ARCH ENEMY AND THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER TURN THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL INTO A METAL BATTLEGROUND

Five bands from five different places packed the Danforth Music Hall on the day after Halloween, and the crowd showed up dressed for it. The Wrath Across North America tour pairs Sweden’s Arch Enemy and Detroit’s The Black Dahlia Murder as co-headliners, with Greece’s Septicflesh, Brazil’s Crypta and Los Angeles metalcore band Thrown Into Exile filling out the bill.

The drive into Toronto was a pleasant one, with nice weather making for a good start to the evening, especially with the clocks set to turn back overnight. Upon arriving at the Danforth Music Hall, fans were greeted by the co-headliners’ merchandise table and a large inflatable Arch Enemy mascot beside the bar. It quickly became a popular photo spot, with fans stopping to get pictures before heading into the night’s metal assault. The merchandise tables for the other three bands, Septicflesh, Crypta and Thrown Into Exile, were set up across the back of the general admission floor.

Thrown Into Exile opened with a short set featuring “Send Me Below,” “Nihilist,” “Behind The Veil,” “Remorse,” and “You’ve Fallen So Far,” quickly getting a circle pit started. The band now features Joshua Santos as its vocalist, taking on the role in 2026.

Crypta followed with a confident, tight performance that carried the flag for Brazilian death metal. Bassist and vocalist Fernanda Lira led the band through “The Other Side of Anger,” “Lord of Ruins,” “The Outsider” and “From the Ashes,” along with their new single, “A Portrait of Decay.”

Septicflesh played the night as a three-piece after guitarist Christos Antoniou fractured his ribs just before the tour started, with the band saying he hopes to rejoin later on the run. Their set of “Portrait of a Headless Man,” “The Vampire From Nazareth,” “Martyr,” “Coming Storm,” “Anubis” and “Dark Art” kept the symphonic weight that defines the band, and they got some of the first big reactions of the night, with fists in the air and fans chanting along.

The Black Dahlia Murder destroyed the place. Fans were chanting the band’s name before they even took the stage, and from “Necropolis” onward the room turned into a steady mix of moshing, crowd surfing and devil horns. During the set the band announced to the crowd that it was bassist Max Lavelle’s birthday, and a birthday cake appeared from the side of the stage while the room sang “Happy Birthday” to him, after which the show carried on.

One of the night’s highlights came during “Statutory Ape,” when the band’s familiar live mascot made an appearance. A crew member dressed in a full gorilla suit ran onto the stage, interacting with the band and headbanging along with them. The gorilla then launched a giant inflatable banana into the crowd, where fans tossed it around. After leaving the stage, the mascot made another appearance, this time crowd surfing its way back toward the stage. It’s a long-running tradition inspired by the band’s classic track, and it was every bit as entertaining as you’d expect.

The set ran through “Contagion,” “Mammoth’s Hand,” “Moonlight Equilibrium,” “Panic Hysteric,” “Nightbringers,” “Everything Went Black,” “Cursed Creator,” “A Vulgar Picture,” “Miscarriage,” “Statutory Ape,” “Christ Deformed” and “Utopia Black,” and closed with “What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse.”

Between sets the road crew had a huge job, tearing down one stage setup and building another for Arch Enemy, and the work showed. As good as The Black Dahlia Murder were, Arch Enemy tore the roof off. The production was on another level, with a big lighting rig, constant flashing effects and bright beams aimed straight at the audience. Songs like “The World Is Yours,” “Ravenous,” “War Eternal,” “Blood Dynasty,” “My Apocalypse” and “To the Last Breath” kept the energy high. The crowd jumped together on a battle anthem later in the set, and “Taking Back My Soul,” “The Eagle Flies Alone,” “Bury Me an Angel,” “Dead Bury Their Dead,” “No Gods, No Masters” and “Nemesis” carried the room to the finish.

Much of the attention on this tour belongs to Lauren Hart, formerly of Once Human, who now fronts Arch Enemy alongside guitarists Michael Amott and Joey Concepcion, bassist Sharlee D’Angelo and drummer Daniel Erlandsson. Her screams are fierce and powerful, but between songs she came across as calm, welcoming and sincere, and that mix made a real connection with the crowd. She thanked everyone for coming out and joked about fans choosing this show over another metal show happening in the city the same night.

As the final song, “Nemesis,” unfolded, red and black balloons bearing Arch Enemy logos were released into the crowd. They floated above the packed Danforth Music Hall as fans raised their hands and sang along, creating a celebratory ending to the Toronto stop of the Wrath Across North America tour.

The Black Dahlia Murder may have destroyed the place, but Arch Enemy found another gear and finished the night by blowing the roof off Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall.

A huge thanks to Caitlin McGeehan from AtomSplitterPR for the accreditation.

Arch Enemy

The Black Dahlia Murder

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Drew Osborne

I’m Drew, the founder and editor of Front of the Stage. I have a strong love for music and photography, which started at a very young age. There’s just something I love about experiencing live music and capturing memories that will last a lifetime, and that’s how Front of the Stage came to be.