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Concert Review – Trivium & Bullet For My Valentine (Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, Mississauga, ON, 05/04/2025)

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A wild, fun and emotional night of heavy music in celebration of the 20th anniversary of two of the most important albums in the history of Metalcore.

OPENING ACTS: Bleed From Within and August Burns Red

What a wild, fun and emotional night at the fantastic Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto this Sunday, when BLEED FROM WITHIN, AUGUST BURNS RED, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM attacked us all with their undisputed The Poisoned Ascendancy Tour 2025, celebrating 20 years of the landmark albums The Poison, by Bullet For My Valentine, and Ascendancy, by Trivium. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there from the very first second of the shows, as it’s a much easier drive for me than trying to get to Toronto (which will be a massive headache this Wednesday for Chaos & Carnage, but I’ll leave my rant for the next concert review), and seeing the venue jam packed already before the first band of the night kicked off the festivities was simply awesome, sending us a sign that it was going to be a beyond electrifying event.

Precisely at 6:30pm, Glasgow, Scotland’s own Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore machine BLEED FROM WITHIN started their short but extremely  frantic and furious performance, led by the venomous roars by frontman Scott Kennedy. They only played five songs, two from their excellent latest album Zenith (available on Spotify), those being the opener God Complex and the last song In Place Of Your Halo, and I must say those two were by far their heaviest ones, already igniting some sick mosh pits in the vast but packed floor section. I’m a new-ish fan of the band and I’ll certainly go see them live in Toronto anytime they return to the city, and I guess a lot of people at the casino this Sunday will also be there, because those guys kick some serious ass onstage and deserve to have their own headlining tour in North America in the coming years.

Setlist
God Complex
Levitate
I Am Damnation
The End of All We Know
In Place Of Your Halo

Band members
Scott Kennedy – lead vocals
Steven Jones – guitars, clean vocals
Craig Gowans – guitars
Davie Provan – bass
Ali Richardson – drums

After a quick break (and a delicious Slayer Burger, as those guys had a food truck at the venue just like what happened when Meshuggah played there a few weeks ago), Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Metalcore unit AUGUST BURNS RED began their also heavy and furious concert in a very peculiar way, with a cover version for System Of A Down’s classic Chop Suey!, and that was already enough to inspire all fans to go mental inside the circle pit. Also, although they were not officially celebrating 20 years of their album Thrill Seeker (not playing it in full like BFMV and Trivium with their respective The Poison and Ascendancy), it’s really cool to see the band still alive and kicking decades later with endless energy onstage, and you can stream all of their albums on Spotify it doesn’t matter if your prepping for an upcoming ABR concert, or if you missed their last concert in your city, because they play high quality heavy music and they’re a fantastic band both in the studio and live. And by the way, get ready for A LOT of crowd surfing, because their frontman Jake Luhrs loves that and kept demanding all concert goers to practice such a unique sport during their entire show.

Setlist
Chop Suey!
Paramount
Composure
Defender
Bloodletter
Vengeance
Exhumed
Marianas Trench
White Washed

Band members
Jake Luhrs – lead vocals
John Benjamin “JB” Brubaker – lead guitar
Brent Rambler – rhythm guitar
Dustin Davidson – bass, backing vocals
Matt Greiner – drums, piano

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE

After two first-class openers, it was time for one of the headliners of the night to stun us all with their unique blend of Melodic Metalcore. I’m talking about Bridgend, Wales-based icons BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, who put on a very emotional and energetic concert playing in full their biggest classic The Poison (and you can find the regular version and the 20th anniversary one on Spotify, by the way). When I say it was an emotional show for all BFMV fans at the venue, who were singing, screaming, raising their horns, headbanging, slamming into the pit and crowd surfing nonstop together with the band, it’s because if you think about it, most fans are in their 30s and when the album was released they were all teenagers starting to deal with their darkest emotions, with failure, loss and so on, and the music by BFMV truly helped them survive those dark days.

All songs were played to perfection by Matthew “Matt” Tuck (who was sporting a classy Cradle of Filth “The Principle of Evil Made Flesh” shirt, which is really cool as I had no idea he was a fan of Suffolk’s finest metal band of all time), Michael “Padge” Paget, Jamie Mathias and Jason Bowld, driving fans wild to classics the likes of Tears Don’t Fall, Hit the Floor and The Poison. Some fans around me were singing every single word of every single song, showing their utmost love to one of the most influential bands (if not the most) in the history of Metalcore. Their encore with Knives and Waking the Demon, already after The Poison was over, was also insane, and I was impressed with the amount of energy all fans demonstrated during their entire set. They sounded a lot better than when they opened for Megadeth a few years ago, and I’m sure it won’t take long for them to return to Toronto after their striking show this Sunday with another blast of Metalcore for the total delight of their loyal fanbase.

Setlist
The Poison
“The Poison” Intro
Her Voice Resides
4 Words (to Choke Upon)
Tears Don’t Fall
Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)
Hit the Floor
All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)
Hand of Blood
Room 409
The Poison
10 Years Today
Cries in Vain
The End

Encore:
Knives
Waking the Demon

Band members
Matthew “Matt” Tuck – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Michael “Padge” Paget – lead guitar, backing vocals
Jamie Mathias – bass, backing vocals
Jason Bowld – drums, percussion

TRIVIUM

It was already past 9:45pm when the band I wanted to see the most, Orlando, Florida’s own Thrash/Heavy Metal/Metalcore beast TRIVIUM, transported us all to the world of Ascendancy (and you can also choose between the regular and the special edition of the album on Spotify), delivering sheer heaviness and energy to an avid crowd ready for more action inside the circle pit. The shirtless Matt Heafy, who has so many body tattoos that he doesn’t look shirtless to be honest, alongside Corey Beaulieu (sporting another classy shirt, by Savatage), Paolo Gregoletto (showing his love for Metallica with a “Ride the Lightning” shirt) and Alex Bent were flawless in taking to the stage at the casino the entire Ascendancy, a proper celebration of 20 years of such an influential and awesome album, which of course translated into pure madness among the fans.

Rain, Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr, A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation (my favorite of the night), Like Light to the Flies, Dying in Your Arms, The Deceived, Suffocating Sight and all other songs form the album sounded incredible onstage, plus of course the giant Ascendancy monster in the back giving the whole show an even more professional and cool look. Matt didn’t stop interacting with the fans not even for a single second, making his trademark faces nonstop, jumping up and down with the crowd, kindly requesting some sick mosh pits and walls of death, and showing all his love for Toronto. Furthermore, the encore with Capsizing the Sea and In Waves was monumental, with the entire venue screaming and jumping like maniacs together with Trivium. It was simply beautiful. Were we better or louder than Montreal? I honestly have no idea, but oh boy, we were LOUD, and I guess that was more than enough to inspire the band to return to the city in a not-so-distant future. Needless to say, I’ll be there for more Trivium insanity.

Setlist
Ascendancy
The End of Everything
Rain
Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr
Drowned and Torn Asunder
Ascendancy
Drum Solo
A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation
Like Light to the Flies
Dying in Your Arms
The Deceived
Suffocating Sight
Departure
Declaration

Encore:
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

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Album Review – Centrilia / In The Name Of Nothing (2019)

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An amazing album of modern-day metal music by four unstoppable Scotsmen, focusing on the meditation of modern humanity, morality and our existence in challenging times of uncertainty.

Following the release of their debut EP You Are in Error in 2013 (the same year the band was born) and Memento Mori in 2015, and after a rabid response from fans of heavy music to their live shows while sharing the stage with renowned acts like Rob Zombie, Soulfy, Behemoth and Arch Enemy, among others, Glasgow, Scotland-based Melodic Death Metal/Metalcore unity Centrilia is ready to crush your skull with their debut full-length album entitled In The Name Of Nothing, showcasing eight tracks of unadulterated crushing heaviness, galvanized with intense veracity, courtesy of Gavin Marshall on vocals, David Sandford on the guitar, Gareth Ellis on bass and Andy Brown on drums. Mixed by Terry Date (Pantera, Deftones, Slayer), recorded by Steven Jones (Bleed from Within, From Sorrow to Serenity) and mastered by Pelle Henricsson (Meshuggah, Refused, Cult of Luna), In The Name Of Nothing focuses on the meditation of modern humanity, morality and our existence in challenging times of uncertainty, with the Glaswegian quartet demonstrating a lot of creativity, groove and aggressiveness throughout the album’s 40 minutes of ferocious metal music.

The opening track Symptoms Of Betrayal is modern and piercing from the very first second, with the music growing in intensity until it becomes a headbanging feast led by David’s metallic riffs and Andy’s unstoppable beats, being tailored for fans of Pantera and Lamb of God. Furthermore, Gavin doesn’t stop growling like a maniac not even for a brief moment, getting us all pumped for the following song, named Splitting Hairs / Spitting Teeth, uniting the most thunderous and visceral elements from the music by Gojira and Lamb of God in a hurricane of contemporary metal music where Gareth is bestial with his bass punches. Needless to say, get ready to have your skull completely smashed into the circle pit to this ode to violence. Then dealing with our modern-day society issues (“t’s just a matter of time / Neck deep but you keep digging / Guilty by association / Lost yourself from the beginning / Don’t think, don’t talk, don’t fucking speak / Suspicion haunts you / And you tell yourself”), the excellent Imposters brings forward first-class Groove and Melodic Death Metal spiced up by tons of progressiveness and rage, with once again the bass by Gareth sounding absolutely menacing.

The Fool On The Hill is more melodic than its predecessors but still violent and neck-breaking, being spearheaded by Gavin’s deep, enraged roars and with David and Gareth being in total sync, while Andy can’t stop hammering his drums in the most Metalcore of all songs. The title-track In The Name Of Nothing leans towards classic Metalcore, offering the listener those high-pitched, desperate screams amidst a chaotic but very harmonious atmosphere, and albeit I prefer their more violent side shown in the previous songs, this is still very enjoyable and heavy, of course; whereas once again bringing austere words (“Hail to the parasite / Holding court with the sycophants / Snared by the antagonist / The unified are ripped asunder”) and the rumbling bass lines by Gareth, the band offers us Those Possessed By Devils, a devastating Groove Metal tune more-than-perfect for banging your head like there’s no tomorrow together with this skillful four-piece act from Scotland.

The second to last explosion of their pulverizing metal music comes in the form of Let The Fire Burn, sounding very dense and cohesive and being perfect for jumping up and down with the band at metal festivals. Moreover, the band’s stringed duo boosts Gavin’s screams in great fashion with their incendiary axes, not to mention how brutal Andy sounds on drums. Last but not least, Centrilia offer our avid ears the multi-layered Tamám Shud, a very introspective creation by the quartet which starts in an Alice In Chains-inspired vibe, with Gavin delivering his most anguished vocals of the entire album while David keeps the ambience as eerie as possible with his riffs, turning the mystery and sadness of the Tamám Shud case (also known as the Mystery of the Somerton Man), an unsolved case of an unidentified man found dead at 6:30am on December 1, 1948 on the Somerton Park beach (just south of Adelaide, South Australia), into first-class metal music. By the way, the case is named after the Persian phrase “tamám shud”, meaning “ended” or “finished,” which was written on a scrap of paper found months later in the fob pocket of the man’s trousers. Isn’t this a sensational topic for a dark and melodic metal song?

In The Name Of Nothing, available for a full listen on Spotify, definitely positions Centrilia as one of the most interesting new names not only of the Scottish metal scene, but of the entire Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore universe, sounding intense, violent and thunderous from start to finish, just the way we like it. Hence, in order to show your support to those four talented Scotsmen, go check what they’re up to on Facebook, subscribe to their YouTube channel, and purchase your copy of their excellent new album from their BandCamp page, where you can by the way find several top-of-the-line, exclusive bundles and merch, as well as from your usual Apple Music, Amazon or Google Play. This is an amazing album of straightforward and aggressive music made in the beautiful Scotland, my friends, not in the name of “nothing” as the album name itself states, but in the name of our good old Heavy Metal.

Best moments of the album: Splitting Hairs / Spitting Teeth, Imposters and Those Possessed By Devils.

Worst moments of the album: In The Name Of Nothing.

Released in 2019 233 Records

Track listing
1. Symptoms Of Betrayal 5:27
2. Splitting Hairs / Spitting Teeth 3:23
3. Imposters 4:42
4. The Fool On The Hill 5:02
5. In The Name Of Nothing 6:03
6. Those Possessed By Devils 4:01
7. Let The Fire Burn 4:48
8. Tamám Shud 7:19

Band members
Gavin Marshall – vocals
David Sandford – guitars, backing vocals
Gareth Ellis – bass, backing vocals
Andy Brown – drums