 | Written by: Marty Adem Photographer: Navneet Johal (C)2017 All rights reserved by www.metalmasterkingdom.com @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto ON Canada November 25, 2016 Due to strict limitations set by LiveNation, we were unable to capture photos of all the bands. Our apologies. If there was ever a show where you needed to be, that show was the I Worship Chaos tour in Toronto. It was a night of excitement, headbanging, crowd-surfing, and included a gigantic, swirling mosh pit that could have swallowed up the venue in its entirety. The lineup included progressive metallers from Canada, ONI, the Californian band Exmortus, the Norwegian black metal legend Abbath (formerly from Immortal), and headliners from Finland, Children Of Bodom. ONI started off their set with the booming sound of a thunderstorm, and after a moment of silence, exploded into a powerful mixture of death vocals and reverberating bass. The six-piece band also included a xylophone keyboard, which added a unique and unexpected brightness to the overall sound, and which was incredibly engaging to watch as part of the performance. ONI’s set was enjoyable, with varying styles from song to song including a mix of rap, death vocals, clean vocals, and a range of melodies and chromatic guitar solos. |
Their final song was particularly killer, including a synth-sounding guitar melody and thrash-type drums with a changing of tempos and vocals. Overall, a great way to start the night with some Canadian talent!
Next up was the thrash metal band from California, Exmortus, whose virtuosity, combined with thrash/death vocals, speed metal licks, melodic guitar, and heavy riffs brought the level of artistry up to another level. They opened with “Immortality Made Flesh,” a rocking, headbanging song that got the crowd excited and lively, and followed it up immediately with “Death To Tyrants,” whose heavy riffs got everyone fist-pumping and moshing. You could feel everyone high on the energy of these this band, and they in turn were just feeding off it and playing faster and more complexly. They also definitely put on a great performance with siren screams, playing each other’s guitars, and whipping their long, black hair. The best part of Exmortus’ set had to be their variation on the “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven. I always love it when metal meets classical, and these guys pulled it off beautifully. I am sure the composer himself would have been proud!
Next up was the thrash metal band from California, Exmortus, whose virtuosity, combined with thrash/death vocals, speed metal licks, melodic guitar, and heavy riffs brought the level of artistry up to another level. They opened with “Immortality Made Flesh,” a rocking, headbanging song that got the crowd excited and lively, and followed it up immediately with “Death To Tyrants,” whose heavy riffs got everyone fist-pumping and moshing. You could feel everyone high on the energy of these this band, and they in turn were just feeding off it and playing faster and more complexly. They also definitely put on a great performance with siren screams, playing each other’s guitars, and whipping their long, black hair. The best part of Exmortus’ set had to be their variation on the “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven. I always love it when metal meets classical, and these guys pulled it off beautifully. I am sure the composer himself would have been proud!
| Next up was Abbath, the infamous, demonic-looking legend from the north. He had about an equal mix of both his own solo material as well as material from Immortal, which seemed to get the crowd riled up and keep them satisfied. His stage presence is also electrifying; when he comes out with those crazy eyes and tongue lolling out, you can’t help but keep your eyes transfixed upon him, and he doesn’t disappoint! With his armor glistening and voice snarling, he worked the crowd up into such a frenzy that people were surfing in waves and everyone had their fists in the air and their hair whipping back and forth. Two of the best songs of the set were “Winterbane” and “Tyrants,” which included a beautiful, clean melodic guitar solo in between the heavy marching riffs. Throughout the whole set, there was a gigantic, ongoing pit of moshing and dancing, and I was impressed by the energy sustained be the crowd. One can expect no less from a group of dedicated metal heads! (C)2017 All rights reserved by www.metalmasterkingdom.com) Photo: Navneet Johal | (C)2017 All rights reserved by www.metalmasterkingdom.com) Photo: Navneet Johal Lastly, and perhaps the most awaited (although the crowd was already rocking out from the first set onwards) was Children Of Bodom. These guys have been around since the 90s and continue to deliver to this day, as was proven by the fact that the crowd was already cheering before they even got on stage. And if you thought that the pit for the Abbath show was huge, well, the pit for Children Of Bodom was all encompassing whirlpool fists, elbows, and legs. There was no way to possibly move from the front to the back or vice versa without somehow passing through this ocean of moshers. At one point, there was even a wall of death that was initiated! Children Of Bodom’s style is unique, and includes a mixture of melodic death, power, thrash, and folk metal that makes them stand out from other Finish bands. They definitely delivered, and gave a performance that only built on the energy that was already present after the Abbath set. They played favorites like “Lake Bodom,” off of their Something Wild album, as well as |
“Bodom After Midnight” and “I Worship Chaos.” One of the biggest highlights for me was hearing the various keyboard solos that were interspersed throughout, as well as the addition of synth sounds in combination with the heavy guitar and drums. The night ended with two encore songs that included “Hate Me!” and “Downfall”, which were received with horns in the air and loud cheers from an exhausted, sweaty, but ultimately ecstatic crowd.
This was definitely a night to remember and one for the books for the Phoenix Concert Theatre. All of the bands came together to put on a spectacular show and had a cohesive progression of sounds and styles with the energy building up after every single set. I am sure that Toronto will receive them again with open arms, cold beers, and enthusiastic cheers.
This was definitely a night to remember and one for the books for the Phoenix Concert Theatre. All of the bands came together to put on a spectacular show and had a cohesive progression of sounds and styles with the energy building up after every single set. I am sure that Toronto will receive them again with open arms, cold beers, and enthusiastic cheers.
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