The Terrifying North America Tour 2025, featuring Aborted, Ingested, PeelingFlesh, and NecroticGoreBeast, recently made a stop at the Axis Club, aiming to terrify the people of Toronto. While the venue was not typical for such an extreme show, the night was packed with an impressive lineup of bands. There was an opener change, substituting Stabbing for Extermination Dismemberment, but at both the Toronto and Montreal dates, NecroticGoreBeast served as the direct opener.
NECROTICGOREBEAST
There are only a few bands I would consider suitable openers for this tour lineup, and NecroticGoreBeast is definitely one of them. By the time they began their set, the venue was packed, except for a convenient space in the middle of the floor for some physical activities. There was no banter between songs—just pure brutality featuring gore, gore, and more gore! Unfortunately, as the opener, their set was not as long as I would have liked. That said, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for their return to Toronto. In the end, they were the perfect band to get the crowd and the pit warmed up for the rest of the night.
PEELINGFLESH
Having seen PeelingFlesh perform before, I was aware of what to expect tonight. However, I was not prepared for the video screen backdrop featuring the band’s logo prominently, which obscured much of the “movie” playing behind it. Speaking of the logo, it is nearly indistinguishable unless you’re familiar with the band or are skilled at interpreting black metal styles.
Like the opening act, PeelingFlesh’s performance was non-stop. When the band did take a break, they played snippets from various TV shows and movies over the years. Many bands embody the slam metal genre, but this band truly stands out at the top of the list. Vocalist Damonteal Harris mentioned that one of the songs in their set had recently been featured with a DJ at a European festival, and they couldn’t wait to share their music with 80,000 people when that opportunity arises.
As the performance continued, the pit gradually shrank in size as the venue filled up with more people. By the night’s end, the humidity inside the Axis Club felt like a mid-summer day with the air conditioning off. I cannot emphasize this enough: PeelingFlesh is one of the few bands I’ve seen multiple times that genuinely enjoy performing on stage, consistently radiating high energy, laughter, and smiles.
Setlist
‘Nefarious Moongrass’, ‘The Fuckening’, ‘Mr. Nasty Time’, ’12 Gauge Autopsy’, ‘Matar A Palos’, ‘Midnight (Unreleased)’, ‘Simptro’, ‘Shoot 2 Kill’, ‘Perc 3000’, ‘F.F.W.A.S.’, ‘Outro’
INGESTED
Despite the absence of two band members, Ingested‘s performance was utterly unstoppable. Having seen this band before, I can confidently say that if I were blindfolded, I wouldn’t even notice the missing performers. It was a full-throttle display of brutal death metal that the crowd absolutely loved. People were diving off the stage within the first song, a nonstop counterclockwise circle pit formed, and headbanging was rampant.
This band also kicked off the first of many stage dives for the evening. The Axis Club typically has no barrier, allowing the audience direct access to the stage, which encourages these activities when the bands invite them. While the previous band was enjoyable, Ingested brought a level of tightness, depth of sound, and cohesion that energized the crowd, creating a cathartic exchange of energy. The intensity of the audience ramped up continuously throughout the night, ultimately building excitement for the main event.
Setlist
‘Titanomachy’, ‘Endgame’, ‘Altar Of Flesh’, ‘Impending Dominance’, ‘Invidious’, ‘Contorted Perception’, ‘Copremesis’, ‘Skinned And Fucked’
ABORTED
With a name like Aborted, the band sets an expectation for a brutally intense performance, and they certainly delivered on this night. The stage was adorned with two “decapitated dummies,” establishing a fittingly grim atmosphere for the headlining show. Frontman Sven captivated the audience, showcasing impressive crowd interaction between songs and encouraging everyone to lose themselves in the moment. His experience shone through during the banter, and one of the standout moments came when he got the crowd to mimic his fellow European, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It may not sound significant, but with a packed venue, the laughter was contagious, leaving me doubled over. Sven also had the crowd doing jumping jacks, which added to the overall hilarity of the night. Despite the heat and humidity from the previous performance, which was further intensified by our physical activity, the band took a brief pause mid-set. During this break, they played the iconic ‘Price Is Right’ theme as two contestants engaged in a fart contest for a pair of socks, adding to the lighthearted antics.
As the set went on, one of the guitarists threw a roll of toilet paper into the air, which danced around for what felt like an eternity. The setlist was a perfectly brutal selection of songs spanning five albums. After the main performance, the band returned for an encore, ending the night on an unexpected note: two minutes of Darude‘s ‘Sandstorm’. The remaining Toronto crowd happily bounced along to the last synth notes, and I’ve decided that the next time I attend an Aborted show, I’m bringing glow sticks.
Setlist
‘Dreadbringer’, ‘Retrogore’, ‘Brotherhood Of Sleep’, ‘The Origin Of Disease’, ‘Infinite Terror’, ‘Deep Red’, ‘From A Tepid Whiff’, ‘The Shape Of Hate’, ‘Insect Politics’, ‘The Saw And The Carnage Done’, ‘Hecatomb’, ‘Darude – Sandstorm’
With an ad mat that pays tribute to the horror cult classic movie Terrifier 3, the lineup of bands truly lived up to the film’s reputation for carnage. The show featured a lot of movement and energy, blending one of the most extreme genres of metal, which made it an unforgettable musical experience for Toronto concertgoers. A special thanks to Inertia Entertainment for bringing such an extreme tour to the city, especially at a venue that is seldom used for this genre of music.
February 25th, 2025
Axis Club (Toronto, ON)
Images By: Miles George
Words By: Miles George