So the weekend has come and went. The dust is now settled and Downsview Park is left in shambles! This weekend was the beginning of what is hoped to be a long standing new tradition for Toronto rock and metal fans alike. Fans from all over Ontario (as well as a few Americans I saw) took part in the two day festival of Heavy TO. Filmed live (Heavy TO Stream) for everyone across the internet to see, the inaugural festival kicked off to a great start with the sun shining, the beer flowing and the bands rocking!
Saturday had a wide variety of great metal bands playing:
Endast
Devildriver (setlist)
Lead voicalist, Dez, always knows how to get a crowd going and with the loyal DD fans at the ready, they had no problem accomplishing that. Even for 1:30 in the afternoon, these guys showed no mercy when it came to starting the circle pits and the infamous wall of death!
Lead voicalist, Dez, always knows how to get a crowd going and with the loyal DD fans at the ready, they had no problem accomplishing that. Even for 1:30 in the afternoon, these guys showed no mercy when it came to starting the circle pits and the infamous wall of death!
Underoath
No spirit fingers for the Christian metal heads this time around, but did manage to deafen some of the crowd with their low end triggers. "BBBBWWWWOOOOMMMMBBBBB!"
No spirit fingers for the Christian metal heads this time around, but did manage to deafen some of the crowd with their low end triggers. "BBBBWWWWOOOOMMMMBBBBB!"
Times of Grace
Adam D is the man! This guy was running around on stage the entire performance, giving the crowd exactly what they needed :-). His solos were epic, their breakdowns were flawless and was a great warm up for As I Lay Dying!
As I Lay Dying
In my personal opinion, the best band that Heavy TO could have asked for on Saturday. These guys instantly commanded attention and presence as soon as they hit the stage. Ripping from one song to another, these mosh pits were absolutely deadly during hit songs like "Through Struggle" and "Confined".
Anthrax (setlist)
As I Lay Dying - Confined
All the bands did great performance and really got the crowd into the spirit of the festival. As a great sign of respect, newer bands paid homage and tribute to a lot of the bands they grew up listening to, and now sharing a stage with them. The rain held off for most of the day, but unfortunately I decided to take off halfway through the set of Motorhead. Kudos to Lemmy though for belting out those classic tunes!
As if the first day wasn’t enough, we decided to pack our s**t once more and venture back to Downsview Park for round two of this shindig. We knew right from the starting of the day that there was a few bands getting some flack from the crowd, simply for not being “heavy enough”. Billy Talent and Melissa Auf De Maur struggled to keep the crowds on their side, but overall prevailed and got some fist pumping and even the odd mosh pit.
Sunday’s lineup was just as good as Saturdays:
Death Angel
Volbeat (setlist)
Unfortunately, Volbeat (already minus a guitarist) had to cut heir set short due to technical problems with the sound. A wall of noise prevented fans from hearing the guitar and some of the bass riffs.
Baptized in Blood
Testament (setlist)
Slayer (setlist)
No argument, these guys came here with a purpose of domination. Even without Jeff, these guys ripped apart the stage, making it extremely hard for Billy Talent to follow. :-S
No argument, these guys came here with a purpose of domination. Even without Jeff, these guys ripped apart the stage, making it extremely hard for Billy Talent to follow. :-S
Billy Talent (setlist)
Now these guys had some major balls to play their set right after Slayer and before Rob Zombie. With a tall order to fill, these guys came out on top. Even with the bottles and objects flying at their heads, these guys were humble to be at the show and sharing stages with some major metal acts over the years. Billy Talent knew they were not a metal band and did not try to act as one. They played right into the crowd, reading banners out loud with quotes such as "Billy Talent Sucks" and "Die Billy Die". Disappointed as a fan of many genres of music, but then again, ignorance is bliss and close minded fans won't be changed.
Rob Zombie (setlist)
All I got to say is... ZOMBIE BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE!
Rob Zombie - Scum of the Earth
After about 20+ hours on my feet, the heat was really taking its toll. Thank goodness for the Mike’s Hard Lemonade crew for hooking us up with bandanas, drenched in ice water to keep us all cool and alive. Overall, the weekend came and went with great success. The festival had some great coverage between radio, posters and some massive banners plastered everywhere around the Park area. Tailgate parties in the parking lots, mosh pits with kids flying, meet and greet with the bands, and even a Schecter instrument sampling area to shred in front of anyone caring to listen. I hope this provided you with enough jealousy to hit this festival up next year. Can’t wait to see who they have lined up for the second coming of Heavy TO! J
*MAKE SURE TO HEAD TO AFGM via FACEBOOK FOR THE ENTIRE PHOTO SHOOTS OF BOTH (Day 1 & 2) DAYS*
*MAKE SURE TO HEAD TO AFGM via FACEBOOK FOR THE ENTIRE PHOTO SHOOTS OF BOTH (Day 1 & 2) DAYS*
Good Review...and Great Pix!
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