GUDSFORLADT

There was some confusion with the backdrop marquee as to whether this band was first or not for the night. Gudsforladt, or “godforsaken” in English from Danish, made their debut in Toronto with this performance. A one-man project by David Meredith, the five-piece band took the stage with three members in cloaks and two members without. I was blown away by the depth of the band, particularly with the three guitarists in this project, which blended seamlessly with the genre; it was a really refreshing dynamic for an oftentimes “meat and potatoes” genre. The short but intense set provided a gentle warm-up for the night’s incoming crowd, characterized by slow headbanging.

Research online is limited on this band and its touring history. Still, after almost a decade of music, this appears to be the first time they have ventured through North America, and they absolutely commanded both the audience and the stage. I’m glad to have caught this act in person. Will cross my fingers that a new album will bring them back to us again sooner rather than later.

SETLIST
‘Ride Forever In The Shadow Of The Mountain’, ‘The Criminal And His Willing Sacrifice In Repentance’, ‘The Tower Of The Moon’, ‘Heads Bowed In Silent Prayer’, ‘Friendship, Love And War (Valinor’s Canon)’

DÖDSRIT

A band of international origins sharing homes with both Sweden and the Netherlands, Dödsrit approached the stage. For the second time that night, the band had three guitarists again. The first time appearing in both Toronto and North America, this set, just over 35 minutes long, was absolutely blistering and full of energy. Mixing elements from another genre, this wasn’t your typical black metal band, with clean guitars featured in some moments, both combined and solo, and some choice clean singing mixed with growls. This unique style of the performance complemented the night’s lineup.

The venue was very packed throughout the time the band was on stage, complete with lots of headbanging on and off stage and movement in the crowd. With the most recent album, Nocturnal Will, being the focus of the setlist, this band blistered through the setlist with ease and had the crowd wanting more by the end. A few more songs in this set would have pushed this performance to be over the top, as five songs wasn’t enough for me, and the crowd was audibly wanting more as well. It’s still really cool to get this bucket list band off the list.

SETLIST
‘Irjala’, ‘Shallow Graves’, ‘Svard Aska’, ‘Nocturnal Fire’, ‘Celestial Will’

BLACKBRAID

Europe may have brought the first wave of black metal to the world historically, but it has been adapted worldwide. It is rare for a band to be an American black metal band, and it is increasingly rarer still to be an indigenous black metal band. The solo endeavour from Jon Krieger is named Sgah’gahsowah, and the project, musically, is known as Blackbraid. The music released has garnered a cult following that has been gaining momentum and acclaim with each subsequent release. The venue dimmed the lights, and all the screens were mounted to the ceiling from the stage. The main floor resembled a starry sky, with the main screen serving as a forest backdrop featuring a moose. It was a brilliant way to utilize everything in the venue to enhance the artist’s ambience. There was an ethereal chant over the speakers as the band made it onto the stage, with Jon being the final piece of the puzzle.

The just over 75-minute performance touched on all the albums, featuring the best songs across all the chapters or volumes. In another rare moment, the songs from the discography included more older songs than those from the newest album. The band’s energy, cohesiveness, and sheer stage presence from Sgah’gahsowah and the touring band, were notable, including signature face paint worn by all members. Even though this genre is very dark, you could feel the intensity from the stage that absolutely mesmerized the audience into a trance-like state. The touring band members gave lots of room for Sgah’gahsowah to move around, like he had been salivating to do this performance all day, also making use of the microphone stand to add more flair in-between singing, thrusting, and even flipping it upside down in the air.

All of the instruments were absolutely dialled in; the drums sounded massive, which was impressive considering the previous performances, and both guitars and bass were loud and clear throughout while still giving ample space and volume for the vocals to ring through. There were moments where a Native American flute filled the air of the venue. Blackbraid, as a performing act, has proven that they are one of the leaders of this genre on this side of the world. Toronto concertgoers left the venue with smiles on their faces that night. Black metal may be a niche genre for this side of the world, but this opportunity at a larger venue brought out an upgrade and a rare night to remember for all the bands that played.

SETLIST
‘Wardrums At Dawn On The Day Of My Death’, ‘The Spirit Returns’, ‘The Wolf That Guides The Hunters Hand’, ‘Moss Covered Bones On The Altar Of The Moon’, ‘The River Of Time Flows Through Me’, ‘The Dying Breath Of A Sacred Stag’, ‘Twilight Hymn Of Ancient Blood’, ‘As The Creek Flows Softly By’, ‘Sacandaga’, ‘Barefoot Ghost Dance On Blood Soaked Soil’

October 2nd, 2025 @ The Mod Club (Toronto, Ontario)
Images & Words By: Miles George