Iron Maiden @ Budweiser Stage, Toronto (Aug 9/10, 2019)

I've been looking forward to the Legacy of the Beast tour for months! An Iron Maiden double header weekend at an amazing outdoor venue in Toronto is irresistible to all Yeti kind. I went on a solo scouting mission for Friday night and it was so damn good I brought the entire pack out on the Saturday night to witness the madness. I've been to a few Maiden concerts before, but this one was the first that I shared with  both my wife and son. With Maiden playing in the background his entire life it was only a matter of time he asked to come with me to see the beast in action.

The amphitheater was completely packed with metalheads from the time the doors opened. The party ensued with a swarm of battle jackets and Eddie appropriate attire in all directions. One of my favourite things about maiden shows is that it seems its one of the only acceptable places you are completely allowed to wear the shirt of the band playing. I love seeing the sea of Maiden madness!!

The crowd was absolutely amped for things to start and erupted when Churchill's speech echoed into the night.  Following up Aces High with Where Eagles Dare and 2 Minutes to Midnight was unbelievable; every metalhead was on their feet.  Iron Maiden brought out all the stops for this tour it seems with a wicked set list and stage performance. Having the spitfire manure overhead Bruce and the boys during the fury of Aces High was truly incredible!

I did not spoil to set list before the show so I was shocked to hear some songs from the Blaze era with The Clansman an absolute rager! I also appreciate that they included some later era Bruce songs as well like The Wicker Man and For The Greater Good of God while still leaving room for classics like Revelations, Iron Maiden, The Trooper, Fear of the Dark, and The Number of the Beast . I will say that I was bummed my favourite album Somewhere In Time got snubbed on this tour, but I enjoyed hearing some songs I've never heard live before like Blaze Bayley masterpiece Sign of the Cross and the utterly classic Flight of Icarus.


Iron Maiden managed to blow my mind once again and my boy had the time of his life which makes things even better. Throughout the show he was rocking out hard and after he exclaimed "all the best heavy metal concerts have fire!!". They closed off the night with The Evil That Men Do, Hallowed Be Thy Name, and Run to the Hills which almost ripped the stage off its foundation! There's nothing quite like 15,000 people singing at the top of their lungs! Cheers to all my friends and family at the show and as always cheers to Iron Maiden for putting on one of the best shows I've ever seen!! Go see this tour if you get the chance! UP THE IRONS!!

I live for moments like this... #FearOfTheDark #IronMaiden 🤘🔥 pic.twitter.com/JBD94r4k5p

— Heavy Metal Yeti (@HeavyMetalYetii) August 10, 2019

IRON MAIDEN

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

Metal Yeti's Best Metal Albums of 2015 & 2016! /,,/

   It's easy to get caught up in the fast pace lifestyle of the Anthropocene. Time goes by and fantastic metal albums come and go. We are bombarded with new material on social media feeds and through 140 character sales pitches.  It is because of this reason that this year I wanted to do something a little bit different. Instead of restricting myself to 2016 I've decided to take a look at some of the unforgettable material that came out over the past couple years.

   A lot has happened in the world of metal in two years time. There has been a slew of new talented bands on the rise, and a number of veteran bands have come out of the metalworks with phenomenal new albums. The big four of thrash showed us why we call them that with all bands putting out fantastic new material. Chris Adler seemed to join every band he could get his feet on. Cory Taylor and Robb Flynn had a lot to say, to a lot of people, about a lot of things. While the whole time, Japan was having some interesting ideas of their own. Mad respect and rest in peace to Christopher Lee, Lemmy, Phil Taylor, Bowie, Nick Menza, Jimmy Bain, Shawn Chavez and every other metalhead we lose as the clock ticks on.

   Here are my top 50 albums of 2015 & 2016! \m/ These are my favourite and most listened to albums from the past few years so if you haven't checked any of them out, take some time out of your busy schedule and give them a goddamn listen!  Cheers everybody and here's hoping that the next few years offer up some more magnificent metal for our headbanging pleasure! /,,/


1. Vektor - Terminal Redux (2016)
     - Progressive Thrash Metal 

 
2. Gorod - A Maze of Recycled Creeds (2015)
    - Progressive/Technical Death Metal

3. Sylosis - Dormant Heart (2015)
    - Melodic Death Metal

4. Scarab - Serpents of the Nile (2015)
    -  Death Metal

5. The Offering - Codex Mystirium (2016)
    - Death/Thrash Metal

 6. Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls (2015)
     - Heavy Metal 

7.  MegaDeth - Dystopia (2016)
    - Thrash Metal

 8. Be'lakor - Vessels (2016)
    - Melodic Death Metal 

9. Skeletonwitch - The Apothic Gloom (2016)
    - Thrash/Black Metal

10. Obscura - Akróasis (2016)

    - Progressive/Technical Death Metal

11. Amon Amarth - Jomsviking (2016)
    - Melodic Death Metal 

12. Kataklysm - Of Ghosts and Gods (2015)
    - Melodic Death Metal

13. Gojira - Magma (2016)
    - Progressive Death Metal

14. Black Crown Initiate - Selves We Cannot Forgive (2016)
    - Progressive Death Metal

15. Cattle Decapitation - The Anthropocene Extinction (2015)
    -Deathgrind

16. Metallica - Hardwired... To Self Destruct (2016)
    - Thrash Metal

17. Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence (2016)
    - Progressive Metal

18. Lamb of God - Sturm Und Drang (2015)
    - Groove Metal 

19. Between the Buried and Me - Coma Ecliptic (2015)
    - Progressive Metal 

20. Tesseract - Polaris (2015)
    - Progressive Metal

21. Nile - What Should Not Be Unearthed (2015)
    - Technical Death Metal

22. Anthrax - For All Kings (2016)
    - Thrash Metal

23. Anaal Nathrakh - The Whole of the Law (2016)
    - Grindcore / Black Metal

24. Venom - From The Very Depths (2015)
    - Black/Speed Metal

25. Animals As Leaders - The Madness of Many (2016)
    - Progressive Metal

26. Dark Funeral - Where Shadows Forever Reign (2016)

    - Black Metal

27. Pyrrhon - Running out of Skin (2016)
    - Technical Death Metal

28. Carach Angren - This Is No Fairytale (2015)
    - Symphonic Black Metal

29. Slayer - Repentless (2015)
    - Thrash Metal 

30 . Testament - Brotherhood of the Snake (2016)
    - Thrash Metal 

31. Northlane - Node (2015)
    - Metalcore

32. Motorhead - Bad Magic (2015)
    - Heavy Metal

33. Gorguts - Pleiades' Dust (2016)
    - Technical Death Metal

34. Erimha - Thesis Ov Warfare (2015)
    - Black Metal

35. Insomnium - Winters Gate (2016)
    - Melodic Death Metal

36. Aborted - Termination Redux (2016)
    - Death Metal

37. Killswitch Engage - Incarnate (2016)
    - Metalcore

38. Jungle Rot - Order Shall Prevail (2015)
    - Death Metal

39. Black Tusk - Pillars of Ash (2016)
    - Sludge Metal

40. Katalepsy - Gravenous Hour (2016)
    - Brutal Death Metal

41. Gruesome - Savage Land (2015)
    - Death Metal

42. Gruesome - Dimensions of Horror (2016)
    - Death Metal

43. Virvum - Illuminance (2016)
    - Death Metal 

44. Children of Bodom - I Worship Chaos (2015)
    - Melodic Death Metal

45. Intronaut - The Direction of Last things (2015)
    - Progressive Metal

46. Black Fast - Terms of Surrender (2015)
    - Progressive Thrash Metal

47. Soulfly - Archangel (2015)
    - Groove Metal

48. Anvil - Anvil is Anvil (2016)
    - Thrash Metal 

49. Cryptopsy - Tomb of Suffering Tome 1 (2015)
    - Death Metal

50. Black Sabbath - The End (2016)
    - Heavy Metal

- Honourable Mentions: Khemmis, Meshuggah, Grave, Protest the Hero, Brujeria, Scale the Summit, Opeth, Dream Theater, Grand Magnus, Rotting Christ, DevilDriver, Allegaeon, Neurosis, and Dark Tranquility!

- Hope you enjoyed the list. I'm sure there's something on this here you will enjoy. m/
Have a happy thrashy new year! mXm/