By Natalie Zed

If ever an epic journey was undertaken to get to a show (one that was in the same bloody city that I started out in, anyway), that journey happened this night.

The full line-up for this show consisted of Fatality, Vindicator, Manahan, Aggressor and Razorwire. It happened to be a friend’s birthday, so we swung by his apartment to down some vodka & cranberry juice and watch planet earth. After wishing him well, we embarked on what we thought would be a simple jaunt down Queen, but ended up being a complete TTC shitshow. A combination of set-up for the Much Music Video Awards and NXNE festivities raging meant that we wound up walking nearly all the way from Front & Fleet to Queen East & Broadview. Several times along the journey, Lily the Pirate and I briefly considered giving up and turning back, concerned that there might not even be any show left to enjoy by the time we got there. In the end, however, we proved our mettle (har har) and arrived at The Blue Moon around 12:30am—just in time to see Fatality take the stage.

I can wholeheartedly say that Fatality were worth both the voyage and the cover price all on their own. They didn’t just put on a show; they threw a party. A few songs into their riotous set, the band members were inviting the crowd on stage to do beer bongs with them. They showered the crowd with both affection and free merch, and despite the fact that it was hot as all hell in the venue (I can only imagine how it must have felt on stage), Fatality’s enthusiasm never flagged. They raged through the entire performance, seemingly tireless, never for a moment hinting that they would like to be anywhere but on that stage, performing for that audience.

Fatality loved the crowd at The Blue Moon, and the crowd loved them right back. While metalheads are usually a cheerful, congenial bunch, this evening they were positively ebullient. Long-haired boys roamed around the pit, grins plastered across their faces, drinking beer straight from the pitcher. Everyone’s arms found their way around everyone else’s shoulders. For the last few songs, Fatality  actually invited everyone on stage with them to sing and drink. It was one of those shows that truly warmed the cockles of my black little heart.