Violins, Suspenders, and Metalcore. Sweden's Imminence Make Their Canadian Debut
Photo: Steve St. Jean
It was a night of firsts at Toronto's The Opera House. It was the first time that Buffalo metalcore band Until I Wake played in Toronto, the first time that Swedish metalcore band Imminence performed in Canada, and the first time I had a chance to see both acts perform. There isn't a more fitting venue than The Opera House to see a metal show on a cold, dreary night at the end of autumn.
Filled to the brim, fans in all-black attire piled onto the floor at The Opera House to get a good spot for Imminence and see the opening act, Until I Wake. At the end of their set, I found out the vocalist (Jaali Cypher) was a replacement for lead singer Cody Johnson. Jaali's energy throughout the set was intense (in all the right ways). The band didn't miss a beat, with Jaali filling in as he bounced across the stage and, at times, hopping into the crowd to scream in fans' faces. He had a very similar vibe and sound to Anthony Green (Saosin, Circa Survive, L.S. Dunes) and helped prime the audience for what was to come. Guitarist Niko Karras didn't miss out on any of the action as he jumped from the stage onto the barricades and shredded his guitar parts. Until I Wake had no shortage of stoke; the band ripped from circle pits to a wall of death.
Imminence was up next. Through the shadows backstage, drummer Peter Hanström walked out and prepped his drum kick, followed by guitarists Harald Barrett and Alex Arnoldsson and bassist Christian Höijer. The last to come out was the ever-so-stylish Eddie Berg (cue fans screaming). You don't often see a metal band look the way they do, at least frontman Eddie Berg. He wore a slick brown peacoat, a butterfly-patterned dress shirt and suspenders. He even pulled out his violin, screaming ferociously into the mic. Imminence is a new breed of metalcore and a breath of fresh air in the genre. When I say new, I mean new for Canadians, as the band's been dropping music since 2013, but only now are they getting the recognition they deserve overseas. Their setlist spanned their entire discography from 2017's This is Goodbye to their latest tracks such as "Heaven Shall Burn." A memorable moment was when they played "Surrender" from 2021's Heaven in Hiding. Berg's vocals were spot on, followed by Barrett's guitar tapping, similar to Teppei Teranishi of Thrice fame, transporting me back to when I used to have their LP Vheissu on repeat. The song was a pivotal moment in the set, with massive vocals that set the crowd into a frenzy before diving head first into their latest track, "Death By a Thousand Cuts."
As they hit the halfway mark of their set, Berg told the fans how stoked they were to be playing in Toronto, saying: "I have to tell you, it feels like coming home, to be honest. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for coming out to support us." Following his message, he asked the fans if it was okay to slow things down, asking them to open up the pit into a circle. He invited two fans into the centre of the pit where a marriage proposal happened, followed by Berg serenading the audience with a stripped-back rendition of their song "Alleviate" from Heaven in Hiding. To say this band is unique is an understatement. Hell, their merch was even special, with unique designs promoting that they were recycled and organic. I loved this show. If you have yet to learn who Imminence was before, don't sleep on them. These guys are on the rise.
Check out our photo galleries from the night below:
PHOTO GALLERY
IMMINENCE
UNTIL I WAKE
IMMINENCE SETLIST:
Paralyzed
Ghost
Erase
The Sickness
This is Goodbye
Come Hell or High Water
Desolation
Surrender
Death by a Thousand Cuts
Alleviate
Saturated Soul
Infectious
Chasing Shadow
∞
Heaven in Hiding
Heaven Shall Burn
Temptation
Relive the setlist with our Imminence playlist below:
Words / Photography by: Steve St. Jean