Toronto, Canada - In August of 2023, LoudTO headed down to Lee's Palace to cover Chicago Metalcore band Born of Osiris. During that 4 band extravaganza, I took in a local band called Beguiler that quickly piqued my interest. They opened the show on that night, and their brand of Deathcore put them on my radar to keep an eye on.
Beguiler was formed in Oshawa, Ontario in 2014 and have steadily been solidifying themselves as one of the top bands in the Toronto metal scene. With a number of EP and single releases since the band's inception, their most recent offering is the single "Unrepentant" released in 2023. The song has raised a ton of awareness regarding the atrocities towards Canada's indigenous people, brought on by the country's government and religious factions.
Currently, Beguiler is making some noise in the Toronto metal scene with their most recent accomplishment in winning the 2024 Wacken Metal Battle for Oshawa. The win will see the band compete in the Ontario Final on April 19th, 2024 at Toronto's iconic Rivoli. The Wacken Metal Battle provides an opportunity for up and coming metal bands across the globe to compete for a chance to play the largest metal festival in the world, the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany. What a massive accomplishment for the eventual winner! But to even be recognized as a leader in your own city is a huge honour, and only opens the doors to possibility.
Beyond the Eternal Tour 2024
With the Ontario final quickly approaching, Beguiler has a few shows in line to get some of the kinks worked out. The most recent show the band performed was on February 21st at Hard Luck Bar in Toronto. The gig saw Beguiler open the show for OV Sulfur with Mental Cruelty and Ghost Bath.
This show was a quick fill. Unlike last year's Born of Osiris show, the venue filled up fast, ahead of Beguiler's eventual appearance to start the event. Based on some of the noise the opening act has been making recently, this was in no way coincidental. At approximately 7:30, the band blasted out their heavy, furious sound. With 4 bands on the bill, there is no time to waste, and they certainly do not waste any. The band is tight and on their game early. Lead singer Jacob Cooledge's vocals are raw and angry, to match the tone from the rest of the band.
The many early arriving fans are not here merely as an afterthought. Cooledge thanks them for coming out early on a Wednesday evening, and explains that he understands the band's role to get the crowd warmed up and to get their blood pumping. It's exactly what they do, as the crowd in the pit are banging hard to the metalcore/death metal fusion coming from the amplifiers. An eventual mosh lights up the pit, and the band is stoking the fire!
Beguiler has a great mix of blistering speed, and slow, brooding, heavy doom in their sound. And despite the growls and screams coming from the vocalist, the band is completely gracious for their opportunity on this night as they thank Noel Peters from Inertia Entertainment, they're thankful for their fans, and everybody else in the venue. It's typical for metal musicians, despite their audible angriness! It's what makes it so fantastic!!
Up next for Beguiler is a March 11 date at Oshawa's Biltmore Theatre, in support of Cancer Bats. That is something that can't be missed!!
Band Lineup
Jacob Cooledge - vocals
Scott Thoms -guitar
Gord Cameron - bass
Nathan McDonald - drums
Concert Photo Gallery
Beguiler Online
show date: February 21, 2024