Floral Park (L-R): Matt Deir, Julian Antonini, and Rob Bourrie By: Michael Drukarsh - The local craft brewery in Newmarket, The Market Brewing Company , seemed like a very appropriate place to meet for this month’s Local Artist Spotlight. The casual atmosphere suited Matt Deir, guitarist and lead vocalist, as he arrived sporting his denim and trademark cowboy boots. Following closely behind him, Julian Antonini lead guitarist and vocalist and Rob Bourrie on stand up bass an

Wacken Metal Battle Canada; Ontario Finals at The Garrison. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Ontario - As part of the official WOA Warm-Up parties and in celebration of Wacken Open Air 's 35th anniversary, 35 concerts happened in 35 different countries on April 18th, 2026. Hosted once again by The Garrison in downtown Toronto, The Wacken Metal Battle Canada Ontario finals saw three bands, Dawn Vally, Misothronos, and Gravearth battled it out on stag

Wrong Way Records (l-r: Store Manager Adam Rayfield, Newmarket Mayor John Taylor, Owner/General Manager Ray Pelletier By: Michael Drukarsh Newmarket, Ontario - The doors to Wrong Way Records in Newmarket opened at 8:00 am on April 18 to celebrate Record Store Day Canada 2026 (RSDC). Arriving just after 8, I figured I would be there to watch as things got set up and ready for the day. Turns out, I was late... With growing anticipation of the special vinyl releases in honor

Raven perform live at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - Thirty‑five minutes before "doors" (which is actually a curtain), the Horseshoe Tavern was already buzzing... a full line running from the curtains at the back of the bar area out through the front door, metalheads of all ages shoulder‑to‑shoulder, waiting for a night of pure, sweat‑drenched heavy metal thanks again to Inertia Entertainment . The air ha

Puscifer perform live at OLG Stage in Niagara Falls, Canada. Photo By: Justin Michael Carriere By: Justin Michael Carriere Niagara Falls, Canada - Puscifer . If you know you know... if not, then I’mma tell ya!! When you step into the Pusciverse, the chaos is palpable. A theatrical world of storytelling populated with characters straight out of a Hunter S. Thompson novel. Maynard James Keenan brought his merry band of misfits to a near capacity OLG Stage crowd at the Fallsv

By: Michael Drukarsh - As the decline of vinyl music was evident, independent record store owners came together and in 2008 the first official Record Store Day (RSD) took place on April 19th in Mountain View, California hosting a major kickoff with Metallica. Seen as a celebration of vinyl music and culture, RSD quickly spread across the U.S. and then globally was celebrated in independent record stores from as far away as the U.K. and of course right here in Canada . Conti

Sam Roberts Band perform live at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Justin Michael Carriere By: Justin Michael Carriere Toronto, Ontario - 20 years seems like a long time, but on this limited tour revisiting his sophomore album Chemical City , Sam Roberts seems more current than ever before. With seemingly prescient lyrics and a sound that feels right at home when stacked up with today’s offerings, the Canadian Rocker and his band brought the celebration to Massey H

Cancer Bats perform live at The Opera House in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Jojo Taylor By: Jojo Taylor Toronto, Ontario - Cancer Bats fans, you may regret reading this. If you missed their 20th anniversary party at The Opera House on April 10th, you missed the best show of the year so far! This was a celebration like no other. But, I will digress already to let you know who else showed up before I get to the highlight. Chastity Chastity perform live at The Opera House. Pho

Loose Jaw perform live at The Spot in Newmarket, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Newmarket, Ontario - Once again The Spot in Newmarket opened its door for another all ages metal-core extravaganza. This time though, the premise behind the four band bill was a little more special as headliners Loose Jaw took the advice of owner Mike Capobianco and booked the venue as well as the supporting acts for their very own cd release party in celebration of th

By: Jay Broderick - Fifteen years ago, the Foo Fighters slammed the garage door shut, cranked the amps, and made the loudest statement of their career. Wasting Light wasn’t just their seventh studio album, it was a full‑throttle reset! No digital polish. No studio sheen. Just tape machines, sweat, and the kind of stubborn conviction that only Dave Grohl could turn into a mission statement. Recorded straight to analogue in Grohl’s garage and released through Roswell and RCA

Sue Foley performs live at El Mocambo in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Ontario - With her upcoming book release entitled “One Guitar Woman” multi-award winning Canadian blues guitarist Sue Foley is looking to shed light on the many innovative, pioneering and unfortunately often forgotten women of guitar. At the April 10th sold out show at the El Mocambo , Sue allowed her blues guitar wizardry, as well as her sultry and soulful vo

Stick men perform live at The Garrison in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - Toronto’s heavy‑music heartbeat has always pounded out of its proverbial chest thanks to Inertia Entertainment , the city’s premier promoter for anything loud, extreme, and uncompromising! But if there’s one thing Inertia has in common with us here at LOUDTO, it’s that we simply love music in all its forms. Case in point: a packed‑to‑the‑walls prog‑rock show

Rod "Ozzy" Clarke performs live at El Mocambo in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Ontario - If you were lucky enough to grow up through the 70s and 80s you’d have had the opportunity to see many of the best metal bands perform in their prime. As the years go by we continue to lose our heroes... our icons. Thankfully we have musicians and artists willing to continue to pay homage to those who have fallen. Check out Ashley Depaz’s cove

Mortrem perform live at El Mocambo in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Ontario - Mortrem is a Toronto-based post-metal band formed by lifelong friends who share a passion for crafting heavy, melodic music. Now streaming world wide, Mortrem’s debut album One With the Earth was celebrated on April 3rd with a very special release party at the El Mocambo . With themes that ominously fit perfectly in today’s world, Mortrem created an al

July Talk perform live at History in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Justin Michael Carriere By: Justin Michael Carriere Toronto, Ontario - July Talk is fucking cool. ‘Nuff said!! Just kidding, there’s so much more to say!! The band brought their signature sound to a sold-out crowd at History on Tuesday night. The line up before the doors opened snaked around the building and down the block, with people braving the rain to catch the last show on the Touch X Tour . July Talk’s s

Black Label Society perform live at Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Ashley Depaz By: Ashley Depaz Toronto, Canada - On Sunday, March 29th, 2026, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto became the epicenter of pure metal power as Dark Chapel, Zakk Sabbath and Black Label Society took the stage for a night that left the crowd flooding to the stage. The venue was packed from the moment the doors opened, with a diverse crowd of elder metalheads and younger

By: Jay Broderick - While Raleigh, North Carolina's Corrosion of Conformity released their first album Eye for an Eye 42 years ago in 1984, I didn't become completely familiar with the band until their 1991 album Blind hit the airwaves. Yes, it was a little more accessible than the 2 previous records, but I personally love Blind and have been a fan of the band since I first heard it. Sadly, in 2020, Corrosion of Conformity lost their drummer Reed Mullin. Despite their pr

Carole Pope performs live at El Mocambo in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Ontario - If you haven’t been to the El Mocambo in a while you will be surprised at the changes made, and executive director Mike Chalut will happily be front and centre ready to tell you all about it! Coming out to greet the crowd lined up on Spadina Avenue as doors were ready to open, Chalut, in full sequinsed suit, addressed the crowd. His own hype-man, r

Paulie Boy Blues performs live at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - Toronto’s legendary Horseshoe Tavern has a way of turning any night into something electric, and March 27 was no exception. While Paulie Boy Blues was technically the opener, for myself, and for a handful of fans who clearly knew what they were in for, this night was all about finally catching the bluesman in action. After interviewing him

Lear Haven perform live at The Baby G in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Justin Michael Carriere By: Justin Michael Carriere Toronto, Ontario - “Prepare to be Amazed” was a long time motto for Oshawa, Ontario, so when doing my research to see homegrown talent Lear Haven , I prepared. They then proceeded to hold up their end of the bargain, and amazed! The trio from The Motor City brought their distinct classic rock sound to The Baby G in Toronto on Thursday night. With their se

Floral Park perform live at Market Brewing Co. in Newmarket, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Newmarket, Ontario - As a band, you know you are doing something right when you watch a new patron enter the bar and instantly put their hands in the air and start singing along to the tune you’re playing. That is exactly what happened tonight at The Market Brewing Company as Floral Park were in the middle of their version of The Rolling Stones’ "Honky Tonk

Gary Numan performs live at The Concert Hall in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - The 1980s were a strange and special time... synthesizers ruled the airwaves, new wave reshaped pop culture, and Gary Numan ’s “Cars” became one of the decade’s most unmistakable hits. Now, some 45 years later, Numan’s legacy still pulls a huge crowd. On March 24, The Concert Hall was sold out, and even 30 minutes before doors, a lineup of Gen X new w

Erra perform live at History in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Ernon Schneeberger By: Ernon Schneeberger Toronto, Canada - From the moment the doors opened at History , the room pulsed with anticipation. Toronto crowds don’t mess around when it comes to live music, and on March 17, 2026, they packed the venue for The Silence Follows Tour , a powerhouse lineup headlined by progressive metalcore heavyweights Erra and Currents. Aviana Aviana perform live at History. Photo By: Ern

Oshawa, Ontario's My Own Addiction. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh - For this month’s local artist feature, I had the opportunity and pleasure to sit down with the members of My Own Addiction in their cozy and very cool space to learn about the past, the present and what the future holds for band members Andrew Losier on guitar, Todd Burrows on drums, Tim Reesor on bass and lead singer Alexandra “BOOTS” Augustine. Tucked away amongst the labyrinth of halls