DevilDriver, Cancer Bats, Baptized In Blood, Vera Cruz, Redeemer Show Review

February 2nd, 2011 Toronto, ON - Opera House

Believe it or not, I never heard a single DevilDriver song, until an hour before their concert at the Opera House in Toronto. The single song was “Clouds over California”. My reaction to this brutal anthem was so intense that I decided to go at the very last second. Possibly, one of the best investments I’ve made in a concert. (I unfortunately missed the two opening bands before Cancer Bats. I apologize for those hoping to read about Baptized in Blood, and Vera Cruz’s performance.)

Cancer Bats - www.myspace.com/cancerbats
The co-Headliner of the show was Toronto’s very own Cancer Bats. I’ve always been reserved about the alternative rock/ punk bands opening for metal bands, since the blend of fans is usually pretty rough; especially in the pit. It’s like mixing two cultures that have different looks, language, bands, and rules. Cancer Bats held up well though, and defiantly brought a sound that got the majority metal head population involved.

Being the first Cancer Bats show I had ever been to I was curious to see how the band would perform. I was wonderfully surprised by what I saw. Liam Cormier (Vocals) did a fantastic job of getting the crowd involved and pumped up. There was at least 3 circle pits from what I counted. Actually, Liam Cormier’s stage presence reminded me a lot like the lead singer of Blackguard, Paul. Constantly moving, always talking. All, in all the set was pretty impressive for a metal show, considering the genre of the Cancer Bats is highly debated.

DevilDriver - www.myspace.com/devildriver
(Please keep in mind that I just heard DevilDriver the day of the concert)

I was rather nervous about the show. Investing in a ticket based solely on listening to one song on Youtube, and the high praise given by friends is a risky investment. Luckily, my friends have better taste in Metal than they do in movies.

From start to finish DevilDriver brought the anger, the intensity, and raw energy that I heard so much about.

“Oh...my...god,” Was the thought that kept replaying over and over in my mind for the final hour and a half of the concert.

From start to finish the floor became alive as the entire crowd moshed, crowd surfed, and banged their head to anthems of this great Groove Metal band. The band played a wide array of their music that made sure at least a couple of songs were played from each album. Anthems such as “Pray for villains”, “Hold back the day”, and “I could care less” really unified the floor of people and it was only on rare occasion that one would not hear the audience singing the chorus of the current song being played. A great example of this Metal unity was the man in the wheelchair, IN the moshpit. Proving that mind over matter really does work, and that no matter what life throws at you, Heavy Metal and the Metal community are a brotherhood, an army, always there to support one another.

In my opinion, the peak of the concert was when the lead singer, Dez Fafara yelled two simple words, “Clouds over....!”
“CALIFORNIA!” Came the roaring response from the audience.

I’ve been in a lot of moshpits since I started going to concerts. However, I can safely say very few moshpits can compare to what I went through during that song. The sheer intensity of the music and the total unforgiving anger of the crowd was truly a sight to behold. I mentioned earlier that from the beginning of DevilDriver taking the stage, it seemed as if the floor was unified. This became incredibly clear during “Clouds over California”. The screaming of metalheads all over the venue singing the song word for word was something to behold. Anyone in the pit could tell you they heard the cheering and yelling of the fans outside the pit, motivating the moshers to run harder and faster.

Ultimately, DevilDriver put on a show that can be described as nothing less but incredible. It is in this writer’s opinion that it has currently been the best show in Toronto for 2011. Not just because the band’s execution was flawless but the sheer unity of the crowd and its intense emotion is something you don’t see or experience at most concerts. DevilDriver, Febuary 2nd, is currently the concert to beat so far.