Canadian Thrash Metal icons, Sacrifice, have once again graced the stage at 888 Yonge Street (a.k.a. The Concert Hall, a.k.a. the old masonic temple) in downtown Toronto, 39 years after opening for Slayer at the same venue.
On Saturday, October 11, 2025, they returned to that same stage of their first big break, to the delight of many a metalhead, supported by three other Toronto bands, who had undoubtedly been inspired by the Canadian masters of the craft over the years.
Considering I was a literal baby when Sacrifice opened for Slayer in 1986, I barely feel qualified to talk about the band that seems to mean so much to so many people – many of whom were likely in attendance on that day back when I was still in diapers – but I’ll do my best.
Similar to how, in my last post, I mentioned finding The Dreggs through hearing other artists speak about them, and/or collaborate with them, I found Sacrifice because of the admiration members of Propagandhi have expressed for them, and the split they collaborated on. (I’ve always found a great way to find more good bands to listen to is of course to check out those that have inspired ones you already like.)
The first of the openers to play was a young act formed in 2023 known as Debellation.
Unfortunately, I did not make it in time for their set, as general life stuff and the three-hour drive into the city didn’t allow for it, and they were slated to begin less than an hour after the doors were opened. (Definitely not the norm, and not what I’d originally planned for, but understandable since they had four bands on a bill with a headliner who was already pretty much expected to play a little longer-than-your-average-set.)
I arrived feeling only slightly out of my element, and maybe a tiny bit nervous, as metalheads are a little bit of a different crowd than my usual concert-going companions, but I know and love many metal fans, and can usually hold my own amongst most crowds (or so I like to think) so I wasn’t too worried about it. The first thing I did, of course, was head to the washrooms, where I met a man in line who was feeling a bit out of his element in his own way, and was happy to have someone to talk to about it – while I was happy to have my first interaction with another member of the crowd be such a friendly one.
He opened with a smile and a “hi, how are you?” before telling me he was 57 and hadn’t been to a concert in years. I asked if he’d caught the first opener, and he said he had, and that the excited concert-going feelings were all starting to come back to him. I was happy for him, and, after he said he felt a bit old to be staying out so late, I ensured him he wasn’t, and wished him a great night.
Honestly though, I could relate to that feeling of being too old, in a way, despite being more than a decade younger than him, as there have definitely been times at concerts over the years where I’ve felt like an old lady amongst a group of youngins, (or been worried about whether my back would last the night, or if I’m wearing comfortable enough shoes, etc.,) but this was not the concert for that, in my case, or in his.
I would say the crowd ranged in age from early 20’s to people in their 60’s at least, so I was pretty much smack dab in the middle. I wasn’t feeling super spry that night myself, however, so I opted to check out the view from the balcony, and wound up with a great spot right against the railing, with a perfect view both of the stage, and mosh pit. (It also came with the added perk of giving me something to hold onto so I could stretch out my back a few times throughout the night, which I laughed to myself about having to do, since the people standing around me were mostly all probably at least 10 years older than me too – but it was what it was!)
Shortly after I got settled, the second band of the night, Maldita, took the stage. I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, mostly because singer Rosa Venenosa sings in Spanish, but based on an article I found here about the band from 2022, I wished I could, as it seems like the themes of their songs (“the pitfalls of patriarchy… Messages of encouragement towards taking action to make this world a better place and battle apathy,”) would be right up my alley. I did look up some of their lyrics online , but it didn’t help much, as I wasn’t really up for sitting in front of my computer for several hours putting them into Google Translate. (I consider myself a bit of a nerd, but maybe not that big of a nerd).
Maldita describe themselves as a hardcore punk band, and it seems a fair description to me. They put on a raucous performance, in the best way, and had quite a few people in the pit fired up, with one girl headbanging and fully rocking out in high heeled boots (that I wouldn’t be able to wear on a good day). It was awesome, and I wanted to be friends with both the singer and the high-heeled boot wearing girl. (Though I made no attempt to connect with either of them, being the shy, somewhat awkward, sober-cause-I-have-to-drive-three-hours-home, person that I was/am.)
Before the next band took the stage chants of “Korrosive” filled the air, and the already respectably sized crowd increased, with more people arriving and pushing closer to the stage.
Singer Rad Zarei was evidently pumped to be opening for Sacrifice that night, and no doubt fueled even more by the evident enthusiasm of the fans for his band in addition to the headliners.
I also could not understand most/any of what he was singing, but in this case, it was largely because of the thrash metal vocal stylings of Zarei, which of course fit the genre perfectly.
Truth be told, these types of vocals are why I tend to choose other genres over metal most of the time, but I have to say, I definitely do appreciate the insane talent of the musicians who perform this style, and I was completely blown away by the skills of all the musicians in this band. I watched the guitar players’ hands hit the strings faster than my eyes could follow, for pretty much the whole set. It reminded of a time when I had a “friend” in high school who asked me if I thought his band played fast. I can’t remember if I said yes or no, but I do remember, whatever I said was the wrong answer, with “fuck you Lisa” being the response I got. (This was also the person who taught me that maybe falling for brooding band boys wasn’t the best idea).
Either way, thinking back on the moment while watching Korrosive perform, I knew my “friend’s” band from back in the day would not have held a candle to the speed of these absolute machines. To top it off, at one point the two guitarists, the bassist, and the lead singer, were all headbanging their long flowing locks in almost circular unison, while performing at supersonic speeds, and it truly was an impressive sight to behold.
Next up was the main event, and if the crowd had been excited for Korrosive, they were beyond thrilled to be witnessing Sacrifice take the stage in Toronto a purported 9 years since the last time they’d played in their hometown city.
Some audience members had travelled from other parts of the country to catch the action, as it sounded like the group beside me had come in from out somewhere out east, and were talking about others they knew throughout the crowd who had apparently travelled some great distances to be there for the night’s events as well. (It also sounded like these guys beside me were in a band of some sort themselves, but I didn’t recognize them, and didn’t ask. I got the sense they might have been kind of a big deal in some capacity, and so it felt almost wasted on me to be the one standing beside them, but they were seemingly just as excited to be fans taking in the show that night as any others in the crowd.)
As the band took the stage, I clung tightly to my spot on the banister, and made myself as small as possible to allow the crowd that had gathered beside and behind me, even up on the balcony, to have as good a view as possible. Any remaining space on the floor area below was also pretty much filled in, save and except for the very back, and the circle pit area, which was going pretty good for most, if not all, of the performance.
The crowd’s excitement and energy was well deserved, as the nine years away had apparently not affected the skills of the seasoned pros in the band. The breakneck speed of their music, from the guitar riffs, to the double bass drum attacks and the power of Rob Urbinati’s growling vocals, are all incredibly impressive things to take in, especially in person.
They played songs from across their discography, opening with Forward to Termination from their 1987 album of the same name, then covering tracks from different albums throughout the decades.
At one point near the end, they invited a guest on stage, being Brian Taylor, to help sing their cover of Trapped in a World, which is also featured on their 2025 album, “Volume Six,” with Taylor’s vocals, and is a cover of the song from the ’80’s originally written and performed by Toronto hardcore band Direct Action.
They finished right around midnight and wrapped things up with crowd favourite “Re-Animation,” also from their 1987 album.
During the performance, Urbinati left things open ended as to whether they would ever play a show in the city again, as it seems the band is taking things one day at a time as the years press on. It took a while, even after they had finished performing, for fans to dissipate, as if wanting to take in the air of the night, and savour it, as much as possible, before returning to the regularly scheduled shit-show that is the year 2025.
For me, personally, it was a rare opportunity to see some Canadian legends in action, and they definitely put on a stellar performance, but I’m sure for many in the crowd, who’ve been fans of the band potentially as long as I’ve been alive, the night meant so much more.
It’s an incredible feeling when bands of your youth continue to put out music and perform, and I imagine it becomes that much more special the older you get. The pure unabashed thrill that many in the crowd experienced that night was completely palpable, from the first guy I encountered in the bathroom line, to the man who ended up beside me at the railing upstairs, looking at me and definitively stating “we’re not leaving” when the band first left the stage, before returning for their encore. The electric energy of the show and the long-standing fans was evident and powerful, even now, as I think back on it over a week later. I do hope the band continues to perform for years to come, if only to give those fans who “haven’t been to a concert in years,” a reason to get back out there and keep the thrill of seeing their favourite bands live going for as long as possible.
Lisa goes to shows 