Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, At The Gates, & Grand Magus @ REBEL (October 9, 2019)

    I've been sharpening my blades for weeks in preparation for the Berserker World Tour which is set to invade Toronto as Amon Amarth lead the charge with Arch Enemy, At the Gates, and Grand Magus at their six. I never miss a good opportunity to unite with my viking brothers and sisters for a good clash and some beers over an evening of metal. As with most metalheads, I've been a big Amon Amarth fan for years! Much of my heritage is from Norway and they strike a perfect chord between the best aspects of melodic death metal and some of the most interesting mythology and lore in human history. I would have come out for this reason alone but with such a stacked bill I did my best to crash the doors.

    I met up with some good friends and fellow viking soldiers near the end of Grand Magus's set. They opened the night hard and fast with a tremendous display of power and brutality. The crowd was growing fast and the drinks were flowing as their set closed and At The Gates took the stage. Playing a generous mix of old and new material, I was amped to hear songs like "Slaughter of the Soul", "Cold", and "Blinded By Fear". While it was obvious many were saving their energy for the battle to come, they still did a great job stoking the crowd even further.

    By the time Arch enemy took the stage there wasn't an inch of breathing room left as I forced my way towards the pit! I haven't seen this band since Angela was at the helm, but I was blown away by Alissa White-Gluz's energy and power on stage. Not to mention fucking Jeff Loomis... What an absolute beast. Most of the material was from their latest albums with Alissa but the pit kicked it up a notch to "My Apocalypse" and even more so for their encore of "Nemesis". Arch Enemy are wicked and still put on a hell of a show.

    Amon Amarth took the stage like an out of control fire burning a freshly pillaged village. Opening with "Raven's Flight" and the foundations were nearly ripped off with the push towards the front line of the stage. They delved into a mix of songs from the last decade of material, with a focus on material from their latest release "Berserker". We tried to send people up for crowd surfing but their legs were stuck in the crushing masses. Tracks like "Deceiver of the Gods", "Guardians of Asgard", "Crack the Sky", "Shield Wall", and "Twilight of the Thunder God" drove the pit into an absolute stupor, with drinking horns, cloaks, tunics, and massive motherfuckers committing acts of carnage in every direction!

    They closed the night showing a lot of respect for the crowd and fans, clearly acknowledging the battle that just took place! On top of a dialed performance from the band, the stage was full of live sword fights, powerful gods, and deadly sea monsters! Overall this was an unbelievable night of metal! This tour should be a priority for every metalhead in its path! A massive cheers to the bands and especially all the crazies I clashed with in the pit throughout the night! Sam Dunn even made an appearance! Check out some photos from the madness below!

Amon Amarth

ODIN! Guide our ships! Our axes, spears and swords!! Guide us through storms that whip! And in brutal war!! 🤘💀🛡⚔️ #Metal #AmonAmarth pic.twitter.com/DKCePP5gkd

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

  
Arch Enemy

At The Gates

Grand Magus

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

Revocation, Voivod, Psycroptic, Skeletal Remains, & Conjurer @ The Opera House (September 14, 2019)

   Last night was one for the books with the fall Revocation/Voivod tour plowing its way through Toronto with the 3rd show of the tour and the 3rd of its Canadian leg. This show instantly caught my eye a few months back with a stacked line up and a few of the bands on my absolutely must see list. I have seen Revocation a few times but playing "The Outer Ones" in its entirety with Conjurer, Psycroptic, Voivod, and Skeletal Remains at their back? This tour showcases five of my favourite releases of 2018 all in one place with The Outer Ones, Mire, The Wake, As The Kingdom Drowns, and Devouring Mortality all on my 2018 AOTY list! This tour is a no brainier if its coming through your area.

   I basically crashed the doors of the Opera House when it was time for the show. I met up with some good friends and we braced ourselves for the what was before us. Conjurer started things off and delivered the devastation in full capacity. Their chunky and heavy as hell riffs shook the place to its core with an emotional and no holds bar performance. Screaming the lyrics so loud they didn't even need a mic for a portion and ending with the bassist jumping into the crowd to amp the pit up to satisfactory carnage. Conjurer did not disappoint! Skeletal Remains played next and kept the fury going as the Opera House filled in fast with battle jackets and a sea of band shirts.

   The Tasmanian terrors of Psycroptic took the stage by force delivering a mix of songs off their older and more recent albums, with "Cold" being a highlight of the set for me.  Lead singer Jason Peppiatt looked like a shark pacing back and force, eyeballing the crowd and demanding energy from the pit. I love front-men like this. Psycroptic cranked the crowd up a notch and set the tone perfectly for the main event yet to come. Voivod are Canadian gems and they got a warm welcome last night, although it did seem that most were not familiar with the material. Regardless, they lit the place up with old school jams for the "moshers", the "headbangers", and the "rock and rollers".

   The Opera House was buzzing as Revocation started their chaotic decent into the void. Starting from the opening track and working their way towards "A Starless Darkness", they did exactly what they said they'd do... and god damn did they do it in style. The pit churned like a maelstrom of lovecraftian horrors in response to energy emitting from the stage. Revocation closed the night off with an old gem and everyone used up what they had left to give! What an unbelievable tour and every band completely delivered the goods! Check out some photos from the madness below! Cheers to all the crazy animals I clashed with in the pit all night and another big cheers to the bands and support crew on this killer tour! /../;,,;/../ Metal Yeti

Revocation

Holy that was a good time! Got to hear Revocation play one of my favourite albums of 2018 in it’s entirety. Here’s some of the #metal fun! 🤘💀🔥 pic.twitter.com/BBf3BNocHY

— Heavy Metal Yeti (@HeavyMetalYetii) September 15, 2019

Voivod

 
Psycroptic

Agreed they were great. And psycroptic were great too, they have a wicked energy and demand a lot from the crowd, which I love! The lead singer is like a shark up there! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/e4HdKFs1wi

— Heavy Metal Yeti (@HeavyMetalYetii) September 15, 2019

Skeletal Remains

Conjurer

/../;,,;/../

In Flames (4 Photos) @ the Guelph Concert Theatre. Guelph, Ontario - Feb 27, 2013

Here is a wicked photo I took while taking a breather from the pit! Absolutely amazing show! Wicked people, wicked metal, wicked night!! \m/ \m/

-Heavy Metal Sasquatch!!