Album Review – Spades GT / United (2025)

This Canadian brigade is ready to save rock music with the incendiary fusion of Crossover Thrash, Hardcore and Punk Rock found in their sophomore album.

Hailing from the charming Barrie, a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about 90 kilometers north of Toronto, the up-and-coming sonic brigade known as Spades GT is ready to save rock music with the incendiary fusion of Crossover Thrash, Hardcore and Punk Rock found in their new album, titled United. Produced by Kyle Marchant at Room 21 Sound in Toronto, the follow-up to their 2024 debut Sewer City Radio sees the band currently formed of John Pierce on vocals, Matt Voros and Dan Horton on the guitars, Sean Macnab on bass, and Tyler Reiner on drums on absolute fire, inspiring us all to slam into the pit to its eight hard-hitting compositions in a resonant exploration of connection and unity, examining diverse perspectives and scenarios from the deeply interpersonal to broader political landscapes.

The quintet wastes no time and kicks off their Rock N’ Roll party with Anthem, led by the pounding drums by Tyler and the classic, soaring vocals by John, not to mention how incendiary the riffs by Matt and Dan sound, followed by the electrifying title-track United, where the band unites the heaviness of metal music with the rebelliousness of Hardcore and Punk Rock, and the final result is perfect for some crazy mosh pit action. Tyler keeps hammering his drums in Demons, while Matt and Dan deliver an overdose of adrenaline through their stringed axes, and Filthy Lie is a song that’s more than perfect for hitting the road with your loved ones, for enjoying it while going skateboarding, and of course for showing the band your horns during their live concerts.

Game for Two then blends the sounds blasted by giants like Motörhead, The Exploited and Rancid, with Tyler taking the lead behind his drums in a frantic rock and punk extravaganza; whereas the last batch of songs features some very special guest musicians, starting with guest vocals by Andrew Moorehouse of The Fast Life in Wrecked, even faster than its predecessors. Needless to say, it should sound amazing if played live. Strong, featuring a rap verse by guest Julien “Mersinary” Santos of Reel Wolf, is another furious, heavy-as-hell tune by Spades GT, with the vocals by John exhaling sheer adrenaline, and lastly, featuring former second guitarist Jay Sarrazin, we have the flammable Die on Our Feet, closing the album on a high and vibrant Rock N’ Roll note.

John, Matt, Dan, Sean and Tyler are among us to save Rock N’ Roll, and the music found in their new album United proves they’re in the right path to reach their undisputed goal, combining hard-hitting riffs, driving rhythms, and compelling vocals to create a sound that’s both familiar and refreshingly contemporary. Hence, you should give those hardworking Canadians a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, keeping an eye on their live performances, subscribe to their official YouTube channel, stream their new album in full on Spotify or on other major streaming platforms, or simply click HERE for all things Spades GT. Those five talented musicians are united in the name of Rock N’ Roll throughout the 27 minutes of music found in their new album, and you won’t regret joining them and headbanging to their melodic and very aggressive sounds.

Best moments of the album: United, Filthy Lie and Wrecked.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2025 Sewer City Records

Track listing
1. Anthem 2:39
2. United 3:49
3. Demons 3:03
4. Filthy Lie 3:25
5. Game for Two 3:39
6. Wrecked 3:14
7. Strong 3:33
8. Die on Our Feet 3:29

Band members
John Pierce – lead vocals
Matt Voros – guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Filthy Lie”
Dan Horton – guitar
Sean Macnab – bass
Tyler Reiner – drums

Guest musicians
Andrew Moorehouse – vocals on “Wrecked”
Julien “Mersinary” Santos – vocals on “Strong”
Jay Sarrasin – guitars on “Die on Our Feet”

Concert Review – Walter Froebrich Memorial Show (The Rockpile, Toronto, ON, 01/07/2023)

A beautiful tribute to the life of the Metal Mayor of Toronto and his undisputed passion for heavy music. 

INTRODUCTION: AM HERE…

If you have no idea who Walter Froebrich was, let’s say he was the Metal Mayor of Toronto, as I’ve seen many people referring to him as. He was in pretty much every metal concert we all attended i the city in the past 20 years, from Heavy Metal to Death and Black Metal, from Thrash Metal to Deathcore and Viking Metal, and so on, always holding a few beers, always raising the horns, always surrounded by friends, and always supporting metal music no matter what. He even had his own motto, “AM HERE.” Sadly, in November 2022 due to lack of proper healthcare by the Toronto authorities Walter passed away at home after several visits to the hospital, and that brought a lot of grief to all metal fans in the city. If he had received a proper service, if he had been through the required scans and so on, he would still be around us. He will be extremely missed by the metal community in all upcoming concerts in Toronto, no doubt about that. I was going to use the common expression “may his soul rest in piece”, but I’m sure Walter himself would prefer a slight adaptation of it, “may his soul rest in metal”.

WALTER FROEBRICH MEMORIAL SHOW

That’s why on January 7 the Toronto scene came together to celebrate Walter’s life and his passion for heavy music at The Rockpile with the Walter Froebrich Memorial Show, an event organized by Steve Hoeg, Drew Masters, Junior Jr LeClerc and Jake Disman, among others, with no more, no less than TWENTY SEVEN bands playing from 1pm until midnight to a sold out venue, while money for Walter’s family was raised through a silent auction and a 50/50 draw. Unfortunately due to personal reasons I could not attend the celebration, but my friend and photographer Keith Ibbitson of Lower Eastside Photography was there to capture some amazing shots of the entire show, and to provide us with a sense of how awesome everything was and how happy Walter must be whenever he is right now with his homage.

In Keith’s own words, “we raised over 17,000 dollars for Walter’s family. It was a sold out show. All the bands were absolutely amazing! Drew Masters was the MC for the evening. The friends Walter made over his concerts outings just blew my mind! Each one is family, the metal community is one big family, they come together for each other like no other.” And as you can see from the photo gallery below, it was indeed a night to remember, a celebration of life and metal, exactly how Walter would have liked it to be. Here are all the fantastic bands that were on the bill, and as many people have said Walter would have certainly taken a selfie with each one of them…

The House of Haunt
Snake River Redemption
Dominant Species
Madam
Anger by Design
GFU
Dawn Vally
Cowboys from Hell (Pantera tribute)
Disciple (Slayer tribute)
King Moonracer
Byrdy
Fury 44
Sons Of Sabbath
Freeloader
Spades GT
MLC
Omnivert
Devil Witch
The Dominion
The Android Meme
Burdizzo
Crème Flesh
Pillars of Eternity (Down tribute)
Red Lowe (circus performer)
Phear
Chainfall
Gen-X (90’s rock cover band)

In the Facebook page to the event you can find a lot more details about the whole thing, see other photos taken by different attendees, other posts and discussions around Walter and the metal community in Toronto, and so on, as well as a very nice summary of the night on the video below. RIP WALTER! AM HERE!

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