No Chill in TO: Sonata Arctica Ignites the Clear Cold Beyond Tour

jaybroderick
Oct 2
4 min read

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 logistical nightmare, I had high expectations based on the number of fans lined up, and their evident eagerness. And why not? Any moment now, the doors to the club would open, and we'd be treated to Finnish Power Metal giants Sonata Arctica. That in itself was destined to be worth it!

Crimson Shadows

At exactly 7:30pm, Toronto's own Crimson Shadows exploded onto the stage with a ferocity that was going to be a tough act for the other 2 bands to follow. One of the special things about this opening set, outside of the power pouring from the stage was that the venue was instantly rammed with fans. It was basically at capacity right away, and the fans were clearly here for a great time with fists flying, heads banging, and chants echoing as the band launched into “Defenders of the Crown". With the band's bassist stepping away to focus on other duties just 1 week prior, drummer Cory Hofing was relentless, and vocalist Jimi Maltais never stopped thrashing, embodying pure metal energy.

Crimson Shadows powered through their set, but paused to give a shout out to Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment, Toronto's premiere metal promoter. Afterwards, the band dedicated the next song “Heroes Among Us” to the Canadian military. Red and white lights bathed the crowd in patriotic fire before their closer, “Guardians”. A call to arms... mosh pit optional but passion mandatory. Crimson Shadows didn’t just open the night, they detonated it!

Powerglove

Stage left... a blow-up arm flashing devil horns. A video game controller strapped to the wrist. It's a clear homage as a montage of the Fred Savage video game movie The Wizard plays on the video monitor at the back of the stage. Clips from the Street Fighter game, and X-Men cartoons lit up the screen as American Power Metal band Powerglove sprinted across the stage, launching into video game themed instrumental chaos.

“We’re here to fuck with your childhood,” drummer Bassil Silver declared before unleashing a “Super Smash Bros Melee”. A balloon bat was thrown into the crowd as the insanity continued. Then came “Sailor Moon” from the band's upcoming album, followed by a Kirby themed track that synced perfectly with on-screen visuals. To top it all off, a Pokémon beach ball bounced through the crowd during “Catch ’Em All,” and the finale “Go Go Power Rangers” had the entire venue screaming in unison. Even if you weren’t a ‘90s kid, Powerglove made you feel like one.

Sonata Arctica

The Finnish Sonata Arctica burst forth at 9:30 pm with their signature melodic power metal, filling every inch of the venue with their opening track "First in Line" from the band's most recent release Clear Cold Beyond. It is this 2024 release that has the band on their current North America Tour. Though the stage was tight for this 5-piece, the band kept the energy flowing, as vocalist Tony Kakko darted from side to side, clapping and connecting with the fans.

Sonata rolls through opening tracks "Dark Empath", and "Flag in the Ground". With fists raised high, mosh pits opening up, heads banging and voices roaring, the crowd is completely engaged. The band's themes of dark fantasy and social commentary truly resonates with their fans, but perhaps none more than tonight's 6th track "Tallulah". Kakko explains that the song is about sex and that "believe it or not, your parents had sex to have you. SO this song is about that beautiful thing!" It's a very slow tempo, melodic dance that has the crowd joining the seated singer in song, arms around each other swaying to the rhythm, waving side to side. From my vantage point, it's a really cool visual.

Tony Kakko performs live at The Mod Club. Photo By: Jay Broderick

Things were not destined to be so "beautiful" for the rest of the night as the band blasts into “The Last Amazing Grays”. It's a much higher tempo song than the previous track that had Kakko undoing his tied back hair and rallying each side of the room.

"HELL YEAH" Kakko exclaims! "Are you having fun yet? You know, sometimes on a tour, things getting broken and lost. Just like people get broken and lost" and the band goes into the 2003 track "Broken". While this song isn't as soft as "Tallulah", it's not as fast as some of the songs thus far in the set. It's a superb example of the band's art. These are not speed demons here, but rather pure masters of melody.

Set List

First in Line

Dark Empath

Flag in the Ground

I Have a Right

Angel Defiled

Tallulah

The Last Amazing Grays

San Sebastian

Broken

Replica

My Land

FullMoon

Encore:

Wolf & Raven

Don't Say a Word

Sonata Arctica sounded phenomenal. The vocals soared, the guitar shredded, the drums pounded, and the crowd matched the energy all night. From the explosive start to the nostalgic middle and the emotional crescendo, this show was a journey. Toronto showed up, and Sonata Arctica delivered. “This is the best night ever,” one fan shouted, and judging by the sea of raised horns and smiling faces, she wasn't alone in her thoughts..

Concert Photo Gallery