BLOOD OPERA

As we waited for Blood Opera, Toronto’s only horror-themed heavy metal band, first-time viewers curiously side-eyed the plastic tarps covering the stage and monitors. This is the first indicator of what you’re in for at one of their shows. Skulls, severed hands, and spinal cords litter the stage, and standing very conspicuously to the left is a full-sized mannequin with a ripped open stomach. The crowd hushes as a man in a fancy tweed blazer and threadbare boxers takes the stage to announce the scare metal horror show that you are about to see, warning you that Blood Opera is a band composed of the dead. Right on cue, four glamorously grotesque zombie rockers enter the stage, eat the announcer’s intestines, and hit their opening notes.

While it is clear that they have a very loyal following (roughly a third of the crowd was wearing blood opera shirts) they immediately impressed the onlooking metal and disco fans alike with ‘Don’t Go Out Tonight’, a solid opener that shows off their catchy riffs, pulverizing drums, fun horror based lyrics, and the sensational vocals of their front man Maxxx Murder. In fact, as an audience member you get so captivated by the music that it takes you a moment to realize that Murder has a thick, foot long, monster dick hanging in between his legs.

There isn’t a dull moment on stage with Blood Opera; as soon as one song ends, the samples kick in (many of which they record themselves to extrapolate on their own lore) and the props come out. These guys are well-practiced at creating an atmosphere, and they set the stage for whatever song is coming next to give you the full horror metal experience. It’s an immersive show featuring spectacles like a giant fly in a lab coat, a satanic goat priest, dancing clowns, spooky lanterns, severed arms, ghouls, demons, and squishy brains being hurled into the crowd. You truly cannot take your eyes off them, or you will miss something. In fact, at one point I was so busy enjoying the crowd’s response to the band that I didn’t notice Maxxx Murder’s foot long monster dick start to spew liquid into the crowd. I can’t say for sure what was coming out of it, but the front row was eager for a face-full. In fact, I was almost fully knocked over by someone charging to the front for a spray.

The only thing that could shock me out of how transfixed I was by the spraying dong is Murder’s death metal screams. One of the first things you notice about Blood Opera is their frontman’s powerful melodic voice (as well as his downright sensual hip movements), so it is incredibly effective when he breaks it up with those brutal classic metal screams. And that’s what makes this show such an unforgettable experience; not many bands have stage shows like this, but Blood Opera backs up their antics with top-tier music. I would argue that they don’t have a single bad song. The guitarwork is jaw-dropping, and you can tell RIP Junk has a lot of classic heavy metal influences and superior technical abilities. The songs are catchy and accessible, but with great licks and hair-windmilling solos. The bass and backing vocals from Damien Deathgasm and the drumwork of Muerto McBrains are tight and pulverizing, locking in their uniquely gripping sound, and the content is something we can all get behind – classic horror fun. These are songs you fall in love with at first listen, especially if you have a soft spot for 80s-era heavy metal. The talent in this band is undeniable, and they are a spectacle to behold.

As they hit the opening notes of ‘Be My Victim’ the crowd becomes unhinged, this is clearly one of their most popular songs (hell, it’s been in my top Spotify playlist every year since it first came out). It is at this point that I find myself marveling at how Deathgasm can play bass so well when his guitar is resting on a massive pile of intestines that are bursting out of his stomach, and no sooner had I thought it than Murder ran over and ripped the intestines right out of him mid-song.

Riled up from such a crowd pleasing track, the band and crowd alike are ready to get messy. When they launch into their cover of ‘Killer Klowns’ by The Dickies, Shorty the Klown comes out and pops off a confetti gun into the crowd and Monster’s dick liquid hits me all the way at the back of the crowd. Ending their set with their hugely popular and extremely heavy song ‘The Gates Of Hell’, a ghoul comes out and sprays the crowd with blood from the mannequin’s ripped up guts and the front row once again lines up eagerly for it.

As the show comes to an end the crowd has been whipped into a frenzy with loyal long time fans and the bellbottom wearing disco crew alike absolutely glowing with appreciation for Blood Opera and their unforgettable performance. We’re all covered in blood. Now for the glitter.

TRAGEDY

Have you ever found yourself listening to the pointer sisters and thought “this song could really use some blast beats?” Then Tragedy is the band for you.

While we all stand in front of the stage getting ready for New York City’s all metal tribute to the Bee Gees and beyond, cloaked figures emerge to switch the equipment. The long dark robes would be ominous except for two things – ‘Sister Sledge’ is playing, and the guitar being brought out on the left has a big boa tied to it. Soon after the switchover, the disco crowd anxiously elbows their way to the front just in time for a person in a white sailor suit with chainmail over their face and a siren on their head to take the stage. As the red light roves around, everyone in the bar stops to see a group of performers take the stage, the likes of which is almost overwhelming to describe. To paint a word picture, as the siren-headed announcer serenades us with ‘The Final Countdown’ on the recorder, the band enters wearing fringe, boas, a leather harness, spandex metallic shorts, rhinestones, open vests, and makeup that ranges from corpse paint to 80s glam – a jaw dropping ensemble if ever I’ve seen one. They enter the stage and immediately live up to their reputation with choreographed dance moves and a fanny pack full of glitter getting thrown at the blood-soaked crowd.

Now admittedly the first time I saw Tragedy I didn’t know what to expect, and for that reason I wasn’t nearly as excited as I should have been, but I fell in love with them within the first minute as they taught me something I never would have guessed – metal Abba goes HARD. I was getting downright pummeled to their hard and heavy cover of ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ and loving every moment of it. The eclectic crowd was completely united over Tragedy. They are so much more than a cover band; their harmonies are tight, their arrangements are incredibly unique, and the drum fills and solos that they add feel like they were always supposed to be there, as though the original songs accidentally left them out. To say that every musician in Tragedy is incredibly talented is a dramatic understatement; every one of them brings so much to the stage. In fact, even the siren headed opener (who, if the back of his suit is correct, is named Lance) was up with the band the entire time doing everything from air guitaring on a towel, to dancing, to bringing out the blowup dolls (yes, there are many blowup doll moments). Between his glitter-throwing duties, blowing hundreds of bubbles at us and managing their impressive prop collection, Lance is equally a member of the band. At one point during ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’, he just ate a banana on stage, and you have to see that sort of thing in real life to understand how necessary it felt.

By the time they launched into their cover of ‘Fame’, I needed to move away from the pit for my own safety, and the raucous crowd was eating out of the palm of their hands. Luckily as their setup is all digital (no amps or cords to get in their way) the band gets to move freely around the stage for their little circle jaunts and what I could only describe as the guitar humping moment (must be seen to be fully understood).

Between songs their crowd banter is truly excellent and delightfully chaotic. The guitarist at one point chugged a white liquid while telling the crowd that the only way to live up to their potential as men is to drink their own sperm (yes, overall it was a very dick-heavy night at Lee’s Palace) but afterwards saying “Wait that’s not my sperm, I don’t know whose it was. I’m pregnant now”. Somehow all of this coming from them is delightfully charming, their jokes appeal to everyone in the crowd.

As they move into ‘Summer Lovin’ I’m forced to admit that as someone who unapologetically hates the movie Grease (always have, always will) I am completely swept away by their cover. Although every member brings it for this song, I have to give it up to the drummer; his brutal beats are what really flipped my opinion on this track. But that sums up Tragedy, 70s disco meets 80s metal – next level shredding guitar solos and brutal drums that you want to dance to.

But if you think a bunch of skids going hard for disco is a sight to see, you should have seen the emotional response from the crowd as they crooned to West Virginia in a pit full of bubbles. I can’t make this up. These metal heads wanted spandex shorts and bubbles so badly and they didn’t even know it. Personally, days later I’m still stuck on how great ‘Dancing Queen’ sounds as a metal track.

In the second half of their set they perform my two favourite bits. First is ‘King Neil Diamond’ (as a massive King Diamond fan I was waiting all night for this). Lance comes out in a King Diamond mask and red velvet robe and the crowd fist bumps to ‘Sweet Caroline’, metal edition. With no sign of slowing down, they don’t lose the crowd for even a second as they get into their ‘It’s Raining Men/Raining Blood’ mashup. The crowd gets into such a frenzy over this that the only safe place for me to be is at the very back. As they start chanting “Men! Men!” they ask for just the women to chant, and then just the nonbinary folks, and let me tell you, the few nonbinary folks that were there were so buoyed by being included that they rushed the stage in a bloodthirsty frenzy. This is a spectacle that has to be seen live. They have the crowd exactly where they want them.

Close to the end we are treated to an extremely sensual preamble to ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, and then the singer (after apologizing for everything happening south of the border) demonstrates their love of Canada by reading a list of their favourite Canadians. The list ranges from John Candy, to Mike Myers, to the word “aboot”, to things that are so chaotic I couldn’t even write them down in time. Canada loves you, Tragedy.

They end their Canadian love letter by launching into ‘Staying Alive’ which metals so well that even the very excited green fairy ended up getting pushed to the back as the moshing crowd spread to the bar.  At the end, the band channelled the “Goddess Energy of Toronto” by inviting every woman on stage to dance with them to YMCA, an exceptionally fun and wholesome moment. This band makes you fall fully in love with them. It happened to me the first time I saw them, and they’ve been living rent-free in my head ever since. They more than live up to their hype, and I can’t imagine the type of person who wouldn’t enjoy this show.

April 12th, 2025
Lee’s Palace (Toronto, ON)
Images By: Miles George
Words By: Staicha Kidd