Street Justice, Escuela Grind, Fit For An Autopsy, The Acacia Strain
July 9, 2023
Phoenix Concert Hall, Toronto, ON
Canadian Beats Passport
Legendary deathcore band The Acacia Strain has finally returned to Canada after many years. This tour is hitting many major cities across Southern Ontario, giving all fans a chance to see this amazing concert. On July 9th, 2023 at the Pheonix Concert Hall in Toronto, The Acacia Strain brought Fit For An Autopsy, Escuela Grind, and local support from Street Justice.
Street Justice is a straight-edge vegan hardcore band from Toronto. The band consists of an all-star lineup of Ontario hardcore musicians. Their music is intense, heavy, and stupidly catchy. The stage presence of all band members makes their set an absolute treat to watch. Street Justice has been on a huge upswing in recent times and I highly recommend all hardcore fans check them out. They were an amazing addition to this show and it was awesome to see locals play a much larger stage.
Escuela Grind has been the recipient of internet hype as of late. This is with good reason. Escuela Grind is intense. Their music is heavy, gritty, and disgusting. Their music really emphasizes the “grind” part of their name. They do an excellent job of combining elements of hardcore, death metal, and grindcore. The stage presence of the vocalist is stellar. Her energy and movement were mesmerizing and a sight to behold. Their songs move quickly and give you nothing but hooks. It’s relentless and a wickedly entertaining set.
Fit For An Autopsy have been deathcore legends for many years. Throughout their career, Fit For An Autopsy has consistently changed and developed their sound. This makes their setlist an absolute pleasure to behold. Their setlist spanned their entire career, cherry-picking all the heavy-hitting tunes to make a set that flows expertly. Their older heavier songs sit nicely next to their newer progressive tunes. Fit For An Autopsy was a breath of fresh air in the show. While the other bands are more hardcore-oriented, Fit For An Autopsy has a lot more of a death metal influence. Their place in this show was greatly appreciated and I highly recommend all fans of heavy music catch their set.
As soon as The Acacia Strain hit the stage, chaos ensued. The vocalist/front person of The Acacia Strain encouraged fans to come onto the stage, and they sure did. They did in droves. The crowd erupted into stage diving, crowd surfing and it was absolutely wild. The crowd interactivity made the show so much better. It was amazing to see such enthusiasm for the band. The Acacia Strain’s music is so heavy and catchy, it’s impossible to sit still as their infectious grooves fill the room. The whole band had excellent stage presence and showed the crowd why The Acacia Strain are so well regarded. I was sold right from the get-go. I cannot recommend them enough. The Acacia Strain is easily one of the best live bands I have ever seen. I will surely be catching them again.
This tour is an amazing showcase of the contemporary hardcore scene. All the bands are stellar and the local openers at every stop shows how strong the community is. This tour is a must-see for all fans of heavy music. Catch them in Canada while you can!