On May 19th, all female Japanese metalcore band HANABIE took the stage for the first time in Toronto at The Opera House while on their world tour, supported by Left To Suffer and Outline In Color.
Toronto was the third stop for HANABIE on their US and Canada tour, meaning it was pretty early in what will be an extensive tour through the US and later on, Europe. The show nearly sold out, but even then, the crowd brought enough energy to blow the roof right off The Opera House. Fans lined up for hours before, the line stretching all the way down the long side streets to get into the venue.
First to take the stage was independent metalcore band, Outline In Color. Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the band, currently independent, has seen its fair share of new members, with vocalists changing almost every new album or EP they released. The current lineup features unclean vocalist/screamer Michael Skaggs, bassist and clean vocalist Jonathan Grimes, rhythm guitarist Adam Woods, lead guitarist CJ Cochran and drummer Austin McFerrin. They delivered an extremely energetic performance, setting the mood right from the beginning with their song "Why Should You Survive". Throughout their set, vocal responsibility would switch from Michael Skaggs and Jonathan Grimes. They would shake the bones of the crowd with heavy riffs from guitarists CJ Cochran and Adam Woods, and classic metalcore drum beats from dummer Austin McFerrin. They performed popular songs such as "Quicksand", "Ghost Of You", "Won't Let Myself Become You", and "Eat Your Heart Out". A few circle pits and bone rattling beats later, Outline In Color would leave the crowd shaking both from anticipation for the next acts, and from their heavy bass.
Next to tear up the stage would be Georgia deathcore band, Left To Suffer. The band formed in 2019 and consists of vocalist Taylor Barber, bassist Christian Nowatzki, guitarists Peter Higgs and Jacob Gordon, and drummer Alex Vavra. Left To Suffer is currently independent. They would deliver a set that left patron's bones shaking, and after a circle pit in almost every song, Taylor would call for a wall of death to complete their set. It was truly amazing to watch.
And finally, after much anticipation from fans, Hanabie would take the stage for the first time in Toronto. Hanabie is an all female Japanese metal band, signed to Epic Records Japan. They deliver a sound that combines the traditional sounds of metal and metalcore, along with Japanese idol culture. The heavy growls and screams perfectly contrast the cutesy aesthetic the band sports, meaning you'll never know what you're going to get with this band. The four piece, composed of vocalist and guitarist Matsuri, screamer Yukina, bassist Hettsu and drummer Chika, delivered an unforgettable set.
First to greet the crowd was Chika, followed by Matsuri, Hettsu and finally, Yukina, who would run out on stage with a Canadian flag, earning very happy and excited cheers from the crowd. They opened with a bang, performing a popular song of theirs, "OTAKU Lovely Densetsu", and performed more hits such as "NEET GAME", and "Bukkowasu!!". Throughout their set, Yukina and Matsuri would switch vocal responsibility, with Yukina taking over the heavy scream vocals, and Matsuri taking the melodies. Halfway through, they would perform their new song, "GIRL'S TALK", with powerful screams from Yukina and beautiful, contrasting melodies from Matsuri. They would go onto play their most popular song, "Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu", and closed their main set with "Today's Good Day & So Epic". The crowd matched the energy of the band throughout their entire set, opening pits during pretty much every song and somehow brought even more energy for the encore, where they performed "SUNRISE Miso-SOUP" and Yukina asked the crowd if they liked miso soup, to which everyone cheered because who doesn't like miso soup? After an exciting performance of "L.C.G" and a mosh pit to go along with it, Hanabie would close their first night in Toronto with an electric "Sentimental Heroine". As a final gesture, Yukina would bring the Canadian flag back out before Hanabie bid their farewells.
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