(C)2018 www.metalmasterkingdom.com 

Nightwish
@ Massey Hall
​Toronto, ON Canada
March 21, 2018

Presented by: ​Goldenvoice Canada 

​Next up: Cadillac Blood. A young, vigorous band from Keswick with a unique sound. Clearly influences by several different sub-genres, they had me in awe for the entirety of their set. From a classic/modern mesh vibe to groovy/rock/core riffs, I didn’t know what to feel besides absolute astonishment. Each bands member clearly carried their own attitude, but their chemistry created an emotive, extraordinary attitude. The crowd remained enticed throughout their performance, opening the first mosh-pit of the night (in which the hardcore-eqsue vocalist jumped right into mid-set). To me, Cadillac Blood were the outstanding band of the night, stealing the show and stealing my heart.

​Finally, Havok. The Colorado thrash titans took the stage with fervor, and the crowd riled up instantly. Their overall look was exemplary, and the drums were staged as two eyeballs staring into our heavy metal souls. They brought energy, power, mosh pits and all else that is necessary to drown our anguish in good music. Having interviewed their lead guitarist, Reece, before the show, I learned about the struggle the band faces with their constant touring – and the fact that they exuded so much passion, shows their dedication and love for the music. That is the true driving force for a great metal band.

@ The Rockpile 
Toronto, ON
March 6, 2018

​Tuesday, March 6, 2018! The Rockpile filled up early, with metal fans coming to support the opening acts for Colorado thrash titans Havok. Having been frequently attending events at the Rockpile, I was (as always) impressed by the support the staff and the attendees deliver for the bands. A truly metal place for truly metal fans attending truly metal shows.

​The first act of the night was Korrosive, a speed-thrash/death-thrash metal band hailing from Toronto. They started the night off heavy, and ignited the stage with confidence. Considering the struggle that accompanies the stress of being the first act of the night, they powered through with energy and passion. With a more engaged crowd, I feel like they could have taken their playing to the next level. Having songs titled “Vicious Intent” and “Destruction Is My Name”, they brought a solidly aggressive vibe – paired with a brutal front-man and some wicked riffage, they surely had the night warmed up for more metal.

Photo: Amina Abdelwahab  (C)2018 www.metalmasterkingdom.com ​

​The third opening act of the night were Act Of Sin, a Hamilton-born melodic/death/thrash metal band. With songs titled with the likes of “Fucking Insomnia” and good chemistry between the front-man and bassist in particular, they put on a solid performance. Their co-ordination and chemistry showed their devotion to performance and practice, and they carried metal into the night as even more fans piled in for the headliner. All in all, they were a solid, well-rehearsed band with a concrete sound.

​Deströyer 666, who proclaim themselves “a non-profit organisation dedicated to the dispersal of ideas of lycanthropy, nihilism and minimalism” on their Facebook page, were next to ascend the stage, and if their name is any indication, there might be some firm planting of tongue in cheek going on here. Occupying a niche at the intersection of blackened thrash and (occasionally melodic) death metal,  their sound reminded me at times of a cross between Venom, Motörhead and early  Amon Amarth, albeit with greater musical complexity and the injection of fleeting atmospheric passages.  The band made effective use of medieval-style coats of arms with lupine designs as backdrops (between which one might occasionally snatch brief glimpses of drummer Perracide), and of ram skulls on mic stands to enhance their stage presence.  Touring in support of the Call of the Wild  EP released a few weeks before the Calgary show,  Deströyer 666’s  banner featured the band’s motto—“Forever Defiant”—underneath a snarling wolf with spiked collar that looked inspired by  Motörhead’s mascot,  Snaggletooth.
 
Lead vocalist, guitarist and founder KK Warslut and crew struck wild rock star poses throughout much of their set, to the delight of the faithful.  I’ll be the first to admit that “Hounds At Ya Back” is a damn catchy metal anthem, and that the group’s eight song set felt like it was over before it began.  With the audience begging for more, Deströyer 666 concluded their part of the evening with—would you believe it?—a cover of Motörhead’s “Iron Fist.”  Fitting indeed.

(C)2018 All right reserved www.metalmasterkingdom.com 

​@ The Palace
Calgary, AB, Canada
March 9, 2018

Presented by ConcertWorks.Ca

Last Friday, Swedish black metal overlords Watain  unleashed damnation and hellfire at the Palace in Calgary, with the aid of Deströyer 666 and Revenge.  Having listened primarily to metal for 30 years now, I must confess to having only recently emerged from under a rock, with all three bands only coming on my radar shortly before their arrival in town.  I therefore went into the show without any preconceived notions or prior knowledge of their respective material and histories. ​​

Hailing from Edmonton, Revenge initiated the proceedings by spewing out some of the most brutal music on the planet.  The band is the brainchild of drummer and studio vocalist James Read, but for this live set, guitarist Vermin and bassist Haasiophis took over demonic growling duties from Read.  From beginning to end, Revenge  performed with relentless intensity, and if frenetic grindcore-infused blackened death is your thing, then the trio more than delivered.  That said, while some ardent metalheads moshed in the enclosed semi-circular pit near the front of the stage, the broader audience’s response was subdued.  Perhaps they were stunned by the fury enfolding before their eyes?  Or just exhausted after a long week at work?  At the end of Revenge’s set, a young woman that I never would have pegged on the street as a death metal aficionado raved to me about their performance. ​

​I found out post-concert that Revenge’s output includes such magnanimous opuses dedicated to world peace as Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist and Victory.Intolerance.Mastery, among others.  I won’t judge recordings by their titles (remember the Ozzy Osbourne  “Suicide Solution” witch hunt?), and as is common in the blackened death sub-genre, the band’s lyrics were largely indecipherable.

​At long last, as headliners Watain  took to the stage under a dim crimson glow, I got my first glimpse of an actual Scandinavian black metal band complete with ghoulish corpse paint and sinister stage props.  A row of tridents and inverted gothic crosses had been affixed to the front of the stage during line-up changes, creating an additional barrier between band and audience, and decor covered up while Revenge and Deströyer 666 played was finally unveiled.  Filling in for Håkan Jonsson, drummer E. Forcas was barely visible through the haze behind animal carcasses dangling from his drum kit and nearby barbed tridents.  Above him hung the group’s creepy banner inscribed in “bone script” on black cloth.
 
Axe wielders Pelle Forsberg and Set Teitan stole onto the dark stage with bassist Alvaro Lillo, their backs to the crowd.  Then, as anticipation mounted, the band launched into “Devil’s Blood” from their 2003 album Casus Luciferi.  When vocalist Erik Danielsson finally emerged, the crowd went wild.  Part way through the opening song, Danielsson went to the unholy altar before the drums and raised a ram’s skull to his lips to drink blood from it.  He held the skull high above his head for all to see, showering the front rows with the last drops.  While Watain claim Bathory, Mayhem, Venom, and Mercyful Fate  among their influences, their theatrics also owe a debt to Alice Cooper and W.A.S.P.  Sure, the pentagrams, corpse paint and satanic blood drinking are no longer the shocking novelty they once were, but Watain’s performance was an undeniable feast for the eyes and camera lens.  Bassist Lillo in particular was fearsome to behold.

Second up, and a true highlight of the night was Myrkur.  Upon the start of their set, a violin bow was used on the guitar to create an eerie droning tone.  If this didn’t put the hairs on the back of your neck the rest of the set would.  This Danish group’s performance was so unique in comparison to the rest of the show with their use of folk, traditional and black metal elements along with front woman Amalie Burun’s haunting vocals.  Popular songs such as “The Serpent”, “Unvinde,” Ulvesangen” and “Elleskudt” were played for their short but outstanding set.  ​

​Enslaved took to the stage to begin the end to an amazing night of metal.  Opening with “Storm Son,” the group bounced back from new songs to fan favorites like “Sacred Horse”.  The group worked the stage with their energy and kept the audience hungry for more as the night went on.  As their energy seemed to build, the show came to an end, having played seven songs.  It was surprising when front man Grutle Kjellson thanked the Toronto fans for an awesome night and for their loyalty, then said “All good things must come to an end”, and thus the night was over.  For a short set, Enslaved really put on a strong show for Toronto.

(C)2018 www.metalmasterkingdom.com ​

​@ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto, ON Canada
​February 20, 2018

​On February 20th, four amazing bands took to the stage of the Phoenix Concert Theatre for the Decibel Magazine Tour stop in Toronto.  The night was host to three incredible openers, all of which put on hard-hitting sets each very unique compared to the other.  As the night drew on to 11pm, the jam-packed concert hall was teething with fans hungry for what headliner’s Enslaved had to offer. ​

​Doom metal band Khemmis out of Denver Colorado were first up on stage and put on a solid performance considering the cramped and dimly lit stage.  What made this group truly stand out was their use of clean vocals in their songs working brilliantly in combination with their guitar and drum work.  From what was a very short set its obvious this group is one to pay attention too.  I have high hopes for them in their future. ​

Wolves In The Throne Room were the third band on stage and really got the crowd going and energized with their fast paced brutal black metal.  I honestly enjoyed their set the most out of the whole night.  Before the group was on stage, sage was burnt to cleanse the entire stage, instruments, and microphones.  Their use of a smoke filled stage and orange-yellow lights on each side made for one truly immersive experience.  From one song to the next they played hard and fast till the very last note, giving the audience the most brutal fast-paced drumming and guitar work of the night.  ​

​​​​Photo: Rob Botten for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018

Written by Alex Stojanovic
Photography by Rob Botten

@ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Toronto, ON, Canada
March 1, 2018

Presented by Live Nation

Click here to see our interview with Mille Petrozza of Kreator

The opener, Elm Street, put on a dynamic performance, as lead singer Ben Batres encouraged and received crowd participation throughout the entire set.  Although people were still trickling in during their performance, by the last song, Elm Street had the entire room captivated.  While they were playing, I didn’t see a single person check their phone or look disinterested, which is a rarity in today’s society.  As Elm Street concluded their set, they asked the traditional question of whether the crowd was ready for Dirkschneider.  The entire room erupted with more passion and excitement than I’ve ever seen in my fifteen years of attending shows at the Mod Club, so I knew that Dirkschneider’s performance would be unforgettable.

Written by Ananda Elora
Photography by Navneet Johal

(C)2018 www.metalmasterkingdom.com


@ The Mod Club
February 28, 2018
Toronto, ON, Canada

Presented by Inertia Entertainment








​

Except from seeing a clip from Accept in Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, I had a limited knowledge of the history of Accept, and had no idea to what expect going into the Dirkschneider show.  However, Dirkschneider, alongside support from Australia’s Elm Street, absolutely blew me away with how engaging and energetic they were throughout the entire night.  The show took place at the Mod Club in Toronto on February 28th, and by the time Elm Street took the stage, the number of fans inside the venue had almost doubled.

As Dirkschneider took the stage, everyone in the room was focused entirely on them. Dirkschneider absolutely killed their set, as Udo’s tone and pitch sounded exactly as it had in Accept.  All the members of Dirkschneider worked cohesively to entertain the crowd and they made it known through their performance that they were excited to be playing.  Their energy was infectious, as they had the entire room engaged through guitar solos and synchronized head banging.  During the guitar solos, the individual guitarists were placed in the spotlight, as the lights were focused entirely on them for the length of the solo.  I thought that was really unique, as the lead singers are normally the only members who receive direct attention.  The members of Dirkschneider seemed to work off each other’s energies, and it really elevated their performance.  ​Although I didn’t notice anyone else on their phone, I was consistently on my phone taking notes about the show and the atmosphere – while also attempting to quickly expand upon the previous research I had done about Dirkschneider and Accept.

DIRKSCHNEIDER

Udo Dirkschneider - Vocals
Bill Hudson - Guitar
Andrey Smirnov - Guitar
Sven Dirkschneider  - Drums
Fitty Wienhold  - Bass Guitar

Label:  AFM Records
Website:  www.udo-online.com

ELM STREET

​Ben Batres - Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Aaron Adie - Lead Guitar
Tomislav Perkovic - Drums
Nick Ivkovic - Bass Guitar

Label:  Massacre Records
Website:  www.facebook.com/metalelmstreet