The Canadian city of London witnessed for the very first (and last) time ever the undisputed power of “Sepultura do Brasil” on an unforgettable night of first-class heavy music.
OPENING ACTS: Tribal Gaze, Biohazard and Exodus
After back to back nights of pure heavy music with bands like Archspire, Amon Amarth and Dethklok kicking my ass in Toronto on Thursday and Friday, it was time for a nice drive to the city of London for night number 3 of absolute metal magic to enjoy TRIBAL GAZE, BIOHAZARD, EXODUS and SEPULTURA take the cozy London Music Hall by storm this Saturday night as part of their Celebrating Life Through Death Final North American Tour 2026, another killer event organized by our local hero Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi was there with me to register such a great celebration of Thrash, Death and Groove Metal, as well as some first-class Hardcore, and I guess because the show was on a Saturday, and due to the size of the bands playing, it was scheduled for an early start, with doors opening at 5:30pm and the first band hitting the stage at 6:30pm. Fortunately, as mentioned, it was on a Saturday, so it was just a matter of planning the drive beforehand to get there in time to enjoy all attractions (and brave the long merch line if you were up to that), and believe me, they were all absolutely worth the ticket.
The opening slot of this tour was given to Texan Death Metal outfit TRIBAL GAZE, and just like when I saw them opening for Cattle Decapitation they were ruthless onstage. Once again playing songs exclusively from their 2025 sophomore Inveighing Brilliance, available on both BandCamp and Spotify, including the venomous Twitching on the Cross, Guarding the Illusion, and Beyond Recognition, the band formed of McKenna Holland on vocals, Quintin Stauts and Ian Kilmer on the guitars, Zachary Denton on bass, and Cesar De Los Santos on drums inspired everyone already at the venue to start a sick circle pit, properly warming up the crowd for the other attractions of the night. Those guys are very young and looked extremely excited for opening for some of their metal heroes, as I’m sure they grew up listening to Sepultura, Exodus and Biohazard, so their level of energy onstage was insanely high. As I always say, new bands like Tribal Gaze need our support to keep metal alive, which means if they ever play in your city, you know what to do.
Setlist
Emptying the Nest
Smiling From Their Chariots
To the Spoils of Faith
The Irreversible Sequence
Twitching on the Cross
Guarding the Illusion
Beyond Recognition
Band members
McKenna Holland – vocals
Quintin Stauts – guitars
Ian Kilmer – guitars
Zachary Denton – bass
Cesar De Los Santos – drums
After Tribal Gaze finished their unrelenting performance, we were treated to the incendiary Hardcore by Brooklyn, New York’s most famous squad, the indomitable BIOHAZARD. It was only my second time in life seeing those guys live, the first back in the late 90’s when they were one of the must-see bands on MTV, and I must say they looked a lot sharper and more infuriated this Saturday night. Evan Seinfeld is in fantastic shape, way better than his early days or when he was one of the prisoners in the revolutionary TV series Oz, and if I ever have a chance to talk to him in person I’ll certainly ask him for some health tips as he looks awesome. Billy Graziadei, Bobby Hambel and Danny Schuler were also on fire, and their short but sweet setlist, blending classics with new songs from their 2025 album Divided We Fall (all available on Spotify), was heavy, flammable, violent and fun from start to finish, igniting a demonic circle pit that turned up the heat considerably at the venue. Biohazard still got it, no doubt about it, and I’m happy I was able to see those legends live again after almost 30 years.
Setlist
Urban Discipline
Shades of Grey
Fuck the System
Wrong Side of the Tracks
Tales From the Hard Side
Forsaken
Punishment
Band members
Evan Seinfeld – vocals, bass
Billy Graziadei – vocals, rhythm guitar
Bobby Hambel – lead guitar
Danny Schuler – drums
Then it was time for another blast of absolute thrashing madness onstage with the mighty Thrash Metal titans EXODUS, who after the return of the furious Rob Dukes are sounding even heavier than before. I saw them opening for Megadeth also in London in February, when they kicked off their tour to promote their new album Goliath (also available on Spotify), but this time opening for Sepultura sounded a lot heavier (and louder, as the sound at the London Concert Hall was turned up to 11). The setlist wasn’t too different from last time, but the fact they added the magnificent Deathamphetamine to it made their show more violent and vibrant. It’s always a pleasure seeing Gary Holt, Lee Altus, Jack Gibson and Tom Hunting onstage, as well as the aforementioned Rob Dukes, of course, but the show was so intense we all had to share our attention with the hurricane happening inside the circle pit. Well, when the last three songs of a setlist are A Lesson in Violence, The Toxic Waltz, and Strike of the Beast, you know you can’t simply stand and watch the show. You need to get into the action, and the fans in London understood the message maybe even more than what anyone could have predicted. Yes, it was a true lesson in violence, and we must thank the one and only Exodus for such a fun time.
Setlist
We Will Rock You (Queen song)
3111
Bonded by Blood
Deathamphetamine
Blacklist
Goliath
A Lesson in Violence
The Toxic Waltz
Strike of the Beast
Band members
Rob Dukes – vocals
Gary Holt – guitar
Lee Altus – guitar
Jack Gibson – bass
Tom Hunting – drums
It was already past 9pm when the main band of the night, Brazilian Thrash/Groove Metal institution SEPULTURA, kicked off their very first, and most probably their very last (as this is supposed to be their farewell tour), concert in the city of London, and the fans made sure it was an unforgettable night for Derrick Green, Andreas Kisser, Paulo Jr., and Greyson Nekrutman, as the crowd was rowdy and wild during their entire setlist, even when they played slower or newer songs like The Place (from their brand new EP The Cloud of Unknowing, already available in any platform such as Spotify) and Agony of Defeat. The crowd got louder of course during their classics from the 90’s, but the synchronicity between Sepultura and the fans in London was a thing of beauty during the entire concert.
Speaking of classics, I simply loved the fact they kicked off the show with Beneath the Remains and Inner Self, two of my all-time favorite Sepultura songs, and the quartet sounded utterly heavy during those masterpieces. The action inside the pit got out of control, the fans began smashing each other on the front rows to the point some people had to move to the back to be able to breathe and enjoy the rest of the show, and the fact they kept playing heavy and visceral tunes the likes of Attitude, Choke and Escape to the Void turned the venue into a cauldron of violence. The excellent tribal hymn Kaiowas brought some moments of peace to London, but of course all hell broke loose again once they played in a row the majestic Orgasmatron, Territory, Refuse/Resist and Arise. It was way crazier than their show in Toronto in 2024, I must admit.
Then after a quick drum solo by the ultra talented Greyson Nekrutman, who fells absolutely at home with Sepultura, the band put everyone to jump up and down, dance, slam into the pit, and therefore have the time of their lives with Ratamahatta, and of course with one of the best metal songs of all time, the incendiary Roots Bloody Roots. If that was indeed the first and last time Sepultura played in London, let’s say they did a phenomenal job, carving their place in the hearts of a lot of newcomers to their Sepulnation as countless fans were seeing them live for the very first time ever. I’ve seen them live already way too many times to remember, but I’ll never forget the energy in London. I had a long drive back home by myself in the middle of the night, but the adrenaline from the show was still flowing through my veins, making the drive a lot easier. Thank you for your music, Sepultura do Brasil, and if you want to somehow “cancel” your retirement and go back to London for another killer show, we will all be there for you.
Setlist
War Pigs (Black Sabbath song)
Polícia (Titãs song)
Beneath the Remains
Inner Self
Desperate Cry
Kairos
Means to an End
Attitude
Choke
The Place
Escape to the Void
Kaiowas
Dead Embryonic Cells
Agony of Defeat
Orgasmatron
Territory
Refuse/Resist
Arise
Drum Solo
Ratamahatta
Roots Bloody Roots
Band members
Derrick Green – lead vocals
Andreas Kisser – guitars, backing vocals
Paulo Jr. – bass
Greyson Nekrutman – drums
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 