It was an exhilarating Sunday night at MTelus for Hatebreed‘s 30th anniversary tour, featuring an incredible lineup sure to delight fans of extreme music. The bill included the up-and-coming death metal band Crypta, hardcore heavyweights Harms Way, and the legendary death metal pioneers Carcass, all accompanying Hatebreed on this North American tour.
Unfortunately, Montreal traffic and parking were not on my side, and I missed Crypta. I was extremely disappointed, as their 2023 album Shades of Sorrow had been in my earbuds for a month in anticipation of this show. Luckily, our photographer Ryan was on hand to capture their energetic performance and menacing stage presence. Vocalist Fernanda was in top form, delivering eerie growls while engaging the crowd. I sincerely hope we get another chance to see Crypta in Montreal soon.
Next up were the hardcore heavyweights Harms Way. I’ve been fortunate enough to see them a few times, and they never fail to deliver a crushing performance. The muscular, shirtless vocalist James Pligge stomped onto the stage like a hulking madman, unleashing intense and menacing vocals. His onstage persona is a sight to behold, with screams layered over dissonant, crushing guitar riffs.
They played songs from their two latest albums, with my personal highlight being the excellent “Human Carrying Capacity,” featuring a slow, mosh-heavy intro. The crowd grew rowdy, pushing into a massive mosh pit. They closed with their classic track “Infestation” from the Rust album, a staple of the 2015 hardcore era, with its industrial, gnarly bass intro. After not seeing Harms Way for a long time, their performance left me eager for more.
I was ecstatic for the next band about to take the stage: one of the greatest metal acts of all time, Carcass. With a long and celebrated career, they have influenced countless bands over the years. I had never seen them live before and was thrilled to finally witness these legends.
They stormed the stage and wasted no time demonstrating why they are metal icons. With a classic rock-and-roll swagger, Jeff walked onstage holding his bass like a firearm, aiming it at the frenzied crowd. Their varied setlist touched on all their classic albums, seamlessly incorporating a few new songs. Bill Steer’s guitar work was as impressive as I had hoped, featuring fast, melodic solos. Jeff delighted the crowd by tossing endless supplies of bass picks into the mosh pit.
My personal highlights were “Corporal Jigsore Quandary,” with its classic old-school death metal crunch, and the climactic “Heartwork,” known for its iconic guitar intro. The Carcass fans in attendance had a blast, with crowd surfing and wild moshing for an incredible 45 minutes of death metal.
I must admit that the night made me feel old. I can hardly believe Hatebreed has been around for 30 years. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess. As the road crew prepared the stage for Hatebreed, a slideshow of the band’s journey through the years played, allowing us to relive their career through archival pictures. I found myself smiling and laughing at certain images—it was a subtle yet elegant way to showcase how far Hatebreed has come.
As the show began, a star-studded video montage featuring legends of the metal and hardcore world congratulated Hatebreed on their anniversary. Notable figures included Ice-T, Terror vocalist Scott Vogel, the entire Municipal Waste crew, and Lamb of God vocalist Randy, which drew a massive cheer from the crowd.
After the intro, Hatebreed wasted no time, kicking off the show with the classic “Tear It Down” and delivering hit after hit. I must admit, I don’t listen to Hatebreed as much as I used to, but as a testament to their long and glorious career, I knew every song and sang along to every word. Jamey Jasta was in fine form, engaging with the crowd and encouraging everyone to sing along until their voices gave out.
The set continued with classics like “Destroy Everything” and “Live for This,” sending the crowd into a frenzy of moshing, circle pits, and sing-alongs. Jamey took a moment to address the Montreal crowd, expressing the band’s love for the now-defunct annual heavy metal festival HEAVYMTL. He urged attendees to let the powers that be know that fans and bands alike want the festival back. Evenko? Can we please have our celebration of extreme music once again? It seems everyone misses this fantastic festival.
The setlist continued with more hits like “Before Dishonor” and “As Diehard as They Come,” before Jamey took a moment to thank one of metal’s greatest bands, Slayer, for their support during Hatebreed’s early years, which helped shape the band into what it is today. They followed this with their rendition of “Ghosts of War.”
Jamey also gave a heartfelt shout-out to Lou Keller of Sick of It All, urging the audience to send positivity in his fight against cancer. He explained that Hatebreed doesn’t have a wall of death, but rather a “Ball of Death,” as the crew brought out a large inflatable ball for the crowd to bounce around during the next few songs, much to everyone’s delight.
As the evening progressed, Hatebreed continued to pummel the crowd with more classics, finishing with the iconic “Proven” and “I Will Be Heard,” which featured in the 2002 soundtrack for the classic action movie XXX, starring Vin Diesel.
The night was a celebration of everything Hatebreed—a party to commemorate their incredible journey from a small hardcore band in Connecticut to one of the biggest metal bands in the world. Even if you weren’t in attendance for this particular show, we all share fond memories of witnessing this amazing band. Here’s to hoping for another 30 years of Hatebreed!
Review – Jason Maher
Photos – Ryan Rumpel
