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Concert Review – Godsmack (Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON, 08/08/2023)

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After a (very) long wait, Alternative Rock and Metal giants Godsmack were finally back in Toronto for another memorable night of first-class music, bugs, tequila, and a huge amount of fire.

OPENING ACTS: Mix Master Mike and Staind

As I like to say, there’s only one day of the week that is worse than Monday for concerts, and that’s Tuesday. And guess what? Tuesday was the day chosen by GODSMACK with guests MIX MASTER MIKE and STAIND to visit the city of Toronto during their North American tour this summer, literally setting the Budweiser Stage on fire. Well, the weather was perfect, friends and family (and a beautiful service dog wearing headphones due to the loud music!) were all together celebrating music and life, there was plenty of food and drinks for everyone, and it’s still summer, so I believe we can forget it’s a Tuesday and enjoy some first-class music like it’s Friday or Saturday night, right?

The doors opened really early for a weekday, more specifically at 5pm, which in the end was good because that avoided huge lines and people hushing to get to the concert, and gave everyone plenty of time for some drinks and to take a look at the merch stands. Due to the fact Nothing More were not able to join Godsmack on this tour as one of the openers as originally planed, San Francisco, California’s own MIX MASTER MIKE (aka Michael Schwartz, known for his work with The Beatie Boys) accepted the challenge to replace a rock band with his fusion of Hip Hop and Rap Rock, hitting the stage at 6:30pm with his turntables, a lot of energy, and delivering a solid performance with his own twist of classics by The Beastie Boys, Aerosmith, Rush and Queen, among others. Would it have been better if the opener was a proper rock band instead of a DJ? Maybe, but no one can say Mix Master Mike didn’t put on quite a show on stage last night.

Then at around 7:25pm it was time for Springfield, Massachusetts-based Alternative Rock/Metal act STAIND to put everyone to dance with songs from their entire discography since their inception in 1995. The band formed of vocalist and guitarist Aaron Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April and drummer Sal Giancarelli will release a new album on September 15 this year named Confessions Of The Fallen, including in their setlist the first single of the album, the opener Lowest in Me, which was well-received by their fans; however, the crowd was obviously waiting for their classics, and of course they didn’t disappoint, including in their setlist the hits So Far Away, It’s Been Awhile, and the closing song Mudshovel. The music by Staind is too mellow for me personally (as I’m a lot more into extreme music, as you might know), but I can’t complain at all about their performance, and I’m sure their diehard fans were also very satisfied with what those guys did on stage yesterday.

Setlist
Lowest in Me
Not Again
Just Go
Eyes Wide Open
Fade
Something to Remind You
Right Here
Outside
Wannabe
So Far Away
For You
It’s Been Awhile
Mudshovel

Band members
Aaron Lewis – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mike Mushok – lead guitar
Johnny April – bass, backing vocals
Sal Giancarelli – drums

GODSMACK

Finally, after 17 long years, Boston, Massachusetts’ Alternative Rock and Metal titans GODSMACK were back in Toronto (as they had only played in Ottawa and Hamilton in the province of Ontario since 2006), and although they were supposed to have hit the stage at around 9:10pm, it wasn’t until maybe 9:30pm that Sully Erna, Tony Rombola, Robbie Merrill and Shannon Larkin began their breathtaking, incendiary concert. In addition, due to the length of their performance I saw a lot of people leaving the concert before the end to be able to catch the last trains, buses and streetcars home, or simply because they had to wake up really early today to work. That wasn’t a big issue, of course, but maybe next time we have a concert on a Tuesday night in the city the bands can make sure their concerts end by 11pm at the latest.

Back to the concert, Godsmack kicked some serious ass from start to finish, blending songs form all of their amazing albums with their newest beast Lighting Up the Sky. From the very first beats of the opener When Legends Rise to the epic I Stand Alone, it was an avalanche of riffs, horns in the air, screams, and a lot of interaction between Sully and the crowd, making the Toronto show feel very personal and, therefore, making Sully feel at home and extremely comfortable while chatting with the fans in between songs. There was also a lot of fire, specially when they played my favorite song of their setlist, the high-octane 1000hp, and according to my friend Keith Ibbitson of Lower Eastside Photography, responsible for all the amazing photos of this review, those flames made the pit feel like a true BBQ.

Cryin’ Like a Bitch!! And You and I also worked extremely well last night, and before playing the classic Something Different the unstoppable Sully took a lot of time to talk to the crowd about how awesome it was to be back to Toronto, “complained” about the bugs and mosquitoes (even joking by asking if the Canadian mosquitoes were poisonous, and having a shot of tequila to clean his palate after swallowing a bug), and asked all the men at the venue, specially the ones who like to work out at the gym, to put their ladies on their shoulders to enjoy the song from a much better spot. After that it was a nonstop rock and metal party by Godsmack, from the dark and sexy sounds of Voodoo to the beautiful message from the song Bulletproof. And in the middle of all that, there was time for Sully and Shannon to stun us all with their famous Batalla de Los Tambores, a fuckin’ awesome “duel” full of groove where they also played some snippets of classic by AC/DC, Aerosmith and Metallica for the delight of all fans present at the Budweiser Stage, followed by a heavy and electrifying cover version for one of the biggest hits by The Beatles, the excellent Come Together.

However, the most memorable moment for me and for several of the fans at the venue happened when Sully sat down at his piano for the superb ballad Under Your Scars and talked a little about their work with The Scars Foundation, dedicating the song to all those we’ve lost to suicide, depression and all types of mental illnesses, and also to our rock and metal fallen brothers like Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Dimebag Darrell and Eddie Van Halen. I saw some people crying after the song was over, most probably because the theme made them remember some dark moment of their lives, showing how music is extremely important for all of us and how we should always search for help whenever we feel anything in our lives is not right. Godsmack will keep sending that beautiful message everywhere they go with this tour (and all of their upcoming tours), including London, Ontario on October 19 (which is less than two hours from Toronto, so why not?), and may they keep bringing joy, hope and strength to anyone in need with their breathtaking Rock N’ Roll.

Setlist
When Legends Rise
1000hp
Cryin’ Like a Bitch!!
You and I
Something Different
What About Me
Awake
Surrender
Voodoo
Batalla de Los Tambores
Come Together (The Beatles cover)
Whatever

Encore:
Under Your Scars
Bulletproof
I Stand Alone

Band members
Sully Erna – vocals, guitar
Tony Rombola – lead guitar
Robbie Merrill – bass
Shannon Larkin – drums

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Edit: A few days after the review was published, a guy named Barry contacted us to inform Emma is the name of his service dog, and that she will be 2 years old in October. She has already been on a plane, she’s met the Maple Leafs, and will be going to The Smashing Pumpkins, 50 Cent and then Wu-Tang Clan this year. Barry suffers from mental health issues, but Emma has made his life a lot better! She is his princess and allows him to have a second chance at life! Way to go, Barry and Emma! Oh, and here are some amazing pics of the duo for all of you! 🙂

Album Review – Blackbraid / Blackbraid II (2023)

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The witch hawk Jon Krieger returns from the solitude of the Adirondack Mountains with his stunning sophomore album, an expansion of his own sound exploring his strong relationship with nature.

Part of the growing indigenous Black Metal scene in the United States, Blackbraid is an Atmospheric Black Metal project from the solitude of the Adirondack Mountains, in New York, formed in 2022 by Native-American vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jon Krieger, known by his pseudonym Sgah’gahsowáh, a Mohawk name meaning “the witch hawk”. Inspired by giants the likes of Dissection, Gorgoroth, Immortal, Bathory and Mayhem, among others, Sgah’gahsowáh views Blackbraid as a project that can help listeners reconnect with nature and help him explore his own relationship with it, which can be experienced in his sophomore opus Blackbraid II. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Neil Schneider (Calling of Phasmic Presence, Diplegia, Vintertodt), who also plays drums in the entire album, and displaying a stylish artwork by Adrian Baxter, Blackbraid II is an expansion of the sound developed in the project’s debut album Blackbraid I, also incorporating more native instrumentation to the project’s already dense and multi-layered sound.

The fires of Black Metal are burning accompanied by the acoustic guitars by Sgah’gahsowáh in the intro Autumnal Hearts Ablaze, captivating our senses before we face the heavy and majestic The Spirit Returns, bringing to our ears an avalanche of intricate melodies, enraged vocals and scorching riffs carefully brought into being by our lone wolf while also presenting a fantastic balance between Atmospheric Black Metal and old school Black Metal. Then a wild howl kicks off over seven minutes of breathtaking metal music entitled The Wolf That Guides the Hunters Hand, with Neil crushing his drums like a beast, therefore offering Sgah’gahsowáh exactly what he needs to shine on vocals as well as on the guitars and bass. After such intense tune we’re treated to the whimsical, tribalistic interlude Spells of Moon and Earth, taking us on a journey to the Adirondack Mountains before Sgah’gahsowáh comes ripping in Moss Covered Bones on the Altar of the Moon, starting with some tribal beats and a sinister atmosphere, and sounding beyond perfect for headbanging together with Sgah’gahsowáh, who delivers some killer riffs and solos from his stringed axe until the very end.

A touch of melancholy and somber passages will darken your minds in the infernal Black Metal aria A Song of Death on Winds of Dawn, where Sgah’gahsowáh shows no mercy for our damned souls, blasting his guitars and bass in the most visceral way imaginable for over 11 stunning minutes. It’s then time for another introspective interlude by Sgah’gahsowáh titled Celestial Passage, once again bringing a doomed and melancholic ambience to the album and setting the tone for Twilight Hymn of Ancient Blood, featuring a guest guitar solo by Randy Moore (Spiritworld), with Neil pounding his drums while at the same time Sgah’gahsowáh’s riffage sounds absolutely caustic and heavy, adding elements from classic Doom Metal to his already demonic sound. As the album progresses you can feel Sgah’gahsowáh investing into more Stygian sounds as if his mind and soul were consumed by darkness, which is absolutely clear in Sadness and the Passage of Time and Memory, an enfolding, multi-layered music journey showcasing his usual deep, demonic gnarls, before we face his personal tribute to the mighty Bathory with A Fine Day to Die (check out the original version HERE, from the 1988 masterpiece Blood Fire Death), just as intense and magic as the original, but of course with Sgah’gahsowáh adding his own twist to the overall result.

In summary, what Sgah’gahsowáh and his Blackbraid are doing not only for the Native-American Black Metal scene, but also to Black Metal as a whole, is beyond fantastic, and Blackbraid II, available for a full listen on YouTube and on Spotify, will help him cement his name in the underground and get us all excited for the future of the project. Hence, don’t forget to start following Blackbraid on Instagram for news and tour dates (and believe me, Blackbraid’s live performances are absolutely stunning), to stream the project’s atmospheric and bold creations on YouTube and on Spotify, and above all that, to purchase a copy of the breathtaking Blackbraid II from the project’s own BandCamp page, from Apple Music or from Amazon. And may the spirit of the witch hawk of Black Metal live forever and ever.

Best moments of the album: The Spirit Returns, The Wolf That Guides the Hunters Hand, A Song of Death on Winds of Dawn and Sadness and the Passage of Time and Memory.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Independent

Track listing
1. Autumnal Hearts Ablaze 2:10
2. The Spirit Returns 4:37
3. The Wolf That Guides the Hunters Hand 7:34
4. Spells of Moon and Earth 2:24
5. Moss Covered Bones on the Altar of the Moon 13:30
6. A Song of Death on Winds of Dawn 11:04
7. Celestial Passage 2:24
8. Twilight Hymn of Ancient Blood 6:59
9. Sadness and the Passage of Time and Memory 7:02
10. A Fine Day to Die (Bathory cover) 8:15

Band members
Sgah’gahsowáh – vocals, guitars, bass

Guest musicians
Neil Schneider – drums (session)
Randy Moore – lead guitars on “Twilight Hymn of Ancient Blood”

Album Review – Olkoth / At The Eye Of Chaos (2023)

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A newborn Blackened Death Metal entity formed of seasoned underground musicians is ready to kill with their debut album, a deadly, ferocious extreme music feast that’s absolutely true to the band’s brutal and blackened roots.

Dedicated to the memory of Vance Reon Jeffcoat, former drummer of the band who died of cystic fibrosis in 2017 at the age of 36, At The Eye Of Chaos, the debut opus by Columbia, South Carolina-based Blackened Death Metal outfit Olkoth, is a deadly, ferocious extreme music feast taking the animosity of Nile and Hate Eternal and bringing it even further, while also taking inspiration from the occult, horror, mythology and corruption throughout history. Recorded and Produced by the band itself at Hexology Studios, mixed and mastered by Ronnie Björnström at Björnström Ljud & Produktion, and displaying an sick, nightmarish artwork by Paolo Girardi, the album offers a unique and brutal blend of Death and Black Metal by Zach Jeter on vocals and guitars, Hunter Ross also on the guitars, and Alex Rush on bass and backing vocals, supported by session drummer Krzysztof Klingbein (10 Plagues, Deathspawn, Resurrection), sounding utterly loyal and true to the band’s brutal and blackened roots.

The band’s devilish and obscure side arises majestically in the opening tune Alhazred, inspired by Abdul Alhazred, a fictional character created by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, with Zach sounding inhumane on vocals while Krzysztof pounds his drums in the name of darkness. Then after such infernal start it’s time for more of the band’s acid lyrics in Incendiary Prayer (“For the lord who knows all that is / Has promised the crown of an Emperor / Giving power to the false / Who pray spinelessly to god as their greed becomes our overlord”), another bestial Death Metal creation by Olkoth; whereas the demonic riffs by Zach and Hunter are beautifully complemented by the metallic bass by Alex in The Resurrectionist, a heavy-as-hell, deep and dense metal attack that keeps the album as sulfurous as possible. And Thousand Faced Moon sounds and feels extremely intricate, or in other words, it’s a multi-layered and incendiary lecture in Blackened and Progressive Death Metal led by the venomous drumming by Krzysztof.

To Eat Of The Lotus is another excellent tune showcasing darkly poetic lyrics (“Lost within this self-made haze of gnarled delusion / You create deception to hide your life’s failures / Bury all of your demons; you’re too weak to face them / To eat of the lotus, you’ll abandon all that’s sacred”) and the demolishing kitchen by Alex and Krzysztof; and a sinister intro quickly explodes into a Stygian fusion of Black and Death Metal titled Eidolon In The Flames, with the guitars by Zach and Hunter exhaling sulfur while Zach deeply growls for our total delight. Following such high level of insanity we have Lords Of The Kali Yuga, one of the most devastating songs of the album (and let’s not forget it is already an album that overflows brutality and rage) where Zach leads his horde with his hellish screams supported by the stone crushing beats by Krzysztof, flowing into the title-track At The Eye Of Chaos, closing the album in a stylish manner with all band members generating a vile yet progressive wall of sounds tailored for admirers of Blackened Death Metal.

If you want to experience At The Eye Of Chaos in all of its glory, you can stream the album in full on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to show all your support to the underground you can purchase a copy of the album by clicking HERE (mailorder) or HERE (BandCamp), or visit this link for all things Olkoth. In addition, don’t forget to follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram, staying up to date with all of their tour dates, news and other details, adding even more first-class Black and Death Metal into your life. Olkoth might be a new name from the underground scene, but its members are seasoned veterans from an array of amazing bands the likes of Rapheumets Well, Enthean, Lecherous Nocture and Imperium, and that experience certainly helped the band to achieve the amazing quality of the music found in At The Eye Of Chaos, offering us all another very good reason to keep banging our heads and leaving us eager for more of the music by those skillful musicians. I’m sure Vance is also banging his head inspired by the music by his friends wherever he might be.

Best moments of the album: Alhazred, Thousand Faced Moon and Lords Of The Kali Yuga.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Everlasting Spew Records

Track listing
1. Alhazred 4:26
2. Incendiary Prayer 3:58
3. The Resurrectionist 3:41
4. Thousand Faced Moon 4:21
5. To Eat Of The Lotus 5:24
6. Eidolon In The Flames 4:31
7. Lords Of The Kali Yuga 3:20
8. At The Eye Of Chaos 5:19

Band members
Zach Jeter – vocals, rhythm & lead guitars
Hunter Ross – rhythm & lead guitars
Alex Rush – bass, backing vocals

Guest musician
Krzysztof Klingbein – drums (session)

Album Review – GraveRipper / Seasons Dreaming Death (2023)

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The dead will rise and chaos will take over the entire world to the sound of the first full-length album by this venomous American Blackened Thrash Metal horde.

The dead will rise and chaos will take over the entire world to the sound of Seasons Dreaming Death, the newborn beast by Indianapolis, Indiana-based Blackened Thrash Metal horde GraveRipper. The first full-length album in their career, following up on their 2020 debut EP Complete Blinding Darkness and on their 2021 EP Radiated Remains, Seasons Dreaming Death showcases all the dexterity and passion for extreme music by Corey Parks on vocals and rhythm guitars, Keegan Hrybyk on lead guitars, Chris Pilotte on bass and Jacob Lett on drums, all spiced up by the top-notch engineering, mixing and mastering by Wesley Heaton at Postal Recording, and the sick artwork by one of the best illustrators of the current scene, Adam Burke of Nightjar Illustration, offering fans of bands like Skeletonwitch, Toxic Holocaust and Wraith everything they crave in heavy music and more.

Corey and Keegan begin their ruthless stringed attack in Into the Grave, a frantic fusion of Black, Thrash and Death Metal that will certainly inspire you to slam into the pit like a headbanging bastard, followed by Ripped and Torn Apart, a hard-hitting, no-shenanigans creation by the quartet where Jacob is relentless on drums adding his share of violence and heaviness to the overall result. Let’s keep hammering our skulls inside the circle pit to the sound of Divine Incantations, with Corey barking rabidly while his riffs together with the sounds generated by his bandmates will pierce your damned soul mercilessly; whereas Chris’ bass and Jacob’s drums will make the earth tremble in the Thrash Metal feast Seasons Dreaming Death, once again presenting the band’s animosity infused with intricate and dark sounds. And it’s nonstop action in the high-octane tune Premeditated, again blending the rebelliousness of Thrash Metal with the aggressiveness of Death Metal, spearheaded by the venomous roars by Corey.

The quartet adds hints of Hardcore, Grindcore and even Melodic Death Metal to their core sonority in An Influx of Fear, bringing forward the always caustic riffage by Corey and Keegan, and the complex but demented drumming by Jacob, and it’s then time to speed things up and generate a hurricane of thrashing sounds in Resist Against the Light, by far one of the most breathtaking songs of the album with the low-tuned bass by Chris brutally smashing your cranial skull. As you might have notice, it’s one demented tune after another, and the band keeps crushing our frail bodies in Red Skies, where their riffage sounds utterly acid and incendiary inspired by our good old Punk Rock. Back to a more traditional Thrash and Death Metal mode, Jacob takes the lead with his intricate beats in And I Curse Reality, simply perfect for some vigorous headbanging; and closing such pulverizing album we have Only Coldness, offering more of their gripping hybrid of extreme styles, with Jacob’s Black Metal drums matching perfectly with the riffage by the band’s guitar duo.

“The album title is my take on Halloween/Samhain,” commented Corey, “the day of the year where the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest.” Well, let’s say the band truly captured the essence of such mysterious and adored day in Seasons Dreaming Death, which is already available for pre-order from their own BandCamp page and will be unleashed upon us before we can say “death”. Hence, don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and all things GraveRipper, and to stream their sick creations on Spotify. As mentioned, the dead are about to rise when the excellent Seasons Dreaming Death is officially released, and you better be armed with GraveRipper’s demented new album in your hands if you want to join such deadly party.

Best moments of the album: Ripped and Torn Apart, Premeditated and Resist Against the Light.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Wise Blood Records

Track listing
1. Into the Grave 4:11
2. Ripped and Torn Apart 3:58
3. Divine Incantations 2:19
4. Seasons Dreaming Death 3:05
5. Premeditated 4:08
6. An Influx of Fear 1:53
7. Resist Against the Light 3:43
8. Red Skies 3:28
9. And I Curse Reality 3:31
10. Only Coldness 3:31

Band members
Corey Parks – vocals, rhythm guitars
Keegan Hrybyk – lead guitars
Chris Pilotte – bass
Jacob Lett – drums

Album Review – Raven / All Hell’s Breaking Loose (2023)

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All hell is breaking loose to the sound of the fifteenth studio album by one of the most iconic bands from the UK scene, offering ten crisp, visceral metal classics fused with riffs, twists, turns and chaos.

Prepare yourself for a metal rampage the likes of which you haven’t enjoyed in many a year, as New Wave of British Heavy Metal stalwarts Raven have just delivered the electric mayhem of All Hell’s Breaking Loose, their fifteenth studio album offering ten crisp, visceral metal classics, each fused with riffs, twists, turns, chaos and more hooks than all the Hellraiser movies combined. Formed of the Newscatle, England iconic brothers John Gallagher on lead vocals and bass and Mark Gallagher on the guitars, alongside American drummer extraordinaire Mike Heller, Raven are giving permission for everyone to remember exactly what it’s like to lose yourself in the healing aural waters of supreme metal music in their new album, resplendent in sweat-soaked denim and leather.

Medieval is an uncompromised, in-your-face metal attack by the trio where Mike proves why he’s been the perfect drummer for Raven since joining the band in 2018, resulting in a classic and ass-kicking fusion of Heavy and Speed Metal to properly kick things off, whereas Mike dictates the pace in Surf the Tsunami, with Mark delivering sheer electricity through his riffs and, therefore, providing John with everything he needs to distill his trademark vocals. Turn of the Screw is a lot groovier than its predecessors thanks to the great job done by John on bass, while Mark keeps blasting his fiery riffs nonstop, and it’s old school Raven for the masses in the title-track All Hell’s Breaking Loose, with John and Mark being in total sync armed with their stringed weapons, resulting in a fantastic option for igniting some fun mosh pits during their live performances. And those veterans show no sign of slowing down in The Far Side, another fast and thrilling creation with Mike stealing the spotlight with his intricate drumming.

They keep pressing the gas pedal hard in Desperate Measures, another one that should sound amazing if played live, showcasing their signature riffs and raspy vocals, whereas one more round of their frantic Speed Metal comes in the form of Victory’s Call, with the trio blasting first-class heavy music spearheaded by the razor-edged riffs by Mark while also showcasing spot-on beats and backing vocals. Edge of a Nightmare is a fun and vibrant Rock N’ Roll party by those veterans where we’re all invited to simply enjoy the wicked vocals by John and slam into the circle pit like true metalheads, followed by Invasion, the second to last song of the album, offering more of their solid Heavy Metal albeit not as electrifying as the rest of the album. Finally, one final explosion of Heavy and Speed Metal will hit you hard in the head in Go for the Gold, where Mike takes the lead with his furious drums accompanied by the rumbling bass by John.

“You got three guys with very strong, passionate, opinions, and when those are brought together, it’s a case of ‘iron sharpens iron’,” commented Mark about the energy around the band and how that impacts their creative process, with John adding “we’re very hard on ourselves, it had to be ‘all killer, no filler’. Absolutely every single part of every song had to make sense, had to mean something, and had to be there for a purpose.” Hence, if you want to experience the undisputed energy and heaviness blasted by Raven in All Hell’s Breaking Loose, you can stream the album in full on YouTube and on Spotify, and of course purchase a copy of the album by clicking HERE or HERE, and don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, for news, tour dates, and more of their breathtaking Heavy Metal. Having said all that, what are you waiting for to hit play and let all hell break loose together with one of the most iconic metal bands from the UK scene?

Best moments of the album: Medieval, All Hell’s Breaking Loose and Victory’s Call.

Worst moments of the album: Invasion.

Released in 2023 Silver Lining Music

Track listing
1. Medieval 4:24
2. Surf the Tsunami 3:27
3. Turn of the Screw 3:21
4. All Hell’s Breaking Loose 3:48
5. The Far Side 4:13
6. Desperate Measures 3:13
7. Victory’s Call 3:15
8. Edge of a Nightmare 3:16
9. Invasion 4:52
10. Go for the Gold 3:32

Japanese Edition bonus tracks
11. Gimme A Lie 3:00
12. Rotten  3:03

Band members
John Gallagher – lead vocals, bass, 12-string bass
Mark Gallagher – guitars, backing vocals
Mike Heller – drums

Concert Review – Volbeat (RBC Echo Beach, Toronto, ON, 07/12/2023)

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A perfect summer night in Toronto always demands a good dosage of first-class Rock N’ Roll, and Volbeat provided their fans in the city with exactly what they needed to enjoy it to the fullest.

OPENING ACT: Halestorm

I’ll start this review by saying that the city of Toronto definitely needs more open air concerts and festivals during the summer. It’s such a great vibe and feeling, and everyone always has an amazing time. It’s hard to understand why there are very few rock and metal concerts like that in the city. Well, last night at the RBC Echo Beach that great atmosphere happened once again when HALESTORM and VOLBEAT kicked some serious ass with the first concert of their brand new Servant of the Road World Tour 2023, and all the action going on and off stage turned it into a memorable night for everyone who were desperate for some good old Rock N’ Roll and Heavy Metal (as most bands seem to be playing at the famous European festivals at the moment, completely ignoring Toronto and the rest of Canada right now).

The weather was beyond perfect, we all had a nice view of the CN Tower in the background, and shortly after 7pm Lzzy Hale and her henchmen, collectively known as Red Lion, Pennsylvania, United States-based Hard Rock/Rock N’ Roll outfit HALESTORM, hit the stage for a very energetic and fun performance, beautifully warming up the crowd for the main attraction of the night, Volbeat. Currently promoting their 2022 album Back from the Dead, the quartet put on a flawless show playing songs from their entire career, with songs like I Miss the Misery and the closing one The Steeple inspiring everyone at the RBC Echo Beach to raise their horns together with the band. Lzzy has some respectful pipes, we all must admit that, as the girl can powerfully sing and scream without any effort, but let’s say it was her brother Arejay who stole the show with a spot-on drum solo, even using some giant drumsticks that looked like baseball bats. In other words, when Halestorm take your city by storm, you better be there to witness one of the best bands of the current Rock N’ Roll scene.

Setlist
I Miss the Misery
Love Bites (So Do I)
I Get Off
Wicked Ways
Freak Like Me
Familiar Taste of Poison
Takes My Life
Drum Solo
Back From the Dead
Mayhem
The Steeple

Band members
Lzzy Hale – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano
Joe Hottinger – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Josh Smith – bass, keyboards, piano, backing vocals
Arejay Hale – drums, backing vocals

VOLBEAT

It was around 9pm when Copenhagen, Denmark’s own Heavy Metal/Rock N’ Roll institution VOLBEAT kicked off their Servant of the Road World Tour 2023 in North America with a beyond fun and thrilling performance. By the way, it was their first performance in the city since 2019 when they played alongside Behemoth, Gojira and Slipknot, and it was more than clear how eagerly all fans had been waiting to see Volbeat live again. In addition, if you follow the band you probably know that with the departure of longtime guitarist Rob Caggiano in the beginning of June the whole tour almost had to be cancelled, but thanks to the talented Danish guitarist Flemming C. Lund (of bands like Temple of Scorn and The Arcane Order), who stepped in and learned all songs in just a few weeks, the band will be able to follow their schedule without any issues. Kudos to Flemming for being so professional, skillful, charismatic, and also for sporting a nice The Number of the Beast shirt on his first-ever concert with Volbeat! UP THE IRONS, FLEMMING!

Back to the concert itself, Volbeat ignited their breathtaking performance with the classic The Devil’s Bleeding Crown, winning the hearts of the fans right away and making it extremely easy for them to keep the energy level truly high until the very end, blending classics the likes of Seal the Deal and Lola Montez with the new songs from their 2021 album Servant of the Mind, those being Temple of Ekur, Shotgun Blues, The Devil Rages On, Becoming and Wait a Minute My Girl, and by the way all sounded amazing live and inspired the crowd to start some sick and frantic circle pits. As I always say, all metalheads in Toronto love circle pits, period. The song Black Rose, featuring the one and only Danko Jones as a guest vocalist, and Hallelujah Goat, one of my favorite Volbeat songs of all time, also helped to elevate the level of adrenaline on and off stage, proving Volbeat are a band who was born to play live.

I must admit the circle pit action was a little scary due to the type of floor at the RBC Echo Beach, which is not sand in case you’re curious to know, but pure, hard and rough cement, and every single time someone fell to the floor the word “merthiolate” would come to my mind. Fortunately, nothing truly serious happened, and all the kids and veterans who bravely entered the pit had some memorable moments inside of it. Well, not everyone, as Kevin, brother of my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Lower Eastside Photography, was hit by surprise and had his nose broken and swollen, requiring first-aid attention from the Live Nation medical staff. We can’t say it wasn’t a memorable moment for him, right? Jokes aside, I’m sure he’ll recover quickly and get back in action inside the pit at any future concert in the city.

The encore by Michael Poulsen and his henchmen was awesome as expected, starting with the classic Fallen, which he always dedicates to his deceased father Jørn Poulsen, followed by the aforementioned Wait a Minute My Girl, For Evigt (which Michael mentioned is about enjoying our lives), and of course ending with Still Counting, where Michael asked everyone at the RBC Echo Beach to sing its lyrics along with him. After all was said and done, everyone had a big smile on their faces due to the stunning performance by Volbeat, but due to the preparations for the Honda Indy in Toronto this weekend most fans had to find some extra inner fuel for a very long walk to the parking lots as we couldn’t simply cross through the BMO Field like countless times before. That wasn’t entirely bad or boring because the view of the city and the lake were fantastic, and of course I guess everyone was still singing one of the songs from Volbeat inside their heads to conclude another excellent Wednesday of summer in Toronto.

Setlist
The Devil’s Bleeding Crown
Temple of Ekur
Seal the Deal
Lola Montez
Die to Live
Ring of Fire
Sad Man’s Tongue
Shotgun Blues
Mary Ann’s Place
Black Rose
Hallelujah Goat
The Devil Rages On
Becoming

Encore:
Fallen
Wait a Minute My Girl
For Evigt
Still Counting

Band members
Michael Poulsen – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Flemming C. Lund – lead guitar, backing vocals
Kaspar Boye Larsen – bass, backing vocals
Jon Larsen – drums

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Album Review – Cattle Decapitation / Terrasite (2023)

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Fear the devourer of earth in the form of the brand new and absolutely majestic album by California’s own Progressive Death Metal and Grindcore masters.

Dedicated to the memory of Gabe Serbian (RIP), former guitarist and drummer of the band from 1996 until 2000 and also known for his work with The Locust, Holy Molar and Zu, the acid and infernal Terrasite, the brand new album by San Diego, California’s own Progressive Death Metal/Grindcore masters Cattle Decapitation, is a work-of-art by one of the most important extreme music bands of all time. Produced, mixed and mastered by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio, and displaying a phenomenal artwork by American illustrator Wes Benscoter, who has been working with the band since their 2002 album To Serve Man and with countless other metal giants the likes of Bloodbath, Slayer and Hipocrisy, Terrasite (which is the portmanteau of the words “terra”, or “earth” in Latin, and “sitos”, or “food” in Greek, and a paronomasia with the word “parasite”, meaning a devourer or destroyer of land or earth or a post-Anthropocene “humanity”) offers our avid ears everything we love and more in the music by frontman Travis Ryan, guitarists Josh Elmore and Belisario Dimuzio, bassist Olivier Pinard and drummer David McGraw, positioning it as one of the beast albums in their career and, consequently, as one of the top metal releases of 2023.

Featuring keys and drums by Dis Pater (of Midnight Odyssey), Terrasitic Adaptation is a sinister opener that already blasts our minds with their caustic lyrics (“Life finds a way / The fauna from the trauma / Culled from the pages of this human drama / Our petrified tombs / Now crumbling oothecas / From which a new species of human arises”) and an infernal but extremely technical sound; followed by We Eat Our Young, a bestial creation by Cattle Decapitation with Travis sounding inhumane on vocals accompanied by the demented drums by David and the always scorching riffs by Josh and Belisario, or in other words, it’s a newborn classic by those unrelenting metallers. Dis Pater returns in the ruthless Scourge of the Offspring, a song that keeps the album at an insane level of aggressiveness with Travis once again barking and roaring nonstop amidst a stunning Progressive Death Metal hurricane. There’s no sign of slowing down as The Insignificants is another breathtaking aria by the quintet where the drums by David and the rumbling bass by Olivier generate a massive sonic earthquake, whereas The Storm Upstairs sounds chaotic, grim and austere from the very first second, with the razor-edged riffage by Josh and Belisario piercing our minds mercilessly.

Get ready to be smashed like a putrid corpse in …And the World Will Go on Without You, spearheaded by the infernal blast beats by David and the inhumane growls by Travis, resulting in one of the heaviest moments of the album hands down. There’s no hope for mankind and Cattle Decapitation make sure we understand that in A Photic Doom, with the band’s stringed trio bringing endless heaviness and electricity to their music; followed by Dead End Residents, a headbanging composition by the band showcasing their trademark violence and dexterity, also presenting somber background elements which enhance Travis’ vocal performance considerably. Solastalgia is ruthless and extremely intricate from start to finish, with the entire band being on fire delivering first-class Progressive Death Metal with Grindcore nuances for our vulgar delectation; and lastly we have the grim aria Just Another Body, again featuring keys and drums by Dis Pater and more of their darkly poetic words (“Existence… the poetry of the flesh which we will trust from conception to dust / Just another body – a temple of shit / Filled with the trash that we dump in it”), offering us all over ten minutes of sonic perfection, with the combination of phantasmagorical keys with sheer Death Metal devastation turning the song into a must-listen for any fan of heavy music.

“We are one of the few bands that have never rested on our laurels and keep pushing ourselves to improve. At this stage of our careers we could easily be trying to rewrite Monolith Of Inhumanity (2012) over and over, but since we did not and have never settled that way, the end results were The Anthropocene Extinction (2015), Death Atlas (2019) and now Terrasite, which have pushed us further into more mature and experimental territory,” commented Josh about their new album, while Travis said that “I just feel with the way things change so drastically nowadays, especially the last three or four years, that it’s surprising an extreme metal band can not only be around for so damn long but still stay anchored in this constantly changing scene that’s dictated where it’s going to go by younger generations – and still maintain relevance. Our band truly is an anomaly. I’d prefer to keep it that way.” If they’re an anomaly, they’re an ass-kicking one, and Terrasite, which is available for a full listen on YouTube and on Spotify, will always feature among their best albums due to its heaviness, intricacy and impact. Hence, don’t forget to follow Cattle Decapitation on Facebook and on Instagram, to subscribe to their YouTube channel, and to purchase a copy of the stunning Terrasite by clicking HERE, adding such hymns to the downfall of mankind to your bestial collection and, therefore, having the perfect soundtrack to our extinction on your dirty hands.

Best moments of the album: We Eat Our Young, Scourge of the Offspring, …And the World Will Go on Without You, Solastalgia and Just Another Body.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Metal Blade Records

Track listing
1. Terrasitic Adaptation 5:01
2. We Eat Our Young 3:55
3. Scourge of the Offspring 4:28
4. The Insignificants 4:43
5. The Storm Upstairs 5:27
6. …And the World Will Go on Without You 4:14
7. A Photic Doom 4:26
8. Dead End Residents 5:09
9. Solastalgia 4:56
10. Just Another Body 10:15

Band members
Travis Ryan – vocals
Josh Elmore – lead guitars
Belisario Dimuzio – rhythm guitars
Olivier Pinard – bass
David McGraw – drums

Guest musicians
Dis Pater – keyboards and drums on “Terrasitic Adaptation”, “Scourge of the Offspring” and “Just Another Body”
Dave Otero – additional keyboards on “Just Another Body”

Album Review – Krigsgrav / Fires in the Fall (2023)

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Behold this grandiose, atmospheric and haunting album of Black, Death and Doom Metal masterfully crafted by an amazing band from Dallas, Texas.

The sky darkens, the wildfires roar, and Fires in the Fall, the new album by American Black/Death/Doom Metal entity Krigsgrav emerges from the smoke. Formed in 2004 in Dallas, Texas, Krigsgrav (which by the way means “war grave” in Swedish) approach two decades as a project co-created by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist David Sikora, appealing to the autumnal heart beating within fans of Agalloch, Mother Of Graves, and My Dying Bride alike. Mixed and mastered by Owe Inborr at Wolfthrone Studios, and displaying a classy artwork by Cameron Hinojosa, Fires in the Fall offers the listener over 52 minutes of darkness and doom (or as the band likes to call it, Atmospheric Blackened Doom) carefully brought into being by the aforementioned David Sikora on drums, clean vocals and bass alongside Justin Coleman on vocals, guitars and synths, and Cody Danielson also on the guitars, resulting in the perfect follow-up to their 2021 album The Sundering.

Like a creature arising from the underworld the band comes crushing our senses in The opening tune An Everflowing Vessel, dark and sinister from the very first second, showcasing poetic yet acid lyrics (“Man’s foolish pride and perdition / Seems our hereditary mission / with blindness and ignorance / only a toxic future awaits”) while the guitars by Justin and Cody will pierce your mind mercilessly; and more of their first-class Doom Metal-infused riffs and bass lines permeate the air in The Black Oak, again showcasing a deep, demonic vocal performance by Justin while David keeps hammering his drums in the name of darkness. There’s not a single space left empty by those three skillful musicians in The World We Leave Behind, where Justin and Cody are on fire with their riffs and solos generating a menacing atmosphere tailored for admirers of the genre, exploding into the visceral and heavy-as-hell In Seas of Perdition, a brutal composition by Krigsgrav overflowing rage and madness where David sounds fantastic with both his blast beast and rumbling bass.

Then featuring guest vocals by Chris “Blutjäger” Sweigart (who was the band’s vocalist from 2004 until 2010, and also former vocalist of Obsidian Throne), it’s time for the Stygian hymn Shadowlands, with the band blasting obscure Doom Metal for the masses while their bass lines couldn’t have sounded heavier and more metallic. In Journeyman the lyrics reek of desolation (“Through times fertile, but wrought with storms / Traversing paths to an unknown end / A beacon lit and a brother’s code / May we never again kneel in suppression”) while the music is a grandiose and imposing hybrid of Black, Death and Doom Metal dictated by David’s galloping drums, followed by Alone With the Setting Sun, the last song of the regular version of the album, offering us all melancholic passages and a pensive ambience while also being full of breaks and variations, alternating between absolute darkness and ethereal moments, and with David once again stealing the show with his infernal drums. And if you go for the CD version of the album you’ll be treated to When I’m Gone, Let the Wolves Come, definitely worth the investment in the physical copy, a top-notch extension of the album presenting all elements that make it so compelling.

The talented guys from Krigsgrav are waiting for you on Facebook and on Instagram with news, tour dates and other nice-to-know details about the band, and don’t forget to also stream their creations on Spotify and to purchase a copy of Fires in the Fall from their own BandCamp page or by clicking HERE. “We wrote Fires in the Fall almost immediately after we completed writing The Sundering, so it almost feels like a double album, but they are very different,” shared Justin Coleman about their new opus. “We intentionally approached writing Fires in the Fall with the idea that it would be more atmospheric, and we would let the music breathe a bit more. That’s why the songs have more of a tempo change than those on The Sundering. With Fires, we wanted everything to be grandiose and bigger, but really emphasize giving each song a haunting feel.” Well, we must all agree they more than succeeded in making the music found in their new album even more atmospheric and epic than before, setting fire to the current underground scene and paving an even more interesting path ahead of them.

Best moments of the album: The Black Oak, In Seas of Perdition and Journeyman.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Wise Blood Records

Track listing
1. An Everflowing Vessel 6:27
2. The Black Oak 6:21
3. The World We Leave Behind 6:12
4. In Seas of Perdition 4:27
5. Shadowlands 7:49
6. Journeyman 7:31
7. Alone With the Setting Sun 7:27

CD bonus track
8. When I’m Gone, Let the Wolves Come 6:39

Band members
Justin Coleman – vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, synths
David Sikora – drums, clean vocals, bass
Cody Daniels – lead and rhythm guitars, bass on “Alone With the Setting Sun”

Guest musician
Chris “Blutjäger” Sweigart – vocals on “Shadow Lands”

Concert Review – Kreator & Sepultura (The Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON, 06/08/2023)

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The world is in flames and the people divided, but Kreator, Sepultura and their fans were united last night in Toronto to prove once again everything gets better with some first-class heavy music.

OPENING ACTS: Spiritworld and Death Angel

Insane traffic, heavy smoke from the wildfires in Northern Ontario and Quebec, and temperatures dropping below seasonal. If you think those “nice” factors would stop the metalheads in Toronto from setting The Danforth Music Hall on fire last night together with SPIRITWORLD, DEATH ANGEL, SEPULTURA and KREATOR as part of their Klash of the Titans North America 2023, another awesome event brought to the city by Embrace Presents, you’re absolutely wrong. It seems that Torontonian metallers fear nothing when it comes to enduring several external threats to attend metal concerts in the city, and when they’re inside the venue, oh boy, it’s fuckin’ madness! It was a sold out night of mosh pits, walls of death, bodies emerging from the pit, horns and fists in the air, a lot of screaming and jumping, and above all that, seeing our metalhead friends once again to celebrate music and life. What else can we ask for, right? And on a side note, it looks like a few concert goers got injured inside the pit during one of the bands, with one guy bleeding real bad (I think he landed on his head); however, the venue security was on it fast and even had their own trained medical staff. That’s a huge display of professionalism, so kudos to security for being so fast and effective.

Due to traffic (and hunger, as I spent hours driving before being able to eat anything, which had to happen outside The Danforth Music Hall because they don’t sell any food inside the venue), this guy here had to unfortunately miss the opening band, Las Vegas, Nevada-based Death/Thrash Metal/Hardcore act SPIRITWORLD, but at least my friend Keith Ibbitson of Lower Eastside Photography was here to capture some amazing shots of the band and tell me a little about their performance, saying it was very energetic and fun to watch. The doors opened at 5pm, and the band played from 6:30pm to around 7pm, just to give you an idea of how bad traffic was. Anyway, if you know nothing about the band, go check their BandCamp and Spotify, in special their 2022 album Deathwestern, which is quite entertaining in my opinion.

Setlist
Comancheria
Lujuria Satanica
The Bringer of Light
Committee of Buzzards
Unholy Passages
U L C E R
Relic of Damnation
Pagan Rhythms

Band members
Stu Folsom – vocals
Justin Fornof – vocals, sampling
Randy Moore – lead guitars
Matt Schrum – rhythm guitars
Nick Brundy – bass
Preston Harper – drums

It was precisely 7:20pm when San Francisco, California’s own Thrash Metal institution DEATH ANGEL hit the stage with a flawless performance, igniting some intense mosh pits for the delight of all fans present at the venue. Still promoting their 2019 album Humanicide, the band spearheaded by the unstoppable frontman Mark Osegueda, who by the way had a superb vocal performance last night reaching some really high notes in great fashion, put on a solid and vibrant show, albeit a bit short in duration. The songs The Dream Calls for Blood, The Moth and Thrown to the Wolves sounded absolutely fantastic last night, with the razor-edged guitars by Rob Cavestany and Ted Aguilar piercing our souls mercilessly. Closer to the end of the show, Mark took a moment to tell Toronto how much he loves the city, saying he remembers playing at El Mocambo (a very, very small underground venue) twice on the same day during their first ever visit to Toronto back in 1987, and saying that they might have been prohibited to play their album The Ultra-Violence (in special the song Voracious Souls) back then in their homeland, but that Canada received them with open arms. Well, we’ll always receive Death Angel with open arms (and open circle pits) in Toronto.

Setlist
Lord of Hate
Voracious Souls
The Dream Calls for Blood
The Moth
Humanicide
The Ultra-Violence / Thrown to the Wolves

Band members
Mark Osegueda – vocals
Rob Cavestany – guitar
Ted Aguilar – guitar
Damien Sisson – bass
Will Carroll – drums

KREATOR

It was still bright ay 8:30pm outside the venue (well, not that bright due to the smoke, but it wasn’t dark yet) when Teutonic Thrash Metal titans KREATOR took the city of Toronto by storm with a beyond pulverizing performance, and when I say pulverizing I’m not kidding, it was insane from the very first second until the last notes of Pleasure to Kill. Also, despite the fact they released what’s in my opinion the best album of 2022, the superb Hate Über Alles, they’re only playing the title-track during this current tour, but that’s just a minor detail compared to the endless energy, rage and violence happening on and off stage. The iconic Mille Petrozza led the Torontonian hordes of chaos brilliantly throughout their entire set, resulting in some of the sickest circle pits of all shows in the city this year.

Mille interacted a lot with the crowd, always asking for more circle pits, crowd surfing and walls of death, but he didn’t actually need to ask for that as everyone inside the pit went nuts as soon as the first notes of Hate Über Alles hit. Some of the songs sounded so brutal, such as Enemy of God, Flag of Hate and Hordes of Chaos (A Necrologue for the Elite), that the whole pit looked like one of those insane Royal Rumble moments where it’s everyone against everyone, and the band simply loved to witness that while delivering a lecture in German thrash on stage. The giant inflatable devil on stage (from the artwork from their latest album) was a very nice touch to their performance, in special when Satan is Real was played, whereas Mille declaiming the chorus to the rebellious single 666 – World Divided before starting the song itself was another beautiful moment for the entire crowd. Of course, as expected, the most demented circle pit and wall of death of the night happened during their all-time classic Pleasure to Kill, leaving everyone at the venue eager for more Kreator in the city anytime they wish to return. As a matter of fact, I would be extremely happy if they somehow played in Toronto once a week or even more than that if they wanted to.

Setlist
Sergio Corbucci Is Dead
Hate Über Alles
Awakening of the Gods (Intro)
Enemy of God
People of the Lie
Betrayer
Satan Is Real
Hordes of Chaos (A Necrologue for the Elite)
666 – World Divided
Flag of Hate
The Patriarch
Violent Revolution
Pleasure to Kill
Apocalypticon

Band members
Miland “Mille” Petrozza – vocals, guitar
Sami Yli-Sirniö – guitar
Frédéric Leclercq – bass
Jürgen “Ventor” Reil – drums

SEPULTURA

I honestly thought Kreator were going to be the headliners during the entire tour, but it looks like they adopted the “alternating headline mode” that so many bands are using these days, just like Gojira and Mastodon are doing now in North America. Having said that, Toronto had the pleasure of having as the closing act of the night the unparalleled Brazilian Groove/Thrash Metal beast SEPULTURA, who brought a lot of heaviness and groove to our avid ears during their solid performance. Derrick Green, Paulo Jr. and Eloy Casagrande were precise as usual, but it was Andreas Kisser who stole the show with another distinct performance on the guitars. I just think the band would benefit a lot from having a second guitarist to provide Andreas with some background support during his solos, filling out the empty spaces left, but that’s just an idea and nothing that would make their show less fun.

Still promoting their 2020 album Quadra, the band played a mix of new songs with old school Sepultura, as roared by Derrick right at the beginning of their concert, and while new songs like Isolation and Kairos worked amazingly live, others like Guardians of Earth and Agony of Defeat cooled down the atmosphere a bit, despite being sensational and very detailed compositions. Needless to say, it was when they played their classics including Territory, Refuse/Resist, Arise and Ratamahatta that the crowd jumped up and down nonstop, slammed into the pit, and raised their horns screaming, with one of the most rebellious metal songs ever, the unique Roots Bloody Roots, being the icing on the cake of their show. Andreas also took a moment to say how much the guys from Sepultura love Toronto, and I guess it won’t take long for them to return. After all was said and done, the traffic to get out of the city was brutal even after midnight, but who cares? After witnessing Kreator and Sepultura destroying everything and everyone last night in Toronto, nothing could erase the smile on the faces of the Torontonian metalheads.

Setlist
Polícia (Titãs song)
Isolation
Territory
Means to an End
Kairos
Propaganda
Guardians of Earth
Ali
Agony of Defeat
Refuse/Resist
Arise
Ratamahatta
Roots Bloody Roots

Band members
Derrick Green – lead vocals
Andreas Kisser – guitars, backing vocals
Paulo Jr. – bass
Eloy Casagrande – drums

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Album Review – A Pretext To Human Suffering / Endless Cycle Of Suffering (2023)

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Tearing away the pitifully thin, obscuring skin of our reality, this multinational horde will crush your soul to the sound of their new album of first-class Technical and Brutal Death Metal.

Tearing away the pitifully thin, obscuring skin of our reality, revealing the rancid meat sculpture that is our dystopian present, United States/Canada/Mexico-based Technical/Brutal Death Metal act A Pretext To Human Suffering will crush your damned soul with their debut full-length album, entitled Endless Cycle Of Suffering, highly recommended for fans of Cryptopsy, Origin, Beneath The Massacre and Ingested, among others. Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Floor van Kuijk at GLDCHN Studios, and displaying a sick artwork by Vladimir “Smerdulak” Chebakov and a sinister logo by Steve Crow of Malevolent Icons Logos, Endless Cycle Of Suffering compels us to confront the unending nightmare of our own existence, and the horror which we have labored to construct, all masterfully brought into being by Chris Mathis on vocals, guitar and drum programming, Beto Vipe and Wesley Van Hook also on the guitars, and Spencer Atkinson on bass.

The short and sweet intro Indoctrinated reminds us all we’re not free, exploding into sheer brutality and rage to the massive riffs by Chris, Beto and Wesley in Endless Cycle of Suffering, a psychological and absolutely somber metal attack by such demonic band. Chris keeps roaring manically in Architect of Reality, another infernal yet very technical Death Metal feast where it’s impressive how organic their programmed drums sound; followed by Hollow Sanctuary, heavy and groovy from the very first second with the bass lines by Spencer making our heads tremble. In Formless Collective we’re treated to wicked lyrics (“Pray to old gods / Altars of antiquity / Watch them die slow / Unleash their final form / Of existence / Cleanse of this virus / Wasting away / It is time to reap what weve sewn”) embraced by a demonic instrumental led by the demented riffage by Chris, Beto and Wesley; and taking their heaviness and insanity to a whole new level, Void sounds and feels almost pure Brutal Death Metal.

Then an atmospheric, sinister intro evolves into a very melodic sound in Toxic Dreams, showcasing inhumane, deep growls, strident riffs and fulminating blast beats, leaning towards the more technical and progressive side of Death Metal, whereas Shadow of Time follows a similar pattern as the previous song, with the band’s guitar triumvirate shredding their axes mercilessly. In Paradox the band once again pierces our minds with their caustic words (“Peripheral shadows move rapidly / The familiar feelings of lunacy / They keep calling-give into lunacy / Entranced and lost-I feel”) amidst a hurricane of demonic sounds, sounding amazing from start to finish; followed by their second to last blast of insanity, titled Clandestine, bringing forward more of Chris’ deep guttural and devilish screeches supported by the song’s Cannibal Corpse-like riffs. And lastly, it’s time to slam into the pit one final time like a maniac to the sound of Cult(ure), where once again the rumbling bass by Spencer sounds insanely heavy and metallic.

The demented sounds found in Endless Cycle Of Suffering can be appreciated in full on YouTube and on Spotify, and you can obviously purchase a copy of the album from the Realityfade Records’ BandCamp page or by clicking HERE. In addition, you can also show all your support to this multinational entity by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, and by subscribing to their YouTube channel. Be ready for when you hit play in Endless Cycle Of Suffering, because A Pretext To Human Suffering are not just coming to present you with a scenario of futility and despair; they are coming to ask you a question. What can be done, and what will you do?

Best moments of the album: Endless Cycle of Suffering, Formless Collective and Paradox.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Realityfade Records

Track listing
1. Indoctrinated 0:05
2. Endless Cycle of Suffering 3:50
3. Architect of Reality 2:32
4. Hollow Sanctuary 5:26
5. Formless Collective 2:56
6. Void 3:40
7. Toxic Dreams 1:24
8. Shadow of Time 2:55
9. Paradox 2:44
10. Clandestine 2:48
11. Cult(ure) 4:40

Band members
Chris Mathis – vocals, guitars, drum programming
Beto Vipe – guitars
Wesley Van Hook – guitars
Spencer Atkinson – bass