Three bands at the top, each a pioneer of their respective sub-genre of death metal, descended on a brand new venue tied to a new casino in the middle of Etobicoke, Ontario, Toronto’s most western neighborhood. Any one of these bands could have been the headliner for this tour or switched spots with any other band. This lineup quickly sold out and was easily the biggest venue any of the three bands has played in Toronto to date. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to review this for so many reasons.
CARCASS
We are fortunate, as fans in 2025, to have Carcass still touring and giving their all with every performance. It is not often that you can say you’ve seen pioneers of a genre with such a pedigree and tenure as Carcass. A blistering thirty-minute set, as the opening slot, the band went through all of the hits, but also kept the setlist away from any of the new material they have released within the last decade. It’s not often I get to see this play out live, but a supremely special moment was during the biggest and more well-known song, “Heartwork,” where the whole band, halfway through the song, started to play the song a half step slower, and it just added to the majesty of this band and their status as legends. This moment was straight out of a movie with how magical it felt for me; at the same time, the floor was absolutely vibrating with all of the movement from the circle pit portion of the crowd. Carcass also added a visual element to the performance with special speaker cabinets featuring LED graphics, which corresponded with the songs they played throughout the set. I don’t know what choices were made for Carcass to be the opener for this tour, but as the sold-out capacity crowd filled into the venue, everyone was warmed up by the time they exited the stage.
Setlist
‘The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue (Intro)’, ‘Unfit For Human Consumption’, ‘Buried Dreams’, ‘Incarnated Solvent Abuse’, ‘No Love Lost’, ‘Corporal Jigsore Quandary’, ‘Heartwork’, ‘Tools Of The Trade’, ‘Carneous Cacoffiny (Outro)’
CANNIBAL CORPSE
Just down the road, hailing from Buffalo, NY, adoptive brothers from over the border, Cannibal Corpse was the middle band for the evening. Opening with the blistering, hypnotic, and riff-heavy song ‘Scourge Of Iron’, the band absolutely ignited the crowd with a giant pit, lots of headbanging, and a seemingly endless flow of crowd surfers. Microphone troubles were nothing to vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher as he quickly noticed an issue with the wireless microphone and swapped it out for a wired one. As a result, he had zero issues for the rest of the performance. Much like the imagery on the albums over the band’s discography, the band marched through with some of the best textbook riffs and melodies from both death metal and brutal death metal. I would like to say no frills and no fancy shit; this band just gets better and better each time I see them. While not the headlining slot tonight, Cannibal Corpse made the most of their allotted time, offering songs from half of the discography and throwing in some fan-favorite songs.
Setlist
‘Scourge Of Iron’, ‘Blood Blind’, ‘Inhumane Harvest’, ‘Evisceration Plague’, ‘Death Walking Terror’, ‘Unleashing the Bloodthirsty’, ‘Summoned For Sacrifice’, ‘I Cum Blood’, ‘Stripped, Raped, And Strangled’, ‘Hammer Smashed Face’
MESHUGGAH
One of the two biggest bands from Umeå, Sweden, Meshuggah blessed Toronto with another headlining show. Before the madness began, a shortened version of the song ‘Careless Whisper’ by George Michael played over the house sound system, the polar opposite of what was to come. The lights then dimmed to what sounded like frantic footsteps quickly approaching with some wicked atmospheric noises, all culminating in the track ‘Broken Cog’. The only issue throughout the entire performance was during this song, where the vocals were noticeably muffled against the other instruments. This band, in this performance and historically, has been known to bring a remarkably intense light show that mimics the massive sound they exude from the stage, with lasers incorporated this time. If you haven’t seen Meshuggah live, I recommend bringing sunglasses; you’ll thank me later. Throughout the nearly ninety-minute performance, the band played a selection of classic songs spanning their discography, with a heavy emphasis on arguably their most popular album, Obzen, featuring four out of thirteen songs from that album. All of the songs elicited a visceral and tribal response from the crowd, prompting physical reactions in all the activities mentioned above. However, I also witnessed something new in the crowd: a circle of metalheads linked at the shoulders, headbanging to the clockwork melody of this fantastic band. I don’t know how many years we have left with Meshuggah touring this side of the world, and even though this show just happened, I can’t wait for them to come back, and I’m sure the sold-out crowd would agree with me. Selfishly, hearing ‘Bleed’ in the encore made my night, as I was convinced the band would have retired this song forever, and I, as a concertgoer and not a musician, can’t imagine the toll this song has on all the band members night after night behind the scenes.
Setlist
‘Careless Whisper (George Michael song – played from tape)’, ‘Intro (atmospheric soundscape)’, ‘Broken Cog’, ‘Violent Sleep Of Reason’, ‘Rational Gaze’, ‘Combustion’, ‘Kaleidoscope’, ‘God He Sees in Mirrors’, ‘Lethargica’, ‘Born In Dissonance’, ‘Dancers To A Discordant System’, ‘Swarm’, ‘Future Breed Machine’, Encore: ‘Bleed’, ‘Demiurge’
CONCLUSION
What a night of trailblazing metal. As a result of the show’s sheer intensity, if you were on the floor, I’m sure you felt the effects the next day, possibly later in the week as well. This show made the most sense from a tour lineup standpoint, and I heard from multiple people leaving the venue that this was “the show of the year.” With every band fresh at the start of the tour, it’s going to be a task to bring that energy each and every night. I hope every band accomplishes that and everyone comes back soon!
March 29th, 2025
The Great Canadian Casino Resort (Toronto, ON)
Images By: Miles George
Words By: Miles George