Rivers of Nihil & Nekrogoblikon @ the Opera House, Toronto (July 28, 2019)

Last night the Summer Slaughter tour rolled through Toronto on its annual death march across the continent. While some of the bands were not a surprise on this tour, I was immediately on board when I saw the likes of Nekrogoblikon, Rivers of Nihil, and Cattle Decapitation on the bill. The Opera House was packed from the very first band with the entire crowd showing lots of love to the bands. Especially the two guys in nothing but borat style g-strings and battle jackets.... With the g-string duo very fond of crowd surfing, we all got to know them pretty well. The security guard made it well known that he was burning his work gloves after his shift. LMFAO!

The Summer Slaughter Tour always delivers the carnage but the big highlight of this tour for me was Rivers of Nihil, who are responsible for my (and many other metalheads) favourite release of 2018. They played a lot off the new record, opening with Death is Real and A Home. They didn't snub Monarchy though, with Sand Baptism almost taking the place off its foundation. They closed the set with Where Owls Know My Name and Old Nothing which was unreal to see so close up. They played a wicked set that I wont soon forget. They didn't play Subtle Changes, but there is only so much awesome can fit into one show! Check out some photos from the set below! Cheers to all the bands who played the tour and the metalheads who made me laugh all day! A special shout out to that security guard...

Rivers of Nihil

I’ve been blasting this shit all day! pic.twitter.com/436a7jxzhT

— Heavy Metal Yeti (@HeavyMetalYetii) July 30, 2019

Nekrogoblikon


 - Metal Yeti /../;,,;/../

Khemmis @ Velvet Underground, Toronto (July 24, 2019)

Khemmis are without a doubt one of my favourite modern doom metal bands. Walking the line between traditional epic doom and the sludgier side of things with a slight dable into darker territory on vocals, they never fail to get the blood pumping and the head banging. So on the eve of my 30th birthday I was elated to journey out for one last night of my 20's and raise some hell. Velvet Underground in Toronto is small intimate venue, perfect for a gathering of like-minded warriors looking to have a good time.

I unfortunately missed Cloak but Khemmis took the stage with conviction, absolutely annihilated us with their thick as hell riffage and powerful and equally devastating vocals. They played a great set list spanning their 3 albums. They started with one of my favourites, Above The Water, and proceeded to crush with Candlelight, Bloodletting, and Hunted amongst others. They closed with Maw of Time which got all the beer cans and battle jackets whipped to the fury. I couldn't think of a better way to end off my 2nd decade on earth. Cheers to the band and all the crazy metalheads at the show!

Khemmis

Tomorrow I am 30.
Tonight I am at Khemmis! 🤘💀 pic.twitter.com/K8f2KQsZb5

— Heavy Metal Yeti (@HeavyMetalYetii) July 25, 2019

-Metal Yeti /../;,,;/../

Between the Buried and Me & The Contortionist @ Elements, Kitchener (July 9, 2019)

  Over the past 15 years I've been going to every single Between the Buried and Me show reasonably possible. Last night was no different, getting a chance to see the boys as they roll through Kitchener Ontario of all places on the third stop of their summer tour. I arrived just as their long time tour mates The Contortionist took the stage. They played a wicked set and built the anticipation greatly for the main event as I crushed a few beers. Between the Buried and Me took the stage and immediately set the tone with House Organ. SMASH! IGNITE! DESTROY! They proceeded to play a mix of songs mainly off Automata, and Parallax II with a sprinkle of Coma Ecliptic. I got hit so hard in the pit during Telos that my glasses flew right off my face (thanks to the dude that grabbed them for me ha ha).

  I've seen some amazing shows from these guys over the years, but last night was one of the best. The best part of the night happened before they even took the stage, getting a chance to meet Paul and shake his hand on my way into the gig! He was a super nice guy as expected. With a set list spread across most of the bands albums, we were even treated to a few rare gems (I'm looking at you Fossil Genera: A Feed From Cloud Mountain). The encore was the perfect cherry on top for long time fans, playing Foam Born and Decade of Statues from Colors before ending with long time closer Selkies. Cheers to Between the Buried and Me for consistently blowing my mind over the years. As always cheers to the crazy bastards in the pit, I'll see you all there next time! Check out a few pictures from the night below!

Between the Buried and Me

The Contortionist

 Metal Yeti /../;,,;/../