I would like to first and foremost congratulate the Phoenix on getting another extension and lease on life, bringing another two years of shows to the Sherbourne venue, giving them more time to find another venue when renewal comes up in 2026. Concerts at this venue this year up to this point have been a bit tense with talks of the venue “closing” for good, but with this recent news, the energy was different for this show in the best way possible. A stacked who’s who of death-flavored bands brought a new opener to Toronto (Vomit Forth), as the rest of the bill tours Toronto, and North America in general, very often. It only makes sense this tour happened, unironically named the Beg To Serve tour, a mash of The Black Dahlia Murder and Dying Fetus‘ newest album names squished together. The Phoenix was in for a hell of a night, and it started early on this Wednesday evening.
VOMIT FORTH
Opening early in the evening, and with a blistering 30-minute set, Vomit Forth was a treat to see: death metal from Connecticut, singing about gore and human sacrifice. For those who came early, they definitely responded to the band warmly, literally bringing the venue temperature up to a moist and humid state that would last for a majority of the night. I’m not sure what happened to cause this band to happen, but I can see them moving up in the ranks in the future, as this band was a great taste of what was to come.
Setlist
‘Blood-Soaked Death Dream’, ‘Negative Penance’, ‘Unclaimed Cadaver’, ‘Victim Impact Statement’, ‘Blood Lead Index’, ‘Fixation On The Narrative’, ‘Rotting Wool’, ‘Pain Tolerance’
ANGELMAKER
Seven members in a band is a lot to keep an eye on, but the twin vocal harmonies throughout the set, blistered on from the start to the finish, I would love to follow this band for multiple dates to see if the vocalists do the same vocals or if they trade off different nights, seriously both brutally talented in their own right, even if this dual singer situation is very rare. Easily the loudest band of the night, our fellow and only Canadians on this tour had as much movement on the floor with the audience as they did with the band members on stage. Angelmaker keeps showing up and putting on outstanding and tight performances, which will put them in co-headline or even headline slots to come. I’m really glad this band belongs to Canada and tours so often. Coming from the other side of the continent isn’t easy, but they keep coming back, with the crowd reaction we welcome with open arms. A funny moment from this set: someone tried to start a Go Leafs Go! chant because of Johnny Ciardullo wearing a Montreal Canadiens NHL jersey. The fan chant didn’t get traction, but Johnny heard it and smiled over the attempt.
Setlist
‘Creators Conscience’, ‘Hollow Heart’, ‘Relinquished’, ‘A Dark Omen’, ‘Lazarus’, ‘Leech’
SPITE
There are lots of spites in this world, musically speaking, but none like this one. Hailing from California, labeling themselves as a cult through all of the pages on social media, this band had brought out the most rabid and passionate reaction from members of the crowd. A four-piece that has the range and depth of a band with way more members on stage, this band marched through the set, leading everyone in the crowd to drink the musical Kool-Aid; Spite definitely gained a lot of fans this night, if they didn’t walk in as fans.
Setlist
‘IED’, ‘Snap’, ‘Caved In’, ‘Some Things You Should Know…’, ‘Psychopath’, ‘Made To Please’, ‘Dedication To Flesh’, ‘Kill Or Be Killed’, ‘Free for All’
DYING FETUS
For over thirty years, Dying Fetus has been setting the standard for brutal death metal, and as astonishing as the tenure is, as a three-piece, it is even more impressive. A setlist loaded with blast beats, because of the time that has been poured into this band, all of the members don’t even look like they are breaking a sweat or struggling at all. Playing a nice selection of songs from every decade, with two very deep cuts from earlier in the musical career, the band decided to play songs more from the 2010s and forward. At this point in the night, the crowd was limbered up and was willing to give everything in the pit, giving up their bodies in a ceremonial offering. The song ‘Wrong One To Fuck With’ was the highlight of the night. Beg To Serve may be the most recent album, but the Toronto crowd was absolutely begging for more songs; maybe a headline tour is in order in the near future. Special shout out to John for wearing a Ontario Slam King memorial shirt, this was for a local metal musician Bob Shaw who passed in 2022, most wouldn’t understand the shirt and the tribute behind it, and I would be remiss to not mention it and say thank you for keeping his memory and legacy alive.
Setlist
‘From Womb To Waste’, ‘Unbridled Fury’, ‘Weaken The Structure’, ‘In The Trenches’, ‘Compulsion For Cruelty’, ‘Intentional Manslaughter’, ‘Devout Atrocity’, ‘Raised In Victory/Razed In Defeat’, ‘Wrong One To Fuck With’, ‘Grotesque Impalement’, ‘Subjected To A Beating’
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
I can’t imagine what it took for this band to continue on with the loss of a band member, and having seen this band previously, I can tell you they are absolutely firing on all cylinders and tighter than ever, especially with welcoming back Ryan Knight to round out the band. To the point in this tour, TBDM had been on the road since the first days of October but brought such energy to this performance that if I didn’t tell you this, you would have thought this was the start of the tour. Not only did they play the most amount of songs out of all the bands, but they also played the most from Servitude and sprinkled in songs from every decade of TBDM being a band. The crowd went absolutely 10/10 for the whole performance, foaming at the mouth with endless energy, with pits, moshing, and endless crowd surfing. I hope all of the band members hold their heads up high and know that Trevor would be proud of them all for continuing on, as we, the fans, are and will continue to show up for this band the next time and anytime they come back to Toronto. RIP Trevor Strnad.
Setlist
‘Evening Ephemeral’, ‘Panic Hysteric’, ‘Kings Of The Nightworld’, ‘What A Horrible Night to Have A Curse’, ‘Mammoth’s Hand’, ‘Statutory Ape’, ‘Aftermath’, ‘Sunless Empire’, ‘Everything Went Black’, ‘Nightbringers’, ‘Unhallowed’, ‘Funeral Thirst’, ‘Utopia Black’, ‘Deathmask Divine’, ‘Outro’
CONCLUSION
A renewed energy from the crowd-goers on this night at the Phoenix, it was hot and humid inside all night long from a crowd that just went nonstop on a balmy fall evening. Congrats again to the Phoenix for the extension and keeping live music on Sherbourne, and most importantly live music in Toronto. A special shout-out to Inertia Entertainment for continuing to bring these heavier music acts to these wonderful Toronto venues. We are in a really fortunate spot in the world to continue to get these evenings thanks to the work they continue to do and others behind the scenes.
November 6th, 2024 @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
(Toronto, ON)
Images By: Miles George
Words By: Miles George