Warbringer - The Vortex of Violence Slays the Vortex of Polar in TO

By: Jay Broderick

Toronto, Canada - Man, what a winter. The weather in Toronto has been brutal. The excitement of spring gives us hope as we yearn for warmer weather. Perhaps our expectations are too grand, but by now, I expect it to be in the high single digits (Celsius), but as I line up outside The Garrison for Warbringer's The Vortex of Violence Tour, the only vortex I'm feeling is the polar vortex that's freezing my ass off. And I'm not the only one... a few other metalheads are also perturbed with the weather.

Braving the frigidity of the Canadian air, Warbringer vocalist John Kevill pops out onto the street. A fan asks him to sign his vinyl records and he happily obliges. This is one of the many wonders of this community. And all of a sudden, it feels a little bit warmer. Graciously, The Garrison open their doors right on cue, and we pile in to the even warmer interior. For me, I'm a Garrison virgin, but I've heard great things, and with Warbringer, Allegaeon, Skeletal Remains, and Summoning the Lich, I expect things to get hotter!

Summoning the Lich

David Bruno performs live in Toronto. Photo By: Jay Broderick

Summoning the Lich is a melodic death metal band from St. Louis, Missouri. Born in 2017, the band is fresh off their sophomore LP Under the Reviled Throne, released less than 1 year ago in July 2024. Designed as the death metal equivalent to the best episode in the Star Wars franchise (we all know which one it is), the band raises the stakes with their newest album, and are now bringing their story on the road in support of Warbringer.

In an odd start, the band comes out into the crowd and climbs up on the stage. Braving the blistering cold, vocalist David Bruno appears in short shorts. But it's going to get blazing... and speaking of blistering... the band explodes off the opening track "My Horrors Unending". It doesn't take long for the sweat to start rolling off foreheads and chins. Drum sticks are flying from the pounding, and the bass drum pedals get fucked up, resulting in a brief break for the stage hands to fix up the mess. And just like that, the temperature rises 20 degrees.

Skeletal Remains

Unfortunately, for tonight's following act Skeletal Remains, the band's singer failed to make it (as of press time, I am left in the dark as to what exactly happened). It left a stripped down trio to blast through an instrumental set. Such is the beauty of heavy music. I have always maintained that it's about the power of the music, with the vocals as secondary fill. Skeletal Remains proved the point as they erupted into a furious 30 minute set that brough the crowd to life. With the crowd chanting "HEY, HEY, HEY" they opened up the first mosh pit of the night, and completely soaked up the energy coming from The Garrison stage.

Allegaeon

Colorado's death metallers Allegaeon are currently set to release their 7th studio album The Ossuary Lens 2 days from now, on April 5th. In the world of music, there's only one way to celebrate, and that's to hit the road. With this, the band has joined forces with Warbringer, and are the 3rd band to hit the stage in Toronto. As the band hits the stage, another notable singer appears to be missing. But once the band blasts into "All Hail Science", singer Ezra Haynes runs out from behind the curtain, ahead of the opening lyrics.

The Garrison is packed with fans by this point, and they are all banging hard to Allegaeon's dense, hard hitting blows. Haynes's hand movements mimic those of a conductor and the band exudes a tremendous amount of power. These guys have some serious stage presence as the singer screams out "Toronto, let me fucking hear you!!" They erupt, as completely engaged as the players on the stage.

But come on now... is it ever truly enough? Seemingly not! As the set winds down, Haynes tells the crowd that he wants the biggest pit of the whole damn night. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND???" Well, this won't be an easy feat... but ask, and you shall receive!!!

Warbringer

During the stage breakdown, and setting up for tonight's headliner, chants of "War-bringer! War-bringer! War-bringer!" are heard through the Dundas Street venue. If I thought Allegaeon had the crowd in a frenzy, then this appears to be going to a whole new level. That glorious thrash metal riffing graces our ear drums as Warbringer takes the stage and screams into "Severed Reality"... and we're off! Quickly into another banger "A Better World", and the heat begins to rise.

It's after the band's second track that frontman John Kevill greets the crowd (well, at least those he didn't get a chance to chat with outside in the frigid cold a few hours earlier). Guitarist Chase Becker pulls off his jacket and shirt. "We're Warbringer from LA, where it's almost as hot as it is in here tonight" says Kevill. And man, was he right, physically, and metaphorically. And not to be outdone by either of the opening act, the singer dives into the crowd during "The Black Hand Reaches Out", from the band's 2020 release Weapons of Tomorrow. The faithful carry him back to the stage on their hands, as he continues to blare out the vocals.

Warbringer perform live in Toronto. Photo By: Jay Broderick

The crowd, perhaps a little winded from the previous band's set, is unfortunately a little depleted on the energy front. But they once again start the "War-bringer! War-bringer!" chants. To which Kevill challenges "Toronto, we know you can chant, but can you mosh? This is a thrash metal show!! If you're going to stand there like a poser, then that's on you!!". The magic potion! With that, the pit opens up, a fan surfs to the stage, climbs up, thrashes with the band and dives back into the crowd. To which Kevill responds "You're all welcome on the stage, but on one condition... you have to go back in horizontal!!" So of course, the bodies start to come one after the other for the band's 5th track "Crushed Beneath the Tracks"... including Toronto's own Derek Solomos from the band Korrosive. If there's a thrash show happening in the city, you are sure to find Derek "Money" in the crowd.

A mere couple weeks ago, on March 14, the modern Los Angeles thrash band released their 7th album Wrath and Ruin. Enrobed within is a track that is turning many heads in the metal world called "The Sword and the Cross". Lyrically, it tells the tale of power, manifesting from one man, who controls the commoners. In the live setting, the band is taking the tale to the stage, as they do tonight for their 7th track. Brandishing a long sword that would make the mighty Quorthon tear up, the band's vocalist wields the sword with mastery. As I understood later, the sword was brought in for the band by a fan, because come on, are you really taking that across the border? This will perhaps be a stalwart in all future Warbringer shows. A piece of the puzzle, fitting in beautifully with the music.

Let's take a step back for second... thrash metal is not always just about the speed. Megadeth showed this with perfection in the song "In My Darkest Hour", and for Warbringer's 8th track "Through a Glass, Darkly", they show a more melodic side, with a driving beat that has the crowd banging in unison. And this is exactly why thrash metal is my genre of choice! Yes, there are rules, but they are meant to be broken Ask Testament!

Set List

Severed Reality

A Better World

The Black Hand Reaches Out

Woe to the Vanquished

Crushed Beneath the Tracks

Firepower Kills

The Sword And The Cross

Through a Glass, Darkly

Hunter-Seeker

Remain Violent

Encore:

Total War (Crowd was asked to vote for Total War or Living Weapon)

John Kevill performs live in Toronto. Photo By: Jay Broderick

With 4 bands on the bill, it doesn't always leave a ton of time for each band to play. Including the headliners. Warbringer only had about an hour to show the crowd why they are one of the leaders in the modern day thrash metal world. And they tore the roof down! The tightly packed fans were treated to an amazing night of music, they were fully engaged, and the bands on stage fed off them, as much as they fed off the music. And with Warbringer asking the fans to choose the encore, they also had a part to play in the set list. Would it be too much to ask for more? Still, by the end of the night, I'm sure I'm not the only one who forgot about the bullshit cold outside. But the bill, The Garrison, and local promoter Inertia Entertainment turned up the heat enough that the walk to the car wasn't as horrendous as it had been 4 hours earlier.

Concert Photo Gallery