Written by Alex Stojanovic
Photography by Alex Stojanovic

(C) 2026 All rights reserved by MetalMasterKingdom.com

SABATON
w/ Pop Evil / Wings Of Steel
@ Great Canadian Casino
Toronto, ON, Canada
September 27, 2026

When you really think about it, Sabaton are the Iron Maiden of the new generation.  Over the last 20 years since they put out Primo Victoria and Attero Dominatus, they kept on growing and growing to become one of the most notable and biggest metal bands in the world right now.  Over in Europe, they have turned into a bonafide arena headliner, all while always moving up in venue sizes here in North America with every new tour.  

Written by Alex Stojanovic

(C) 2026 MetalMasterKingdom.com

IRON MAIDEN
Run For Your Lives World Tour 2026
w/ Megadeth
@ Scotiabank Arena
Toronto, ON, Canada
August 29, 2026

"SCREAM FOR ME, TORONTO!".  Those four legendary words have graced Toronto yet again as Iron Maiden made their bi-annual return to our town to now celebrate an incredible 50 year milestone anniversary of metal dominance as one of the all-time kings of metal.  Any time a legacy band goes on tour, it's always a special occasion, but there's very few legacy bands who really make their return to a city a truly special spectacle, and Maiden is one of those bands. 

Having spent last year and this past summer lighting up Europe on the Run For Your Lives Tour, the band have just begun a rather short run across North America, with further global touring to come in Latin America, Japan and Australia to round out the year, as well as their long-awaited induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame after so many years of eligibility.  Needless to say, it's a significant year for Maiden.

Written by Alex Stojanovic

(C) 2026 MetalMasterKingdom.com

RUSH
Fifty Something Tour 2026 (Night 4 of 4)
@ Scotiabank Arena
Toronto, ON, Canada
August 13, 2026

​There's a first time for everything, and as I mentioned in the previous review of the opening night of the Toronto residency of Rush's Fifty Something Tour, for the first time, I'm writing a second review of the same show due to having the opportunity to see it twice.  The Fifty Something Tour is without a doubt one of 2026's biggest tours, and was one of the most anticipated, and most people have gotten tickets to multiple nights in the same city or multiple cities, rightfully so.  Although I wasn't planning on it at first, an opportunity presented itself to go a second time, and I took to it like a fish in water, and it just happened to be the fourth and final night of the hometown residency on August 13.  The only changes were going to be some setlist swaps.  Each night featured alterations to the set, with the third night seeing the band spoil the fans with Moving Pictures in its entirety for the first time in 15 years to celebrate the album's 45th anniversary this year.  If I could've also gone to that night, or all four nights even, I would have.

Written by Alex Stojanovic

NERVCAST / RADIANT DIVIDE /
​NOT THAT I CARE / PAIN IS BEAUTIFUL
@ Horseshoe Tavern
Toronto, ON, Canada  /  July 11, 2026

Presented by Neurotic Entertainment

​Okay, confession time.  There was a period of time over the last few years where I will fully admit that I wasn't going to as many local shows as I used to.  Back in the mid to late 2010s, we at Metal Master Kingdom were at full force at covering the local scene, and that will always be important to us.  However, given that our team has decreased over the last few years, it left me with doing the lion's share of the work, which I don't mind, but combine that with trying to balance it with my own personal life, work and my own bands, I was definitely more selective with the shows that I chose to cover, including the big ones that came through town.  I'm now at a place in my life where I still have everything in my life going, but that urge to get back out and start covering the local scene again a bit more frequently has started to come back to me and focusing on bringing Metal Master Kingdom back to it's more busier and active potential that we used to have.

(C) 2026 MetalMasterKingdom.com

RUSH
Fifty Something Tour 2026 (Night 1 of 4)
@ Scotiabank Arena
Toronto, ON, Canada
​August 7, 2026

"I wish that I could live it all again!"  That was exactly what all us Rush fans were wishing for since the R40 tour ended in 2015, whether it's to go back in time or see them again at some point.  When it was confirmed that it was the end, it was no surprise, but still a dagger.  The worst dagger however was when Neil Peart sadly passed away at the start of 2020, thus putting all hope of ever seeing Rush again into the coffin, and sending shockwaves across the globe, reverberating among all those who knew him or were touched by his music, drumming and lyrics.  After Covid, all while focusing on their individual projects like book writing and other musical ventures like Envy Of None, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson made sporadic appearances at special occasions, notably at the Taylor Hawkins tribute shows in 2022, which ultimately planted the seeds for a potential revival.  As time went on, fans always held out hope, but we all kept accepting the fact that seeing them again was just impossible, until............

Written by Alex Stojanovic
Photography by Rob Singh

(C) 2026 All rights reserved by MetalMasterKingdom.com

LAMB OF GOD
w/ Kublai Khan / Fit For An Autopsy / Sanguisugabogg
@ Great Canadian Casino Resort
Toronto, ON, Canada
March 20, 2026

​I think it goes without saying that we are now absolutely fed up with winter after all the toilet seat temperatures, as I call them, causing probably more people than I can recall to get sick more than once, myself included.  Well, the good thing is that as the winter of '25-'26 officially met the guillotine, Torontonians officially welcomed the spring season (with the remaining winter remnants still lurking) by letting out our frustrations about winter in the pit to the gloriously vicious sounds of Lamb Of God, who made their return to Toronto for their first pure headline show here in a decade.  

Review and photography by Alex Stojanovic

(C) 2025 All rights reserved by MetalMasterKingdom.com

BLIND GUARDIAN
w/ Ensiferum and Seven Kingdoms
@ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Toronto, ON, Canada
November 29, 2025

​We're at the end of 2025, which is insane to think about, and that also means that the concert season is winding down too as we all prep to reflect and gather with our friends and loved ones for the Christmas holidays.  Speaking of Christmas, a rather nice gift that us Toronto metalheads received this year was the quick return of Blind Guardian after only a year.  Normally, Blind Guardian comes back to Toronto every 4-5 years with the exception 2015-2024, but this was the quickest return they ever made to our city ever, and fans were beyond ecstatic.  The band's North American tour hit the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on November 29 with Ensiferum and Seven Kingdoms as special guests, and for me, 2025 marks 10 years since I first saw Blind Guardian at the Danforth Music Hall with Grave Digger.  It was also my first time back to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre since 2017 for the UFO/Saxon Tour.

Review and photography by Alex Stojanovic

(C) 2025 All rights reserved by MetalMasterKingdom.com

DARK ANGEL
w/ Hirax and Void
@ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto, ON, Canada
September 28, 2025

Presented by Inertia Entertainment
Watch our interview with Gene Hoglan here

​For a band, especially one that hasn't released a record in a long time, but is still able to go out and do short tours and festivals, it must be a great feeling when you release a new record after a long time, then you find yourselves doing longer tours again.  There have been many bands over the years that have experienced that, and one of the latest bands to have that experience this year was Dark Angel.  ​Since reforming back in 2013, the band have been playing sporadic shows and short tours, but also working on the follow-up to Time Does Not Heal, and after over 10 years of working on it, Extinction Level Event was released this year, and they are currently on their first North American tour in 30 years.

Review and photography by Alex Stojanovic

(C) 2025 All rights reserved by MetalMasterKingdom.com

POWERWOLF
w/ DragonForce
@ Rebel
Toronto, ON, Canada
September 17, 2025

There's a good amount of bands from Europe that have gotten really successful and have had a long career, but in their career, have never toured North America, and stuck primarily with Europe.  Powerwolf was one of those bands for a really really long time.  Fans in North America have been BEGGING them to come play here for years and years, and from what I heard, they passed on every opportunity including one-off festivals (that's just my speculation).  However, that changed in 2023, when they did their first ever shows in North America, and the same goes for their fans in South America as well.

Written by Alex Stojanovic

THREE DAYS GRACE / VOLBEAT
w/ Wage War
@ Budweiser Stage
Toronto, ON, Canada
June 19, 2025

Presented by Live Nation

​Summer's finally here and that means the big outdoor shows are too, and they're out in full force.  It's also not too often that you see the big established touring bands doing full-blown tours of Canada, but two bands that teamed up for a full tour of Canada just now were Three Days Grace and Volbeat, with Wage War serving as special guests, bringing three countries (Canada, Denmark & USA) and three different styles to form one epic night.  This double-bill hit several major markets across the country and Toronto got to witness this combo on a rather windy Thursday night on June 19 at the Budweiser Stage.  When I say three different styles, I mean that Wage War brought the metal edge, Three Days Grace brought the hard rock edge, and Volbeat was middle ground of the two.