| THE TORONTO SCENE, THEN AND NOW |
| The Canadian Metal scene - how it has changed over the years! Just like Heavy Metal itself, Toronto, Canada (where I live) has gone through many different phases, starting as far back as the early to mid 70's. Whether it was the Beatles , Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin that were the reason for being a big influence on the thousands of Heavy Metal bands to come worldwide, Toronto and the rest of Canada felt something really big about to happen. In the early 80's the growth of Metal in Toronto exploded with Hard Rock bands gaining mass popularity, not just city wide but across the world. Not long after that the NWOBHM ( New wave of british heavy metal) which had already taken the U.K. and other parts of Europe by storm, also followed that same path, but was more underground than that of the Hard Rock/ Metal. The NWOBHM gained most of its success through word of mouth here in Toronto, Canada as fans who didnt care much for the Hair Metal/ Hard Rock scene embraced this style of music with awaiting and eager ears. Bands like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Saxon, Angel Witch, and Diamond Head were slowly gaining worldwide success. For Toronto, the 80's were the best of times for the Hard Rock scene as tons of clubs for local Hard Rock/ Metal acts opened all over the city. The Gasworks, Rock and Roll Heaven, Entex, Nags Head North, Nags Head West were just some of the clubs (Now all closed down) which hundreds of live bands would play every week, if not daily. Local acts like Lee Aaron, Killer Dwarfs, Helix, Kick Axe, Max Webster, April Wine, Triumph, Forgotten Rebels are just some of the bands that would fill these clubs every weekend for fans to enjoy. The late 80's to early 90's saw a change in the way Metal sounded. As the Hard Rock era slowly faded Thrash/Speed Metal entered to start what was to be another big break through in the scene as Heavy Metal evolves to Thrash/Speed Metal in Toronto. Lets not forget that in the mid 80's American bands like Anthrax, Testament, Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica also enjoyed huge success as Heavy Metal evolved to where it stands today. These bands are as big an influence to the 1990's as Zeppelin and Sabbath were to not only the 80's but the scene overall. As Thrash and Speed Metal takes over in Toronto, bands like Sacrifice, Anvil, Razor, Exciter and Annihilator ruled the clubs until the early to mid 90's. The 90's to present have showed all kinds of Canadian Metal acts with different styles dominate the decade. For example, acts like Slik Toxik, Sven Gali, Jack Damage and Slash Puppet reigned supreme through the early 90's with a Hard Rock/Metal Sound as Thrash Metal masters Anvil, Annihilator, Razor and S.F.H. ruled the 90's as the first 3 bands at present are still going strong. From the mid 90's to present more Black/Death Metal bands dominate the scene such as Blood of Christ, Cryptopsy, Kataklysm, Solus, Necronomicon and Infernal Majesty. Other bands to look forward to see more from in the future are Soulforge, Endorphins, Soul Of Darkness, Nitemare, Quo Vadis and Martyr all with a style of their own. These are the bands that help keep the scene going in Toronto as well as across Canada. Lets not forget the clubs today that host them such as The Reverb, Kathedral, 360, Opera House and The Dungeon. It may not be what it used to be like in the 80's as the crowds came out by the thousands each month. Whether its 200 or 2000 people the scene in Toronto and the rest of Canada will not die. Each day a new band forms, each day a new band works harder as they all strive toward their goal that way the scene survives lives long and prospers. And today in corporate North America its the Underground Heavy Metal scene that lives on through thick and thin. Metal Mike. |