 Photo: Rob Botten for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 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. Photo: Rob Botten for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 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. | Written and photographed by Rob Botten (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. Photo: Rob Botten for www.metalmasterkingdom.com (C)2018 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 |
Overall, it was a really good night as all the bands played extremely well. Khemmis are a group to watch out for and I would be happy to see again. There were, however, a few things that could have been done a little better. Everyone was looking at black shapes on stage from the smoke, aside from a few times when the lighting was just right and we could see the musicians' faces. I also felt that some of the set times were a little short, particularly with Enslaved playing a seven song set. That being said, it was still a great night. Decibel Magazine put together an amazing tour with four incredibly strong bands that I hope to see again.
| ENSLAVED Ivar Bjørnson - Guitars, keyboards & backing vocals Grutle Kjellson - Lead vocals & bass Ice Dale - Guitars Håkon Vinje - Keyboards & clean vocals Cato Bekkevold - Drums Label: Nuclear Blast Records | WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM Nathan Weaver - Guitars & vocals Kody Keyworth - Guitars & backing vocals Aaron Weaver - Drums, bass & synthesizers Label: Artemisia Records |
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