It has been a crazy few weeks in Toronto, with a flurry of snowstorms causing havoc throughout the city. But that did not stop Counterparts from opening The Heaven Let Them Die North American tour at HISTORY. With a lineup featuring exciting heavy bands old and new, the crowd was treated to an explosive night.
Foreign Hands was the first band of the night. The metalcore band from Delaware got the crowd warmed up with their mix of chaotic and melodic metalcore sound. The mix of Tyler Norris’s harsh screams and Jack Beatson’s clean made for a great balance of their live sound. Gill Gonzalez hyped up the audience numerous times for more energy, and they responded with a big circle pit.
Lineup:
Tyler Norris – Lead vocals
Jack Beatson – Guitar, backing vocals
Gill Gonzalez – Guitar
Chuck Minix – Bass
Tyler Washington -Drummer
Setlist:
1. Resetting the Senses
2. Chlorine Tears
3. Tearing Down Your Reality
4. Laceration Wings
5. Hesitation Marks
6. Horror Domain
7. Conditioned For A Head-On Collision
8. God Under Fingernails
9. Separation Souvenir
Malevolence entered the stage with their first-ever show in Toronto as the next opener. The longtime metalcore band from Sheffield entertained the audience with their brand of metalcore at its brutal best. Alex Taylor’s piercing growls and Konan Hall’s cleans were made for a captivating set with the audience crowd-surfing and moshing from start to finish. Let’s hope this is not the first and last time Malevolence played in Toronto, as they are an amazing polished band live.
Lineup:
Alex Taylor – Lead vocalist
Josh Baines – Lead guitar, backing vocals
Konal Hall – Rhythm guitar, co-lead vocals
Wilkie Robinson – Bass
Charlie Thorpe – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Karma
2. Life Sentence
3. Trenches
4. Self Supremacy
5. On Broken Glass
6. Keep Your Distance
Pain of Truth was the last opener of the night. The hardcore punk band from Long Island, New York got the crowd hyped up with their brand of hardcore with hip-hop influences. Michael Smith delivered with his mix of harsh vocals and rapping. A highlight of their set was guitarist Nik Hanson switching with Michael and took over screaming duties, while Michael showed his impressive guitar riffs during “Actin Up.” A final breakdown from Pain of Truth capped off an explosive finish in their set.
Lineup:
Michael Smith – Lead vocalist
Nik Hansen – Guitar
Ridge Rhine – Guitar
Zach Stachura – Bass
Nick Barker – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Blood On Your Hands
2. Lifeless On the Ground
3. In Your Heart
4. Under My Skin
5. This Falls On You
6. Two Choices
7. Not Through Blood
8. Pain Of Truth
9. You and Me
10. Actin Up
11. Linyhc
12. The Test
The stage turned into a darkened church with haunting ambient music playing as the crowd got excited for the arrival of Counterparts. The music got louder until the members of the Hamilton-based band arrived onstage. Lead vocalist Brendan Murphy appeared with a presence and started screaming to the first song, “A Martyr Left Alive” the first track off their latest EP Heaven Let Them Die released last November. Brendan’s intensity was shown with his screams piercing throughout the stage while the other members reacted soundly with precise guitar riffs and aggressive drumming. The energy from the crowd was at a raging high with one person climbing up the stage and jumped back into the crowd. That has to be the first time I’ve ever seen somebody pulling off a stage dive in HISTORY.
Counterpart’s setlist was a fury of metal and hardcore tunes that felt like they were coming at breakneck speed. The crowd responded with numerous circle pits and crowd-surfing while Brendan executed his arsenal of screams, including low and high gutturals. Included in their set were live debuts from their latest EP such as “To Hear of War,” and “Praise No Artery Intact.” After Counterparts played their last songs in their encore, the audience applauded loudly to the band, wanting more. In the end, it was an entertaining hour of heavy hardcore music and a fantastic experience to witness Counterpart’s biggest show to date.
Lineup:
Brendan Murphy – Lead vocalist
Kyle Brownlee – Drummer
Tyler Williams – Bass, backing vocals
Jesse Doreen – Lead guitars
Setlist:
1. A Martyr Left Alive
2. With Loving Arms Disfigured (Live debut)
3. Bound to the Burn
4. What Mirrors Might Reflect
5. Wings of Nightmares
6. Choke
7. Paradise and Plague
8. Sworn to Silence
9. Your Own Knife
10. Cherished
11. Unwavering Vow
12. To Hear of War (Live debut)
13. No Lamb Was Lost
14. No Servant of Mine
15. Praise No Artery Intact (Live debut)
16. Monument
17.Heaven Let Them Die (Live debut)
Encore:
18. Love Me
19. Whispers of Your Death
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Andrew Wu is a music photographer based in Toronto, Canada. His work focuses on capturing and documenting special moments of performers during concerts and various events. His photos have been featured such as music publications in Spill Magazine, Imprint Entertainment, and Patchchord News. In 2020, he completed his BFA in photography at OCAD University.
Andrew is a massive fan of music, as he enjoys a variety of genres such as pop, alternative, rock, hardcore, and metal.
