Metalheads in Toronto were finally locked in the dark tower of Heavy Metal ruled by the phenomenal Witches of the North on their first ever concert in the city.
OPENING ACTS: AMMO and Thunderor
For the first time ever in their already solid career, the indomitable BURNING WITCHES, with the support of THUNDEROR and AMMO, took the city of Toronto by storm with their undisputed blend of Heavy and Power Metal during their Canadian Tour 2026, brought to the city by Boonsdale Records. I initially thought The Garrison might have been too small for these three amazing bands, but due to the fact Dark Tranquillity were playing in the city at the exact same time, the attendance for Burning Witches wasn’t exceptional. It feels like that’s the norm in Toronto in April and May, and then in September and Ocober, with countless concerts night after night, then huge draughts in the summer and winter. Well, Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to worship our beloved Witches of the North, bringing to our metallic hearts an overdose of metal awesomeness (louder than an atom bomb, by the way), and I’m sure after such an amazing show they’ll quickly return to Toronto in the near future for another ass-kicking concert.
In order to properly introduce the first band of the night, I have a question for you. Are you too metal for metal? That’s exactly what Toronto’s own Heavy Metal brigade AMMO delivered to us all this Thursday night, playing their already classic hymn Too Metal for Metal, plus songs from their 2019 EP Taking the Throne, and their 2025 single Mortis Rex, all available on BandCamp and on Spotify. With guitarist Brett Hexx now also taking care of their vocal duties, the quartet kicked some serious ass onstage, properly warming up the crowd for the upcoming attractions. Kudos also to the iconic bassist Necro Hippie for blasting his bass nonstop, adding an extra layer of heaviness to the band’s core sound. I think their first full-length album is long overdue, we definitely need that, as those guys know how to add the word “METAL” to any stage, and if you ever have a chance to see them live, do not miss it.
Setlist
Mortis Rex
Far From Here
Street Metal Werewolves
Heart of Sin
Empire
Too Metal for Metal
Band members
Brett Williams – vocals, guitars
Matt Lewis – guitars
Necro Hippie – bass
Struan Robertson – drums
After a short break, it was time for Toronto’s Heavy Meta/Hard Rock heroes THUNDEROR to bring the arena-rock anthems from their 2022 album Fire It Up and their brand new offering Bleed for It to life at The Garrison, both available on BandCamp and on Spotify, and I’m always going to say it’s truly impressive how the band’s mastermind JJ Tartaglia is capable of singing, playing drums, and even playing keyboards at the same time. Well, we can all do that, but of course let’s say the quality of the sound in that case will be below hideous, right? Jokes aside, and back to the concert, it felt like being taken back to the glory of the 80’s during their set, with songs like Fire It Up, Get ‘Em Counted, and in special Cape Breton Home, featuring the awesome guest fiddler Zoe S., inspiring us to headbanging and raise our horns together with JJ and his crew. If you don’t know Thunderor yet, don’t waste your time and go check their music, and if possible, go see them live. It’s time to pump up the volume, my friends!
Setlist
Fire It Up
One Chance
Pump Up The Volume
Get ‘Em Counted
Cape Breton Home
Dangerous Times
Thunderor
How We Roll
Band members
JJ Tartaglia – vocals, drums, keyboards
Jonny Nesta – guitars
Brycen Gunn – bass
After a long wait of over ten years, Switzerland’s unparalleled Heavy/Power Metal brigade BURNING WITCHES finally toured Canada, or at least a few selected Canadian cities including Toronto, and the excitement on the faces of all fans at The Garrison was crystal clear with their first chance ever to see those talented ladies kicking some serious ass live. Having released the excellent Inquisition in 2025 (available on both BandCamp and Spotify, just like all of their other albums), the band formed of the air raid siren Laura Guldemond (what an incredible voice!), the virtuosi Romana Kalkuhl and Courtney Cox on the guitars, the thunderous Jeanine Grob on bass, and the unstoppable Lala Frischknecht on drums delivered a fantastic mix of their entire discography for the total delight of all concert goers, leaving us all eager for more after all was said and done.
Lots of vocalists use a variety of corrective and creative effects on their microphones during their live performances, such as reverb or delay, but not Laura. Her voice is unbelievable, absurdly powerful and piercing, adding even more electricity to their already thrilling songs like Dance With the Devil, The Dark Tower (my favorite of the night), Inquisition, and the beautiful ballad Release Me. It’s truly a thing of beauty, but of course her bandmates make sure there’s endless heaviness for her to shine on vocals. Romana and Courtney didn’t stop shredding their axes, while Jeanine and Lala made the whole venue tremble. It was insanely loud. Fans were having a phenomenal time, raising their fists, chanting all songs with the girls, and even igniting some mosh pits during their faster songs.
After their coup-de-grace with the classics Hexenhammer, Wings of Steel, The Witch of the North, and Burning Witches, as it was their last show of the tour (before getting a flight to Germany the following morning to play at a festival basically that same day), we were all expecting a surprise like “Holy Diver”, but that’s fine. We understand how exhausting their flight back could be, and besides, we already got to see them playing their biggest classics live in the city for the first time, right? After the show, some of the girls spent a few minutes outdoors chatting with fans. I had the pleasure of talking for a bit with Courtney and Jeanine, and I must say they’re not just extremely talented musicians, but super nice ladies who make the world a much better place with their music and charisma. I really hope this wasn’t their first and only show in Toronto, as they need to return to the city to play at a bigger venue (and not on the same day as a major player like Dark Tranquillity), so that more people get exposed to their stunning Heavy Metal. As a huge fan of the band, I can’t wait to get locked in a dark tower in Toronto once again by the most talented witches of heavy music.
Setlist
Sanguini Hominum
Soul Eater
Shame
Dance With the Devil
Maiden of Steel
The Dark Tower
Sea of Lies
Inquisition
Release Me
Black Widow
Evil Witch
Lucid Nightmare
Dungeon of Infamy
The Witch Circle
Hexenhammer
Wings of Steel
The Witch of the North
Burning Witches
Malus Maga
Band members
Laura Guldemond – vocals
Romana Kalkuhl – guitars
Courtney Cox – guitars
Jeanine Grob – bass
Lala Frischknecht – drums
THE HEADBANGING MOOSE 