Queen Elizabeth Theatre – May 9, 2025
There’s a difference between heavy and heaviness — one is loud, the other lingers. And on Friday night in Toronto, heaviness reigned supreme.
Arch Enemy’s Blood Dynasty Tour stormed through Queen Elizabeth Theatre like it had a vendetta with silence. With support from Denmark’s Baest, New Jersey’s Fit For An Autopsy, and an early set by Thrown Into Exile, the night was a brutal blend of technical mastery, emotional weight, and sheer presence.
This wasn’t just a stacked lineup — it was a journey through all that metal can be: brutal, elegant, human, precise.
Thrown Into Exile – A Flash of Fire That Deserved More Eyes
Thrown Into Exile opened the evening early. I didn’t catch their set, but everyone who did mentioned the same word: hungry. Their mix of groove-heavy thrash and melodic metalcore shook the early crowd awake — fast.
Setlist:
• Caskets Beyond Creation
• Desolation
• Send Me Below
• You’ve Fallen So Far
Lineup (2025):
• Evan Seidlitz – Vocals
• Mario Rubio – Guitar
• Austin Monzon – Guitar
• Javier Quinto – Bass
• Tom Tierney – Drums
They may have played early, but they made sure they weren’t forgotten.
Baest – Danish Death Metal, No Mercy
Baest stepped on stage like they were kicking down a door. The Danish five-piece brought old-school death metal with a clean, modern edge. Frontman Simon Olsen howled with ferocity, while guitarists Lasse Revsbech and Svend Karlsson traded razor-sharp riffs.
Setlist:
1. Genesis – An explosive opener, fast and mean.
2. Colossus – Slowed things down, but doubled the weight.
3. Misfortunate Son – Tightly played, guttural, with a sudden tempo shift that stunned.
4. Gargoyles – Dedicated to Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder. This was the most emotional moment of their set.
5. Necro Sapiens – A fan favorite, delivered with mechanical precision.
Lineup (2025):
• Simon Olsen – Vocals: Charismatic and unrelenting, his voice carried weight and purpose. He commanded the mic without needing theatrics.
• Lasse Revsbech – Guitar: Sharp phrasing and intense speed — he brought clarity to chaos.
• Svend Karlsson – Guitar: Balanced the brutality with a slightly melodic edge, keeping things layered.
• Mattias Melchiorsen – Bass: His tone was round and heavy, keeping the band grounded through every tempo shift.
• Sebastian Abildsten – Drums: Relentless but surgical — every blast beat hit with precision and never overshadowed the groove.
“Baest didn’t warm up the crowd. They opened the earth.”
Fit For An Autopsy – Density and Discipline
Fit For An Autopsy brought intensity in waves. Every song felt carved from stone. Vocalist Joe Badolato stalked the stage with purpose, while guitarists Patrick Sheridan, Tim Howley, and producer-legend Will Putney built a wall of sound that kept collapsing and rising again.
Setlist:
1. Lower Purpose – Grounded and grim. A commanding opener.
2. Red Horizon – Dissonant but melodic, full of tension.
3. Warfare – All-out chaos in the best way. Sheridan’s riffs landed like punches.
4. Hostage – Orta’s drumming brought clarity through the fog.
5. Pandora – Complex, disorienting, and theatrical.
6. The Sea of Tragic Beasts – Emotional crescendo. Heavy without ever being messy.
7. Savior of None / Ashes of All – Smart transitions. Felt like a suite.
8. Far From Heaven – A slow burn that stuck with you.
Lineup (2025):
• Joe Badolato – Vocals: A frontman with both force and feeling — his delivery moved between menace and grief.
• Will Putney – Guitar: The band’s sonic architect — his guitar work gave depth to every track without ever overwhelming the mix.
• Patrick Sheridan – Guitar: Intense on stage and on-point musically — his riffs were among the sharpest of the night.
• Tim Howley – Guitar: The bridge between rhythm and melody — his parts filled out the band’s sound with nuance.
• Peter “Blue” Spinazola – Bass: A constant force under the surface — never flashy, but critical to the band’s depth.
• Josean Orta – Drums: Clean, creative, and in full control — especially in songs like Pandora, where rhythmic complexity met aggression.
“Fit For An Autopsy channel heaviness into something focused, intentional, and impossible to ignore.”
Arch Enemy – A Set That Bled Precision
From the moment Deceiver, Deceiver hit, Arch Enemy showed exactly why this was their tour to headline. They didn’t overplay. They didn’t oversell. They simply owned the stage with the confidence of a band at its peak — and with Alissa White-Gluz front and center, every word mattered.
Song by Song – Arch Enemy in Toronto
1. Deceiver, Deceiver – Tight, aggressive, and immediate. Alissa came out swinging, Concepcion and Amott locked into a twin-guitar attack.
2. Ravenous – Old-school power. Sharlee’s bass tone gave the song renewed weight; Daniel’s drums were effortless but sharp.
3. Dream Stealer – Clean transitions, Concepcion’s solos floated above a churning rhythm section.
4. Blood Dynasty – A show centerpiece. Sweeping, theatrical, and full of presence. This one belonged to Alissa.
5. War Eternal – A vocal clinic. Her control and pacing were flawless.
6. My Apocalypse – One of the darkest tracks of the night. Tight guitar work, and Sharlee’s tone was thunder.
7. A Million Suns – Subtle and melodic. Let the leads breathe. Joey Concepcion was especially expressive here.
8. Liars & Thieves – Compact and effective. Nothing wasted.
9. The Eagle Flies Alone – The crowd sang every line. Sharlee led the intro like a storyteller.
10. First Day in Hell – Felt suffocating in the best way. No rush, just crushing.
11. As the Pages Burn – Daniel’s best drumming moment. Flawless transitions and tight fills.
12. Sunset Over the Empire – Epic in scope. Built slowly, with payoff in the chorus.
13. Dead Bury Their Dead – Angular and aggressive. Amott’s riffing had bite.
14. We Will Rise – The crowd took over. And Alissa let them.
Encore:
15. Avalanche – Atmospheric intro, then thunder. One of Concepcion’s cleanest moments.
16. Nemesis – Felt like a march. Alissa roared through it with absolute control.
17. Fields of Desolation – Slow, eerie, and haunting. A quiet, intentional end.
Spotlight on the Band
• Alissa White-Gluz – Pure control. No wasted motion, no gimmick. When she’s on stage, she’s not acting — she’s channeling.
• Michael Amott – Every riff is deliberate. You can feel the weight of his writing in how he holds a chord.
• Joey Concepcion – Guitar: New to the fold but sharp, fluid, and locked in.
• Sharlee D’Angelo – Consistent, clean, and magnetic. No flash needed — his tone does the work.
• Daniel Erlandsson – Always precise, always essential. The band’s secret weapon.
“Arch Enemy doesn’t just perform. They execute. And every moment feels earned.”
Listen & Support the Bands:
Streaming available on:
Spotify | Apple Music | Tidal | Bandcamp
Tag Your Night:
If you were there, you know.
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No encores needed to prove a point — the music said everything.
Support the artists who left it all on stage: listen, buy, share, and keep this night echoing beyond the walls of Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
