Abbath with Imperial Triumphant and guests at The Phoenix Concert Theatre. Toronto, Canada 05/12/24

Photos and Review by David De La Huerta

The Norwegian black metal icon, Abbath, made their return to Canada and the US on their North American Tour in support of their Dread Reaver album. They made a stop at The Phoenix in Toronto and brought along with them Imperial Triumphant, Black Anvil and Final Gasp.

Final Gasp from Boston, Massachusetts opened the show with their mix of hardcore, metal and goth sound. They are on tour promoting their debut album, “Mourning Moon.” It was my first time seeing them live and I will tell you that they sounded amazing. Their sound is reminiscent of 80s metal combined with goth. You should check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

Band members:
Jake Murphy – vocals
James Forsythe – guitars
Peter Micanovic – guitars
Sean Rose – bass
Eric Lester – drums

Up next was Black Anvil, a black metal band from New York City formed by Paul Delaney. Delaney with his kick ass vocals and Ralph Glicken with his powerful beats behind the drums, put on one heck of a show. Their set featured songs mostly from their albums Regenesis, Hail Death and As Was. Although the crowd was surprisingly thin, the opening acts performed with professionalism and ferocity and were eager to deliver an epic show for those who did show up early.

Band members:
Paul Delaney – lead vocals, bass
Raeph Glicken – drums, backing vocals
Alex Volonino – guitars
Michael Dimmitt – guitars

After a brief pause, Imperial Triumphant appeared on the stage one by one; first was Steve Blanco on Bass, then Zachary Ezrin on Lead Guitars, and last Kenny Grohowski on drums. The band made it clear that they were there to show off their Avantgarde technique for playing black death metal with a jazz infusion. Imperial Triumphant treated fans by playing Vile Luxury in its entirety. Kenny Grohowski’s drumming was so intense that you could feel the beats in your chest during “Lower World” and “Swarming Opulence.” Grohowski transitioned from the heavy hitting songs to the slow, coordinated rhythms on “Chernobyl Blues” and Mother Machine” effortlessly. Steve Blanco also had his chance to show off during a bass solo where he had a portion of his bass lid up while he jumped off the stage and made his way around the venue wowing the crowd with his performance. Zack Erzin also had a trick up his sleeve for the audience. At one point he shot lazer beams out of his mask. It was a highly entertaining performance by the New York City band. As an added bonus, at the end of their performance, the band offered an exclusive VIP meet and greet for a very reasonable price for their hardcore fans, giving them a full circle of interaction and experiences, which I highly recommend.

Band members:
Zachary Ezrin – vocals, guitars
Steven Blanco – bass, backing vocals
Kenny Grohowski – drums

It was finally time for the main act for the evening, Abbath. This tour date marked Abbath’s triumphant return to Toronto after they had to cancel their last scheduled date in 2020. Abbath is kicking off their Dread Reaver tour with four Canadian city dates before heading to the US. Abbath took the stage to dim lights and heavy fog making it to tough to see the band members, but they sounded incredible. The band consists of Ukri Suvilehto on the drums, Ole Andre on guitar, Andreas Salbu on bass and of course Olve Eikemo, AKA Abbath Doom Occulta the lead singer. Some highlights included, “Ashes of the Damned” and “In My Kingdom Cold” (Immortal cover).

Abbath put on a show that those in attendance won’t soon forget. They played songs from Dread Reaver, Abbath and Outstrider, but the icing on the cake were the Immortal cover songs that they played. Abbath and their friends, Imperial Triumphant, Black Anvil, and Final Gasp are just getting started on this tour so you have plenty of times to catch them live. Don’t miss out!

Band members:
Abbath – vocals, guitars
Ole André Farstad – lead and acoustic guitars
Andreas Salbu – bass
Ukri Suvilehto – drums

Setlist