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

Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage, Testament, & Huntress @ Sound Academy, Toronto - Oct 23, 2013.

     The Heavy Metal Sasquatch is still recovering from the mass chaos that ensued last night at the Sound Academy in Toronto! Regardless of a few minor technical difficulties, all four bands killed their sets with high energy intense metal fury. This concert will be remembered for a long time, having one of the best mosh pits i've been in for years, seeing the thrash gods of Testament, the return of Jesse Leach to Killswitch, a crazy guy on acid in the rafters, the Wall of Death during Black Label, as well as all around good times had by all. Kudos to everyone who clashed with me in the pit, I have a feeling you feel a bit worse than I do today! As well as a huge cheers to all the bands; especially Lamb of God who absolutely destroyed the place last night! Check out some pictures from the night below. 

Huntress

Testament

Killswitch Engage

Lamb of God

-Heavy Metal Sasquatch out \m/