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Concert Review – Raven & Artillery (Hard Luck Bar, Toronto, ON, 04/20/2024)

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All hell broke loose at the Hard Luck Bar in Toronto thanks to a massive night of pure metal music with seven insane bands, spearheaded by the iconic Artillery and Raven.

OPENING ACTS: Potential Threat, Vapor, Wicked, Lutharo and Vicious Rumors

As mentioned in the two previous concert reviews here, I wasn’t able to attend the absolute metal party at the Hard Luck Bar on Saturday with the bands POTENTIAL THREAT, VAPOR, WICKED, LUTHARO, VICIOUS RUMORS, ARTILLERY and RAVEN (yes, all those amazing bands played on the same night at the same venue) on a co-headlining extravaganza during Raven’s All Hell’s Breaking Loose Across North America Tour 2024 and Artillery’s 40th Anniversary North American Tour 2024, a mega event once again organized by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. However, although I couldn’t be there due to my trip to New York and Newark to see the almighty Judas Priest, my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi was there on a double duty, taking care of all photos and also of the review, sending me a quick summary of all the metal madness going on at one of the most famous pubs in Toronto.

The first band to hit the stage, precisely at 6pm, was San Francisco, California’s own Thrash Metal veterans POTENTIAL THREAT, who despite being formed back in 1986 only have three official albums released, the latest one being Threat to Society, from 2019. Formed of vocalist and guitarist Mike Noble, guitarist Daniel Sheridan, bassist Damien Sisson, and drummer Kenny Noble, the band was on fire during their entire concert, leaving Keith eager for more of their music. I don’t think they’re on Spotify, though, but you can find some of their albums on BandCamp and probably on other streaming services, so if you love some mosh pits, just go for it as you’re in for a real treat (or maybe I should say a real “threat”).

Band members
Mike Noble – vocals, guitars
Daniel Sheridan – guitars, backing vocals
Damien Sisson – bass, backing vocals
Kenny Noble – drums, backing vocals

After a short break it was then time for Geyserville, California’s Thrash/Groove Metal band VAPOR to kick some ass on the small but incendiary stage of the pub, getting the crowd going inside the mosh pits and, of course, driving the temperature up considerably at the Hard Luck Bar. It was another excellent round of thrashing songs for the fans at the pub, and you can get to know more about Vapor and their music and go check their wicked creations on BandCamp and on Spotify in case you’re curious to know how those great musicians sound when they get together in the name of our good old Thrash Metal.

Band members
Nate Klug – vocals, guitars
Tom Barrett – lead guitars
Nick Altenburg bass, backing vocals
Edgar Canaan – drums

The third band of such an extensive night of rock and metal was American Glam Metal/Rock N’ Roll squad WICKED, whose last release was the 2022 album Sunburn (available on Spotify, as well as their previous albums), and according to Keith they brought a more Guns N’  Roses-inspired vibe to the venue, with their long blond hair waving around nonstop. I would say a weird choice after two devastating Thrash Metal bands, but the fans enjoyed their songs a lot and the energy at the venue kept flowing in an amazing way, so kudos for the organizers for adding them to the bill. Hence, if you want to know more about this electrifying Rochester, New York-based band, you can find all information you can imagine about them by clicking HERE.

Band members
Danny – vocals, guitar
Scotty V – guitars, backing vocals
Chad Michael – bass, backing vocals
Gunnar – drums, backing vocals

Perhaps the band I regret missing the most from Saturday’s party is Hamilton, Ontario, Canada’s own Melodic Death Metal beast LUTHARO, as they’re by far one of the driving forces of the current Canadian scene. Having just released the breathtaking album Chasing Euphoria, the band led by the stunning Krista Shipperbottom delivered a breathtaking show to an even bigger crowd, which was huge by then, inspiring everyone to slam into mosh pit after mosh pit. Go check more of the amazing music by this Canadian institution for the “Hammer” on Spotify, or click HERE for all things Lutharo. On a side note, Keith mentioned Krista should be one of our metal ladies of the month, and as I love Lutharo I think that will happen still in 2024, so stay tuned for an overdose of Krista sooner than you can scream “born to ride”!

Setlist
Gates of Enchantment
Reaper’s Call
Ruthless Bloodline
Wings of Agony
Born to Ride
Lost in a Soul

Band members
Krista Shipperbottom – vocals
Victor Bucur – guitars, backing vocals
Jeff Wilson – guitars
Chris Pacey – bass
Cory Hofing – drums

The very last of the opening acts of such an amazing night of heavy music in Toronto was Santa Rosa, California-based Heavy/Power Metal masters VICIOUS RUMORS, who are celebrating their 45th anniversary by performing their critically acclaimed first album, Soldiers Of The Night, in its entirety for the first time in North America. Keith mentioned a lot of people were there to see them, elevating their status to maybe what we can call the ” third headliner” of the night, and that by the time they hit the stage the venue was so jam packed that he had a really hard time taking photos of their show as the crowd was not letting the photographers go up front to do their job. Sometimes people get way too excited with heavy music, and I gotta say I love that.

Setlist
Premonition
Ride (Into the Sun)
Medusa
Soldiers of the Night
Murder
March or Die
Abandoned
Replicant
Digital Dictator
Minute to Kill
Don’t Wait for Me

Band members
Brian Allen – vocals
Geoff Thorpe – guitars, additional vocals
Gunnar DüGrey – guitars
Robin Utbult – bass
Larry Howe – drums

ARTILLERY

The first headliner of the night was Danish Thrash Metal institution ARTILLERY, playing 44 shows in 26 states during their 40th Anniversary North American Tour, and according to Keith they kicked some ass Saturday night in Toronto. No idea why, but Keith said that Edgar Canaan of Vapor played drums for Artillery on Saturday in Toronto as their regular drummer Frederik Kjelstrup Hansen wasn’t there, but also that such minor detail didn’t take any energy from their demolishing performance. Quite the contrary, they killed it, and in my opinion Artillery are one of those bands that are mandatory to see live at least once in your lifetime if you consider yourself a true metalhead.

Setlist
The Devils Symphony
The Almighty
Turn up the Rage
By Inheritance
The Face of Fear
Bombfood
Legions
10.000 Devils
Khomaniac
Deeds of Darkness
Terror Squad

Band members
Martin Steene – vocals
Michael Stützer – lead guitars
René Loua – guitars
Peter Thorslund – bass
Edgar Canaan – drums

RAVEN

And last but not least, the jam packed Hard Luck Bar was destroyed by ruthless Heavy Metal veterans RAVEN, during their All Hell’s Breaking Loose Across North America Tour 2024, obviously promoting their 2023 opus All Hell’s Breaking Loose. As soon as they hit the stage, it was an avalanche of Heavy Fuckin’ Metal from Great Britain right in the faces of everyone who was in the front row, with John Gallagher, Mark Gallagher and Mike Heller bringing the best heavy tunes you can think of for the total delight of the massive crowd that took over the Hard Luck Bar. Don’t forget to keep an eye on all things Raven by clicking HERE, in special their amazing live concerts, because once they take the stages of your city you know that all hell will break loose.

Setlist
Destroy All Monsters
Hell Patrol
The Power
Surf the Tsunami
Turn of the Screw
All for One
Rock Until You Drop
Guitar Solo
Faster Than the Speed of Light
Inquisitor
Bass Solo
All Hell’s Breaking Loose
On and On
Break the Chain
Rock Bottom (UFO cover)
Supernaut (Black Sabbath cover)
Symptom of the Universe (Black Sabbath cover)
Victim of Changes (Judas Priest cover)
Chain Saw

Band members
John Gallagher – lead vocals, bass, 12-string bass
Mark Gallagher – guitars, backing vocals
Mike Heller – drums

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Album Review – Mavradoxa / Nightmarrow (2019)

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The final breath of dark and heavy sounds by a now extinct metal unity will take you on a journey of isolation and hopelessness through the realms of Atmospheric Black Metal.

Let me begin this review by saying that I was absolutely shocked when I read earlier this year that the beyond promising and talented Rochester, New York-based Atmospheric Black Metal band Mavradoxa was calling it quits after only a few years of existence. Fortunately for all of us, fans of dark and atmospheric music, the band left us with three excellent full-length albums, those being their 2016 debut opus Sojourners, their fantastic 2017 release Lethean Lament, and more recently Nightmarrow, released earlier this year via Hypnotic Dirge Records. Although related to the tonal atmosphere and character of their previous albums, Nightmarrow sees the band developing and intensifying their song-writing ability, crafting simultaneously cohesive yet unpredictable songs with a progressive hue that is still rooted in Atmospheric Black Metal.

Engineered by Nicholas Alan at Subterranean Studios, mixed by Stephen Parker (Pillorian, Maestus), mastered by Justin Weis at Trakworx Recording, and featuring a stunning artwork by American artist Dylan Garrett Smith, Nightmarrow represents a meditation on the isolation and hopelessness of our age (particularly in the realm of the urban), and the consequences of technology and voracious consumption of resources. Mavradoxa’s founding duo Zachary Smith, also known as Nival, and Monica Finger, also known as Lux, together with guitarist Tyler Stasierowski (from The Highest Leviathan) and bassist Josh Mason (from Wandering Oak and Acrylazea), perfectly depict that feeling of solitude and desperation in Nightmarrow, positioning the unfortunately now defunct band as one of the most creative and interesting bands of the underground scene in the United States.

Featuring guest vocals by Matt Greenwood and an additional guitar solo by Nicholas Alan, the opening track Maple begins in full force with the razor-edged riffs by Zach and Tyler and the intricate beats by Monica generating a rumbling ambience perfect for Zach’s anguished roars, sounding as powerful and grim just the way we like it in Atmospheric Black Metal. Furthermore, the song’s progressive ending flows smoothly into the even darker musical voyage entitled The Carrion Shade, where Josh and Monica make the earth tremble with their respective instruments while the entire band darkly intones the song’s cryptic lyrics (“Black sun, black moon / In shadows, entombed / Flame, gold, & rust / slowly coalesced / in the pale of the / last winter sunset”). This is Progressive Black Metal at its finest showcasing all band members in absolute sync, therefore delivering a crushing wall of blackened sounds for our total delight, in special Zach and Tyler with their flammable guitars.

Matt Greenwood returns in the title-track Nightmarrow, where the music gets closer to what was offered to us in Lethean Lament, presenting more introspective and atmospheric sounds and passages. Zach sounds utterly enraged and acid on vocals, with Monica’s gentle clean vocals bringing more balance to this dense and bold feast of extreme music. Then an acoustic, ethereal bridge named Rustling Leaves soothes our souls and warms up our senses for Black Crystal Snowfall, featuring guest vocals by Swamp and sheer poetry flowing from its lyrics (“Ancestral whispers beckon us back / to a starless womb, to a time before / this place where all is languishing, / where all is ensnared by the grasp / of synthetic hands, becoming, / and ripping our bones from within”), also bringing forward elements from Blackened Doom added to their core atmospheric music. Monica’s steady beats and Zach’s and Tyler’s crisp riffs will undoubtedly embrace your soul from start to finish, reaching a climatic and piercing grand finale that gently morphs into a melancholic outro titled Umbra, where Zach and Tyler deliver a passionate performance with their acoustic guitars, concluding Nightmarrow on a high and pensive note.

If Nightmarrow, which by the way is available in full on YouTube and on Spotify, is indeed the last breath of Atmospheric Black Metal by Mavradoxa no one knows for sure. The band might decide to come back from their “retirement” one day to smash our senses again with their somber music, who knows? Until that day arrives (if it arrives,  of course), you can keep in touch with Zach and Monica on Facebook, and purchase your copy of Mavradoxa’s final journey through the realms of atmospheric and extreme music from the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp page (or click HERE for all details about the band and where to buy their music), as well as from your regular retailers such as Apple Music, Amazon, CD Baby and Discogs. Having said that, it’s with a heavy heart that I finalize this review (or maybe I should call it a tribute), as heavy, ominous and splendorous as the music by the now extinct Mavradoxa. Thank you for your music, Zah and Monica, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing from you two again in a not-so-distant future.

Best moments of the album: The Carrion Shade and Nightmarrow.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2019 Hypnotic Dirge Records

Track listing
1. Maple 7:41
2. The Carrion Shade 9:25
3. Nightmarrow 9:34
4. Rustling Leaves 1:45
5. Black Crystal Snowfall 10:57
6. Umbra 3:40

Band members
Zachary Smith – vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
Monica Finger – drums, vocals
Tyler Stasierowski – electric guitars, 12-string acoustic guitar
Josh Mason – fretless bass guitar

Guest musicians
Matt Greenwood – guest vocals on “Maple” and “Nightmarrow”
Swamp – guest vocals on “Black Crystal Snowfall”
Nicholas Alan – additional lead guitar on “Maple”

Album Review – Mavradoxa / Lethean Lament (2017)

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A whirlwind of emotions from raw carnal aggression, nature reverence, despair, longing and bliss in the form of stunning Laurentian Black Metal.

“And all that we are,
all that we are,
is silhouettes
in silent
rain 

And all that we are,
all that we are,
is a blackbird
with wings
aflame”

Recorded in the spring of 2017, Lethean Lament, the second full-length installment by American Atmospheric Black Metal duo Mavradoxa, is not only a contemplative and majestic album that is expansive, atmospheric and melancholic, but it’s perhaps the best depiction in modern underground music of what’s commonly referred to as “Laurentian Black Metal”, being highly recommended for dreary and rain-soaked days during solitary walks, or in any moment of introspection. Formed in 2015 in the city of Rochester, New York, in the United States, the duo comprised of Nival (Zachary Smith) on vocals, guitar and bass and Lux (Monica Finger) on vocals and drums is sharper than ever in Lethean Lament, delivering long, progressive songs that flow with purpose where the atmosphere dictates and paints vivid stories in its movement and direction throughout the entire album, encapsulating a whirlwind of emotions from raw carnal aggression, nature reverence, despair, longing and bliss. Featuring contributions by violinist Andy McGirr on the songs “Cicadan” and “Across the Nival Grove”, and vocalist Makr Welden on the song “Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame”, as well as a darkly distinguished and impactful artwork, Lethean Lament is honest and genuine Atmospheric Black Metal that beautifully carries on the tradition of bands like Agalloch, Waldgeflüster, Falls of Rauros and Obsidian Tongue.

In the opening track, titled Cicadan, the acoustic guitars by Nival generate the perfect atmosphere for the beyond pleasant violin by Andy to soothe our souls in a comforting and melancholic way, setting the stage for the 11-minute extravaganza The Phantom Visages, showcasing an avalanche of sluggish, somber guitars and beats by the talented duo, spiced up by harsher and more aggressive moments and also bringing elements from Black and Doom Metal, resulting in devilish Blackened Doom tailored for admirers of the genre. Furthermore, its mournful lyrics are effectively gnarled by Mavradoxa (“And soon into the graveyard’s maw the lustrous glow shall fade / Their echoing laments no longer stain the past / Their fleeting memories are borne to midnight rot / My lifeless frame upon the black tombstone is cast”), giving the entire song and even darker and more hypnotizing feel. Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame is the absolute soundtrack for wandering through cold landscapes by yourself with its almost 18 minutes of melancholic passages, introspective clean vocals by Mark Welden, gentle but piercing guitars by Nival and steady, mesmerizing beats by Lux. The music in this underground masterpiece of winter-like sounds keeps growing in intensity inside your mind, turning it into a one-way journey into darkness.

Exploring their more progressive and atmospheric vein, Mavradoxa hone their instruments to pierce our souls with their depressive sounds in Across the Nival Grove, where vocals couldn’t sound and feel more anguished, flowing through several layers of contrasting tunes and nuances until its climatic ending led by Andy’s ethereal violin. Then we have From Fog, a magnificent composition where you can sense the night and the cold embracing the desperate vociferations blasted by the duo (“Shivering, staring at haze from breath on a shattered mirror / Streaking through shadowy groves / Skeletal roots, an edifice… / but where am I?”) in an amazing display of modern Atmospheric Black Metal. In addition, the song offers the listener old school Black Metal blast beats by Lux and a metallic riffage by Nival in perfect sync with the dense ambience surrounding the music, flirting with Progressive Black Metal and, therefore, keeping the music always fresh, vibrant and gripping. And lastly, there’s nothing better than a serene acoustic outro, named Metanoia, to wrap up this voyage through the obscure and gelid kingdom of extreme music reigned by Mavradoxa.

All you need to do to brave the storm of idiosyncratic sounds found in Lethean Lament (which by the way is our album review number 500, and there couldn’t have been a better choice to celebrate that expressive milestone than this) is go to YouTube for a full listen at the album, follow Mavradoxa on Facebook, and buy your copy of the album at the Hypnotic Dirge Records’ BandCamp or webshop (as a regular CD or as a CD + shirt + sticker bundle), as well as at Discogs. And after facing such distinguished tempest of emotions, from sheer aggression to moments of hope and melancholy, you’ll certainly place Laurentian Black Metal, especially the one masterfully crafted by Mavradoxa, as one of your top choices for your most isolated and meditative moments in life.

Best moments of the album: Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame and From Fog.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2017 Hypnotic Dirge Records

Track listing
1. Cicadan 3:52
2. The Phantom Visages 11:25
3. Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame 17:50
4. Across the Nival Grove 15:32
5. From Fog 11:00
6. Metanoia 1:59

Band members
Nival – vocals, guitar, bass
Lux – vocals, drums

Guest musicians
Andy McGirr – violin on “Cicadan” and “Across the Nival Grove”
Mark Welden – vocals on “Crimson Waves of Autumnal Flame”