If you asked me which show was going to sell out in 2023 – with all of the wonderful opportunities Toronto and the GTA in general have been graced with – this diverse lineup would not have been on my radar at all, much less being the first sold-out show of the nineteen North American tour dates (selling out within the first seventy-two hours). The tour of Meshuggah, In Flames, and Whitechapel made this happen at one of Toronto’s newest concert venues (History, in the Beaches neighbourhood of East Toronto).
WHITECHAPEL
Hailing from Tennessee, Whitechapel is a deathcore band, with huge roots in the genre often considered leaders at what they do. Having seen Whitechapel before, this performance unfortunately left me wanting more. Short and sweet was on the menu, with just six songs to give us a taste of Whitechapel’s offering. It wasn’t enough to satiate the crowd, however, Toronto did show up early and packed the floor. The band even got a crowd chant from the rabid attendees which was a sign of the night to come. Vocalist Phil Bozeman absolutely took advantage of all the real estate of the large stage of the venue, like an animal getting a large area to play in for the first time. Unfortunately, the sound was muted throughout the performance, which didn’t do the band any favours, but the energy was high, and it was an excellent opener to get the night warmed up. Closing with the song ‘The Saw Is The Law’ was the perfect choice to this short set, which managed to get the crowd warmed up for the rest of the evening.
Setlist Let Me Burn Forgiveness Is Weakness Brimstone We Are One A Bloodsoaked Symphony The Saw Is the Law
IN FLAMES
Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden In Flames have been pioneers of what they do best (melodic death metal), and Toronto got a very good taste of this offering on this night. New bassist, Liam Wilson (Dillinger Escape Plan), was absolutely dialed in from the first note to the last. In Flames got a nice chant from the audience in-between songs (which vocalist Anders Friden jokingly gave the crowd grief over, and told them to chant for Whitechapel instead). Unfortunately, fifty-ish minutes wasn’t enough time for In Flames, even as a support act. That being said, the fifty minutes was certainly a great escape. Minus some minor issues during one of the songs, the band really showed cohesiveness, delivering on the low-end with both the drums and the bass. Anders’ vocals were on point all night, and the banter in-between songs was hilarious (joking about multiple topics), and the tag team of Bjorn and Chris was absolutely bulletproof throughout. Much like my comments about Whitechapel, In Flames could have benefited from an extra song or two (an hour would have been awesome for them in this lineup). Can’t wait to see them again… sooner then later!
Setlist The Beginning Of All Things That Will End Foregone Pt. 1 Deliver Us Darker Times Everything’s Gone All For Me Behind Space Cloud Connected State Of Slow Decay The Mirror’s Truth I Am Above Take This Life
MESHUGGAH
With seven years elapsed since Meshuggah last graced Toronto with a performance, the rabid, sold-out crowd was ready to go minutes before the intro and the opening song (the crowd chanting and stomping their feet). ‘Careless Whispers’ was the intro to the band’s performance, which brought a surge of energy out of the crowd, everyone singing, grooving, and even dancing with people around them. Meshuggah offered what I would consider to be a master class at what they do best. No one sounds like them in respect to the grinding, extreme/technical death metal fans have grown to love. For the entirety of the performance, the floor of History was non-stop movement, a literal wall-to-wall pit with bodies flying and people going in circles. There was almost next to no crowd interaction from vocalist Jens Kidman, except very minimal. It literally was a continual onslaught of technically excellent metal for close to a hour. Personally, I am very happy that ‘Bleed’ was brought back into the setlist (even if it was an encore song). ‘Demiurge’ closed out the night, an awesome closer to a bullet-proof setlist!
All in all, a wonderful Friday night of metal, from a very diverse lineup of bands, and Toronto thanked them by selling out the venue and packing it in tightly.
Setlist Careless Whisper (intro) Broken Cog Rational Gaze Perpetual Black Second Born In Dissonance Ligature Marks The Abysmal Eye Mind’s Mirrors In Death – Is Life In Death – Is Death Humiliative Future Breed Machine Bleed (encore) Demiurge (encore)
Born as an international project based in New York City with members from Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Colombia, and the US, Castrator have existed since 2013. Unfortunately, the band hasn’t been very active on the recorded front (with one demo, EP, and full-length released in that time). Last year, the band released their debut full-length Defiled In Oblivion to great fan-fare. As a result, the band have been far more active over the last several months, culminating in the opening spot on the Cattle Decapitation, Immolation, and Sanguisugabogg tour.
Castrator hit the stage in Toronto to a sizeable crowd who definitely were showing the band some appreciation. A pit formed a few songs in and didn’t let up for the rest of the set. The band’s mix of old-school death metal and contemporary death metal turned out to be the perfect fit for the rest of the night’s performances. A killer, high-energy set that certainly garnered the band some new fans on this night.
Setlist Tormented By Atrocities Forsaken And Deprived Inquisition Sins Dawa Of Yousafzai Befoul My Existence Sinister Mind Tyrant’s Verdict Countess Bathory
SANGUISUGABOGG
Colombus, Ohio nonsensically-named death metallers Sanguisugabogg are riding a wave of praise and interest in the world of extreme metal. Everywhere you look, the gaboggs are sure to be there. In fact, I have a sneaky suspicion that many in attendance tonight were there specifically to see these guys. Not that Cattle and Immolation didn’t pull a ton of people, but both bands have made Toronto priority over the last year, with several stops each in the city.
Sanguisugabogg proved tonight what all the hype is about… a class act that marries brutal/slam-inspired death metal with a tongue firmly planted in cheek. The guys definitely know how to control the stage, giving us a mesmerizing and fun performance. Definitely catch these guys if you get a chance.
Setlist Black Market Vasectomy Face Ripped Off Pissed A Lesson In Savagery Permanently Fucked Mortal Admonishment Necrosexual Deviant Dead As Shit
IMMOLATION
New York death metal legends Immolation never fail to blow minds from the stage. At this point, they have absolutely perfected their craft and watching them is a lesson in the mastery of showmanship and technical execution. Having hit Toronto three times in the last year, the crowd was quite in tune with what the band were laying down, which was a nice mix of classic material and material from the last couple of albums. It’s incredible to see such a young crowd so into a band that has been kicking around for four decades. It gives hope for the future of death metal!
Setlist And The Flames Wept All That Awaits Us The Age Of No Light Dawn Of Possession Once Ordained When The Jackals Come Let The Darkness In Abandoned An Act Of God Higher Coward Epiphany
CATTLE DECAPITATION
As the reigning kings of vegan-inspired death/grind, the boys in Cattle Decapitation have grown larger-than-life over the last several years, becoming a headlining band. This is testament to how much work the band puts into their craft. As one of the hardest-working bands in extreme metal, especially on the live front, Cattle Decap have earned every single accolade.
Tonight, the guys were on fire, delivering a vicious onslaught of songs that comprised nearly their entire catalog of recorded material. The crowd responded in kind, sending body over body over the security gate at the front of the stage (nearly taking out the handful of brave photographers who were holding their ground). All in all, an incredible performance that would be hard to top!
Setlist Terrasitic Adaptation We Eat Our Young Scourge Of The Offspring Dead Set On Suicide The Storm Upstairs Bring Back The Plague Finish Them Solastalgia A Photic Doom Vulturous Time’s Cruel Curtain Pacific Grim
Interview with Vocalist Jemiina Heloise of SWANSONG
Interview with Jemiina Heloise, Lead Vocalist of Melodic Death Metal band SWANSONG. Hailing from Finland they recently released their debut full length album Awakening. They also have one EP released in 2022 titled Winter Maiden.
Interview by Blake Mossey
Photo by: Teemu Myöhänen/Karmamediafi
The Metal Pit:Your bands debut full length album just came out recently. How happy are you with early reviews and fans reactions?
Jemiina Heloise: It has been amazing and we are very honored and grateful. It has truly surprised us and we are very excited! I have been a bit emotional, it feels so amazing!
I myself (Blake Mossey) wrote a album review and was really impressed with what I heard. In my review I stated that your songs didn’t really follow the traditional structure of songs. Was this something the band set out to do or did it just come naturally?
JH: Thank you so much! Everything comes naturally. We don’t plan or calculate these things: Topi is a very emotional guitar player and composer. He composes freely and lets his emotions run. No one is telling him what to do or what not to do.
When I do the lyrics and arrangements, I also just let everything come out and I see the story of the song in front of me. I don’t usually change things afterwards. I do it freely without restrictions or rules. We trust in our intuition what it comes to making our music.
For anyone that hasn’t heard your band yet how would you describe your bands sound?
JH: It is a bit difficult to describe it, since it has so many elements. But 80’s and 90’s beautiful guitar harmonies iced with thick layer of brutal, versatile extreme vocals. The vocals are influenced by such bands as Dark Tranquillity, 90s melodeath, death and black metal, and for a more modern use of sound from Shadow Of Intent. In terms of composition, the biggest influences are Iron Maiden, Children Of Bodom and the 80´s neo classical metal, to name a couple. Brutal yet catchy!
Do you have any immediate plans for shows to play these songs live?
JH: Definitely yes, and we can’t wait for that! But we can’t announce anything yet. So please follow our social media to keep updated!
Do you personally have a favorite track or 2 on this album?
JH: It is hard to choose, because they are different. But I would have to say my favorite right now is ‘Shot In The Heart’ because the music is so versatile. It reminds me of Children Of Bodom a bit. There is a femme fatale story and low growls in some parts. This is a story about a woman your mother warned you about, we all know the type. Fascinating but deadly.
Another favorite is ‘Frost Of Winter’, An atmospheric, melancholic and melodic beautiful song that tells about separation, life lived or death depending on the listener. When life has been experienced, the world seen, a home built and lost, a heart broken and it’s time to leave: ‘Frost of Winter’ take me away deep into the land. Wash away all my sorrows, for my time has come. Bury me and walk away.
As a bonus I have to mention ‘Blood Widow’ since it has crazy extreme vocals and double vocals in verses: high and low growls on top of each other.
The musicianship on this album really impressed me. Introduce your band mates?
JH: Thank you! Yeah the guys are amazing and experienced players! I am very thankful to be in the same band with them.
Topi Pitkänen: our composer and guitarist, best known from metal band Verjnuarmu. Topi loves 80s and 90s heavy metal and Children Of Bodom. He is highly skilled and plays emotional solos. When a guitarist is both emotional and technical: BOOM! Amazing composer. He just sits down with his guitar and creates all this amazing music from nowhere.
Tuomas Leskinen/Finn Widdow: Our guitarist, best known from Carnal Demise, Bad Baron. He is something else! How cool is it to be in a band with TWO AWESOME technical solo guitarists?! Tuomas makes half of the solos by himself and he is incredible. He is the type of guitarist that when he hears Topi’s composing, he grabs his guitar, goes through it and then he can perform it almost instantly. Impressive! He is skillful and he has also been a tour hired gun for such bands as the mighty Bloodred Hourglass.
Lauri Huovinen our bass player, best known from Bad Baron and Late_Lokakuun. Lauri is a skillful bass player and also an incredible clean voice vocalist in his own bands. Topi sends the songs to him and he creates awesome bass beats in them with no guidance or anything. This guy does not need anyone’s guidance, because he has the talent to create and dive into music. Everything comes so naturally and effortlessly from him, natural talent! He also shares my love for deathcore, cool guy! Lucky to have him.
Jimi Myöhänen our drummer, best known from Sadistik Forest, Se Josta Ei Puhuta, and Kaera. Jimi is incredible. Every time I go to see gigs somewhere in Kuopio, people come up to me and praise Jimi! It is so cool! He is fast and accurate. He has a sense of style with his drum arrangements and also he has speed and danger in his playing! He also shares my love for many extreme metal bands. He is admired by many people: I know because they have come up to me and told me that. I think he does not even know how good he is. He recorded our debut album drums in one day.
How did the band come together?
JH: Well I had old lyrics and song arrangements in my own archive, that I had not shown to anyone. Topi is an amazing guitarist and I decided to show my lyrics to him. He liked them and he played me his old riffs and guitar melodies from his computer. I really loved them and we decided to join our forces and make music together.
At first this was just for fun: playing music on the weekends Tomas Ahlroos, Markus Tikkanen and Mika Tikkanen made our first EP with us, great talented guys!
But with the attention we got with our EP “Winter Maiden” our band grew. Not everyone have the time to be in a growing band and that is understandable. So that is why we had a change in our band members. No drama, just life and schedules against us. The guys are still our friends of course and follow and support us.
Topi asked Finn Widow to join, because he liked his skills with the guitar. And after we got the record deal with Noble Demon records, we asked Jimi Myöhänen and Lauri to join us. And gladly they did!
Where did the band name SWANSONG come from?
JH: I live in the countryside in a lake house. Every year the same swan couple returns to my beach cottage, so I love swans. That image is inspiring. Also death is a natural and interesting theme in songwriting and swansong stands for that in a beautiful way. And of course Carcass has a killer album called Swansong so many things led us to this name.
What is the song writing process within your band?
JH: Topi Pitkänen our guitarist composes everything, I make the lyrics. Arrangement is 50% by me and 50% by Topi. I create at my own peace and so does Topi We all trust each other.
What vocalists (for you) or bands influenced you and the band to play this style of metal?
JH: Topi’s influences are mostly Iron Maiden, Amorphis and Children Of Bodom to name a few.
For me there are so many influences starting from my youth: Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Cradle Of Filth, Children Of Bodom, Demented and Go (psychobilly band with horror themed lyrics), Kalmah, Amoprhis, Dark Tranquillity, Soilwork, and In Flames. Behemoth’s Nergal, Finntroll Mathias Vreth Lillmåns, Death vocalist Chuck Schuldiner. Moonsorrow is amazing. So many influences. I think it is a good thing to be in love with so many metal genres. I went to school wearing a Cannibal Corpse hoodie, our teacher was not happy!
And of course deathcore bands Lorna Shore and Shadow of Intent inspire me to evolve and train my vocals to be more versatile hopefully. Ben Duerr from Shadow Of Intent is amazing! Growling women also inspire me and they have shown the way: the legendary Arch Enemy. What they have done for all women: respect. So many awesome bands out there, I could talk for hours about this subject. And I have to mention Nightwish. I had their posters on my walls.
The band is from Finland What are the biggest positives of being a metal band from Finland?
JH: Snow everywhere, awesome landscape, lots of lakes and nature. Great place to write metal music. Forests everywhere so you can take your promo pics and get lost in the woods (just joking). People here are passionate about metal and we Finns are lucky that people around the world have supported Finnish music.
What if any are the negatives of being a metal band from Finland?
JH: Maybe long distance.
You sing very extreme metal vocals. Did you take lessons for this type of vocals?
JH: Thank you! When I started, I asked Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns (Finntroll, …And Oceans) to show me how to start doing it safely! I did not want to harm my vocal chords.
Markus Laakso (musician, artist, writer, author, journalist, so much more) helped me to get in contact with him. Mathias showed me how to get started in a skype meeting and then I started to train them by myself at home: I study extreme vocals on my own and I train them, I want to get better and evolve.
If you could open for any metal band out there which would it be?
JH: Difficult question because there are so many! In Flames, Soilwork, Carcass, Arch Enemy, Cradle Of Filth, Shadow Of Intent, Amorphis, Bloodred Hourglass (this happened earlier!), Finntroll, Amon Amarth, Iron Maiden, Kalmah, Swallow The Sun, and Behemoth.. The list goes on!
What is the biggest challenge of being a fairly new metal band in 2023?
JH: There is so much awesome new music coming that it is hard to get noticed. Also people love the old familiar metal songs and bands, me included. So it is challenging, but we are so happy and amazed that so many people have discovered our music!
Thank you for taking the time with me today. Anything you would like to add to this interview?
JH: Thank you so much for the awesome review and this interview was truly an honor! Great job lifting metal music and artists through your page.
Also thank you all so so much from all of us to everyone who has listened to our music! Without you there would be no Swansong, so PEDAL TO THE METAL!!
Thanks and I wish you all the best to you and your band.
Therion is one of the foremost bands in the symphonic metal scene, and it’s easy to see why. The group made a huge impact on the genre with its contribution, pushing the envelope and setting the bar higher with its massive wall of sound. The band emerged in the early 1990s when metal acts were experimenting with incorporating orchestral and symphonic elements into their music. However, Therion took the concept further by blending metal with classical and operatic elements. This is something that we kind of take for granted today, and it’s partly due to the impact of this band!
With such a significant background, a new release from Therion is always exciting. Their upcoming album, Leviathan III is yet another chapter in the band’s saga. Therion is renowned for creating concept albums and ambitious projects that go beyond the typical structure of metal albums, and this is no exception. This eclectic studio work features 11 tracks, marking the band’s progressive leanings and constant willingness to embrace new challenges while staying true to its aesthetics.
📸: Mina Karadzic
Available through Napalm Records, the album is the third installment in the “Leviathan” trilogy and perhaps the longest and most intense of the three releases. The sonic variety is truly impressive. Not only is there room for traditional metal influences and large symphonic sections, but The band also explores unique ideas, such as a the flamenco-tinged melodies of the song ‘Duende’, which are completely unexpected. The song ‘Twilight Of The Gods’ offers a brooding, doom-infused arrangement, serving as a truly ethereal and raw segment on the album.
Overall, Leviathan III denotes Therion’s willingness to evolve and experiment with its sound. With so many years under its belt, the band doesn’t need to prove anything, but it’s still eager to make steps forward and enhance the creativity of its vision.
ALBUM REVIEW: CHILDREN OF BODOM
Children Of Bodom: A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom (Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019)
Reviewed by: Jim Harrison
Review Score: 9.5
Legendary Finnish melodic death/doom metal band Children Of Bodom will release their new live recording of their last live show called, A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom (Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019). This recording is very important as not only is it the last show COB played as a band but also was prior to the untimely death of guitarist and vocalist Alexi Laiho on December 29, 2020.
Children of Bodom formed in 1998 and released a total of ten studio albums, two live albums, two EP’s, two compilation albums and one DVD in their storied career. With a huge catalog spanning over two decades they became a genre defining piece to the early 2000’s metal scene creating a fast, heavy vibe with the addition of keyboards that’s made their sound totally distinctive. Their origin of the name was derived from the Lake Bodom murders in 1960 and carries an interesting story.
The final line up upon their split in 2019 were, Alexi Laiho, vocals and lead guitar, Jaska Raatikainan drums, Henkka Seppälä bass, Jane Wirman keyboards and Daniel Freyberg rhythm guitar. Laiho and Freyberg carried on as Bodom After Midnight in 2020 up until Alexi Laiho’s death.
This live album has all their hits and incudes eighteen tracks with great audience participation and interaction.
There are so many great moments on this album and personally for myself as a huge fan I love the fact that the show starts ‘Under The Grass and Clover’ which ignites the show and really sets the tone for the cerebral assault and you can tell it gets the crowd amped up.
Some of the other highlights for me are the classic tracks ‘In Your Face’ that is such an amazing live track. ‘Shovel Knockout’ is another crowd pleaser as well is ‘Bodom Beach Terror’ that showcases Wirman’s keyboards. The ominous ‘Every Time I Die’ adds a doom sound and pounds the audience into total submission, this is one of my favourite COB songs.
Fan favourites, ‘Are You Dead Yet’ and ‘Blood Drunk’ gets the fans into a hyped frenzy. Tracks ‘Follow the Reaper’ and ‘Hate Crew Deathroll’ will please all COB fans new and old as these are hits that showcase how great this band is.
Another one of my all time favourite songs is ‘Lake Bodom’ which has a classical vibe that rips into a face melter of a track. The audience is going wild for this one and it’s so heavy with Laiho’s signature voice just ripping through this. This sounds so good live and you can feel the excitement. The last track ‘Downfall’ from their second album Hatebreeder that was released in 1999 and actually was the last track on that album. What a great way to end the album, fast and heavy.
This is a special release not only for being their last performance but acting as an ongoing memorial to Alexi Laiho’s legacy and Children of Bodom’s contribution to the metal movement. This will be a great addition to any Children of Bodom fans collection and serves as a great way to bring in some new listeners who hopefully will check out their back catalog and see how musically, vocally and lyrically talented this band is.
Definitely pick this album up and play it at eleven!
A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom (Final Show in Helsinki Ice Hall 2019) drops December 15, 2023 via Spinefarm.
