Symphonic Metal has been sweeping the scene in Toronto’s music community as of late, thanks in part to the unwavering commitment of Inertia Entertainment. With bands like Visions of Atlantis and Illumishade having shaken the bill a week prior, and Battle Beast set to take the stage in early May, we’ve seen no downturn in the rise of captivating vocals and epic tales.
With that comes another iconic name in the scene, who has had a quiet, somewhat mysterious past, that they’ve now set ablaze on their path to glory. Xandria has ensnared the hearts and ears with their 2023 album The Wonders Still Awaiting, with songs like “Your Stories I’ll Remember” and “You Will Never Be Our God” becoming easy playlist staples; all while previous hits like “Nightfall” and “Reborn” stand strong. Thursday night saw this phoenix of a band take The Concert Hall stage in downtown Toronto, with an eager and excited crowd all but ready for the lights to go down.
The passion from “You Will Never Be Our God” saw fans in a frenzy, embracing the band’s charisma with their own. Despite visa issues, Xandria‘s chosen replacement drummer matched their sound without flaw and earned the horns from metal fans across the venue.
“Death to the Holy” continued the fury with a heaviness pressing forward, the front row head-banging without demand. This same energy was held with “Reborn” as long-time fans easily sang along to Xandria‘s delight. The warmth of the crowd, set for battle, brought about smiles and joy from a band set to open with rousing speeches and a call to arms, and their call to war was easily heard.
Their newest release “Universal” had the crowd roaring with excitement, bringing anticipation to an all time high. The mood, however, was paused as the soprano-high “Your Stories I’ll Remember” called for a hush on the horizon, and fans were happy to oblige. But the stories would only continue as “Two Worlds” took the helm, once more demanding the crowd’s prowess to arise.
Finishing off their set was the popular “Nightfall” with crowd surfers and mosh pits all the rage until the very last note. Xandria‘s passion, and movement on stage had fans locked on. It was no surprise they were chosen to summon the Dwarven army together, as Dianne’s vocals are impossible to ignore and the band’s overall chemistry is one felt beyond the stage. It was an absolute experience witnessing Xandria and I can only hope they return sooner rather than later, with a longer set.
With the excitement already brimming, eyes scanned the packed venue to see inflatable axes and swords held high. Helmets were properly fitted, and even Miners had risen from beneath the earth for what could be called nothing less than a reunion. For whom? None other than the epic Dwarven Army known as Wind Rose.
Having sold out venues across North America, and venues seeing last second upgrades merely for their opening slots, it was no surprise this Power Metal force was set to headline and do the exact same as their 2023 debut with Rhapsody. As a member of the Dwarven Army since Shadows over Lothadruin in 2012 with “Son of a Thousand Nights” and “The Breed of Durin” off 2015’s Wardens of the West Wind, this was a must-attend in my books, and I would have it no other way.
Cosplays were a plenty, packing the venue from floor to balcony as fans eagerly awaited the Dwarven commanders, and the moment the lights fell black, that was it. Flickering lights saw the band hurry to the stage, “Army of Stone,” having fans pressed to the barricade within seconds as the crowd erupted into a battle cry.
With the lights now up, Dwarven Commander Francesco Cavalieri’s arms rose to welcome his Dwarven brothers and sisters with unparalleled joy. “Fellows of the Hammer” saw the crowds shouts turn into song as they matched the band word for word. A fan favorite, Francesco found it easy to let his duties fall to his comrades as their voices flooded the venue without falter.
“Drunken Dwarves” saw chaos erupt in the pit, a circle soon capturing much of the floor while the band danced with excitement. It’s a song that has seen crowds bounce around from left to right across what seems like acres of floor-space with nothing but sheer delight on their faces and, this night, saw the very same.
That excitement carried on in “Mine Mine Mine!” as pick axes rose to the air and fans swayed to the lyrics. With catchy lyrics and an infectious chorus, you found yourself singing along in an instant, absolutely ecstatic to be a part of such fun. The Power Metal vibe rang through when “Gates of Ekrund” began, and the headbanging commenced. Keyboardist Frederico had my attention as his unstoppable headbanging kept going from song to song, hypnotizing in a way as his energy seemed endless. Fans stood united, unwavering as “as long as we are together at the gates we’ll not fall,” and they would hold true to those words.
One of my favourites soon came through, fans backing the vocals to “The King Under the Mountain” that saw no loss of energy nor vigor from the crowd. This Dwarven power carried into The titular Hobbit tale “The Battle of Five Armies” that once more saw the floor engulf all beyond the two rows of the barricade in their mosh pit glory. With Francesco’s encouragement, the crowd sang to the highs and lows of this epic song, keeping both momentum and vocals at an all-time high.
The lighter yet dynamic track “Art of War” off the band’s popular Wintersaga album saw the folk sound take hold and bring an energetic crowd back to full frontal focus, fists in the air with cheer. This moved through unto “Tales of War” that let the adrenaline coarse through fans once more as they moshed to their hearts’ content.
My growing favourite from Warfront saw fans on the floor, rowing without even a hint to do so. “Together We Rise” had the remaining crowd head-banging in unison, absolutely ready to sing along to this iconic track with horns held high. “Rise, dwarves in a line!” saw the rowers jump to their feet, once more committed to the pit at their center, their energy primed as one.
The energy committed to such movement would’ve had fans exhausted by now, right? No such luck. As the Tiktok famous “Diggy Diggy Hole” began to rise, fans became frenzied, bouncing off one another with a mood that could not be described as anything other than feral happiness. Vocals were drowned by the crowds’ word-for-word singing, not a single arm left to sit as a cascade of absolute madness seemed to ensnare the senses.
Of course, this was not the end, as the remix quickly kept fans from any bit of tranquility. The absolute moment the beat dropped, dancing Dwarves looming over the already feral crowd, everybody was jumping. Bassist Cristiano had no problems joining his Dwarven brothers and sisters on the floor to show off his wild dance moves. It was a moment of pure exhilaration sweeping over an entire fanbase with not a single person grounded. From the moment the bass hit until the song ended, fans had the venue shaking from floor to ceiling, living completely in the moment.
As this was once the end of our Dwarven journey, it was not the case this night as a brief pause was held between the band and fans before the evening continued. Bringing calm to the crowd, Claudio took up his acoustic and sat before the crowd to bring “Tomorrow Has Come” unto the crowd. It was a tender song, with fans joining arms and swaying together, cell phone lights shining like stars in the night sky as Francesco belted out his absolute best.
A time for Dwarven warriors to find rest came with “I Am The Mountain” that felt both Power and Folk show through to promote the band’s longevity. Once more fans did sway as the masterful drumming of Frederico Getti kept the rhythm a perfect level for fans to hammer their fists to. It was a bittersweet moment of power and gentleness that saw fans both in awe with sadness for the end but overjoyed for what they’d been a part of. For the band that had captured the hearts of all 300 persons in The Garrison in 2023 to the early, instant sell out of an 800 person venue at Lee’s Palace, to conquering a 1200 person one at The Concert Hall there is certainly no stopping the Dwarven Army that follows Wind Rose wherever they choose to venture.
One can only hope that the Dwarves will make a swift return to North American lands, with their brothers and sisters eagerly awaiting their command.
Some tickets are still available for the remainder of their North American tour, and you can snag them via the Wind Rose website! You can also find tickets to their upcoming New Zealand and Australian tour via the same link, alongside Latin America and Europe as well!
Valkyrjian 