It was a warm Sunday evening, perfect for an excited crowd to see metalcore band The Ghost Inside at HISTORY. Having seen the band as an opener and a co-headliner, I was intrigued to see them as a proper headliner on their tour. With their latest album, Searching for Solace, released a few weeks ago, the band is supporting their new music alongside a lineup full of heavy metal bangers.
The first opener of the night was Great American Ghost. From start to finish, the metalcore band brought endless energy with heavy riffs and harsh vocals from frontman Ethan Harrison. From jumping around the stage to joining the crowd to mosh with the crowd, Ethan and the rest of the members pulled off an entertaining set with a lasting impression.
Lineup:
Ethan Harrison – Lead vocalist
Niko Gasparrini – Guitars, vocals
Grayson Stewart – Guitars
Anthony Laur – Guitars
Davier Perez (Not pictured) – Drummer
Terrance Pettitt – Drummer (Touring member)
Setlist:
1. Kingmaker
2. Womb
3. Hymn of Decay
4. Altar of Snakes
5. Prison of Hate
6. Scorched Earth
7. Ann Arbor (Be Safe)
Bleed From Within was the second opener of the night, and the energy went to another level as they stepped foot onstage. The metalcore band from Scotland got the crowd surfing and mosh pitting from the start while frontman Scott Kennedy gave the audience high-fives. “Oh my god, shut the f**k up guys!” Scott told the crowd as they cheered loudly to the band after playing “Levitate.” In the end, Bleed From Within was undoubtedly a fan favorite to the Toronto crowd.
Lineup:
Scott Kennedy – Unclean vocals
Steven “Snev” Jones – Rhythm guitars, clean vocals
Craig “Goonzi” Gowans – Lead guitars
Davie Provan – Bass
Ali Richardson – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Sovereign
2. Levitate
3. Stand Down
4. Pathfinder
5. Colony
6. Killing Time
7. Afterlife
8. I Am Damnation
9. The End of All We Know
The last opener of the show was Paleface Swiss. Hailing from Switzerland, the 4-piece band made their presence known with their intensity from the start. There were constant head-bangs from the guitarist and bassist, while the drummer even stood up aggressively, playing his kit. Frontman Zelli confronted the crowd with authority as the audience followed every crowd chant and head-bangs while I witnessed the best wall of death I had seen in this venue so far. Playing only their second show in Toronto, their chaotic but uplifting performance is enough to get the crowd wanting them to hear more of Paleface Swiss.
Lineup:
Marc (Zelli) – Lead vocalist
Yannick – Guitars
Tommy – Bass
Cassi – Drummer
Setlist:
1. Please End Me
2. The Orphan
3. Best Before: Death
4. Nail to the Tooth
5. The Gallow
6. Suppressing Times
7. Deathtouch
8. Pain
The lights dimmed down to signify the arrival of The Ghost Inside. The crew member helped drummer Andrew Tkaczyk get onto his drumming kit with his prosthetic leg, while the rest walked out to an excited crowd. After seeing The Ghost Inside last year co-headlining with Underoath at the same venue, the band played with more energy and confidence in their movement around the stage on Sunday night. It felt that, slowly but surely, The Ghost Inside is getting back to its very best in its live performances after the bus crash in 2015. The guitar and drum play was technically perfect; lead singer Jonathan Vigil was moving out the stage and interacting with the crowd, and one-time guitarist Jim Riley did a jump midway, which brought a surprise to himself and his band members.
The Ghost Inside played a 17-song setlist that featured some of their classics and fan favourites from their past albums. Midway through, they played new music from their latest album, Searching for Solace. “Wash It Away” saw Jonathan mainly singing clean vocals, which I was impressed to hear because he rarely sings in the band. It was a great change of pace to hear after listening to heavy tracks back-to-back. But they return to the heavy with new songs like “Earn It” and “Split” before calming down the stage with a slow, melodic song of “Phoenix Flame.” A highlight of the night was Jonathan remembering the venues they played in Toronto while mistaking that Danforth Music Hall was in Hamilton. He later thanked Andrew for keeping the band, which drew a long applause from the crowd. The night ended with The Ghost Inside playing fan favourites like “Chrono” and “Avalanche,” with “Aftermath” being the show’s finale. In the end, it was an amazing night of metalcore music that got the audience entertained from beginning to end.
Lineup:
Jonathan Vigil – Lead vocalist
Zach Johnson – Lead guitars, backing vocals
Andrew Tkaczyk – Drummer
Chris Davis – Rhythm guitars
Jim Riley – Bass, backing vocals
Setlist:
1. Engine 45
2. Unspoken
3. The Great Unknown
4. Pressure Point
5. Dear Youth (Day 52)
6. Move Me
7. Wash It Away
8. Earn It
9. Split
10. Phoenix Flame
11. Death Grip
12. Mercy
13. Dark Horse
14. Provoke
15. Chrono
16. Avalanche
17. 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.
