Blood Incantation and Emperor recently embarked on the “Imperial Wrath” tour, with very limited dates in North America. Their show at the Concert Hall in Toronto marked the beginning of the 12-day trek, and things got off to a darkly immersive start.
For those of you who are not familiar, The Concert Hall is an iconic venue in Toronto. Having served as a Masonic temple from its opening in 1918 until the mid 60’s, it slowly transitioned to other functions, and operated under several different names, such as Rockpile and Club 888. At one point in the mid 2000’s, it was the home of MTV Canada, and the place received its current name in 2017. Through the decades, this location has hosted some pretty remarkable shows, including a legendary performance by Led Zeppelin in 1969, in which Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush were in attendance.
If you’re a follower of Sonic Perspectives, you might remember we covered a show at The Concert Hall almost exactly two years ago (Find the story here). Some things never really change, and just like in 2024, this was a very cold evening in the city, and the issues of getting into this venue on time are still present. As a consequence of the issues at check-in, the merch line was still quite long when Blood Incantation came to the stage, at 8 PM sharp.
Having released what was arguably the best metal album of 2024, Absolute Elsewhere, Blood Incantation continues its trajectory toward becoming a stable live act, attracting larger crowds with each new tour. The last time they played here, at the tail end of that same year, it was a sold-out show. And just like the last time, their set tonight included “Absolute Elsewhere” in full. Their show is a continuous experience, where one song flows into the next with no break. With influences ranging from Death and Morbid Angel to Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream, some of their songs go from a mellotron solo to a blast beat in a split second. Guitarists Paul Riedl and Morris Kolontyrsky alternate the leads, with Paul managing the vocals. And by vocals, I mean growls that would make Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt run for cover. Jeff Barret (fretless bass) and Isaac Faulk (drums) admirably hold the fort in the rhythm section, while keyboardist John Gamiño added the ambient layers that gave the band a cosmic feel.
In a full circle moment, Blood Incantation ended their set with “Vitrification of Blood (Pt. 1)”, the first song of their first album, 2016’s “Starspawn”. As more and more prog elements are added to their sound, they are clearly on an upward trajectory, and one can’t help but feel that their best album is yet to come.
Emperor came to the stage at 9:30 PM, and they had some catching up to do. The band hadn’t played in Toronto since 2018, and fans were eager to get their satanic fix for the night. As was expected, all the classics were present in their repertoire, including some deep cuts. They kicked it off with “Into the Infinity of Thoughts”, and the crowd erupted into utter chaos. In case you’re wondering, obviously classics such as “Thus Spake the Nightspirit”, “Curse You all Men!”, and ‘I Am the Black Wizards” were played. These days, my mind says pit, but my knees and shoulders say balcony, so after the first three or four songs, I had to make my way to the back of the venue.
The Norwegian stalwarts are a rare case of a band sounding tighter live than in the studio, and tonight was no different. The core of the band – Ihsahn (vocals, guitar), Samoth (guitar), Trym Torson (drums) – has the help of Secthdamon (bass) and Jørgen Munkeby (keyboards). Visually, there’s no corpse paint or spike-laden clothes. Just five regular guys playing face-melting, bone-crushing, legion-summoning metal. Fully conscious of the impact that their seminal albums had on the scene, Emperor has no desire to continue to release new music. Instead, their shows are a celebration of their legacy, and their followers embrace this philosophy in full. At this stage in their career, if the fans want to experience something new, their best bet is Ihsahn’s prolific solo output.
Their show reached a climax with “Inno a Satana”, and concluded with a definitive version of “Ye Entrancemperium”. As the final notes echoed into the cold Toronto night, it was hard not to feel like this was a passing-of-the-torch moment—whether intentional or not. Blood Incantation is clearly shaping the future of extreme music with its fearless experimentation, while Emperor continues to embody its spirit in its purest, most authoritative form. Different paths, same darkness—and for one night at The Concert Hall, they converged in spectacular fashion.
