IoMP 183: Collin Saw HammerFall at the Phoenix Concert Theater in Toronto
After years of waiting, Collin finally got the chance to see HammerFall as a headlining act — and apparently seeing them open for Sabaton back in 2019 was nowhere near enough to prepare him for what happened at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto.
This time around, Tom unfortunately had to miss the show, leaving Collin to return to the Influencers of Metal Podcast with a full report on the venue, the merch and, most importantly, all three bands that took the stage.
First up was a last-minute local addition to the bill: Toronto thrashers Profligator. Despite some issues with the vocals getting lost in the mix, the riffs, shredding and pure thrash energy quickly made an impression.
Then came Evergrey.
Collin had listened to the Swedish progressive metal veterans much more heavily during his high school years before gradually moving away from them. Apparently Evergrey took that personally.
Between an excellent performance, a strong connection with the Toronto crowd and songs spanning multiple eras of their career, Evergrey managed to completely reignite Collin’s interest in the band. They even stuck around at the merch booth after HammerFall’s set to meet fans, giving Collin and his friend Josh the chance to meet them and grab some photos.
But this was HammerFall’s night.
Opening with “Avenge the Fallen,” HammerFall immediately had the Toronto crowd chanting along before diving through a set spanning roughly three decades of the band’s catalogue. “Heeding the Call,” “Hammer of Dawn,” “Freedom,” “Renegade,” “Hammer High,” “Last Man Standing,” “Let the Hammer Fall” and “Hearts on Fire” were among the songs Collin got to experience live.
That crowd connection became one of the biggest highlights of the night. Collin describes a room completely in sync with HammerFall, chanting when prompted, singing along and making a relatively intimate venue feel even more special.
The Phoenix itself gets plenty of attention too. Collin loved the convenient and surprisingly affordable parking, straightforward layout and exceptionally friendly staff. The merch selection earned another strong score thanks to reasonable pricing, autographed items and a Canadian-exclusive HammerFall shirt.
Was HammerFall worth the wait? Did Evergrey steal the show before the headliners even arrived? And what exactly is Gator Thrash?
Click play and join Collin and Tom for the full concert review!
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