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Concert Review – Judas Priest (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, 04/19/2024)

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The one and only Metal Gods raised the invincible shield in Newark this Friday night in a celebration of pure Heavy Metal magic.

OPENING ACT: Sabaton

Exactly 546 days after seeing Iron Maiden at Prudential Centre, I had the utmost pleasure of visiting the city of Newark, New Jersey again this past Friday to see one of the other pillars of my personal “metal triumvirate”, the almighty Heavy Metal institution JUDAS PRIEST (by the way, the other pillars are the aforementioned Iron Maiden, and Slayer, in case you’re curious about that), supported by the good SABATON, during their undisputed, visceral and absolutely hypnotizing Invincible Shield Tour USA 2024. And just like what happened in 2022, I met with one of my good friends from the IMFC before the show at Bello’s Pub & Grill for some quality chat and drinks. Well, that’s becoming a tradition for me, so maybe next it will be Slayer there?

Anyway, after getting to the venue and grabbing some merch (and let me tell you, the Metal Gods are offering some amazing shirts this tour), we got to our seats to enjoy the warlike performance by Falun, Dalarna, Sweden’s own Power Metal brigade SABATON as the more-than-special openers of the night. Although I’m not a huge fan of their music, I must admit they sound amazing live, and Friday night in Newark was no exception to that. Spearheaded by the charismatic frontman Joakim Brodén, Sabaton killed it with a solid and very entertaining show, each song having its own special war-inspired background story, with their setlist encompassing songs from their 2022 album The Symphony to End All Wars, like Stormtroopers and Soldier of Heaven, plus some classic bangers such as Shiroyama (my favorite of their setlist) and To Hell and Back. Everyone who was already at the venue loved their show, and I bet Sabaton will return to Newark soon headlining their own tour based on the warm reaction from all concert goes this Friday night.

Setlist
The March to War
Ghost Division
The Last Stand
Swedish Pagans
The Red Baron
Bismarck
Stormtroopers
Carolus Rex (Swedish)
Shiroyama
The Attack of the Dead Men
Primo Victoria
Soldier of Heaven
To Hell and Back
Dead Soldier’s Waltz

Band members
Joakim Brodén – lead vocals, keyboards
Thobbe Englund – guitars, backing vocals
Chris Rörland – guitars, backing vocals
Pär Sundström – bass, backing vocals
Hannes Van Dahl – drums, backing vocals 

JUDAS PRIEST

It was only 9pm when the main attraction of the night, my beloved, unparalleled, undisputed Metal Gods JUDAS PRIEST took the city of Newark by storm with one of the most metallic, headbanging and intense concerts I’ve ever witnessed. I’m not kidding, it was one hour and forty five minutes of nonstop Heavy Metal magic, courtesy of Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner, Andy Sneap, Ian Hill and Scott Travis, who was by the way phenomenal on drums as usual, taking their heaviness and power to a whole new level Friday night. From the moment the giant banner with the Invincible Shield tour “poem” went up, plus the awesome Invincible Shield tour anthem, until the very last second of the show, it was pure heavy music for the delight of a jam packed Prudential Centre, proving the Metal Gods still got it and that “they’re gonna rock us all ’til our metal hunger’s fed” (if you know what I mean, of course).

Having recently released the majestic opus Invincible Shield, the Metal Gods delivered an ass-kicking mix of timeless classics the likes of Rapid Fire, Love Bites and Sinner, with the brand new songs (which by the way sound like classics too) Panic Attack, Crown of Horns, and my favorite song of the night, the title-track Invincible Shield. Moreover, let’s say that the 72-year old Metal God Rob Halford didn’t want to waste too much time talking, focusing on a stellar vocal performance that made me (and most concert goers) wonder if he’s actually 72, because he sounded decades younger when blasting his soaring, high-pitched vocal lines. Seriously, Halford was flawless, sensational, and so on, making it hard to describe his performance in just a few words. Hence, don’t miss the chance to see him kicking some serious ass on stage this tour, as it’s worth every penny.

One thing I gotta say about the fact that the floor section had seats instead of general admission is that, if you’re going to have seats, make sure people will respect their seats. The crowd was simply rowdy and wild during the entire concert, no one was respecting the seating map, people were standing anywhere they wanted, beer was flying all over people, security was absolutely useless, plus a few minor incidents. That’s why I hate seats. Why not giving everyone the pleasure of standing wherever they want, instead of charging high prices for upfront tickets if no one was going to obey that, right? It was the purest form of “breaking the law, breaking the law” you can think of, so maybe next time in places like Newark the band could avoid offering the seated floor section and just let the crowd go wild.

Anyway, back to the concert, after the band smashed our damned souls with the pulverizing Painkiller, where once again Scott Travis sounded monstrous, I was really hoping for Glenn Tipton to show up during the encore for a couple of songs, which unfortunately didn’t happen. Well, if Glenn was not feeling well enough to do so, that’s more than fine, as long as one of the most important guitarists in the history of heavy music stays strong and keeps fighting against his disease with all his power. No surrender, Glenn! Also, that doesn’t mean the encore wasn’t a real banger, as everyone had the time of their lives enjoying Electric Eye, Hell Bent for Leather, and Living After Midnight, three songs that transpire Heavy Metal, plus of course Richie and Andy made sure they brought Glenn’s energy and passion to the stage during the entire show.

As I mentioned before, there wasn’t a lot of talking during their performance, apart from Halford reminding everyone that the band was celebrating 50 years of Heavy Metal as they released the cult album Rocka Rolla back in 1974, and five decades later here they are still rockin’ hard with Invincible Shield. Damn, time flies, and so did I back to Toronto (pun intended) after an amazing visit to New York and Newark, with my only regret being not having bought tickets for more Judas Priest shows during this awesome tour. Hopefully they’ll announce a new leg soon including Toronto and other Canadian cities, then I’ll make sure I’ll attend multiple concerts to worship the one and only, headbanging, unstoppable Metal Gods. This metalmaniac loves you, guys! Thank you once again for an unforgettable show, and see you on the road!

Setlist
War Pigs (Black Sabbath song)
Invincible Shield Tour Anthem
Panic Attack
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
Rapid Fire
Breaking the Law
Lightning Strike
Love Bites
Devil’s Child
Saints in Hell
Crown of Horns
Sinner
Turbo Lover
Invincible Shield
Victim of Changes
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown) (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Painkiller

Encore:
The Hellion
Electric Eye
Hell Bent for Leather
Living After Midnight
We Are the Champions (Queen song)

Band members
Rob Halford – vocals
Richie Faulkner – guitar
Andy Sneap – guitar
Ian Hill – bass guitar
Scott Travis – drums

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Album Review – Ingested / The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams (2024)

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UK’s most hardworking Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore entity is back with their eight studio album, showcasing a band willing to expand its creativity without sacrificing the ferocity that made it one of the most impressively destructive names of the current scene.

Not many top-tier Death Metal bands can record and release an album a year and follow it with an extensive tour. That’s hardly ever been the case for Manchester, England’s crushing, visceral Brutal Death Metal/Deathcore entity Ingested. Since the release of their fifth album Where Only God May Tread, in 2020, the band has been on a creative tear that has produced almost a full record every year – even through the COVID pandemic – but has resulted in the kind of musical growth that only comes from constantly practicing, playing, and writing. Now in 2024 the band formed of frontman Jason Evans, guitarist Sean Hynes, and drummer Lyn Jeffs returns with their eight studio effort, titled The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams, sounding as innovative and brutal as their latest opus, the bleak, firestorm Ashes Lie Still, released in 2022. Displaying a stunning artwork by David Seidman, the album showcases a band willing to expand its creativity without sacrificing the ferocity that made it one of the most impressively destructive and technical Death Metal bands on the scene.

The opener Paragon of Purity is insanely slamming and brutal from the very first second, with Jason already sounding inhumane on vocals while Lyn hammers his drums without a single drop of mercy, whereas he keeps smashing our skulls in Endless Machine, another perfect depiction of modern-day Brutal Death Metal highly recommended for some mosh pit action; and an eerie start gradually evolves into another demented display of the band’s trademark sound in the form of Where No Light Shines, this time sounding more Deathcore than ever, with Sean kicking some ass with his devilish riffs. Then featuring guest vocals by Josh Middleton (Sylosis), it’s pedal to the metal in Expect to Fail, with Lyn taking the lead with his fast-paced beats while Jason and Josh make an infernal vocal duet sounding like two demons roaring to each other. After that, their fusion of Death Metal with Deathcore brings to our avid ears another bestial creation titled Starve the Fire, where Jason’s vocals reach a new level of insanity (similar to the latest creations by Ov Sulfur, by the way).

After an overdose of pure hatred and heaviness, the band brings forward an ethereal, enfolding (and a bit too long) interlude titled Numinous, soothing our melancholic souls before all hell breaks loose in In Nothingness, featuring guest vocals by Mark Hunter (Chimaira), with Mark adding his share of dementia to the overall result supported by the massive drums by Lyn, while Sean’s riffs are tailored for some brutal slamming. Pantheon is simply an ode to violence, blood and insanity by Ingested, with Jason proving why he’s one of the top voices of the current Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore scenes worldwide, and I can’t wait to witness the band delivering this wicked tune live; and Jason and the boys continue to deliver first-class aggression in Kingdoms of Sand, where Lyn’s drums sound insanely heavy and groovy. Put differently, this awesome song couldn’t have sounded catchier and more devilish. Finally, the last song of the album, A Path Once Lost, is also the longest and most intricate one, a sinister musical journey spearheaded by Jason’s introspective vocals while still presenting Ingested’s trademark violence, also showcasing a more melodic side of the band.

The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams is proof that once Ingested sniff out a trail of musical blood, they ravenously follow it until they’ve uncovered a festering feast. Hence, if you want to show your support to one of the most hardworking bands of the current extreme music scene, you can check what they’re up to on Facebook, and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel and also check them out on Spotify for more of their savage music, and above all that, purchase the venomous The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams from the Metal Blade Records webstore or by clicking HERE. I bet it won’t take long for Ingested to deliver another blast of their first-class fusion of Brutal Death Metal and Deathcore in the next couple of years, but it will certainly be really hard for them to beat the quality found in their newborn beast. I said hard, not impossible, because Jason, Sean and Lyn seem to be on an absolute roll in the past few years, and we can always expect the utmost excellence from those amazing musicians.

Best moments of the album: Paragon of Purity, Expect to Fail, Pantheon and Kingdoms of Sand.

Worst moments of the album: Numinous.

Released in 2024 Metal Blade Records

Track listing
1. Paragon of Purity 4:22
2. Endless Machine 3:37
3. Where No Light Shines 4:31
4. Expect to Fail 4:17
5. Starve the Fire 4:06
6. Numinous 3:50
7. In Nothingness 4:39
8. Pantheon 3:30
9. Kingdoms of Sand 5:23
10. A Path Once Lost 6:51

Band members
Jason Evans – vocals
Sean Hynes – guitars, backing vocals
Lyn Jeffs – drums

Guest musicians
Josh Middleton – vocals on “Expect to Fail”
Mark Hunter – vocals on “In Nothingness”
Thomas O’Malley – bass (live)

Album Review – Bruce Dickinson / The Mandrake Project (2024)

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After almost 20 years, the one and only Bruce Dickinson returns with his new solo offering, a concept album full of highs and lows that might be more appealing to fans of mellow rock music.

Almost 20 years later, British Heavy Metal legend Bruce Dickinson returns with his new solo offering, titled The Mandrake Project, his seventh studio album and the follow-up to his 2005 opus Tyranny Of Souls, marking the longest gap between two studio albums in his solo career. Produced by world renowned guitarist Roy Z, and mixed and mastered by Brendan Duffey at Fuel Music Studio, the album features the aforementioned Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals (and a bunch of other instruments here and there), Roy Z on the guitars and bass, Mistheria on keyboards (although she plays bass live with the band), and Dave Moreno on drums, but despite such stellar lineup the music is fairly basic and monotonous at times, full of highs and lows, and if it wasn’t for the always majestic vocal lines by Bruce I personally think The Mandrake Project would have been a huge flop.

A sinister, cinematic intro sets the stage for Bruce and his crew in Afterglow of Ragnarok, with the guitars by Roy Z dictating the song’s pace, resulting in a solid start to the album and to the story that’s beginning to be developed. Many Doors to Hell sounds like a toned-down version of some of the songs from Bruce’s old albums, with the keys by Mistheria adding an extra touch of delicacy to it, not to mention his always flawless vocals; followed by Rain on the Graves, one of the most theatrical of all songs. One thing that I can say for sure is that Bruce needs a better drummer, but in the end the song works quite well, whereas Resurrection Men is another solid creation by Bruce, blending Heavy Metal with classic Rock N’ Roll and even Stoner Rock thanks to the top-notch work done by Roy Z on the guitars. On the other hand, Fingers in the Wounds is a very basic and monotonous song where the guitars are not very audible and drums are the most boring you can imagine.

Eternity Has Failed, which is pretty much his own version for Iron Maiden’s “If Eternity Should Fail” (to be fair, Bruce’s version was created first, and Steve Harris asked him if it could be used as a Maiden song), is by far my favorite song of the album for obvious reasons, sounding a little bit more folky than metal also for obvious reasons, with Bruce kicking ass on vocals as usual. Then low-tuned bass lines ignite the rocking Mistress of Mercy, where Roy Z and Dave are in total sync, offering Bruce all he needs to shine on vocals; followed by Face in the Mirror, too mellow and not enough rock or metal, or in other words, one of the weakest songs of the album if not the weakest one. Fans of ballads might enjoy it, but due to the lack of more energy in the rest of the album this one ends up falling flat. Moreover, if one very slow ballad wasn’t enough the band offers another one that goes on for seven minutes titled Shadow of the Gods, which would have been a good idea in Accident of Birth, but again it’s too smooth and doesn’t add any extra kick to The Mandrake Project, picking up at the end albeit nothing really outstanding. On the other hand, Sonata (Immortal Beloved) has the punch we expect from a guy like Bruce, with Roy Z and Mistheria supporting him with their classy riffs, bass and keys. It’s not a marvelous ending to the album, but at least it has its good moments.

I’m a diehard fan of Iron Maiden, and I love everything Bruce Dickinson had released prior to The Mandrake Project, but I don’t see myself returning to this album in the near future because, at least for me, the music is way too bland, with most songs sounding way too low, mellow or uninspired. There are some excellent moments throughout the album, of course, but nothing that hasn’t been done before or that’s truly impactful. Let’s say that if it wasn’t for Bruce, I wouldn’t be able to listen to it more than once (and you can listen to it yourself in full on YouTube and on Spotify). The album will surely be very attractive to several fans worldwide, as music taste is a personal thing as you all know, so if The Mandrake Project appeals to you, you can purchase a copy of it from The Mandrake Project’s own webstore, from Bruce’s webstore, from Apple Music, or by clicking HERE. Now please excuse me as I’m going to go back to the new albums by Judas Priest, Blaze Bayley, and Saxon, as those sound much stronger and exciting to my taste.

Best moments of the album: Resurrection Men, Eternity Has Failed and Mistress of Mercy.

Worst moments of the album: Fingers in the Wounds, Face in the Mirror and Shadow of the Gods.

Released in 2024 BMG

Track listing
1. Afterglow of Ragnarok 5:45
2. Many Doors to Hell 4:48
3. Rain on the Graves 5:05
4. Resurrection Men 6:24
5. Fingers in the Wounds 3:39
6. Eternity Has Failed 6:59
7. Mistress of Mercy 5:08
8. Face in the Mirror 4:08
9. Shadow of the Gods 7:02
10. Sonata (Immortal Beloved) 9:51

Band members
Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals, acoustic guitars on “Resurrection Men” and “Face in the Mirror”, bongo drums on “Resurrection Men”, additional keyboards on “Eternity Has Failed” and “Mistress of Mercy”, percussion on “Eternity Has Failed”
Roy Z – guitars, bass
Mistheria – keyboards
Dave Moreno – drums

Guest musicians
Chris Declercq – guitar solo on “Rain on the Graves”
Gus G – guitar solo on “Eternity Has Failed”
Sergio Cuadros – woodwinds on “Eternity Has Failed”

Concert Review – Alestorm (The Concert Hall, Toronto, ON, 03/22/2024)

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In a winter-like night of spring in Toronto, countless fans braved a ruthless snowstorm to enjoy the incendiary concert by the most famous pirates of the metal scene worldwide.

OPENING ACTS: Glyph and Elvenking

Unfortunately due to a heavy snowstorm that hammered the city of Toronto on Friday night (it looks like we moved from a spring-like winter to a winter-like spring, which is a real bummer), I wasn’t able to make it to The Concert Hall to enjoy the start of the Tour of the Dead Marauder 2024, with the bands GLYPH, ELVENKING and ALESTORM, another amazing event brought to the city by the one and only Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. Not only that, this was the first ever event Noel held at The Concert Hall, which according to my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi is a fantastic venue for metal concerts. Huge stage, amazing lighting and sound, and the wrap around the upper balcony has a wicked view with one bar. Hopefully I’ll be able to see other bands playing at The Concert Hall, because I’m really curious to see how it is now. Anyway, as mentioned Keith was able to make it to the show, so not only he was responsible for the photos, but he also had to send me some words about each of the bands that played Friday night. I’ll add some information about the bands to the review as well, just to make it more detailed, and I hope you crazy metalheads enjoy the reading.

“Toronto is in its 4th day of spring and old man winter thought it would be nice for a snowstorm. However, the fans of the band Alestorm didn’t care. They stood outside for more than an hour in the blustery wind and snow to get inside a warm and newly renovated The Concert  Hall, where Noel Peters and his company Inertia Entertainment put on their first show. The bands Glyph, Elvenking and headliners Alestorm kicked some ass and let all their fans enjoy some much needed moshing,” said Keith about the entire night. The doors opened at 7pm and the first band of the night, GLYPH (a Power Metal featuring members of Gatekeeper, Greyhawk, Hjelvik, and Ravenous) went on shortly after, leaving Keith scrambling to get his camera ready and fight his way through the already packed venue. I believe they played the songs Honor, Power, Glory, A Storm of Crimson Fire and When The World Was Young during their set, and maybe a few others, but these three definitely deserve a listen. Moreover, Glyph will release their new album Honor. Power. Glory. this Friday March 29, so don’t be a fool and get ready to rock with such an amazing band by purchasing it or streaming it on BandCamp and on Spotify.

Band members
R. A. Voltaire – vocals
Rob Steinway – guitars
Darin Wall – bass
Jeff Black – keyboards
Ryan Yancey – drums

Right after Glyph finished warming up the crowd, it was time for Italian Melodic Power/Folk Metal entity ELVENKING to take the city of Toronto by storm (and fortunately not a snowstorm) with their hypnotizing concert, blending songs from their vast catalogue (as the band has been kicking ass all over the world for 27 years already) with their most recent effort, the 2023 album Reader of the Runes – Rapture. In addition, Elvenking are not your regular band, as their lineup includes mystical creatures represented by frontman Damna, guitarist and keyboardist Aydan, guitarist HeadMatt, bassist Jakob, drummer Symohn, and the iconic violinist Lethien, who definitely adds an extra touch of magic to their live performances. Keith said their concert was insane, driving their fans crazy and eager for more Elvenking in the city in the near future, and I honestly can’t wait for that as long as there isn’t a boring snowstorm blocking all roads, of course.

Setlist
Rapture
The Hanging Tree
Draugen’s Maelstrom
Pagan Revolution
Silverseal
Moonbeam Stone Circle
To Oak Woods Bestowed
Pagan Purity
Bride of Night
The One We Shall Follow
The Wanderer
The Divided Heart
Elvenlegions
She Lives at Dawn

Band members
Damna – lead vocals
Aydan – guitars, harsh and backing vocals, keyboards
HeadMatt – guitars
Jakob – bass
Lethien – violin
Symohn – drums

ALESTORM

Finally, after a quick break, the main attraction of the night took the stage for a memorable performance. The one day Scottish but now multinational Folk/Power Metal privateers ALESTORM kicked some serious ass according to Keith, with a jam packed venue making the night even more special. Having released that same Friday their new EP Voyage of the Dead Marauder (which is really cool, by the way), the band formed of Christopher Bowes, Máté Bodor, Gareth Murdock (and if you don’t know his Black Metal band Imperial Demonic, I highly recommend listening to their 2023 debut EP Beneath the Crimson Eclipse), Elliot Vernon, and Peter Alcorn was on fire during their entire set, playing classics like Keelhauled, Drink and Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship as well as the new songs The Last Saskatchewan Pirate and Voyage of the Dead Marauder, leaving a sold out The Concert Hall eager for another killer show by those metallic pirates in a not-so-distant future. “The crowd barrier broke and me and the security held it up during the third song for Alestorm. They had to fix it on the fly,” said Keith who, despite having a corrupt memory card and losing most of his over 200 Alestorm photos, made sure I got a very special (or maybe I should say divine) photo taken by our amazing brother and photographer Ryan Miles Leblanc. “There was a special appearance by the lord Jesus Christ who graciously moshed and crowd surfed,” said Keith in a message to me. Well, who would say that Jesus would be a fan of pirate metal, right? YAAAAAARRRR!

Setlist
Keelhauled
No Grave but the Sea
The Sunk’n Norwegian
Alestorm
Under Blackened Banners
Hangover (Taio Cruz cover)
The Last Saskatchewan Pirate
Wenches & Mead
Magellan’s Expedition
Mexico
Voyage of the Dead Marauder
Big Ship Little Ship
Nancy the Tavern Wench
P.A.R.T.Y.
1741 (The Battle of Cartagena)
Shit Boat (No Fans)

Encore:
Drink
Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship
Fucked With an Anchor

Band members
Christopher Bowes – vocals, keyboards
Máté Bodor – guitars
Gareth Murdock – bass
Elliot Vernon – keyboards, backing vocals
Peter Alcorn – drums

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Concert Review – Gloryhammer (The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, 03/12/2024)

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One of the torchbearers of Symphonic Power Metal worldwide returned to Toronto after five long years with more of their striking music, swords, goblins, hammers, and HOOTS!

OPENING ACTS: AMMO and Twilight Force

It was a beyond pleasant night in Toronto yesterday with temperatures above the two digits, something VERY uncommon for this time of the year but perfect for enjoying some high-quality Power Metal at The Phoenix Concert Theatre (which by the way desperately needs better parking nearby), courtesy of AMMO, TWILIGHT FORCE and GLORYHAMMER during their most excellent The Red, White & Hoots North American Tour 2024, and the Torontonian fans of all three bands answered their call and joined them in the battlefield for a night of soaring vocals, shredding, orcs, goblins, swords, hammers, princess and princesses, and of course my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I couldn’t be left out of that metallic party in a land far, far away, right?

Well, to be fair, due to other commitments I couldn’t get to the venue in time to see Toronto’s own Heavy Metal act AMMO, but some people told me they were really good and put on a very entertaining warmup for Twilight Force and Gloryhammer. I checked online and it looks like there have been some significant changes to their lineup since their 2019 EP Taking the Throne, available on BandCamp and on Spotify, which means we can expect new music from those guys in a not-so-distant future. Sorry, AMMO, for not catching you live last night opening for Twilight Force and Gloryhammer, but I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities to see you guys kicking ass on stage in the coming months.

Setlist
Into Death
Street Metal Werewolves
Doomsayer
Taking the Throne
Empire
Too Metal for Metal

Band members
Alex Zdarvkovic – vocals
Brett Hexx – guitars, backing vocals
Matt Lewis – guitars
Necro Hippie – bass
Struan Robertson – drums

It was around 8pm when Sweden’s iconic Symphonic Power Metal unity TWILIGHT FORCE hit the stage for a fantastic performance, I would say just as electrifying as Gloryhammer, with all band members being on absolute fire throughout the entire show and in sync with the crowd, leading each person at the venue into magical battles with dragons (and there was actually a “floating” dragon released over the crowd during Dragonborn) and other mystical creatures. Having released the album At the Heart of Wintervale last year, Twilight Force was unfortunately missing their lead singer Allyon due to unforeseen issues with his family back home, but that doesn’t mean their show was boring; quite the contrary, Long Island, New York-born (but currently residing in Sweden) vocalist Kristin Starkey, of Italian Melodic Heavy/Power Metal act Temperance, and who’s been doing backing vocals for Twilight Force since 2023, did all the vocals last night and, oh boy, she was incredible. What an amazing voice she has, plus of course her charisma and onstage theatricals, making us even “forget” she’s not the actual vocalist for the band. Sword yielding songs like Dragonborn, Thundersword, and the closing one The Power of the Ancient Force, inspired all fans to raise their fists in the air and enjoy an ass-kicking performance by Twilight Force, and I’m sure soon we’ll see those guys headlining concerts in the city thanks to the more-than-warm reception from their Torontonian fans (and if you want to know more about their music, go check them on BandCamp and on Spotify).

Setlist
Dawn of the Dragonstar
Twilight Force
Dragonborn
Thundersword
Sunlight Knight
Flight of the Sapphire Dragon
Sunlight Knight
At the Heart of Wintervale
The Power of the Ancient Force

Band members
Kristin Starkey – vocals
Lynd – lead & acoustic guitars, lute
Aerendir – rhythm guitars
Born – bass
Blackwald – keyboards, piano, violin, harpsichord
De’Azsh – drums

GLORYHAMMER

Finally, five years after their last concert in Toronto, Scotland’s own Symphonic Power Metal brigade GLORYHAMMER returned to Canadian battlefields armed with their 2023 opus Return To The Kingdom Of Fife, and if there’s one word that could define their show, that word has to be HOOTS! It was a fusion of Heavy and Power Metal with symphonic elements, beer, goblins, hammers and other fantasy elements by Angus McFife II, Ser Proletius, The Hootsman, Zargothrax and Ralathor, putting a huge smile on the faces of everyone who attended the show last night. Blending songs from all of their albums with new ones like Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol and Fife Eternal, which are extremely catchy and perfect for live concerts, the band kicked some ass and slayed some goblins for our total delight.

Of course, some of the most anticipated songs of their setlist didn’t disappoint at all, including the amazing battle hymns Gloryhammer, Hootsforce and The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee, with Angus McFife II (aka Sozos Michael) proving why he was chosen to become the band’s frontman with not only an amazing vocal performance, but also being very charismatic and leading the crowd with his requests for fists in the air while holding the Gloryhammer high. Also, I was impressed with the fact that there were even mosh pits during Gloryhammer’s performance, because that’s not the type of music you expect mosh pits. Well, it’s Toronto, so mosh pits can happen anytime. Furthermore, when you have a concert where a goblin appears on stage playing the saxophone, that means ANYTHING can happen, and I bet everyone at the venue can’t wait for Gloryhammer to visit Toronto again in the near future with more swords, hammers, and HOOTS!

Setlist
Incoming Transmission
Holy Flaming Hammer of Unholy Cosmic Frost
Gloryhammer
The Land of Unicorns
Fly Away
Angus McFife
Questlords of Inverness, Ride to the Galactic Fortress!
Also Sprach Zarathustra
Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol
Fife Eternal
Masters of the Galaxy
Sword Lord of the Goblin Horde
The Siege of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)
Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernethy
Universe on Fire
Hootsforce
The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee
The National Anthem of Unst

Band members
Angus McFife II (Sozos Michael) – vocals
Ser Proletius, Grand Master of the Deathknights of Crail (Paul Templing) – guitars
The Hootsman, Astral Demigod of Unst (James Cartwright) – bass
Zargothrax, Dark Emperor of Dundee (Michael Barber) – keyboards
Ralathor, the Mysterious Submarine Commander of Cowdenbeath (Ben Turk) – drums

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Concert Review – Rage (Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON, 03/04/2024)

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One of the pillars of German Power Metal took the city of Toronto by storm for the first time ever to celebrate their headbanging, hellraising 40 years of career.

OPENING ACT: C.O.P. UK

Monday night was simply perfect in Toronto, with no snow or rain, lots of sunshine with temperatures above +10oC, very little traffic, and of course a lecture in Heavy and Power Metal at Lee’s Palace as C.O.P. UK and RAGE kicked off the Canadian leg of their 40 Years in RAGE – 4 Decades of Heavy Metal Tour 2024, celebrating four decades of one of the most important bands to ever arise from the German Power Metal scene. Brought to Canada by Lucky Bob Music Agency, it’s somehow weird that Rage are only playing in Canada and not in the US (which is why there was even a guy from Michigan who drove eight hours to see the show here in Toronto), and I don’t know exactly how the promotion of the tour was done because the crowd was much smaller than expected. Maybe because it was a Monday, the worst day in the world for anything as Garfield would say, or maybe tons of fans had zero idea Rage was playing in the city for the first time ever (and I saw some comments online from fans in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec complaining about the lack of information about the tour). Anyway, the concert was fantastic, as well as the sick photos taken this time by my friend Ryan Miles Leblanc.

After a HUGE delay for the doors to open due to some technical difficulties, as apparently they didn’t have an adapter to convert something from EU to Canada, Sheffield, England-based Heavy Metal/Hard Rock act C.O.P. UK, or Crimes Of Passion if you prefer, hit the stage at around 9:30pm for a solid performance to warm up the fans at the venue for Rage. Formed in 2005, the band led by the charismatic vocalist Dale Radcliffe distilled a traditional blend of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock with hints of Glam and Hair Metal, with songs like Love Is To Die For and Catch Me If You Can sounding amazing live, plus their electrifying cover version for Journey’s classic Separate Ways (Worlds Apart), which in Dale’s words, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know them, everyone loves a little bit of Journey. I was impressed with the band and just wish they had more releases available for streaming everywhere, because for example on Spotify you can only find their 2018 EP Keep on Moving. Their music is awesome and they deserve more attention from all of us metalheads not only in Canada, but anywhere where good music is appreciated.

Setlist
The Core
My Blood
Love Is To Die For
Body & Soul
Stranger Than Fiction
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Journey cover)
Catch Me If You Can
God Made Me Your Angel

Band members
Dale Radcliffe – vocals
Jean Bormann – guitars
Henning Wanner – keyboards
Scott Jordan – bass
Kev Tonge – drums

RAGE

It was already 10:30pm, which is really late for any show to start in Toronto by the way, when German Power Metal titans RAGE kicked off their flawless performance on stage, obviously led by the iconic Peter “Peavy” Wagner on vocals and bass, supported by Jean Bormann on the guitars (and yes, he’s the same guitarist from C.O.P. UK, but I think he was just supporting C.O.P. UK as his main band is Rage), and Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos on drums. And let me say it was a dream come true for all Torontonian fans of the band who attended the concert because their celebration of 40 years indeed included songs from their entire and vast career, kicking things of with the excellent Resurrection Day and going through all of their albums, with songs like Solitary Man, Black in Mind, Back in Time and My Way inspiring everyone for some good headbanging and fist raising. I personally think Peavy’s microphone was a bit low, but even so it was amazing to see his raspy, loud vocals permeating the air at Lee’s Palace Monday night.

One of my favorite songs of the night, and probably also of most fans at the venue, was undoubtedly End of All Days, and it was visible how some dudes in the crowd were having the time of their lives while the trio kept kicking some serious ass on stage during such masterpiece. My only “complaint” about their setlist was not seeing the darkly beautiful “From the Cradle to the Grave” live, as it was replaced with their new song Under a Black Crown (from their upcoming album Afterlifelines, to be released on March 29 this year), but the new song is also amazing, you know what I mean? Well, Peavy even mentioned during the show that they had over 100 songs to create their setlist (all available on Spotify, by the way), a tough job for them, but a pleasure for all of us when the setlist comes together. An when you end a concert with the pulverizing Don’t Fear the Winter and the all-time classic Higher Than the Sky, you know how happy your fans will be. Hopefully the lower-than-expected attendance won’t stop Rage form coming back to Toronto in the near future, because after seeing what Peavy and the boys are capable of Monday night, I must say the city of Toronto needs another blast of their Teutonic Power Metal.

Setlist
Memento Vitae (Overture)
Resurrection Day
Great Old Ones
Solitary Man
Nevermore
Black in Mind
Refuge
Back in Time
Shadow Out of Time
My Way
End of All Days
A New Land

Encore:
Under a Black Crown
Don’t Fear the Winter
Higher Than the Sky
Tomorrow’s Yesterday (Instrumental)

Band members
Peter “Peavy” Wagner – vocals, bass
Jean Bormann – guitars
Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos – drums

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Album Review – Blaze Bayley / Circle of Stone (2024)

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The unstoppable Blaze Bayley strikes again with another majestic album, describing human frailty, resilience, courage, and gratitude while also searching for the truth in the heart of the circle of tall stones.

Recent times have been a rollercoaster ride for Heavy Metal icon Blaze Bayley. Following on from the successful Infinite Entanglement trilogy from 2016 to 2018, he then moved further forward with the 2021 critically-acclaimed album War Within Me, whilst touring worldwide. However, he then suffered a severe heart attack early in 2023, requiring life-saving quadruple bypass surgery, and after months of recovery our beloved Blaze and his henchmen Chris Appleton and Luke Appleton on the guitars, Karl Schramm on bass, and Martin McNee on drums are finally back with another breathtaking album, titled Circle of Stone. Produced, mixed and engineered by Chris Appleton (and co-produced by Blaze), mastered by Ade Emsley at Table Of Tone Mastering, and displaying another classy artwork by longtime collaborator Alberto Quirantes of Akirant Illustration, Circle of Stone is a work of two halves according to Blaze himself. “Side one comprises six unconnected songs that describe human frailty, resilience, courage, and gratitude,” commented Blaze, while “side two contains six connected songs that tell the story of our forgotten tribe; a search for the truth in the heart of the circle of tall stones.”

It’s already pedal to the metal to the combustible riffs by Chirs and Luke in the opening tune Mind Reader, a high energy, inspiring song where Blaze proves he’s an unbeatable warrior while Martin dictates the song’s dancing, electrifying rhythm with his classic beats. And it looks like the album will be a thrilling metal feast as their rockin’ vein pulses harder than ever in Tears in Rain, again showcasing the amazing dynamics between Chirs, Luke and Karl with their stringed axes; followed by Rage, telling the story from Welsh folklore of Gelert the faithful hound and his unfortunate demise at the hands of his beloved owner Prince Llewelyn, with tons of sadness and regret flowing from Blaze’s outstanding vocals. Blaze keeps distilling his classic, undisputed Heavy Metal in The Year Beyond This Year, another fighting hymn presenting the striking riffs and solos by the Appleton Brothers, whereas more of their incendiary, ripping riffage is offered to our avid ears in the galloping tune Ghost in the Bottle, an amazing option for their live concerts. And slowing things down it’s time for the melancholic The Broken Man, presenting Blaze’s more introspective, poetic side in a decent ballad crafted by the band.

Featuring guest vocals by Niklas Stålvind (of Wolf) and bagpipes by Vicky Kennerley, The Call of the Ancestors is a powerful introduction to the second half of the album, flowing into the title-track Circle of Stone, a mid-tempo, heavy-as-hell and absolutely epic creation by Blaze and his henchmen where Blaze and Niklas make a fantastic vocal duet, making it impossible not to raise our fists together with the band during the entire song; and their epicness and infinite energy goes on in Absence, where the guitars by Luke and Chris beautifully reverberate in the air supported by the thunderous kitchen by Karl and Martin. Niklas then returns for his second guest appearance in A Day of Reckoning, bringing forward five minutes of deep, meaningful lyrics masterfully declaimed by Blaze while Martin hammers his drums nonstop, therefore inspiring us all to headbang like true metalmaniacs. Back to a more rockin’, metallic vibe, the quintet blasts our damned ears with The Path of the Righteous Man, a top-of-the-line Heavy Metal extravaganza where Blaze’s vocals overflow energy and passion, always accompanied by the razor-edged riffs by the band’s incendiary guitar duo; whereas lastly, featuring guest vocals by Tammy-Rae Bois and the whimsical violin by Anne Bakker, Blaze offers us all another dark and delicate ballad titled Until We Meet Again, putting a climatic and enfolding ending to the album.

Ladies and gentlemen (or whatever way you prefer to be called), our beloved Blaze Bayley did it again, delivering top-of-the-line, soulful and electrifying Heavy Metal in Circle of Stone for our total delight, and the fact he just survived a scary heart attack last year makes the whole album even more special to us fans of one of the best vocalists and lyricists in heavy music, and by far one of the most hardworking musicians worldwide. Hence, in order to show the unstoppable messiah our utmost love and admiration, don’t forget to give him (and the rest of the band, of course) a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, to stream such beautiful album as many times as you want on Spotify, or on any other streaming platform, and to grab your favorite version of the album from his own webstore, including some amazing bundles that only prove how dedicated Blaze is to his fanbase. Blaze Bayley cannot be stopped, he’s one of the driving forces of the current Heavy Metal scene, and Circle of Stone is another bold statement of his undeniable passion for heavy music. In other words, he is definitely the heart of the circle of tall stones of heavy music.

Best moments of the album: Mind Reader, Tears in Rain, Ghost in the Bottle and The Path of the Righteous Man.

Worst moments of the album: The Broken Man.

Released in 2024 Blaze Bayley Recordings

Track listing
1. Mind Reader 2:46
2. Tears in Rain 3:06
3. Rage 3:57
4. The Year Beyond This Year 3:06
5. Ghost in the Bottle 3:20
6. The Broken Man 5:46
7. The Call of the Ancestors 1:52
8. Circle of Stone 3:29
9. Absence 3:27
10. A Day of Reckoning 5:04
11. The Path of the Righteous Man 3:43
12. Until We Meet Again 4:32

Band members
Blaze Bayley – vocals
Chris Appleton – guitars, backing vocals
Luke Appleton – guitars, backing vocals
Karl Schramm – bass, backing vocals
Martin McNee – drums

Guest musicians
Niklas Stålvind – additional vocals on “Circle of Stone”, “Call of the Ancestors” and “A Day of Reckoning”
Tammy-Rae Bois – additional vocals on “Until We Meet Again”
Anne Bakker – violin on “Rage” and “Until We Meet Again”
Vicky Kennerley – bagpipes on “The Call of the Ancestors”

Concert Review – Archspire (Factory Theatre, Sydney, NSW, Australia 10/13/2023)

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There’s nothing better than slamming into the circle pit Down Under on a Friday the 13th, courtesy of three of the best tech death bands of the current worldwide scene.

OPENING ACTS: Werewolves and Ingested

I honestly still can’t believe that in the middle of my business trip to Sydney, Australia, I was able to catch WEREWOLVES, INGESTED and ARCHSPIRE during their phenomenal Tech Trek Australia Tour 2023 at this really cool and well-located venue named Factory Theatre this Friday night. Not only that, if you’re not familiar with the public transportation system in Sydney, let me tell you that it makes it extremely easy to get anywhere you want, which allowed me to get to the venue as soon as the doors opened at 8pm without rushing or anything like that, giving me enough time to buy some merch from Werewolves, grab a beer, and even chat with some locals who were all truly surprised I came all the way from Toronto for the show.

Precisely at 8:30pm, with the venue being almost full already, Melbourne, Australia’s own Technical Black/Death Metal savages WEREWOLVES kicked off the night with a pulverizing and memorable performance for the delight of everyone who was already positioned inside the pit for some action. Vocalist and bassist Sam Bean, guitarist Matt Wilcock and drummer David Haley (that man is a beast on drums!) took no prisoners during their short and sweet set, blasting our ears with their uncompromised, venomous hybrid of Black and Death Metal with songs from all of their insane albums, including their latest beast My Enemies Look and Sound like Me. Those Aussie metallers know exactly what needs to be done on stage to inspire the crowd for some wild headbanging and circle pits, and songs like No More Heroes, Under the Ground, Crushgasm, and specially the closing one, the antisocial hymn I Don’t Like You, sound even better live than in the studio. There were even some wild howls coming from some (drunk) fans in the audience, just to prove how awesome the band was.

I’m extremely happy that I had the chance to see those guys live in Australia, and hopefully the metal community worldwide will give them the attention they deserve and we’ll finally see Werewolves assaulting the stages in North and South America, Europe, and anywhere else where violence and hatred are an intrinsic part of music. Furthermore, don’t forget to stream their visceral creations on BandCamp and on Spotify, and if you ever witness Werewolves live I highly recommend you go chat with the band after their show as they’re fantastic guys. Sam even joked by asking me if I had a suggestion for a name of their next album, which they’re already working on, but I missed the chance to say something like “Powerslave”, “Painkiller” or “Reign In Blood”. Well, maybe next time I’ll be quick enough to come up with something like that, right?

Setlist
Know Your Place
No More Heroes
Sublime Wartime Voyeurism
Under the Ground
Crushgasm
Crushing Heaven’s Mandate
Showering Teeth
I Don’t Like You

Band members
Sam Bean – vocals, bass
Matt Wilcock – guitars
David Haley – drums

After a short break, it was time for Manchester, England-based Slam/Brutal Death Metal/Deathcore outfit INGESTED to crush their fans in Sydney for the first time ever  with their infectious brutality and endless energy on stage. I must admit they sounded even tighter in Sydney than the last time I saw them in Toronto, just to prove how excited they were to finally blast their wicked music Down Under. Still promoting their 2022 album Ashes Lie Still, the band spearheaded by the charismatic and lunatic Jay Evans was on fire throughout their entire performance, with songs like I, Despoiler and Skinned and Fucked turning the circle pit at the Factory Theatre into pure madness and devastation.

Jay was by far the most excited for playing in Australia, and it was actually hard to take pictures of him on stage because the guy doesn’t stop moving not even for a single second, as if he was part of the crowd, like a fan who will slam into the pit until the very last second of the last song. By the way, when the band announced their last song, the bloodthirsty aria Echoes of Hate, all hell broke loose inside the pit for the pure delectation of Jay and his crew. It’s a real pleasure seeing a hardworking band like Ingested going places, and based on the rowdy reaction they got from their fans in Sydney I’m sure they’ll return to Australia sooner than you can say “slam”. Hence, don’t forget to also check the band’s furious fusion of extreme styles on BandCamp and on Spotify, and to keep an eye on their tour dates to avoid missing the opportunity to see them crushing your city to pieces live.

Setlist
Impending Dominance
Invidious
I, Despoiler
Shadows in Time
Skinned and Fucked
Echoes of Hate

Band members
Jay Evans – vocals
Sean Hynes – guitars, backing vocals
Thomas O’Malley – bass
Lyn Jeffs – drums

ARCHSPIRE

It was close to 10:30pm when the main attraction of such fun and entertaining night, Canadian Technical Death Metal masters ARCHSPIRE, kicked off their breathtaking, mesmerizing performance, generating a schizophrenic atmosphere with their flawless fusion of violence, wrath, dexterity and energy on stage. Their flammable frontman Oliver Rae Aleron is not only a superb growler (and I’ll never be able to fully understand how that guy can sing guttural so fast as if he was rapping in the name of evil), but his charisma allowed him to basically control everything the crowd was doing, with his requests for some insane mosh pits being promptly answered by an avid Australian crowd.

Having released the album Bleed the Future in 2021, the band put on a beyond extraordinary show, with songs like Bleed the Future, A Dark Horizontal and Involuntary Doppelgänger sounding perfect live thanks to the undeniable, superb musicianship by all band members, with guitarist Dean Lamb and bassist Jared Smith stealing the spotlight with a lecture in shredding. If you’re curious to know more about one of the fastest and most talented bands of the current Technical Death Metal scene worldwide, you can enjoy all of their wicked albums in full on BandCamp and on Spotify. However, I must warn you that the demented vocals by Oliver will haunt your damned soul for all eternity so insane they are.

And last but not least, I have to say the Canadian humor and jokes the band presented on stage were simply awesome, adding a very welcome touch to their irreprehensible performance. For instance, before playing one of their bestial songs, Oliver asked the crowd to split the pit in the middle, but this time it wasn’t for a traditional wall of death; he threw a Twister game mat to the crowd, and then out of nowhere several sweaty fans were playing Twister instead of doing their regular slamming and headbanging. Then after another couple of songs he invited two fans for a shoe drinking contest named “shoey”, a gross Australian drinking tradition that for some reason Archspire seem to love. Well, it was gross, no doubt about it, but seeing the winner receiving a custom shirt made by one of the guys form the band with some weird drawing of Wolverine and a dingo was a really cool moment of their show. I would never, ever drink beer directly from my shoes, but one thing I’ll certainly do is to attend all concerts I’m able to by Archspire in the future for more awesomeness in the form of Canadian tech death.

Setlist
Bleed the Future
Abandon the Linear
A Dark Horizontal
Remote Tumour Seeker
Golden Mouth of Ruin
Human Murmuration
Calamus Will Animate
Involuntary Doppelgänger
Drone Corpse Aviator

Band members
Oliver Rae Aleron – vocals
Dean Lamb – guitars
Tobi Morelli – guitars
Jared Smith – bass
Spencer Prewett – drums

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Concert Review – Iron Maiden (Rogers Place, Edmonton, AB, 09/30/2023)

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The future Past Tour 2023 turned the city of Edmonton into “Eddie-monton” thanks to one of the wildest Iron Maiden crowds ever in Canadian lands.

INTRO: IMFC Meetup and FTTB, Pt. II

The day after the concert in Calgary, I would say all Iron Maiden Fan Club members (plus a lot of locals as well) headed up a little further north to Edmonton for another round of IRON MAIDEN during the band’s The Future Past Tour 2023 (plus of course the opening act ATREYU). Once again, one day before the actual concert a big group gathered at On The Rocks for another successful IMFC Meetup, sharing a few beers with old and new friends, enjoying a few metal hymns played by the DJ including “Run to the Hills” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'”, and a live band playing pop songs from the 80’s. The pub was even giving away two tickets for the concert, but I bet the old fella who won those sold them online right away. As I mentioned in the review for the Calgary show, the meetups have a unique energy that’s worth going out of your way to make it there.

A few hours after the meetup, several of us had a (very) early start to join the FTTB – First to the Barrier at Rogers Place for another memorable day with our blood brothers and sisters in preparation for the concert that night. And I gotta say the FTTB meeting point this time was a blessing from the metal gods, as we were able to stay indoors (yes, with a roof and away from the chilly Edmonton weather) with easy access to washrooms and to an array of restaurants like Boston Pizza! It was so relaxed and comfy there that it didn’t feel like we were there for almost 12 hours before getting into the venue. This was most probably the nicest FTTB ever, with no cold weather, no winds, no rain, no starvation nor dehydration being present, making it A LOT easier for us all to endure the battlefield that the GA section turned into as soon as the lights went down later that day for the concert.

OPENING ACT: Atreyu

Precisely at 7:30pm, California’s own Metalcore act ATREYU did what was expected of them once again, putting on a very entertaining show for both their regular fans as well as for anyone who had no idea who they were. Frontman Brandon Saller made an excellent use of the wild energy emanating from the crowd to demand some mosh pits, and he was promptly answered by most kids in the floor section, which in the end put a huge smile in the faces of all band members. When they played the song Save Us and asked the crowd to scream those two words with them, the reply from the whole venue was pretty loud, with their bassist Marc “Porter” McKnight later taking some time to say how much they admire and respect the Maiden family for being so nice to them and for enjoying their show more than anyone could have imagined. That was indeed a wild concert by Atreyu, and if the opening band already turned up the heat that much at the Rogers Place, you can imagine what happened when Iron Maiden hit the stage, right?

Setlist
Drowning
Becoming the Bull
Right Side of the Bed
Save Us
When Two Are One
The Theft
The Time Is Now
Gone
Ex’s and Oh’s
Battle Drums
Falling Down
Watch Me Burn
Warrior
Blow

Band members
Brandon Saller – clean vocals
Dan Jacobs – lead guitar, backing vocals
Travis Miguel – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Marc “Porter” McKnight – harsh vocals, bass
Kyle Rosa – drums

IRON MAIDEN

And there we were all again precisely at 8:50pm, going crazy already during the first few seconds of Doctor Doctor, for one more flammable performance by the “dental floss salesmen from Montana” (also known as IRON MAIDEN) for our personal “collection” of concerts; however, this time things got pretty wild for a Canadian show, placing the Edmonton gig as one of the roughest crowds I’ve ever experienced worldwide. All hell broke loose the minute the band hit the stage with their old school classics from Somewhere In Time and their newer ones from Senjutsu, with that madness happening even during slower or more melodic songs like The Writing on the Wall and Death of the Celts. We were being smashed and pulverized by the wild fans from the GA, but we didn’t get to the venue so early to give up our spot at the barrier, so we did our best to survive that.

Remember when I talked about meeting “Mr. Lobster” during the FTTB wait in Calgary? I think I forgot to mention it was just a crazy dude fully dressed as a lobster, but that weird costume paid off in Edmonton as Bruce himself spotted that guy during the speech before The Time Machine and questioned if he came all the way from the ocean walking to Edmonton. As a matter of fact, Bruce was so impressed with the guy’s costume that instead of waving his arms in the air during the breathtaking Hell on Earth, which was by the way the most amazing song of the night in my humble opinion, he put his hands in the air like if he had “lobsters claws”. A small but awesome touch to the concert by Bruce, I might say. I just think that next time Mr. Lobster needs a friend dressed as a steak, so they can form a “surf and turf” duo at the show.

Back to the concert, all that pushing and smashing was getting wilder and tougher as the band continued to stun us with an avalanche of classics, making it quite difficult to jump up and down during Heaven Can Wait, for example, or to raise our arms and fists in the air together with the band. Some tiny girls behind us were being crushed into pieces to the point we kept turning to them to ask if they were OK, if they needed some water and so on. The crowd surfing was also insane, and I guess I’ll never see so many crowd surfers again during a song like Hell on Earth anywhere in the world. Of course things got even worse when the boys played Fear of the Dark, but who cares? Nothing that some time at the gym and some cardio can’t take care of.

By the end of the show, it was visible how Bruce, Steve, Adrian, Dave, Janick and Nicko were amazed by the rowdy reaction of the crowd throughout the entire concert, with the nonstop action in the GA being highly acclaimed by the band, and of course, with Bruce being stunned with the loud chants of “Maiden! Maiden! Maiden!” to the point he left his microphone behind and simply enjoyed such beautiful moment with the fans. The Trooper and Wasted Years were pure war in the floor section, something you could only see in places like Brazil or Argentina, but the Edmonton fans made sure they’re also going to be “feared” whenever the band returns to the city. And after all was said and done, there was a very emotional moment with one of the most amazing members of the IMFC that brought tears of joy to the eyes of several of us, including myself of course. I’m not going to add all details here, but all I’m going to say is that next time someone questions me why I still listen to Iron Maiden after so many years, I’ll just smile back at that person.

Unfortunately due to budget limitations and work-related duties I couldn’t make it to the Vancouver show, but that doesn’t mean my Canadian Iron Maiden journey finished with the show in Edmonton. Even at the West Edmonton Mall and at the airport on Sunday I saw countless Maiden shirts and chatted with some of those fans, proving how strong the connection is between Maidenheads no matter what. One of the funniest moments happened at the airport right before boarding the plane, when two kids who were around six or seven years old kept looking at my new Sasquatch Eddie shirt. The oldest one said hi to me and then he smiled and said he liked my shirt, even showing me his dinosaur backpack to show how cool he also is. That was amazing, and from now on I’ll call the city of Edmonton as “Eddie-monton”, the Iron Maiden capital of Western Canada.

Setlist
Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
Blade Runner (End Titles) (Vangelis song)
Caught Somewhere in Time
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Writing on the Wall
Days of Future Past
The Time Machine
The Prisoner
Death of the Celts
Can I Play With Madness
Heaven Can Wait
Alexander the Great
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden

Encore:
Hell on Earth
The Trooper
Wasted Years
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python song)

Band members
Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
Steve Harris – bass
Dave Murray – guitar
Adrian Smith – guitar
Janick Gers – guitar
Nicko McBrain – drums

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Concert Review – Iron Maiden (Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB, 09/28/2023)

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And the one and only Iron Maiden took the city of Calgary by storm with the absolutely stunning first concert of their three Canadian dates during The Future Past Tour 2023.

INTRO: IMFC Meetup and FTTB, Pt. I

What a lovely couple of days Maidenheads from all over the world had in Calgary, Alberta this week with the one and only IRON MAIDEN (with opening act ATREYU) during the first stop of their Western Canadian dates as the last part of their undisputed The Future Past Tour 2023. However, before all that metal extravaganza took over the old school Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday night, several members of the IMFC – Iron Maiden Fan Club, including myself, had an amazing meetup the day before the concert at a pub named Bear & Kilt, with over 40 Maiden fans storming the pub (when we had an initial reservation for only 20 people). Well, I don’t think the pub owner nor the waitresses were unhappy with all the extra money they made on a Wednesday night, right? And if you’re following the band anywhere, also make sure you attend some of those meetups because the energy is simply amazing!

The other awesome perk we get for being part of the IMFC is obviously the FTTB – First to the Barrier experience, and once you get a taste of it, it becomes an addiction. Thursday morning several Maidenheads arrived really early to the venue to already get their numbers and line up for the FTTB, which allows you to get into the venue around 15-30 minutes before everyone else and secure a dream spot at the barrier. The experience in Calgary was fantastic, as the location and the weather were great and we could enjoy about 12 hours together with other fans, not to mention there were decent washrooms and a restaurant within a 5-minute walk from the meeting point, and the chance to chat with “Mr. Lobster” (who will be part of our Edmonton review, by the way). And to make things even more fun, we had the utmost pleasure of listening to the band doing their soundcheck in the middle of the afternoon. We weren’t inside the venue, of course, but we could listen to everything through the gates. That was indeed a unique experience for most guys and girls there, I must say, and of course I’m sure everyone was ready for more when we headed to the FTTB in Edmonton two days later.

OPENING ACT: Atreyu

After a long (but fun) wait, it was finally time for some live music for all FTTB winners plus of course everyone else who was already inside the venue when at 7:30pm Yorba Linda, California-based Metalcore veterans ATREYU hit the stage for a weird/eclectic/fun performance, and I used all those words because that’s how the show truly was. Mixing songs form their entire career with newer ones like Save Us and Warrior, from their 2021 album Baptize, and Drowning, Watch Me Burn and Gone, from their upcoming album The Beautiful Dark of Life (to be released by the end of 2023), the band formed of Brandon Saller, Dan Jacobs, Travis Miguel, Marc “Porter” McKnight and Kyle Rosa delivered an amalgamation of styles that makes it hard to list everything they played, even adding elements from Hip Hop to their music, plus an excerpt of I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), a classic by Whitney Houston, a moment that according to Brandon and Marc was inspired by those two guys having a bromance time by the river in Calgary earlier that day. In the end, everyone at the venue had a good time, the band got a very positive reaction from the crowd, and we were all pumped for the main attraction then. Good feelings and vibes, my friends!

Setlist
Drowning
Becoming the Bull
Save Us
Falling Down
Watch Me Burn
The Time Is Now
Ex’s and Oh’s
Gone
Battle Drums
Warrior
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (Whitney Houston cover)
Blow

Band members
Brandon Saller – clean vocals
Dan Jacobs – lead guitar, backing vocals
Travis Miguel – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Marc “Porter” McKnight – harsh vocals, bass
Kyle Rosa – drums

IRON MAIDEN

We didn’t know if the barrier was going to be relaxed or rough during the flawless, unparalleled performance by British Heavy Metal titans IRON MAIDEN, but at least in Calgary things ended up going pretty smoothly up until Fear of the Dark, as opposed to Edmonton which was a true carnage (but I’ll talk more about it on the Edmonton review, of course). So as the lights went down at 8:50pm and the iconic UFO’s song/intro Doctor Doctor was being played on the speakers, everyone at the venue could feel the energy level going up, and right after the end titles for Blade Runner (by Vangelis), Bruce, Steve, Adrian, Dave, Janick and Nicko began their sonic attack with the song that was for me the most powerful of the night, the classic Caught Somewhere in Time, followed by another classic, Stranger in a Strange Land, winning the hearts of all metalheads who were absolutely mesmerized by the band’s incendiary performance.

As they started playing the fantastic The Writing on the Wall, it became clear for the average concert goer that Thursday was not going to be any concert, but a fusion of their 1986 masterpiece Somewhere In Time and their most recent release Senjutsu, which contains a couple songs about the clash between past and future, as well as time travelling, hence the name of the tour being The Future Past Tour. Those songs are Days of Future Past and The Time Machine, and despite not everyone at the venue knowing them very well, the adrenaline kept flowing beautifully, proving Iron Maiden are so good you don’t even need to know their songs to have a great time during their shows. By the way, before The Time Machine, Bruce gave a short speech about travelling back in time, mentioning the famous DeLorean time machine from the cult movie Back to the Future, and his current attire finally made sense to everyone as he looked A LOT like the craziest version of the marvelous character of Dr. Emmett Brown.

Needless to say, Bruce and his bandmates were on absolute fire during their entire set, with Steve once again stealing the show with his thunderous bass guitar. As a matter of fact, as I was right in front of Steve the whole concert, it felt like I was having a lecture in bass playing together with the concert, not to mention the man is unstoppable on stage and inspires us all to keep moving, jumping up and down, and headbanging throughout all songs. Nicko also sounded much better than in the videos I saw from their concerts in Europe this summer, and it was awesome to see he made a very good use of the time off between Europe and Canada to recover even more from his stroke from the beginning of the year. And what to say about Dave’s solos in all songs, with a honorable mention to his perfect, soulful and striking solo during Fear of the Dark? The man knows exactly how to touch our hearts with his guitar riffs and solos, I must say.

There were two other songs that blew our minds during the show. The never-ending wait for Iron Maiden to play live Alexander the Great was totally worth it, as it sounded brilliant in Calgary; and the first song of the encore, Hell on Earth, was one of the songs from the new album that most people were eager to enjoy live, also being the only one from their entire setlist to have their trademark fires as an add-on. It was an emotional moment for me, and I’m sure others also felt that way while such metal hymn was being played on stage. And as the icing on the cake, why not ending the show with The Trooper and Wasted Years? That definitely left us all craving for more, and of course we were getting more two days later in Edmonton! Scream for me, Calgary… and see you shortly, Edmonton!

Setlist
Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
Blade Runner (End Titles) (Vangelis song)
Caught Somewhere in Time
Stranger in a Strange Land
The Writing on the Wall
Days of Future Past
The Time Machine
The Prisoner
Death of the Celts
Can I Play With Madness
Heaven Can Wait
Alexander the Great
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden

Encore:
Hell on Earth
The Trooper
Wasted Years
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life (Monty Python song)

Band members
Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
Steve Harris – bass
Dave Murray – guitar
Adrian Smith – guitar
Janick Gers – guitar
Nicko McBrain – drums

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