Lets talk about this, Thrash Metal, Death Metal and anything in between. Thats what took over Toronto's Opera House on October 29th, 2014. Headlined by
ARCH ENEMY to show off their new album,
"War Eternal," and
Alissa White-Gluz from the Canadian band
THE AGONIST as the new front woman. Joining them on this tour are little known Melodic Blackened/Death band
STARKILL, Stoner/Doom witch fronted
HUNTRESS, and the masters of German Thrash themselves
KREATOR! What a line up eh?
STARKILL opened up the night and got the crowd ready, only playing about 4 songs they blazed right though their set but not without leaving a trail of exhausted metalheads. They not only opened the pits and got everyone ready for what's to come but they played a tight set and get heads banging hard!
Following up these guys is the only band on the bill I've seen before, HUNTRESS, coming a long way since the release of their first album, HUNTRESS played Mayhem Festival 2013 and their next tour is in Europe with AMON AMARTH and SAVAGE MESSIAH. To boot, the witch Jill Janus has one hell of a set of lungs on her and it seems like a ton of fans showed up specifically for HUNTRESS. From this point on the venue is packed, heads banging people singing along with "Zenith" and joints have started to fill the air with smoke, Toronto managed to do as the band asked and "blaze the sky." To add on, anyone who is a fan of HUNTRESS got a special treat when they played a new song from their upcoming album!
Setlist:
1. Spell Eater
2. Destroy Your Life
3. Stoked (New Song)
4. Zenith
5. Children
6. Black Tongue
7. Eight Of Swords
Thrash legends KREATOR, have now hit the stage after they filled the entire venue with smoke from the fog machines. Playing old and new songs like, killing each and every song and getting the echo from the crowd during "Phobia" was an unreal experience. Blasting through "Violent Revolution" to open their set they got the crowd moving and the pits were some of the biggest I've seen at this venue. Not to mention, I've missed KREATOR 3 times since I got into them, finally getting to see them play some of my Favorites was amazing. "Enemy Of God" had the crowd yelling along with each and every word but it was the intro to "Hordes Of Chaos" that got me. Listening to the crowd sing along with the opening riff was a scene I've never seen before, and it wasn't the last time it happened! KREATOR closed out their set with a real oldie, "Pleasure To Kill" was what prepped the crowd for what was to come.
Setlist:
1. Violent Revolution
2. Civilization Collapse
3. Extreme Aggression
4. Phobia
5. Enemy Of God
6. Voices Of The Dead
7. Endless Pain
8. Victory Will Come
9. Mars Mantra/Phantom Antichrist
10. Impossible Brutality
11. Hordes Of Chaos (Necrologue Of The Elite)
12. Pleasure To Kill
Now for the main attraction, ARCH ENEMY with black flags on the stage with the legion continue to march under a new leader? I will for sure. Alissa was picked by Angela for a reason to front the band, not to mention the amazing guitar work of ex-CARCASS member Michael Amott. The band played mostly songs from when Angela was still the vocalist and its incredible how well they were preformed. Part way through the set Alissa disappeared from the stage only to return flying a Canada flag, and the crowd goes wild! Masterfully going from song to song with little sections in between of taunting the crowd to be louder. For the beginning of "Under Black Flags We March" Alissa disappeared once more this time to return with a giant black flag on a pole flying it over the crowd. Alissa has been one of the only vocalists I've seen yo manage to get the entire crowd to do her bidding. When she says jump, the crowd jumped. "No Gods, No Masters" was done perfectly, better than I ever could have expected waiting to see this song finally was worth it. After "We Will Rise" the band said goodnight and left the stage. After a little chanting the music began again and the band blasted into "Yesterday Is Dead And Gone" and "Blood On Your Hands" before once again saying goodnight and leaving the stage. Michael Amott and Nick Cordle returned to play "Snow Bound" slowly as each of the members came back it happened, the moment I was waiting for. "Nemesis" started and the crowd went mad, the crowd chanted each and every word and was basically all you could hear in the chorus. Finally, for the last time of the night the band said goodnight and the show was officially over.
Setlist:
1. Enemy Within
2. War Eternal
3. Ravenous
4. Revolution Begins
5. My Apocalypse
6. You Will Know My Name
7. Bloodstained Cross
8. Under Black Flags We March
9. As The Pages Burn
10. Dead Eyes See No Future
11. No Gods, No Masters
12. Dead Bury Their Dead
13. We Will Rise
14. Yesterday Is Dead And Gone
15. Blood On Your Hands
16. Snow Bound
17. Nemesis
