All That Remains at the Opera House - more photos... photo by clint gilders- staff photographer

by andrew stricko - club kingsnake contributor

Toronto's Opera House baked like an oven for the June 2 show featuring Canadians the Holly Springs Disaster and Threat Signal, followed by Bless The Fall from Phoenix, Arizona, and a finale with All That Remains and Protest the Hero. With a lengthy 5-band bill, the merciless heat was a true test for those who wanted to take in the entire show despite the threat of physical exhaustion, dehydration, or fatigue.

For a show with a hefty serving of breakdowns, each band seemed to keep the audience’s attention and had a noticeably different hardcore style.

The Holly Springs Disaster and Threat Signal opened, followed by Bless The Fall. With such powerful opening acts, I was still only half-prepared for the finale. With two of the most ‘in your face’ performances money can buy these days left to hit the stage, it's hard to convey the crowd’s frenzied anticipation that night.

The lights went down, and All That Remains stepped on stage. I watched from the balcony as all hell broke loose. It was my first time seeing ATR, and this is not a band that lets you down live. They pretty much tell you how it is and you like it. Playing a flawless set including "This Calling," which made the crowd roar like at a Slayer concert, ATR brought out the big drums, a brief burst of air conditioning, throat-tearing vocals, and shredding that would move some of history's best players to tears.

Finally it came, the final trip to the patio for smokers, the final set change, and the last time anyone in the building would be the same.

Protest The Hero at the Opera House - more photos... photo by clint gilders- staff photographer

Take five boys from hometown Whitby, Ontario, barely over the legal age and only slightly older than me. Give them unparalleled musical powers. Put them on stage in front of a sold out crowd, and you have Protest The Hero. Moments before PTH came out, both sides of the stage were packed full (very common when PTH are in Toronto). Ultimately this means one thing: lots of action!

As the theme to Star Trek began to play, the noise generated by the crowd was deafening. As the band strutted onto the stage - pandemonium. Within seconds PTH launched into "Nautical" and began their ruthless assault (with comedic sprinklings). They played nearly all of their most recent album Kezia, "I Am Dimitri Karamazov and the World is My Father" from A Calculated Use Of Sound, and a handful of yet to be named/recorded new songs; very little was left untouched. In between songs, frontman Rody Walker carried on the typical stage banter. He kept us all entertained as his fellow bandmates let their limbs rest from the lightning speed moves. Since this was considered a hometown show, the audience was treated to many surprises. There was a guest appearance by Jesse Colburn of Closet Monster during "I am Dimitri," Stuart Aiken lent a hand with "Turn Soonest To The Sea," and Jadea Kelly (the voice of Kezia) appeared for various songs.

But there was one major highlight left in store: A Protest encore (something they don’t usually do).

They finished off the evening with "Heretics and Killers," and it's safe to say that everyone got their money’s worth.