The audience was treated to a fantastic lineup at HISTORY in Toronto on a Sunday night. The venue was filled up to see co-headliners The Ghost Inside and Underoath rock the stage with We Came As Romans and Better Lovers as the opening acts. A gripping display of heavy metal music was the best way to start the last weekend of July.
Better Lovers was the first opening act, and they started off the night with a bang. Despite only being a band for only a year, the guys already felt like a seasoned band for many years. With some of the members originating from former act Every Time I Die. There was a considerable following for Better Lovers with the crowd in the middle head banging from start to finish.
Lineup:
Greg Puciato – Lead vocalist
Jordan Buckley – Guitar
Steve Micciche – Bass
Clayton “Goose” Holyoak – Drummer
Will Putney – Guitar
Setlist:
1. Become So Small
2. God Made Me an Animal
3. Croc
4. Sacrificial Participant
5. Punk
6. Rusty Cage (Soundgarden cover)
7. 30 Under 13
We Came As Romans was the second opening act, and they kept the energy going. Dave Stephens was walking side to side screaming and singing his absolute best while his band members did their part in hyping the crowd up. Their setlist was filled with classics, with two tracks from the tenth anniversary of their third album, Tracing Back Roots. With multiple circle pits and headbangs, We Came As Romans pumped up the audience before the headliners coming up.
Lineup:
Dave Stephens – Lead vocalist
Joshua Moore – Lead guitars, backing vocals
Lou Cotton – Rhythm guitar
Andy Glass – Bass, backing vocals
David Puckett – drummer
Setlist:
1. Darkbloom
2. Daggers
3. Wasted Age
4. Cold Like War
5. Doublespeak
6. Plagued
7. Trading Back Roots
8. Hope
9. Black Hole
As the stage crew installed new lighting, the anticipation for Underoath was getting higher. After a brief intro, the Tampa native band came onstage to a much rowdier crowd than before. Right from the start, Spencer Chamberlain was spinning around and screaming left and right as the crowd started hollering the words and crowd-surfing to the barricade. Underoath gave their absolute best, as they promised to bring out the very best of the band after COVID prevented the band from playing at HISTORY last year.
Underoath played a setlist filled with metalcore classics, including their new single “Limitless” released last week. There were countless moments of the band letting the crowd sing the words, and the crowd-surfs happening left and right. The crowd’s energy was at its highest when Underoath saved the best with their most prominent hit, “A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White” as the last song. In the end, Underoath’s set was nothing short of breathtaking.
Lineup:
Spencer Chamberlain – Lead vocalist
Aaron Gillespie – Drummer, clean vocals
Christopher Dudley – Keyboard, synthesizers
Timothy McTague – Lead guitar, backing vocals
Grant Brandell – Bass
Setlist:
1. Take a Breath
2. Writing on the Walls
3. Hallelujah
4. Breathing in a New Mentality
5. Lifeline (Drowning)
6. It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
7. Casting Such a Thin Shadow
8. Let Go
9. You’re Ever So Inviting
10. Reinventing Your Exit
11. Cycle
12. A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White
After a short break to get the audience to catch their breath, the lights dimmed black for the arrival of The Ghost Inside. The crowd roared for drummer Andrew Tkaczyk as he got help from his crew to walk to his drum set (he is playing with a prosthetic leg!) before the rest of the band members arrived to perform “Avalanche.” The audience screamed every word as lead vocalist Jonathan Vigil effortlessly nailed his screams. The crowd-surfing immediately started after that, bringing the show’s energy to a maximum.
The band were happy to play a packed audience at HISTORY; they were supposed to play at RBC Echo Beach, a bigger venue that would have been played outdoors (They were on that stage last year opening for A Day To Remember). I can see their happiness over that decision because you got to see many more band fans loving their music. Playing a setlist full of metalcore bangers, the Ghost Inside pumped the crowd to many circle pits and singalongs. The band also played their new song “Earn It” released a few weeks ago, showing they are more than ready to release new music soon.
Anytime The Ghost Inside play a show, it is a celebration for them considering the long and stressful journey it took. After their horrific bus crash in 2015, the band didn’t think they would ever play again. But here they are, possibly playing better than they ever before, and it showed with their effortless play and intensity from start to finish. What better way to end the night with “Aftermath,” a song about getting second chances. “Triumph over tragedy!” Jonathan and the audience screamed before the breakdown. The band gave one last thank you to the crowd before Andrew slowly walked his way down to the stage with his prosthetic leg to a roar of cheers.
Lineup:
Jonathan Vigil – Lead vocalist
Zach Johnson – Lead guitar, backing vocals
Andrew Tkaczyk – Drummer
Chris Davis – Rhythm guitar
Jim Riley – Bass, backing vocals
Setlist:
1. Avalanche
2. The Outcast
3. Engine 45
4. Pressure Point
5. One Choice
6. Unspoken
7. Earn It
8. Mercy
9. The Great Unknown
10. Dark Horse
11. White Light
12. Dear Youth
13. Faith or Forgiveness
14. Aftermath
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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.
