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Concert Review – TÝR (Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON, 04/03/2024)

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A pleasant (and rainy) night full of pirates, trolls and battle ballads for the delight of all fans of Folk Metal in the city of Toronto.

OPENING ACTS: The Dread Crew Of Oddwood, Aether Realm and Trollfest

Rain or shine, the Toronto metalheads are always there to support their favorite bands, which is exactly what happened this (very) rainy Wednesday night at the Horseshoe Tavern when THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD, AETHER REALM, TROLLFEST and TÝR offered a folk feast full of pirates, trolls, goblins, orcs, beer mead and other whimsical creatures and objects during their Battle Ballads North American Tour 2024, a fantastic event brought to the city by the one and only Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. Of course, Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I couldn’t be left out of that party, and I must say I had an absolute blast seeing all those four bands for the first time ever in my life.

The first band to hit the stage was a “Pirate Folk Metal” crew beautifully named THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD, which is in fact an acoustic pirate band, referred to by the band as “Heavy Mahogany”, from San Diego, California, United States, and they put on a very entertaining show for all concert goers who were already at the venue. Playing songs from all of their albums, including their brand new album Rust & Glory, those American privateers kicked some ass and turned up the heat inside the Horseshoe Tavern, therefore properly warming up the fans for the upcoming bands. If you’re curious to know more about their pirate music, go check their crazy tunes on BandCamp and on Spotify, including amazing songs that were part of their setlist like Give Me Your Beer and Giant Fucking Demon Crab, and let’s be honest, it can’t get any more pirate than this, right?

Setlist
Dead Man’s Medley
Leather Ship
Side Quest
Give Me Your Beer
Raise Your Pints
Binged and Purged
Giant Fucking Demon Crab
The Dread Crew of Oddwood
Lawful Evil

Band members
Wolfbeard O’Brady – accordion, whistles, vocals
Smithy Crow – bass, orchestral strings, vocals
Stark Cordwain – Irish bouzouki, whistles, vocals
Deckard Cordwain – mandolin, ukulele, vocals
Pete – drums

Then after a short break it was time for Greenville, North Carolina, United States-based Melodic Death/Folk Metal act AETHER REALM to bring an overdose of heavy music to the venue, which was getting packed by the minute. Playing heavy and fast songs from all of their albums including songs from their latest effort, titled Redneck Vikings from Hell, released in 2020, plus a brand new single named Should I?, the band inspired the fans to get into a sweet mosh pit, which obviously raised the temperature inside the venue considerably. I highly recommend you go after their music by streaming and/or buying their albums on BandCamp and on Spotify (or click HERE for all things Aether Realm), and don’t miss a chance to see the band live whenever they take your city by storm.

Setlist
Slave to the Riff
The Tower
Cycle
The Magician
Should I?
Swampwitch
She’s Back
Guardian
TMHC
The Sun, the Moon, the Star

Band members
Vincent Jones – vocals, bass, orchestrations
Heinrich Arnold – guitars, vocals
Donny Burbage – guitars
Tyler Gresham – drums

Sporting the weirdest and coolest costumes you can think of, and by that I mean pink flamingo costumes, Oslo, Norway’s own Folk Metal army TROLLFEST were absolutely perfect from start to finish, driving their fans crazy throughout their fantastic set and generating a huge mosh pit, including tons of beer-drinking, horns-raising tunes from their entire catalogue (which features albums with stunning names such as Flamingo Overlord), like Dance Like a Pink Flamingo and All Drinks on Me. The band spearheaded by frontman Trollmannen is a must-see for anyone who enjoys a wild fusion of heavy music, beer, trolls and flamingoes, and you can enjoy all that on BandCamp and on Spotify, or on any other streaming platform, and if you’re planning to go watch them live get ready for one of the wildest rides you’ll ever experience at a metal concert.

Setlist
Kjettaren mot strømmen
Happy Heroes
Dance Like a Pink Flamingo
Steel Sarah
Twenty Miles an Hour
Professor Otto
Renkespill
Piña Colada
Kaptein Kaos
Flamongous
Byttingenes Byttehandel
All Drinks on Me
Espen Bin Askeladden
Hevlette

Band members
Trollmannen – vocals
Mr. Seidel – guitars
Fabio Grimdrap – guitars
Böesse Basshöl Nybazist – bass
Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow – drums
Drekka Dag – saxophone
Fjernkontrollet – accordion, keyboards
Trollbank – bouzouki

TÝR

Finally, after three amazing bands, it was then time for the main attraction of the night to kick some serious ass and close the entire event on a high and brilliant note. Denmark/Faroe Islands’ Progressive/Folk Metal institution TÝR didn’t care about the small size of the stage and simply killed it, delivering a beyond fun setlist for their avid fans with songs like By the Sword in My Hand and Hail to the Hammer, plus the brand new songs Dragons Never Die and Hammered, from their upcoming new studio album Battle Ballads (to be released on April 14), sounding insane live. As mentioned for all other bands, you can have a very good time enjoying all of their creations on different streaming platforms like BandCamp and Spotify, and of course don’t miss their concerts if they ever hit your city because they’re an amazing live band, and of course Toronto is waiting with arms wide open for another explosion of TÝR in the city in the near future.

Setlist
By the Sword in My Hand
Dragons Never Die
Mare of My Night
Tróndur í Gøtu
Valkyrja
Ragnars Kvæði
Hammered
The Lay of Thrym
By the Light of the Northern Star
Hail to the Hammer
Regin Smiður
Axes
Blood of Heroes

Encore:
Sinklars vísa
Hold the Heathen Hammer High

Band members
Heri Joensen – vocals, guitars
Hans Hammer – guitars
Gunnar Thomsen – bass, backing vocals
Tadeusz Rieckmann – drums

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Album Review – Stabbed / Long Way Down (2017)

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A beautiful step further in the promising career of a Hungarian Post-Sludge Metal act that presents to the listener a slightly different sounding, showcasing a mad balance of Progressive and Groove Metal.

Following the release of their ambitious 2016 EP Submerge, Hungarian Post-Sludge Metal act Stabbed returns now in 2017 with their first full-length installment, entitled Long Way Down, a beautiful step further in their promising career that presents to the listener a slightly different band, tipping the balance in favor of dominating, heavy grooves, overwhelming raw energy over dark ambience and Post-Rock elements, also showcasing a mad balance of Progressive and Groove Metal.

In addition, Long Way Down is not only the debut of bassist Marcell Demeter with Stabbed, replacing Dávid Roskó (who left the band by the end of 2016), but it also features a welcome surprise in the album closer performed by guest vocalist Tadeusz Rieckmann, primarily known as the drummer of Týr and Dalriada, and the artwork by longtime collaborator Zénó Farkas (Artphetamin), who returned for this album to represent the band visually and artistically. Throughout the album’s eight tracks, this Budapest-based group aimed at materializing through their cryptic lyrics and sharp sounds a portrait of a world full of angst ridden people running in circles, blinded by their fears and apathy, bringing a stronger taste to their musicality.

A modern intro grows into electrifying contemporary Sludge Metal with elements from Metalcore and Melodic Death Metal in the title-track Long Way Down, opening the album on a higher-than-usual note. Furthermore,  frontman Alex Karamuskó sounds bestial with his demented screams, while the guitar duo Attila Kecskés and Gergely Kovács are simply lancinating with their riffs, not to mention the amazing European melody supporting the song in the background. In the vicious Becoming, the whole band is in their most aggressive mode, sounding like an enraged hybrid of Sepultura from the Roots-era with Caliban, with Márk Potkovácz with his potent beats together with newcomer Marcell and his rumbling bass enhancing the song’s ravenousness considerably. Whereas in Tides a somber beginning led by Márk is gradually accompanied by both guitars and bass, before Alex comes with his blend of demonic growling and obscure clean vocals. In other words, this great display of their vibrant Post-Sludge Metal couldn’t sound more modern, metallic and consequently perfect for their live performances.

The following tune, titled Nyctalopia, brings forward more violent sounds with a precise harmonious base, becoming one of the band’s most progressive creations to date with all its breaks and variations, as well as its acid and darkling lyrics (“Descending from the coruscating lights / Into intangible doom / Chimerical phantoms tearing away / The spark from my weakened soul / Complacent proprietor in the house of lies / Leading my rendition to a Blind idiot God”). Then we have Lataris, which just like all of their songs is very cohesive and energetic, showcasing fierce riffs by both Attila and Gergely while Alex keeps hitting us with both his smooth, clean lines and his sick gnarls; and Mute, a song that clearly draws influences from bands like Pantera and Lamb of God in an aggressive mix of Sludge and Groove Metal, with Alex and Márk leading the musicality with their screams and beats respectively, sounding dark and gripping from start to finish.

In Devoid,  Stabbed slow down a little after all their usual display of anger, providing the listener a more melodic and alternative sonority where a solid instrumental with some spot-on guitar solos keeps the momentum going for the band, despite not being one of their best creations. And finally, featuring guest singer Tadeusz Rieckmann, Vessel displays an epic vibe in its intro, morphing into an obscure Post-Sludge Metal anthem with a Groove Metal twist,menacing guitars and bass, and poetic lyrics (“You have to spit to see the shine / Wallow in mud / Look all your demons in the eye / Killing your mind / We have not built this ship to wreck / On promised lands / Take nothing, fuck the test / All that you’ve bled”), as well as the raging guttural by Alex, flowing into an abrupt but climatic ending.

In order to follow Stabbed on their upward journey to success in heavy music with Long Way Down, simply visit their Facebook page for new and tour dates and their YouTube channel for more of their groovy and mordant music. And if you want to buy Long Way Down (which is available for a full listen on Spotify), you can get it at Stabbed’s BandCamp page or on Amazon. After Long Way Down it’s hard to imagine the world of Post-Sludge Metal without Stabbed, a band that has been building a solid reputation since their genesis and that’s becoming a synonym of modern metal music not only in their homeland, but anywhere else where good music is appreciated.

Best moments of the album: Long Way Down, Tides and Vessel.

Worst moments of the album: Devoid.

Released in 2017 Independent

Track listing 
1. Long Way Down 3:52
2. Becoming 4:47
3. Tides 4:24
4. Nyctalopia 3:10
5. Lataris 4:33
6. Mute 5:32
7. Devoid 4:10
8. Vessel (feat. Tadeusz Rieckmann) 5:07

Amazon bonus tracks
9. Long Way Down (Instrumental) 3:52
10. Lataris (Instrumental) 4:33

Band members
Alex Karamuskó – vocals
Attila Kecskés – guitar
Gergely Kovács – guitar
Marcell Demeter – bass
Márk Potkovácz – drums

Guest musician
Tadeusz Rieckmann – additional vocals on “Vessel”