Concert Reviews

Castevet/ Æsahættr/ Sound Asleep/ The Sustained Low ‘C’ of Richard Strauss’ ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ @ Soybomb, March 24th 2012

Posted on Monday, April 30th, 2012 at 11:13 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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As Canadian Music Week reached a fever-pitch on Saturday night, the atmosphere at Soybomb was much more serene, providing a very welcome respite from the chaos at other venues across the city. While I saw friends and colleagues tweeting about fighting through absurd lines to see an indie band at the Horseshoe, it felt lovely to sip a cheap beer, stretch out my legs on the unofficial venue’s skate ramp and let some unconventional black metal wash over me. …

Canadian Music Week: The Young Lions Showcase at Sneaky Dee’s, March 23rd 2012

Posted on Monday, April 30th, 2012 at 10:48 pm.

Originally written for Canada Arts Connect.

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It was still quite quiet when I found myself at Sneaky Dee’s. There were just a few knots of people – even a young pair on an adorably awkward first date – perched on barstools and chatting, waiting of the Young Lions Club showcase to begin. I had originally drafted an ambitious and geographically broad plan for the night that would have had me biking from the Beaches into deepest Parkdale and back again. At the last minute, …

The Magnetic Fields at The Sound Academy, March 30th 2012

Posted on Saturday, March 31st, 2012 at 11:47 pm.

“You can’t bring that in there.”

I resisted the urge to swear and turned around. The security guard shining her light into Dani Couture‘s bag was shaking her head. My ticket had already been scanned, but I turned and walked back to the doors. Despite the pleasant fog of four glasses of pinot grigio, which I’d downed during Prohibition’s “hooch hour” earlier in the evening, I accepted my responsibility for the trouble Dani was having getting in. It was at least half my fault.

“They’re chocolate chips. I was going to make cookies later.” Dani was trying to appeal to reason.

The security …

Children of Bodom / Eluveitie/ Revocation / Threat Signal Sound Academy, February 26th 2012

Posted on Tuesday, March 27th, 2012 at 8:17 pm.

Originally written for Exclaim. Also, this shall go down in infamy as the show at which someone slipped rohypnol into my drink.

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The Sound Academy filled up early, providing a large and enthusiastic audience for Threat Signal‘s opening set. The Hamilton, ON-based, metalcore-tinged melodic death metal outfit played their short set with as much gusto as any headliner, even though they had to be off the stage before 7 p.m. The band really upped their game technically between their sophomore effort Vigilance …

Kittie / Nothing Left for Tomorrow / Mary and the Black Lamb / AetherBorn / Polarity @ The Opera House, February 18th 2012

Posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 at 6:15 pm.

Originally written for Exclaim.

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This show was rather oddly curated, featuring a selection of bands with widely differing aesthetics and live experience. As a result, the Ontario support was a bit hit and miss, and the energy in the room varied widely during the opening sets, leaning towards the subdued.

Polarity started the evening off fairly strong. Based in Mississauga, they refer to themselves as progressive, but in practice feature a metal backbone fused with alternative rock melodies. Vocalist Jasmine was animated …

Lock Up/ Goatwhore/ Strong Intention @ The Annex Wreckroom, February 12th 2012

Posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 at 6:10 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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I’d like to start this live review off with a little PSA: everyone at a metal show wants to enjoy themselves and have fun. For many, this means getting wild in the pit, and this is awesome. However, if there is no pit and only you and one other dude want there to be one, roaming around and slamming into people at random doesn’t make you some kind of sick warrior; it makes you an asshole. Also: stalking …

Machine Head / Suicide Silence / Darkest Hour @ The Sound Academy, January 28th 2012

Posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 at 5:00 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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I don’t believe there’s such a thing as a bad metal show. Even if the bands are horrendous and the vibe is weird, I’ll manage to have a good time because, well, it’s metal. Like that adage about sex and pizza, even when a metal show is bad, it’s still pretty good. This particular evening, however, was definitely one that went off the rails, for a variety of reasons.

It’s a well-known fact, at least to anyone who reads my …

Lamb of God/ The Acacia Strain/ Manahan @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre, January 27th 2012

Posted on Friday, March 9th, 2012 at 5:20 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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The line to get in to Lamb of God is officially the longest line I have ever seen in front of the Phoenix. The line of black t-shirts stretched for nearly a block. The line also moved slowly, as security searched bags and patted everyone down thoroughly – not without cause, it seemed, as I watched the dude in front of me in line hastily discard two full-sized box cutters security guards demanded that everyone empty their …

Tool / Intronaut @ the Air Canada Centre, January 25th 2012

Posted on Friday, March 9th, 2012 at 4:58 pm.

Originally written for Exclaim!

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Security was tight at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, with long lines of black-clad, bleary-eyed people snaking around the building in surly clumps. Intronaut were already well into their lean 30-minute set while people streamed into the stadium, finding their seats and avoiding security to clandestinely smoke.

While Intronaut are certainly heavy, their particular take on progressive, replete with complex polyrhythms and harmonies, was stretched to its aesthetic limit in the cavernous space. The music that usually twines about …

Ghost/ Blood Ceremony/ Ancient VVisdom @ The Mod Club, January 22, 2012

Posted on Friday, March 9th, 2012 at 4:54 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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I’ve been looking forward to this show for ages. Fellow Hellbound writer and friend Justin M. Norton suggested I check out Ghost months ago and I was immediately smitten with the retro coolness of their sound, and the disparity of their surprisingly upbeat music paired with unabashedly occult and infernal lyrics. I was so disappointed when they could not get into the country to join Enslaved and Alcest on tour (recently I heard a rumour that …

Devin Townsend Project @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, December 10th 2011

Posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 at 12:45 am.

Originally written for Exclaim!

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There is something magical about Devin Townsend Project concerts. First of all, there is mounting evidence that Townsend is, in fact, superhuman. The Devin Townsend Project has been on tour almost constantly for the last ten months, supporting Ghost andDeconstruction, as well as the expansion of the Ziltoid project. Prior to embarking on this last Canadian tour of the year, Townsend is coming off performing a series of intense shows in the UK’s Union Chapel in Islington, where he …

UnexpecT/ Hallows Die/ Legions @ The New Hard Luck Bar, Toronto, ON, November 18th 2011

Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 7:27 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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This was my first time attending a show at the new location for the Hard Luck Bar. They’ve moved down the street and up a flight of stairs, into the room that was previously The Poor Alex Theatre. The new location is bigger than the old Hard Luck and more concert-friendly, with more room to move around. The stage is also a bit higher, though the bar is small and weirdly squashed. I’m excited to see what the space becomes …

Tags: Experimental, Live Review, Metal

Mayhem/ Keep of Kalessin/ Hate/ Abigail Williams/ Woe @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, November 10th 2011

Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 7:21 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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I arrived at the Opera House just in time to catch the tail end of Woe’s set. This Philadelphia, PA black metal band, helmed by Chris Grigg, have undergone significant lineup changes in the past year. Therefore, it was good to hear them live, and see they have retained their trademark crackling, crushing sound. I very much enjoyed Quietly, Undramatically and am looking forward to their new material .

Next up were Abigail Williams. The theatricality of this set was really toned down …

Arkona / Talamyus / Bolero @ The Wreckroom, Toronto ON, November 12th 2011

Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 6:50 pm.

Originally written for Exclaim!

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As this was an early show at the Annex Wreckroom, Bolero began their set shortly after 6 p.m., with the room still nearly empty when they started to play. Happily, though, the venue began to fill up by just a few songs in, and the band had a good and enthusiastic crowd in front of the stage.

Bolero have grown considerably as a local group in recent months, and have gained more confidence as performers after opening several high-profile shows. …

Dragonforce / Crimson Shadows @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, October 20th 2011

Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 12:31 am.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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Arriving at the Opera House bright and early (I thought), I just managed to miss Aetherborn‘s set. They must have gone on just as the doors were opening, as I was there before eight p.m. and their scheduled start time was 7:45. I caught all of Crimson Shadows and I was impressed; they rose to the occasion of this high-profile show. They’ve clearly put in a great deal of rehearsal time and were tight, full of energy and obviously …

Tags: Live Review, Metal

Boris / Asobi Seksu @ Lee’s Palace, Toronto ON October 23

Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 12:05 am.

Originally written for Exclaim!

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New York-based Asobi Seksu opened Boris’s Toronto stop and did an excellent job. The dream pop aesthetic that governs their songwriting is expertly combined with shoegaze and noise rock influences, leading them to incorporate heavy, crunchy guitar textures and prominent, sometimes thunderous drumming into their sound. The songs they played were characterized by light, refreshing, green-apple-crisp vocals and cheery song structures with a deep well of reverb roiling beneath the surface. It gave their music an eerie sense …

Tags: Live Review, Metal

Enslaved / Alcest / Junius @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 30, 2011

Posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 3:41 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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There’s no doubt in my mind that when I look back on 2011, this show will stand out as one of my top concerts of the year. It was incredibly well curated and all the artists on the bill enhanced and challenged one another. I was initially disappointed that Ghost couldn’t make this show due to visa issues, and wondered how the substitution would affect the line-up. As it turns out, it was a non-issue. The flow of …

Tags: Live Review, Love, Metal

Evergrey / Sabaton / Powerglove @ The Opera House, Toronto ON, September 22, 2011

Posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 3:32 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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Powerglove are a much-beloved band for a very good reason: they play very, very geeky music, homages to videogame soundtracks and songs from beloved cartoons. I mean, who doesn’t love nerd nostalgia? Powerglove embrace the most fun parts of the culture they participate in and own them completely. They walked onto the Opera House stage decked out in their trademark foam armour, designed to look like Koopa shells. Powerglove are primarily an instrumental band; they do have a with …

Tags: Live Review, Metal

Arch Enemy/ Devildriver/ Skeletonwitch/ Chthonic @ The Phoenix, September 14th 2011

Posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 3:20 pm.

Originally written for Canada Arts Connect.

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I arrived at the Phoenix Concert Theatre early for this show and waited in line; I was immediately glad I did, because before seven p.m., the line stretched almost around the block. From the moment I finally shuffled into the venue, squeezing past the merch and vegan propaganda tables and into the main room, the place was packed. Nothing heralds a good show like a full, excited room, and this was certainly no exception.

Chthonic, from …

Tags: Live Review, Metal

Weedeater / Saviours / Bison B.C. / Fight Amp @ Lee’s Palace, Toronto ON, September 13, 2011

Posted on Monday, January 2nd, 2012 at 3:09 pm.

Originally written for Hellbound.

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Autumn changes my tastes. The air cools and suddenly I find myself craving richer foods, warmer clothes and more complex metal. My auditory palate becomes tuned for something sludgier, dirtier — grimed with hardcore — music that conjures colder nights and wood smoke. This line-up — Weedeater, Saviours, Bison B.C and Fight Amp — suited that mood perfectly.

Fight Amp were very much aware of their position as an opening band, which served as both a benefit and detriment. They were definitely more …

Tags: Live Review, Metal