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Concert Review – Tribulation (Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON, 05/25/2025)

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***Review by Kevin Ibbitson and photos by Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi***

OPENING ACTS: Unreqvited, Final Gasp and Early Moods

Thankfully the rain had stopped by the time us fans began to queue up in front of Lee’s Palace as Swedish goth/death metal band TRIBULATION and friends (UNREQVITED, FINAL GASP and EARLY MOODS) visited our fair city on their North America 2025 Tour, another great event brought to Toronto by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. It was not a sold out show by any means, which was quite surprising since the these are all killer bands. Maybe the Scattered showers scared folks away. Who knows? Their loss I guess! They happened to miss out on a fantastic night of heavy metal sorcery. Ultimately the lower turn out made the show feel more intimate and Lee’s is a smaller venue anyway, besides, the crowd that showed up proved to be die-hard supporters (good on them!). All in all I would say that at least over 100 head bangers showed up in support.
The first band to play was UNREQVITED, out of our nations capital Ottawa, and they promptly set the mood with their brand of post-black/shoegaze which reminded me a lot of  the French band Alcest, which I didn’t mind because I’m a fan of them also. I found their music to be atmospheric and introspective as well as head-bobbing/banging. This band has fantastic vocals from soothing cleans to raspy black metal grumblings and howls. Although I could see that for some in the crowd that shoegaze was not exactly their cup of tea, they still appreciated the music set before them. By the way, if you enjoy that type of music, the band has recently released the album A Pathway to the Moon, and you can purchase it or stream it in full on BandCamp and on Spotify.

Setlist
The Starforger
Void Essence / Frozen Tears
The Autumn Fire

Band members
鬼 (Ghost) – vocals, all instruments
Victor Forest – guitars
Robin Parsons – bass
Alec Curren – drums

For those in the crowd that were feeling a bit drowsy, EARLY MOODS out of Los Angeles, California, bitch-slapped their asses and got the place buzzing. This band is so freaking awesome. They blasted us with their brand of energetically powerful doom metal and swagger. You get everything you need out of this band like energy, excitement, groove, sore necks and killer riffs. These guys are killer! I highly recommend that you check them out the next time they swing by town, you won’t be disappointed, and go check their music on BandCamp or Spotify, like their 2024 album A Sinner’s Past. The crowd absolutely loved this band and so do I. I also loved that these guys joined the crowd after their set and head-banged along side us in support of their fellow tour mates.

Setlist
Isolated
Blood Offerings
Return To Salem’s Gate
Live To Suffer
Soul Sorcery
A Sinner’s Past
Damnation

Band members
Alberto Alcaraz – vocals
Eddie Andrade – guitars
Oscar Hernandez – guitars
Elix Feliciano – bass
Chris Flores – drums

Next up was a band called FINAL GASP out of Boston, MA. This deathrock outfit kept the buzz going throughout the building with a highly energetic set. The lead singer Jake Murphy tried on several occasions to get a circle pit going but nobody took the bait but he did manage to get the crowd to come a little closer to the stage. It was a small crowd after all, but you can’t knock him for trying though. Even still, the crowd was receptive to Final Gasp and they put on a great performance for the crowd as it was their final show on this tour. I wouldn’t say no to seeing them again if they ever come back to town. Killer band, and you can enjoy their entire discography, like their most recent album Mourning Moon, released in 2023, in places like BandCamp and Spotify.

Setlist
Look Away
Climax Infinity
Mourning Moon
Apparition
Blood & Sulfur
Temptation
Homebound
Suicide

Band members
Jake Murphy – vocals
James Forsythe – guitars
Peter Micanovic – guitars
Sean Rose – bass
Eric Lester – drums

TRIBULATION

I last saw blackened-goth metallers TRIBULATION when they opened up for Opeth this past Thanksgiving and they impressed me, so I was delighted to hear that they were coming back to Toronto for their North American tour. Seriously, are there any shitty metal bands in Sweden? Because I haven’t found one yet. Swedish Metal is so consistent and Tribulation out of Arvika, Sweden are no slouch. They are an absolutely fantastic band, as you can see in their 2024 opus Sub Rosa in Æternum, available on several streaming services like Spotify. Tribulation put on another amazing show, ensorcelling and enchanting all of the die-hard supporters that showed up with unrelenting class. They are such a tight, professional band, you seriously can’t go wrong seeing them live. I look forward to seeing them again some day.

Setlist
The Unrelenting Choir
Tainted Skies
Nightbound
Hamartia
Suspiria De Profundis
Melancholia
In Remembrance
Hungry Waters
Saturn Coming Down
Murder In Red
Strange Gateways Beckon

Band members
Johannes Andersson – vocals, bass
Adam Zaars – guitars
Joseph Tholl – guitars
Oscar Leander – drums

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Album Review – Golgothan Remains / Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death EP (2024)

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A concept EP of monumental Death Metal mastery made in Australia, recounting a journey across a mystical, barren world cloaked in darkness.

A concept EP of monumental Death Metal mastery, recounting a journey across a mystical, barren world cloaked in darkness, Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death is the brand new offering by Sydney, Australia-based entity Golgothan Remains, following up on their 2018 debut Perverse Offerings to the Void and their 2022 sophomore album Adorned in Ruin. Re-amped, mixed and mastered by Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios, and displaying a stunning artwork by Christian Kiesling of Misanthropic Art, capturing the journey through time and space, and the story’s setting, landscapes and aura which are relayed in the EP, Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death brings forth the band’s distinct brand of relentless Death Metal, masterfully balancing blistering speeds, sinister Black Metal undertones, and crushing doom, all carefully crafted by Matthieu Van den Brande on vocals, Matt Hillman on the guitars, Adam Martin on bass, and Aled Powell on drums.

The dissonant, cryptic guitars by Matt set the tone in the opening track Methuselah, being gradually accompanied by his bandmates while Matthieu delivers his deepest roars with tons of anger, all boosted by the massive beats by Aled; whereas Tribulation presents an even more infernal and demolishing version of the band where Aled keeps hammering his drums nonstop supported by the rumbling bass by Adam. Put differently, it’s harsh, no shenanigans Death Metal that sounds like it’s coming from the deepest tomb, ending in a haunting manner before we’re treated to Necropoles, another pulverizing explosion of primeval Death Metal spearheaded by the visceral growling by Matthieu. Lastly, closing the EP we face the incendiary, somber Andromeda, where once again the blast beats by Aled match perfectly with the strident riffage by Matt in the best Death Metal vibe possible.

The final result in Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death is a suffocating, trance-inducing atmosphere of unyielding intensity, with the story being told only making things even more hypnotizing. “It is a wrought, and evil love story about two centuries old creatures trying to find companionship but due to their strong evil spirit are unable to exist with another powerful figure by their side,” commented the band, and you can get in touch with them and find more information about their new EP on Facebook and on Instagram. Don’t forget to also stream their music on Spotify or on Apple Music, and of course to grab a copy of Bearer of Light, Matriarch of Death from their own BandCamp, as well as from the Dark Descent Records’ BandCamp or webstore in CD or vinyl format. The journey through the dark has begun to the sound of the new opus by Golgothan Remains, and you better get ready as once you start following the band on that sinister path, there’s no turning back.

Best moments of the album: Tribulation and Andromeda.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2024 Dark Descent Records

Track listing
1. Methuselah 6:13
2. Tribulation 5:22
3. Necropoles 4:24
4. Andromeda 5:04

Band members
Matthieu Van den Brande – vocals
Matt Hillman – guitars
Adam Martin – bass
Aled Powell – drums

Concert Review – Opeth (Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto, ON, 10/14/2024)

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There’s nothing better than a night of Progressive Rock and Metal to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in Toronto.

OPENING ACT: Tribulation

There’s nothing better than celebrating Thanksgiving in Canada than with an ass-kicking metal concert, don’t you agree? That’s exactly what we got in Toronto this Monday when OPETH and TRIBULATION paid a visit to the city during their North American Tour 2024 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, in another event organized by the awesome Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. And if you think the venue was empty due to one of the biggest holidays in Canada, you’re absolutely wrong, as fans simply took the venue by storm in a sold out (or almost sold out) night of sheer progressiveness and heaviness. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there to cover such a unique display of heavy music made in Sweden, and I guess both bands will surely return to Toronto sooner than later with a new show as not only both have new albums coming out in the next few weeks, but the reception of the crowd to them was also fantastic during the whole night.

Precisely at 7:30pm, Stockholm’s own Death/Gothic Metal outfit TRIBULATION hit the stage for a dynamic and diverse performance, and I say diverse because their sound has evolved and changed so much through the years it feels like every song is a different band playing on stage, plus the fact each band member looks like they belong to a different music style. That doesn’t mean the show was bad or boring; quite the contrary, the quartet was on fire during their entire show, with their new songs Tainted Skies, Hungry Waters and Saturn Coming Down, from their new album Sub Rosa in Aeternum (to be released on November 1) sounding really strong and vibrant live. I personally prefer their older material when they were more inclined to Death Metal, but any of their phases work really well on stage, and the crowd’s reaction to each song played proved that. Now let’s wait and see what their new album will bring to us all, and next time they visit Toronto I’m sure a lot of people that were at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to see only Opeth will feel more than excited to see Tribulation headlining a concert in the city.

Setlist
Tainted Skies
Nightbound
Suspiria de Profundis
Hungry Waters
Saturn Coming Down
Strange Gateways Beckon
Melancholia

Band members
Johannes Andersson – vocals, bass
Adam Zaars – guitars
Joseph Tholl – guitars
Oscar Leander – drums

OPETH

As Stockholm’s iconic Progressive Death Metal/Rock institution OPETH was scheduled to start their performance at 8:45pm, I honestly thought the show was going to end earlier than most shows in the city, maybe even earlier than 10:30pm, but when the band in question is Opeth you can rest assured they’ll provide you with a long and detailed concert, to the point I only got back home close to midnight. The charismatic Mikael Åkerfeldt and his henchmen did a fantastic job on stage not only with their unique blend of progressiveness and heavy music, but also with the bonus “stand up comedy show” by Mikael in between songs. Seriously, the guy was on fire, and as I love that type of dark humor that only made the concert even more fun for my personal taste.

Their new songs §1 and §3, of their upcoming new album The Last Will and Testament (to be released on November 22), plus classics the likes of Ghost of Perdition, Sorceress and Deliverance, drove their fans crazy during their entire set, and as mentioned, Mikael’s jokes about only getting the munchies and eating an entire package of ham and one of cheese after trying marijuana for the first time, or saying that they’re not a pop band to accept requests for songs unless it’s the next song in their setlist, put an even bigger smile on the faces of everyone at the venue. I’m not a diehard Opeth fan but I believe there’s a recurring joke with the song “You Suffer”, by Napalm Death, and Opeth ended up playing it four or five times demanding us to “sing” its lyrics along with them. If you know that specific song, you can imagine how funny that was.

This was my third time only seeing Opeth, the latest one being my first (or second) show after the pandemic was over, when they played alongside Mastodon, and I don’t know why, maybe because I was more prepared this time, Opeth sounded way cooler to me, putting on a very entertaining and vibrant show exactly the way their Torontonian fans were asking for. The sound quality was excellent, the visuals were stunning, and the band sounded sharp and tight from start to finish. Having said that, I won’t be surprised if they visit Toronto again next year with a full tour focused on their new album due to the amazing reception from all fans this Monday, and I’m sure the venue will be pretty much sold out again as Opeth are becoming one of the most beloved bands by metalheads (and even non-metalheads) from Toronto and surroundings.

Setlist
§1
The Leper Affinity
The Grand Conjuration
The Devil’s Orchard
Eternal Rains Will Come
In My Time of Need
Face of Melinda
Heir Apparent
§3
Ghost of Perdition

Encore:
Sorceress
Deliverance

Band members
Mikael Åkerfeldt – vocals, guitars, cittra, mellotron, percussion
Martín Méndez – bass, backing vocals
Fredrik Åkesson – guitars, backing vocals
Joakim Svalberg – keyboards, Hammond organ, mellotron, piano, synthesizers, backing vocals
Waltteri Väyrynen – drums, percussion, backing vocals

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