
Hammer of the North

Band members
JB Christoffersson – vocals, guitar
Fox Skinner – bass
Ludwig Witt – drums 

After a very short break it was time for Gothenburg’s own Melodic Death Metal institution AT THE GATES to bring to Toronto all their rage and darkness, inspiring the fans that were already filling up all the spaces at the venue to ignite some serious circle pits. Also, although the band has recently released two EP’s named The Mirror Black and With the Pantheons Blind, it felt like they “ignored” that and kept playing the same setlist used during their tour to promote their 2018 album To Drink from the Night Itself, with songs such as To Drink From the Night Itself and The Colours of the Beast being among my favorite ones of their solid performance. Needless to say, Tomas Lindberg was amazing with his harsh, desperate vocals throughout the entire concert, as well as Adrian Erlandsson, who was perhaps trying to “set the tone” for his brother Daniel with Arch Enemy right after that. A great warm-up concert as usual, and a great band for anyone who loves violence and mosh pits from the bottom of their blackened hearts.

Setlist
Der Widerstand
To Drink From the Night Itself
Slaughter of the Soul
At War With Reality
The Colours of the Beast
Cold
Heroes and Tombs
El Altar del Dios Desconocido
Death and the Labyrinth
Blinded by Fear
The Night Eternal

Band members
Tomas Lindberg – vocals
Martin Larsson – guitars
Jonas Stålhammar – guitars
Jonas Björler – bass
Adrian Erlandsson – drums

The venue was already packed when the one and only ARCH ENEMY hit the stage and began their high-octane, incendiary concert, and within a few seconds the entire floor section was already turned into a massive circle pit for our total delight. The multi-talented frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz was absolutely brutal and unstoppable, reminding us all she was the only Canadian in this tour and, consequently, asking us all to show those Swedish guys how awesome Canadian metallers are. Their setlist was quite solid for the time they had available, mixing a few songs from their latest album Will to Power, released in 2017, with some of their older classics. Also, I guess I don’t need to say how brilliant both Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis were with their axes, right? And if you were there last night, I bet you know what the words Ravenous and Nemesis mean to your neck, elbows and throat.

Setlist
Set Flame to the Night
The World Is Yours
War Eternal
My Apocalypse
Ravenous
The Eagle Flies Alone
First Day in Hell
Saturnine
As the Pages Burn
Nemesis
Enter the Machine

Band members
Alissa White-Gluz – vocals
Michael Amott – lead guitars, backing vocals
Jeff Loomis – lead guitars, backing vocals
Sharlee D’Angelo – bass
Daniel Erlandsson – drums

AMON AMARTH

After all those insanely heavy and electrifying bands warmed us up really well on a not-so-cold Torontonian night, we were more than ready to join the berserkers from AMON AMARTH on their musical journey to Valhalla, and that journey was perfect from start to finish, no doubt about that. Playing a good chunk of songs form their 2019 opus Berserker, which by the way worked really well live as the whole album kicks ass, such as Raven’s Flight, Crack the Sky, Fafner’s Gold and one of my favorites of the night, the battle hymn Shield Wall, the Swedish horde spearheaded by Johan Hegg showed us everything they got, including a Viking ship, a Viking battle, a demonic entity that looked like a skeleton version of Loki, and their traditional beer drinking horn during the party anthem Raise Your Horns.

Not sure if you noticed what I’m about to say, but all my photos of the concert are really bad, and that’s solely because it was impossible to stand still and try to take any decent pictures in the floor section due to the never-ending, gigantic and brutal circle pits happening. There was a bit of everything into the pit, from giant Viking guys to tiny (but still violent) Chinese girls, proving how big Amon Amarth are getting and how their theatrical performance combined with their powerful music is attracting more and more people to their concerts. And what can I say about what the fans did during a good part of their all-time classic Twilight of the Thunder God? I would say more than half of the floor section simply sat down on the floor and started rowing all together, as if they were true Vikings on a Viking ship sailing towards battle! That was a memorable and extremely fun moment of the night (and I don’t recall seeing that happen anywhere else, unless it’s a new thing during Amon Amarth concerts that I’m not aware of), and something that only proves how strong the band has become since their inception.

The entire band was more than happy with the reception they got from us here in Toronto, smiling back to us and banging their heads nonstop, and only stopping all that devastation to say THANK YOU, TORONTO! a thousand times. If that wasn’t a statement that they’re coming back to our city again and again, and every single time with a bigger and better concert, I don’t know what would be. Would Amon Amarth be the next “metal giant” after dinosaurs like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica and Slayer call it quits? Will those classic bands pass the torch to our beloved Swedish Vikings? Well, only time will tell, but based on the quality of their discography and, above all, the high energy and epicness of their live performances, they more than deserve that place among the metal gods. All hail Amon Amarth, and may Toronto witness their epic, heavy-as-hell metal hymns and onstage battles countless more times in the coming decades!

Setlist
Raven’s Flight
Runes to My Memory
Deceiver of the Gods
First Kill
Fafner’s Gold
Crack the Sky
The Way of Vikings
Shield Wall
Guardians of Asgaard
Raise Your Horns
The Pursuit of Vikings
Twilight of the Thunder God

Band members
Johan Hegg – vocals
Olavi Mikkonen – guitar
Johan Söderberg – guitar
Ted Lundström – bass guitar
Jocke Wallgren – drums