HAMMERFALL | EVERGREY| PROFLIGATOR

THE SETUP…

Tuesday night was a great time, as power metal reigned supreme at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto for the Freedom World Crusade tour. A double offering of Sweden’s finest examples of the power metal genre invaded the city with a local opener, which brought out a decent-sized crowd on a weekday once again brought to us by Inertia Entertainment.

PROFLIGATOR

Visa issues, slowly getting worse across multiple concerts and becoming a nightmare for international bands coming to North America, especially now during one of the busiest concert months of the year, were at play. Because of this ongoing issue, Elvenking had to bow out of the tour, which created a gap and an opportunity in the night’s lineup. With a bill of such calibre and this stacked double power-metal lineup, the search was on for someone local to round out the show. Toronto’s very own Profligator was not only selected but was also a stellar choice for an opening act, as Elvenking had the aforementioned visa issues. Having seen this band across the city on multiple stages since 2024, I knew what to expect, though this night was different. The band had an insurmountable task of short notice and then playing on the biggest stage for them to date, and quite possibly for the biggest crowd as well. I can’t imagine the prep behind the scenes for this band to be “show ready”; however, with some cheers from the incoming crowd, the band was locked in and ready to go.

Leading the charge with the stage presence of someone with a band of combined decades of experience, the gargantuan lead singer not only towered over us all, but it also didn’t take much time at all for the band to win over the crowd with powerful riffs, chunky bass lines, and clean crashes from the drums. Although tied to thrash metal, the band’s sheer power and depth were on full display. Although a last-minute addition to the show, the band performed a stellar 30-ish-minute set. The band played everything they have released to date, including a cover of Motörhead‘s ‘Ace Of Spades’ with all of the lyrics changed out for Profligator‘s flavouring, which was titled ‘Space Of Aids.’ I don’t know how much the venue wanted to see Elvenking instead, but the unanimous headbanging from everyone in the crowd was the sign of approval for this momentum-gaining local band. The vocalist thanked not only the crowd, but also the promoter for the opportunity.

SETLIST
‘Call Of The Beast’, ‘Fuck Your Feelings’, ‘Death & Taxes’, ‘Victim Of Circumstances’, ‘Space Of Aids’, ‘Blood Guts & Glory’, ‘False Surrender’

EVERGREY

After seven long years, this was the band I looked forward to most, and that doesn’t discount the other bands on the bill. After seeing them in one of the smallest venues in Toronto on my last visit in 2019 and feeling like I was close to a religious experience because of the intimate setting, they quickly became one of my favourite bands to listen to weekly. Being the middle band on the bill, I was stoked with any opportunity to see them. The timing of the band coming out onto stage was perfect, as it was just as a song on the PA was finishing, so an unofficial opener. As a four-piece for this tour, the band started off with ‘Falling From The Sun’, and whoever was in charge of the lighting understood the assignment as the lights came down, almost mimicking a sunset of sorts. Animated as ever, and almost as towering as the lead vocalist from the last band, Tom, founding and the only original member from the band’s inception, was animated as ever with his hands, taking moments to pause in guitar playing to mimic or even to the point of “sign language” certain moments to add dramatic effect behind an already booming voice over the course of the performance. Evergrey are one of the best examples of blending progressive and power metal in my concert-going experience. The opening song took the crowd on a rollercoaster ride with soaring melodies, huge choruses, and perfect moments of riffing that carried through the set. Much respect was shown to the crowd, as at the end of this song, Tom, showing the ultimate respect, mouthed “thank you” to the crowd. I would be remiss not to bring up the new guitarist, Stephen. Although not brand new to Evergrey as a former touring guitarist, his interpretation of the songs is spot on for the signature Evergrey riffs, and when it comes to the solos, it’s his styling that makes it feel brand new, like hearing it for the first time.

The band on stage as a four-piece also hit with visa issues; the keyboardist was replaced by pre-programmed keys and a substitute drummer for this tour as well. However, this wasn’t a detriment: for almost an hour, Evergrey dominated and completely hooked the crowd with lots of headbanging, and days later I’m still sporting a sore neck from my efforts. Between visits, we missed four albums released between the visits, which is why I would have preferred a headlining show, but Tom confirmed to the crowd that the band will be back sooner than later. The newest album dominated the setlist, but the balance of songs across the discography was a great choice, ending the set with ‘OXYGEN!’ which was insanely heavy to the point where Tom remarked, “Having to tune down to accomplish the massive tone.” An emotionally charged performance absolutely had won the Toronto crowd over, with multiple members in the audience wanting more after the last song was played, a resounding and clear message that the band will remember the city on this tour.

SETLIST
‘Falling From The Sun’, ‘Where August Mourns’, ‘Heaven’, ‘Architects Of The New Weave’, ‘Eternal Nocturnal’, ‘Call Out The Dark’, ‘A Touch Of Blessing’, ‘King Of Errors’, ‘Leaving The Emptiness’, ‘OXYGEN!’

HAMMERFALL

Gothenburg, Sweden, where HammerFall comes from, is a musically rich region not only in Sweden but in Europe as a whole, typically known for melodic death metal in the early 90s, which produced many bands and influenced many more. More than three decades later, after pivoting from that MDM subgenre, Oscar, the only founding member still in the band, decided on a power and heavy metal blend to create this band. No stranger to me in my concert-going, HammerFall brings the energy every time, with this night no different. With a stable lineup and no member changes for over a decade, the band came out to a serious loud cheer from the Tuesday crowd. “Avenge! Avenge! Avenge!” came across the speakers, with the band adding emphasis on each word with their fists in the air. The quick intro abruptly halted as Joacim commanded not only the stage but the crowd with the vocal intro for this opening song. Both the guitarists and the bassist just continued to strum on the guitars while headbanging in complete unison, very cohesive and a testament again to the stable lineup. This short but super-powerful start got everyone in a frenzy.

Joacim took no time to play into the crowd between songs with banter: “Tuesday means party, right?” which was not only tongue-in-cheek, but also a theme of the banter over the course of the night. Having released their most recent and 13th album, Avenge The Fallen, in 2024, this was their first visit to the city since its release. As a result, the setlist leaned heavily on this album, though not to the detriment of the almost eighty-minute set spanning thirty-plus years of music. The crowd was absolutely with the band from the first note until the last. Having been to many shows, I have never seen a crowd so eager and enthusiastic to sing main vocals, backup vocals, and even audible noise mimicking riff patterns during the band’s most popular songs. Toronto came through, just completely focused on the performance and absolutely nailing audience participation. Oscar also brought out his signature guitar, which at a glance looks like a hammer, which he proudly swung around after finishing a song. Towards the end of the set, “Are you getting tired, Toronto?” Joacim questioned, and someone yelled back, “Play ‘Hearts On Fire’,” to which the response was, “Not tonight.” The band went back on that comment during the encore, which was easily the loudest song of the night thanks to the crowd.

SETLIST
‘Avenge The Fallen’, ‘Heeding The Call’, ‘Any Means Necessary’, ‘Hammer Of Dawn’, ‘Freedom’, ‘Renegade’, ‘Hammer High’, ‘Last Man Standing’, ‘Fury Of The Wild’, ‘Chapter V: The Medley’, ‘Let The Hammer Fall’, ‘The End Justifies’, ‘(We Make) Sweden Rock’