SEVEN KINGDOMS

One of my first interactions with this band was a headlining night out at a venue in Toronto called the Bovine, which was the last time they were in town, towards the end of 2023. To see this progression from one of the smallest venues in town to performing on this stage was bittersweet and quite the deserving glow-up, even if it’s just the opening slot. Being a Saturday night, the venue had a good amount of the crowd already in place for Seven Kingdoms to open up the night. Adorned with stuffed hamburgers on stage is not something that you would mix in with power metal and hits of thrash blended in on paper, but this band just oozes fun and charisma way before the first song is completed. Keeping to the two very recent releases, Zenith (the full-length from 2022), and The Square (an EP from 2024), this short but intense set brought the crowd alive with not only movement but also fists in the air, chanting “hey hey hey.” The very stable band lineup made the set seem flawless; everyone is giving it their all while making it look effortless. The trading of guitar shreds was absolutely on point and infectious.

To end the performance, a special inflatable cheeseburger graced the stage and danced the last song away, traditionally saved for the last show of the tour, but the call was made to do this for the last Canadian date, and vocalist Sabrina said it perfectly: “You might not get it, and that’s ok; we’re here to have fun.” Fun was definitely had when Seven Kingdoms dominated the stage, as the one-hit wonder “What Is Love” played out on the PA.

SETLIST
‘Diamond Handed’, ‘A Silent Remedy’, ‘The Serpent And The Lotus’, ‘Valonqar’, ‘Wilted Pieces’, ‘Through These Waves’, ‘In The Wall’

ENSIFERUM

For the second time this calendar year, the Finnish folk metal legends Ensiferum graced a Toronto stage. Starting things off with a very short intro and right into music from the most recent album, Winter Storm, from 2024, the band asked, “Are you guys ready to get fucking loud?!?!” Cheers from the hyped-up Toronto crowd filled the theatre in a rousing approval. Having this band play main support instead of headliner, it would be impossible for them to cover everything from their just over thirty-year career, but the setlist touched almost every album. There is a seriousness to folk music, and the band’s uniform face paint and markings, but collectively they looked like this was one of the best nights of the tour. The bassist deserves a huge shout-out, as Sami Hinkka ran back and forth, maximizing every single inch of the stage, not missing a single note, headbanging, and throwing the horns at every opportunity possible. Not to be outdone, Pekka Montin brought out some insane operatic clean vocals on classic songs from before his time with the band, just making every single song deeper. Closing off this rampage of a set off with ‘In My Sword I Trust’, one of the most performed songs by the band, turned the pit into a feverish frenzy to finish things off.

SETLIST
‘Aurora – Intro’, ‘Winter Storm Vigilantes’, ‘Way Of The Warrior’, ‘Andromeda’, ‘Fatherland’, ‘Heathen Horde’, ‘Guardians Of Fate’, ‘Into Battle’, ‘In My Sword I Trust’

BLIND GUARDIAN

Before the band even hit the stage, there were loud chants from the crowd for the band’s name, something that seems awfully rare in my concert-going; for me, that energy translates to instant goose bumps. The venue floor was packed and boisterous by this point, and rightfully so; aside from a visit last year, the band had not been to Toronto since 2015, and on this night, a Saturday show, everyone was laser-focused on this album celebration and more. Not knowing this band or its music, it was very interesting to see this German power metal band as a touring six-piece. It’s not often that a keyboardist is brought along for a tour, but it absolutely enhanced the music right out of the gate, as the keys went into overdrive, handling a lot of different instruments throughout the performance and filling in the gaps. “I can’t imagine a better place to be on this Saturday evening; Toronto always leaves us with a big impression of a fantastic show,” this performance started off, not with the album play-through right away, but four choice songs, two from Nightfall In Middle-Earth (from 1998) and two from the most recent release, The God Machine (from 2022).

After the band had warmed up, it was time for the main event of the set and the play-through of Somewhere Far Beyond. Nothing was said for the transition from these four songs into the album, but musically, there was a shift into softer music with the first song, ‘Time, What Is Time’, for maybe half a minute, and then the guitars just came over in full blistering force for a couple of seconds and then soaring guitar work. This was a masterclass of power metal and what this band can do. With this song, Blind Guardian had the crowd in their hands, as Toronto was very quick to join in singing with the chorus, even when not asked to do so. ‘Theatre Of Pain’ and ‘Ashes To Ashes’ were standout songs to listen to for the first time live. ‘The Bard’s Song — In The Forest,’ they brought out dual acoustic guitars, and the passionate crowd forced Hansi Kürsch to take a backseat on vocals, absolutely overpowering him to the point where he took a break from singing for this song multiple times. Even rarer still, ‘The Piper’s Calling,’ with bagpipes over the PA system, was wonderfully emotional to listen to, even if it was just a short break before the last song and the title track, ‘Somewhere Far Beyond.’

There were elements of being impressed by the band to this point in the performance, but the best was truly for last, as this song brought together the band’s best parts in a perfect ending to the main part of the set. The encore was introduced by Hansi in a tongue-in-cheek fashion: “This is not a wishing well; you do not get what you want, you get what we have in mind to be played,” which teased one song but translated into four more additional songs, equaling a five-song encore to round out and complete this almost two-hour set from a band more than four decades into their epic music journey.

Toronto, “the outstanding crowd,” showed up for this band, and I’m not convinced that, after this performance and its roller coaster of music and emotion, the crowd was exhausted by the masterclass from Blind Guardian, who promised they would be back very soon.

SETLIST
‘War Of Wrath’, ‘Into The Storm’, ‘Blood Of The Elves’, ‘Nightfall’, ‘Violent Shadows’, ‘Somewhere Far Beyond’, ‘Time What Is Time’, ‘Journey Through The Dark’, ‘Black Chamber’, ‘Theatre Of Pain’, ‘The Quest For Tanelorn’, ‘Ashes To Ashes’, ‘The Bard’s Song – In The Forest’, ‘The Bard’s Song – The Hobbit’, ‘The Piper’s Calling’, ‘Majesty’, ‘Lord Of The Rings’, ‘Valhalla’, ‘Mirror Mirror’, ‘Lost In The Twilight Hall’, ‘Sacred Worlds (Orchestral Outro)’