Five bands packed the Danforth Music Hall on November 1 for the Wrath Across North America tour, bringing together a pretty stacked lineup of extreme metal. With Arch Enemy and The Black Dahlia Murder sharing co-headlining duties, there was plenty to look forward to, but the night also featured three opening acts from different corners of the genre AND the world that made the night feel like a full metal festival in its own right. Thrown Into Exile, Crypta and Septicflesh each had their own sound and helped get the crowd warmed up before the two main acts took over.
Los Angeles metal band Thrown Into Exile got things started with a short, energetic set, kicking off with the epic Send Me Below before moving into Nihilist, Behind the Veil, Remorse and You’ve Fallen So Far focusing a lot on their their popular singles. Their mix of metalcore, death metal and melodic death metal was a good mix to set the bar for the eager Toronto crowd and with new vocalist Joshua Santos bringing plenty of aggression to the stage, it’s safe to assume the band sought out to make a lasting impression. Asking the audience for brief permission to play a new song, Remorse was particularly a natural highlight of their performance especially with its connection with Arch Enemy’s Michael Ammott and connects the opening band with the closer as well, really setting up a full-circle moment from the start of the bill. More than that, Arch Enemy’s and Crypta’s tour managers help fill in on bass guitar as well which just adds a unique level of cohesiveness across the bands that fans don’t get to see at every metal show. The cherry on top was managing to get a wall of death going before wrapping up with You’ve Fallen So Far which was a pretty good sign of the monstrosity that the rest of the night had in store.
Keeping the Halloween spirit alive with Thriller and Feed My Frankenstein blasting through the speakers before the set, Brazilian all-female death metal band Crypta were up next and they brought a serious amount of spirit to the stage as well. Led by Fernanda Lira on vocals and bass, alongside Tainá Bergamaschi and Victoria Villarreal on guitars and Luana Dametto on drums, the band ripped through a set featuring some of their most established live songs. The Other Side of Anger, Lord of Ruins and The Outsider have all become regulars in their performances, while From the Ashes remains one of their most frequently played tracks overall. The newer single A Portrait of Decay also gave fans a taste of what’s ahead being released just a couple of months before this set. Lira’s growls were a clear standout, and the band’s combination of speed, heavy riffs, and complete synergy made them an easy highlight among the opening acts. Truly a band for anyone unfamiliar to keep an eye on.
Greek death metal veterans Septicflesh then brought something a little different to the lineup, mixing their heavier riffs with the orchestral and cinematic elements they’ve become known for. Prefaced by a “Septicflesh” chant by the crowd before their slow lead up to walking on stage to an extravagant horn intro, their set included a good mix of tracks across the later half of their discography. Portrait of a Headless Man was the opener, then The Vampire From Nazareth, the super punchy Martyr, Coming Storm with its larger than life symphonic outro, Anubis and finishing with Dark Art. Anubis and The Vampire From Nazareth are two of the band’s most recognizable live staples that didn’t disappoint, with the former getting the title yelled back at the band when asked “Toronto, do you remember the name of the god, my friends?”. The crowd just didn’t miss a beat when it came to the group that’s been doing this since 1990. Topping things off with Dark Art, this track from 2017’s Codex Omega has become a regular closer in their recent performances which is fitting considering the 1+ million plays the track has on Spotify. Frontman Spiros Antoniou had no issues delivering the band’s signature mix of growls as well and easily had a commanding stage presence. This is important especially since they were touring as a three-piece after guitarist Christos Antoniou suffered a rib injury two before the tour, but they still managed to create a huge sound that filled the Danforth to the brim. The orchestral backing helped fill things out too, making for a nice change of pace before the co-headliners with the audience making sure that these seasoned death metalheads from Athens felt what a Canadian welcome was like before leaving the stage.
The Black Dahlia Murder were the first of the two headliners to hit the stage, and they wasted no time getting things moving with some of their 2000s classics Necropolis and Contagion. The crowd was right there with them from the start, with circle pits and crowd surfers becoming a regular sight throughout the set. The band pulled from a good chunk of its catalogue, mixing newer songs from 2024’s Servitude with older favourites. Mammoth’s Hand, Panic Hysteric and Cursed Creator represented the newer material, while Moonlight Equilibrium and Nightbringers brought in songs from 2010s albums Ritual and Nightbringers. Brian Eschbach sounded right at home behind the microphone as he always had after taking over those duties in 2023 and continues to lead the way as the only original member of the band left. Meanwhile, as Ryan Knight shreds relentlessly on guitar, touring guitarist Wes Hauch was right there with him making sure the axe work was as sharp as can be. As if that wasn’t enough, bassist Max Lavelle (who celebrated his birthday on stage!) and drummer Alan Cassidy kept the rhythm section as tight as the technical and gruelling songs in this set needed them to. This duo’s been at it since joining in 2012 so this shouldn’t be a surprise to those that have been following TBDM since that turning point before the release of Everblack.
Things got even better as the set moved into Everything Went Black, A Vulgar Picture, Miscarriage, Statutory Ape and Christ Deformed. It was a great run of older material, covering albums like Nocturnal, Miasma and Deflorate. Cursed Creator from Servitude (2024) followed Everything Went Black which was a great pairing to showcase how much the band’s sound has evolved with the tracks being 17 years apart before jumping back in time to three tracks in a row from Miasma (2005). This three song stretch felt dedicated to the diehards that have been listening since the beginning and didn’t disappoint even after so many years and band member updates. Statutory Ape is always a fun moment with the band’s gorilla mascot making its scheduled appearance and getting involved with the crowd, always making sure his inflatable banana was being crowd surfed as much as the moshers were. Other than the monkey business though, it’s clear why this has been a live staple for so long being able to sum up what the band’s been capable of from the start – being absolutely brutal and unforgiving in their sound and their pace. Even still, it’s worth mentioning the easy listening elevator music they briefly played between songs to add levity to the set that felt like a reminder to the crowd that above all else, it was all about having fun out there.
They wrapped things up with horns and fists up for both Utopia Black and What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse, which was pretty much a perfect way to close out their set. The contrast between these tracks just further highlights how their raw death metal melodies have developed into super technical and clean extreme metal power in the best way, all the while retaining the same spooky storytelling skills that fans love. The Black Dahlia Murder managed to fit a lot into their time onstage, and between the song choices and Toronto’s reaction, it’s easy to say they had no trouble keeping the room entertained. Hands down, just total headliner material.
Arch Enemy then sparked their set with a flashing strobe show to Motörhead’s Ace of Spades before Khaos Overture kicked things off properly. Hearing these recordings fill the Danforth before the band took the stage felt like a couple of strong jabs that shook Toronto to stay sharp, alert, and reactive for the fight about to come after the quick changeover from their co-headliner. It set up the openers The World Is Yours and Ravenous nicely that got the set moving immediately, with the band then working through material from several different eras. War Eternal represented the 2014 album of the same name, while Blood Dynasty and the latest single To the Last Breath brought things up to date with their newer material and showcases a much more raw and thrashy return to their early-2000s roots which is really exciting for the future of the band and their loyal followers. My Apocalypse and Taking Back My Soul peppered in between Arch Enemy’s latest added some heavier selections from 2005’s Doomsday Machine – a beloved era of the band that got the circle pit spinning harmoniously like an immersion blender. The Eagle Flies Alone was another big moment that gave the crowd a chance to sing along and is just an era-defining track that covers a lot of what makes the band great during that turning point – a sweet blend of their aggressive melodic death flavour with an anthemic style that can get any festival crowd fired up.
The biggest talking point was, of course, new vocalist Lauren Hart, who stepped into the role after Alissa White-Gluz left the band at the end of 2025. She sounded great throughout the set, moving between aggressive growls, screams and clean vocals – essential skills needed to navigate the ebbs and flows across the captivating evolutions of the band. Ravenous was a particularly cool moment, introducing the 2001 song as part of what inspired her to start screaming, while Bury Me an Angel gave her a chance to take on one of the band’s earliest classics. Based on the loud cheers of approval from the crowd throughout the night, Toronto understood that it’s not that there are shoes for Lauren to fill, but more so that she has the absolute pleasure of being able to stand on the shoulders of giants to be able to reach heights that the band has explored before. And with her first show with Arch Enemy spanning back to March in Beijing, this stop definitely got the privilege to see a version of Lauren Hart that has more than found her footing.
The final stretch brought out even more familiar material, with Dead Bury Their Dead and No Gods, No Masters leading into Nemesis. This section was a clear triple-threat that drew power from a lot of notable corners of Arch Enemy’s discography that allowed every band member get many moments to shine and make sure every diehard fan get their money’s worth. While Dead Bury Their Dead drew fans together under the band’s waving flag, No Gods, No Masters pushed that idea further while highlighting the importance of rebellion and autonomy as well. These two tracks were the perfect segue right before lighting the fuse into the closer that echoed the same idea of unity highlighting this message across three different eras of Arch Enemy. Nemesis, another Doomsday Machine hit, was easily one of the biggest crowd moments of the night being such a supercharged track and a great way to close out the main set, complimented by the Arch Enemy balloons dropping at the climax of the track. Michael Amott and Joey Concepcion simply kept the guitar work front and centre, trading leads and solos throughout, while Sharlee D’Angelo and Daniel Erlandsson held everything together on bass and drums. This 4-piece core delivered as they did last year at Queen Elizabeth Theatre which is really no surprise, and with Danforth being able to hold more bodies, they more than rose to the occasion and reminded Toronto that the only direction they want to go is up.
A Fields of Desolation outro brought the performance to an instrumental close as Lauren made sure to introduce each member of the band, followed by a recording of Enter the Machine to usher the fans out of the venue after withstanding a merciless bill that’s five bands deep. With a new vocalist now taking on songs from across the band’s history, there was plenty of interest in seeing how the new lineup would handle the older material. Lauren Hart came across confidently, and the band looked and sounded comfortable playing alongside her. With the new single To the Last Breath already out and work on another album underway, this feels like the start of an intriguing new chapter for Arch Enemy.
Overall, it was a great night for fans of melodic death metal and heavier music in general. The three openers each brought incredible variety to the bill, The Black Dahlia Murder delivered a fun, high-energy set packed with fan favourites, and Arch Enemy gave Toronto its first proper look at the band with a new spark out front. Both headliners had strong setlists that covered plenty of ground, making this a pretty satisfying co-headlining bill from start to finish, full-stop.
Keep up with the latest on the bands online – Arch Enemy: Instagram / Website | The Black Dahlia Murder: Instagram / Website
