Children of Bodom Ignite Toronto in a Frenzy of Northern Fire

After many years of waiting, this humble Latin metalhead finally fulfilled a personal dream: witnessing Children of Bodom live on stage. The Finnish icons have been tearing through the metallic highway for more than 26 years, and their North American tour stopped in Toronto as part of a 29–date run across Canada and the United States.

Coming from the historic city of Kingston, Ontario, nearly three hours away, the journey began in a long, slow-moving line under freezing temperatures. Although the calendar suggested the arrival of spring, the thermometer reminded us otherwise at a chilling -5°C. The show took place at the popular Phoenix Concert Theatre on Sherbourne Street, a downtown area that unfortunately has become less safe over the years due to a growing number of addicts and drug activity. Here’s hoping the City Hall restores the sense of security it once had.

The night opened with Summoner’s Circle from Knoxville, Tennessee, cloaked in black robes and delivering their doom-laden debut “TOME” (2018). Their performance was tidy, theatrical and powerful enough to immediately lock the room into darkness.

They were followed by Swallow the Sun, bringing their signature Finnish death-doom style. Heavier live, almost flirting with thrash aggression, yet undeniably wrapped in that melancholic Finnish aura. They performed seven tracks including These Woods Breathe Evil, Upon the Water, Firelights, New Moon, Stone Wings, Deadly Nightshade and Swallow (Horror Pt. 1), most of them from their latest release “When a Shadow Is Forced into the Light” via Century Media. The band continues to grow more intense, more dramatic and more magnetic.

Wolfheart kept the northern frost alive with a crushing set of only six songs, but each one felt monumental. Their sound is massive, cold and emotionally brutal, not necessarily for casual ears. Some newcomers found it dense, but fans of the genre embraced the weight and complexity. Their set included: Everlasting Fall, Strength and Valor, Zero Gravity, Breakwater, The Hunt and Boneyard. A superb display of modern Finnish heaviness.

At last, the moment everyone was waiting for. Children of Bodom took the stage, led by the late Alexi Laiho, small in frame but gigantic in energy, never dropping his intensity for a second. Joined by Jaska Raatikainen, Henkka T. Blacksmith, Janne Wirman and Daniel Freyberg, the band detonated a fiery, crowd-triggering performance.

Their setlist included fourteen songs: Are You Dead Yet?, Under Grass and Clover, In Your Face, This Road, Bodom Beach Terror, Everytime I Die, Platitudes and Barren Words, We’re Not Gonna Fall, I Worship Chaos, Sixpounder, Angels Don’t Kill, If You Want Peace… Prepare for War and an encore with Hate Me! and Downfall. The moshpit went wild, at times resembling a hardcore punk show. The tour supported their 2019 release “Hexed”, a superb album that proves their creative flame never faded.

Merchandise was first-class and reasonably priced: T-shirts for 30 dollars, vinyl for 25 dollars, cheaper than Amazon’s usual 40. Patches were 10 dollars and several other items were available. I grabbed a tour shirt and a patch for the collection.

Leaving the venue was slow due to the packed crowd. Canadians are usually respectful, but there is always that one idiot who needs a shove back. I took a taxi to the bus terminal, grabbed a couple of sodas and a sandwich, hit a few puffs of my inhaler for asthma, and boarded the last bus home for the 265-kilometer ride to Kingston. With headphones on, Children of Bodom continued to soundtrack the entire return trip.

A freezing night outside. Pure fire inside. That is northern metal at its finest.

Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist