THE SETUP…

Montreal’s Cryptopsy are an enigma. Formed all the way back in ’88 as Necrosis by drummer Mike Atkin, guitarist Steve Thibault, and bassist John Todds, and later joined by Lord Worm (Dan Greening) on vocals in 1990. The guys changed their name to Cryptopsy in ’92, the very same year that drummer extraordinaire Flo Mounier joined the fold. The long and short of it is that Cryptopsy would go on to become one of Canada’s biggest exports of technically-minded brutal death metal, accumulating a massive fan base that spans the globe. Now here is the kicker: the guys are bigger than they’ve ever been, attracting an entirely new generation of rabid fans. One look around tonight’s headlining performance in London, Ontario, Canada, and it was clear that the majority of the crowd was Gen Z (ages 15 to 25), and even younger. While older fans originally built the band’s foundation, they’ve managed to avoid the “legacy act” tag worn by their peers by combining algorithmic music discovery with a renaissance in live energy. On platforms such as TikTok, it’s common to see tracks like ‘Phobophile’ or ‘Slit Your Guts’ tossed into playlists for younger fans who are listening to newer tech-death or slam bands. What Cryptopsy does best, though, is connecting with fans from the stage. The always charismatic frontman Matt McGachy and his partners in extremity summon a whirlwind of chaotic energy that is then fed right back into the room. For a seventeen-year-old looking to unleash unbridled fury, these guys are akin to dark prophets channelling a sacred, high-decibel liturgy of sheer sonic violence. This is the Cryptopsy live experience in 2026.

BORNBROKEN

Getting the night off to an excellent start was Montreal’s BornBroken. These guys are always solid, delivering straight-up, no-frills groove metal with a thrashened, slightly metalcore-like attack. Much like Cryptopsy, these guys have been paying their dues through nearly twenty years of solid releases (2013’s The Healing Powers Of Hate, 2018’s The Years of Harsh Truths And Little Lies, and 2024’s Am I Invisible), along with countless live shows over the years, the most notable being their appearance at this year’s Wacken Open Air over in Germany, a coveted gig they earned by winning the national Wacken Metal Battle Canada championship. If tonight’s incredibly vicious and stomp-filled assault was any indication, these guys are gonna see some big things happening in the very near future. My suggestion to the guys: don’t change a single thing… just keep crushing heads on bigger and bigger stages and tours. Fantastic stuff!

EATEN BY SHARKS

And here we have another Wacken Metal Battle Canada National contender. St. Catharines, Ontario’s Eaten By Sharks made it all the way to the 2023 finals, only to be bested by Strigampire (a melodic black metal/rock band from Trois-Rivières, Quebec). Nevertheless, I am only familiar with Eaten By Sharks, so what does that tell ya? Tonight, the guys brought their very best (I mean, ya kinda have to when supporting the mighty Cryptopsy), running through a smorgasbord of technical death metal and modern, beatdown-heavy deathcore-like extremity. There is a connection here, too. The guys recorded their latest album, 2026’s The Undertow Of Hate, with Cryptopsy guitarist/studio engineer extraordinaire, Christian Donaldson. This was the point in the evening when the pit decided to finally open up, and it was vicious and uncontrollable, setting the stage and mood for what was still to come. A bloody fantastic set by a seasoned and incredibly talented bunch of Ontarians!

SENTIMENT DISSOLVE

Hometown homeboys Sentiment Dissolve are a unique entity, combining hyper-speed technicality and the slammiest of slams while still remaining slightly tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing. In fact, they describe themselves as “fast music for slow people.” Tonight, there wasn’t anything slow about their performance, apart from the Neanderthalic, Cheeto-dust-in-beard slams that sent the pit into a frenzy. Vocalist Nathan Ferreira lumbers around the stage like a deranged ape spewing out rapid-fire bars à la Archspire, seamlessly blending low gutturals and shrieks, while bassist Spinny Guibault, decked out in hot pink spandex pants (as he always is), bounced around the stage plucking out progressive and spacey instrumental leads on his four (or five?) stringed beast. These guys are always a blast to watch… It’s never boring and always uncompromising!

CRYPTOPSY

It’s gonna get personal here. Bear with me. So, I’ve known the Cryptopsy guys for just over thirty years now. Our bands used to share stages way back in the mid-90s. For many years, they were my friends and peers, and still are. In fact, the first show I ever played was with Cryptopsy. This was back in ’94. I remember the venue was absolutely packed, and after our performance, the legendary Lord Worm approached me and said my vocals sounded like I was “ten feet tall.” I’ll cherish that moment until my dying day. For many years, they were my absolute favourite band of the old-school Canadian death metal guard, and still are (a time which also included bands like Kataklysm, Gorguts, Martyr, Neuraxis, Quo Vadis, Necronomicon, and Blood Of Christ, among others). To see them still active – not only active, but thriving – in 2026 is truly remarkable. In fact, back in 2024 they were granted Canada’s highest musical honour, winning a Juno (the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy). This speaks volumes about their talent, longevity and, most importantly, relevance. It’s a tough game out there compared to what it was thirty years ago. Cryptopsy have not only remained at the top of their game, but they’ve become the game itself. They can only go upward from here, and I have no doubt they’ll be relevant and destroying ears and necks the world over for many years to come.

Tonight, I sensed an extra spring in their step as they sliced and diced their way through both classic and contemporary Cryptopsy tracks. I’m uncertain if this was excitement for the following evening’s festivities (they were invited to play the Ionia Freak Fest in Michigan, an event organized by bluegrass/country superstar Billy Strings, who also happens to be a HUGE Cryptopsy fan), or if they were excited to be back in a city that they have a rich, three-decade history with. Either way, they were absolutely amped up from start to finish.

When all was said and done, and the venue floor finally cleared, you couldn’t miss the exhausted-yet-satisfied smiles stretching across the faces of every single fan walking out the doors. Hey Cryptopsy! Let’s do this for another thirty years, deal?