ANCIIENTS | UNREQVITED | DAWN OF OUROBOROS

THE SETUP…

Canada’s sheer musical talent is a force to be reckoned with. The world’s second-largest country comes with its geographical obstacles, which is why bands—whether local or international—tend not to tour from coast to coast. Anciients (yes, with two I’s), hailing from Vancouver, have toured from west to east. Doing a four-day tour of Ontario and Quebec dubbed East Canada, Toronto was thankfully the first stop, featuring heavy hitters like Canada’s own Unreqvited and American West Coasters Dawn Of Ouroboros. The multi-purpose venue, The Garrison, was in for a heavy night of music brought to the masses by Inertia Entertainment.

DAWN OF OUROBOROS

A West Coast sandwich of bands started the night off with a group I previously saw in 2024. The evening began with California’s Dawn Of Ouroboros, and even though it was only my second time seeing them, they continued to impress. The vocalist, Chelsea Murphy, has made great strides, alternating between two microphones during the performance—ranging from the harshest growls and screams to the most melodic singing—all while commanding the stage in a flowing, headbanging fashion. This not only caught the audience’s attention but also resonated with the concertgoers on the floor. The two guitarists took the time to hit all of the progressive metal notes, trading riffs back and forth for seemingly the entire performance. Lastly, the drummer was easily the loudest member of the band during this short but impactful set. Still touring on their newest album, Bioluminescence, from 2025, the music was completely new to a majority of us; however, given previous years’ release schedules, new music should be around the corner. The performance, although great, was missing a live bassist in comparison to their last visit. Still, the band churned out a groovy, progressive-filled set lasting close to thirty-five minutes—a set that would have benefited more from the heavier tones that only a live bass could provide.

In any event, Dawn Of Ouroboros was not only a great choice for an opener on an evening filled with four-piece bands, but their music was also loud, causing a fair bit of movement from the swaying crowd and noticeable headbangs of approval.

UNREQVITED

Of the acts on this bill, Unreqvited is the band I have seen the most. Hailing from our nation’s capital, Ottawa, Unreqvited returned to Toronto after three years. I am not sure if the crowd was aware of this absence or how rare it is for this band to take the stage, but a hush fell over the audience before the intro played, featuring the vocalist and guitarist named “鬼” alongside three other live musicians. Unreqvited continues to deliver a blend of post-black metal with melodic ambiance that no one else is doing—at least in my concert-going experience. The performance was mostly instrumental, with pockets of vocals here and there, to the point where I was not sure when the songs began or ended. Again, for the second time tonight, the drums easily dominated everything else. Standing in front of the stage and listening to the audio coming out of the speakers, the sheer power of the drummer hitting the kit was enough to make your brain rattle. Considering how rare it is for Unreqvited to tour—even though they’re so close to our city—this was my fourth time seeing them perform. In my eyes, it cemented the band as Canadian leaders of the subgenre, backed by seven full-length albums over their decade-long existence, including their seventh and newest album, A Pathway To The Moon, released in 2025. I cannot wait for the band to return soon to hear what is musically new from them. There was not much body movement aside from unison headbanging on the floor.

ANCIIENTS

Bookending the night, our West Coast Canadian and two-time Juno Award-winning band, Anciients, was up as the main event. They have been on my radar for years, but sadly, the timing had never worked out to see them live before tonight. I had always heard the band described as progressive metal, though online descriptions add “extreme” to the label. I am not sure what pushes them toward such a powerful, niche version of prog metal; however, throughout the setlist, I heard snippets and grooves from many progressive bands, along with hints of other genres embedded in the music. For those still in the audience at this point in the evening, it took next to no time for the band to completely mesmerize everyone with incredibly catchy melodies and thick riffs. The bassist—the newest member to join the fold—was as clear as a bell, picking away at the strings to add a chunky, thudding groove to the mix. I was hooked, and it quickly became apparent why this band has won two of the highest musical awards our country offers.

For close to sixty minutes (which felt like five minutes in the best concert way possible), the British Columbia band took everyone on a journey through multiple tempos with bouts of trading riffs and duelling guitar-on-guitar and guitar-on-bass action, complete with moments where the whole band headbanged together. Some songs felt like a roller coaster—they are simply a super-talented band. The setlist was dominated by their most recent release, Beyond The Reach Of The Sun. Aside from that material, ‘Buried In Sand’ finished off the night. After much headbanging by the crowd, an hour was not enough, as a major portion of the audience at the front of the stage was screaming, “One more song!” I would have gladly joined them from the back of the room; as a first experience, I was thoroughly impressed. Surely the band heard the noise from the crowd, so even coming from the other side of the country, Anciients will thankfully be back.

SETLIST
‘Forbidden Sanctuary’, ‘The Torch’, ‘Following The Voice’, ‘Worshipper’, ‘My Home, My Gallows’, ‘Melt The Crown’, ‘Despoiled’, ‘Is It Your God?’, ‘Buried In Sand’