THRICE perform live at Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - As the sun sat directly on the horizon and literally blinded the westbound commuters on Highway 401, I left the office and headed toward Danforth Music Hall (one of my favourite venues to photograph at), already feeling the sting of early November darkness. But the promise of live music, and the mystery of a band that I was not completely familiar with,

Will Ramos of Lorna Shore performs live at Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - Toronto’s Great Canadian Casino Resort got a baptism by fire on October 27 as deathcore juggernauts Lorna Shore tore through the third-last night of their tour with Shadow of Intent and The Black Dahlia Murder. This is the first time I've even attended a show at this venue, let alone covering a show here, and it quickl

Taylor Acorn performs live at All Your Friends Fest. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Jay Broderick - On June 1st, 2024, I headed to Toronto's summer concert amphitheatre Budweiser Stage to cover the Walk Off the Earth Tour for Corus Entertainment . On the bill that night was a pop-punk rocker from Pennsylvania named Taylor Acorn . Three months shy of the singer's debut full length album Survival in Motion being released, her performance on that early summer evening was one

Kataklysm perform live at Lee's Palace in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Ontario - Toronto’s metal faithful (a number of whom I see at every single show I cover) packed into Lee’s Palace for an Inertia Entertainment presentation of the 2025 'Carnival of Death' Tour. While I lined up awaiting the doors opening, there was still a buzz about the Sacrifice show 10 days prior. With a stacked bill featuring Skeletal Remains, Malevolent Crea

Image generated by AI. By: Michael Drukarsh - Now that the disbelief has somewhat subsided, it’s time to take a moment and reflect on the passing of the original (and in many people's eyes, the only) Space Man, Ace Frehley . One of the four founding members and lead guitarist for Kiss , Ace made his mark on the rock and roll world by having a natural swagger that never felt forced or snobbish. Instead, Ace took to the stage, and to life, with a Bronx attitude that made peop

Acid Bath perform live at Rebel in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Joe Taylor By: Joe Taylor Toronto, Canada - Acid Bath formed in 1991 and departed in 1997. They are a heavy, sludgy doom band that was pioneering a different sound for the nineties. Combining sludge, doom, hardcore and thrash music, Acid Bath became an important influence on a new musical direction. The band broke up due to the death of their bassist Audie Pitre. They hail from Houma, Louisiana and recorded two s

By: Mike Grieve - “….And the moral of this story is this is what not to do if a bird shits on you”. The infamous words stated on an album released 40 years ago. An album that has stood the test of time, celebrates Iron Maiden ’s beast of a spirit and is considered to be one of THE BEST live metal albums of all time! Released on October 14th, 1985, most of Live After Death was recorded live in March 1985 at Long Beach Arena in California during Iron Maiden’s World Slavery T

Modest Mouse perform live at History in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - History Toronto was the perfect setting to wrap up a long weekend of indulgences, in the relation to both food, and live music. My counterpart here Michael Drukarsh headed to Orillia on the Friday for Nazareth , and I attended the thrash metal blowout with Sacrifice on Saturday. To close off the long weekend celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving, Monday night br

Sacrifice perform live at The Concert Hall in Toronto, Ontario. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Ontario - Returning to The Concert Hall , the same venue where I first saw Sacrifice at the Toronto Metal Massacre show on March 18, 1988, felt like stepping into a time machine powered by power and adrenaline. I arrived at the Yonge Street venue at 6:30 PM, half an hour before doors opened, and already the line stretched down Yonge Street. The buzz was distin

Nazareth perform live at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Orillia, Ontario - Once again the Casino Rama Entertainment Centre turned into a 1980s rock concert jam with the triple bill of Nazareth with support from Canadian hard rock legends Helix, and Killer Dwarfs. Killer Dwarfs Killer Dwarfs bow for the Casino Rama crowd. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh Taking the stage first, Killer Dwarfs open their short but mighty set with t

Sonata Arctica perform live at The Mod Club in Toronto, Canada. Photo by: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - Toronto was glowing with summertime vibes on a late September evening. City dwellers in shorts and tank tops strolled down College Street, as Heavy Metal fans lined up outside the Mod Club , buzzing with anticipation. The Mod Club, Axis Club to some, Mod Club to the nostalgic, is probably the most cumbersome venue for me to get to, but despite the logis

By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Canada - I was a little bummed that I didn't receive my meda accreditation for the Judas Priest / Alice Cooper show on September 29th here in Toronto at Budweiser Stage . However, I was fortunate enough to be offered tickets from a very good friend and for the first time in a very long time I attended a major concert not as a representative of LoudTO but as a fan along with my buddies A.J. and Mitch. The last time I was at Budweiser Stage was b

Ryder performs live at The Rockpile in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh - Hailing from Queens fucking New York, Ryder have crossed the border to bring four shows to their Canadian fans while supporting Chris Holmes and his 'Sound of W.A.S.P.' Tour , and are they ever having fun! Evident from some of their Instagram posts, the band, consisting of Lead singer and rhythm guitarist James Ryder, Bassist and backup vocalist Rod Viquez, lead guitar

Chris Holmes performs live at The Rockpile in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Canada By: Michael Drukarsh - Once again The Rockpile became a portal in time as it brought the packed house on Saturday September 27th back to the 80s with a lineup of incredible hard rock bands that culminated with headliner Chris Holmes . Gypsy Brydge Gypsy Brydge perform live at The Rockpile. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh Warm up act Gypsy Brydge , out of Caledon Ontario, br

By: Jay Broderick - The Royal Theatre in Toronto is set to welcome a Canadian based, cultural icon as Bif Naked brings her fearless spirit and unmistakable voice for an intimate, one-night-only event that Toronto music fans won't want to miss. On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM, The Royal at 608 College Street will host “BIF NAKED: A Documentary”, a multifaceted evening featuring a screening of her brand new documentary, followed by a live acoustic p

By: Jay Broderick - Toronto thrashers, brace yourselves, for the apocalypse arrives at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on September 28. For the first time in over 30 years, Dark Angel , the thrash metal legends are storming back across North America. The band's 'Extinction Level Event Tour' marks a long awaited comeback, celebrating their first new album since 1991, Extinction Level Event, which was released by Reversed Records on September 5th. Formed in 1981 alongside Big 4

Canada's Teen Jam Toronto Participants, September 2025 - Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Ontario - Canada’s Teen Jam returned to Toronto's TD Music Hall on September 18th with its third and most captivating Toronto edition yet, proving once again that when it comes to showcasing young talent, no one does it better than CTJ! What a treat for these kids to perform on the same stage that Sarah McLauchlan performed on the previous week. The energy was eviden

By: Jay Broderick - If ever a book could be described as a museum in hardcover form, Infinite Dreams is it. Set for an October 7, 2025 release. Published by British publisher Thames & Hudson , this massive flashback to Iron Maiden ’s 50-year reign is more than just a coffee table book... it’s a shrine to one of heavy metal’s greatest bands of all time. The illustrated book publisher has done a superb job here! Physically, Infinite Dreams is a Beast, as formidable as Eddie

By: Jay Broderick - One year shy of their 10th birthday, Ryder is a band out of Queens, NY that has been rocking the scene since 2016. After recent lineup changes, the band is currently consisting of James Ryder on vocals and guitar, Max Knight on lead guitar, Bill Peluso on drums and Rod Viquez on bass. The quartet is gearing up for their gig here in Toronto at The Rockpile on September 27. The visit here for the NYC rockers is in support of W.A.S.P guitarist 'Mean Man' C

By: Michael Drukarsh - For over 40 years, the movie This is Spinal Tap along with the band itself has woven its way into the fabric of society providing songs and quotes that lend themself perfectly to day to day living. “This goes to eleven”, “It’s such a fine line between stupid and clever”, and “I mean, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black” are just a few examples of the witty repertoire we were served when we first met the three mai

The Cybertronic Spree perform live at Lee's Palace in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh By: Michael Drukarsh Toronto, Canada - Working with LoudTO over the last few years has afforded me the opportunity to see some incredible bands. I have been reliving my teen years shooting artists and bands like King Diamond , Sebastian Bach, and Lee Aaron and being introduced to new artists like Nicole Haber and Rarity , but nothing, and I mean NOTHING, could prepare me for wh

By: Jay Broderick - Jane's Addiction ... no band name could ever be more fitting. While the name was inspired by a woman that lived with the band as they tried to gain ground in their chosen profession, it is also a direct reflection of the band members themselves. The struggles of vocalist Perry Ferrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, bassist Eric Avery and drummer Stephen Perkins is highly documented. Each member of the band spiraled out of control with heroin, cocaine and LSD ad

By: Michael Drukarsh - In 1984, a documentary portraying the life of a rock band hit theaters across North America. It was such a raw and unfiltered look at the day to day struggles of an aging band trying to find their place in the brutal touring world of rock and roll that other artists such as Ozzy Osbourne , Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and even Bono from U2 found the movie disturbing and far too relatable.  The directorial debut of actor Rob Reiner, famous for his role as

Styx perform live at Budweiser Stage in Toronto, Canada. Photo By: Jay Broderick By: Jay Broderick Toronto, Canada - Despite a modest turnout of just over 10,000 fans, the energy at Toronto’s summer outdoor concert venue of choice was anything but small. With the lawn section open and the summer heat on cremate, three legendary acts delivered a night of classic rock that felt intimate, heartfelt, and electrifying. Styx 's The Brotherhood of Rock Tour '25 with support from t