“The entire floor of the Phoenix eventually became a pit, the area right on front of the stage was like a maelstrom, with little eddies and whirlpools breaking out all the way to the very back wall. The venue eventually threw the rear doors open to ease the infernal heat, and people’s bodies near the exit gave off visible steam when the cool air hit them. It was exhausting and sweaty and exultant, the most love concentrated into a single performance that I have seen in a long time. ”

Natalie Zed reviews the sold out performance by Lamb Of God at Toronto’s Phoenix on January 27th. Live photos by Adam Wills

On Friday, January 20th RIOT played their final warm up show for the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise and Hellbound was there to take it in. Here is Sean Palmerston’s review of the show, with photos by Albert Mansour.

Natalie Zed reviews the January 22nd Toronto performance by occult rockers Ghost, as well as support acts Blood Ceremony and Ancient VVisdom at the Mod Club. All live photos by Adam Wills

A hard act to follow, but Terror is an intimidating live act regardless of how someone feels about their music. Frontman Scott Vogel, formerly of the legendary, now-defunct Buried Alive, was in fine more, ruling the crowd that already paid him the blind-eyed devotion that a preacher at church might receive.

While I expected Hammers to be tight, I was pleasantly surprised to discover exactly how spot-on the intricacies of their songs translated live. Hammers of Misfortune, of course, had the perfect balance of both precision and emotion, the songs given a new vitality, positively glowing in the live setting.

“If we in the audience are puppets whose strings are manipulated by artists, then Townsend is both puppeteer and lead puppet, a living caricature of the genre who takes such obvious joy in poking fun at both the scene and his own place within it. His performances are both sincere and satirical, and that is what makes them unique.”

Jonathan Smith reviews the December 10th performance of Devin Townsend in Toronto. Live photos by Adam Wills.

“I’ve been looking forward to enjoying another love set by UnexpecT since I saw them play at Sneaky Dee’s last year, and they delivered on all of my very high expectations. The experimental French Canadian band are the very embodiment of an avant-garde aesthetic combined with a dauntless independent spirit.”

Live review by Natalie Zed.

Jay H. Gorania reviews the 2011 edition of Fun Fun Fun Fest, which happened in Austin, TX in early November.