It all happened in July. Sunday July 8th, 2012 to be exact. I pulled up to a peculiar looking building called the Rockpile (located on 5555 Dundas Street West, Toronto) and that was where the adventure had started. The venue was a bar and nightclub (which may I add served impeccable tasting french fries), which reminded me of something you would see in a Rob Zombie movie, only infused with the heavy flavours of metal, and lot of rock-n'-roll.
Above: The Rockpile
The venue itself was themed like a prison, complete with barbed wire, a wall of celebrity criminals (including Michael Jackson, Charles Manson, The Blues Brothers, etc.), skull and cross-bone flags that blew in the wind, and even a death row. However, death row probably isn't what you would imagine - it was one of many quirky names they gave to the parts of the building (in this case, the washrooms). The strange atmosphere was very charming, and the character the venue had already put me in a good mood. Also, the Rockpile was equipped with two bars, walls filled with show posters, the 'yard' (which was the playful name given for patio), a great performance lighting system, and professional music equipment.
Top Left: One of the many walls filled with show posters Top Right: The Rockpile Correctional Facility wall of criminals
The edgy vibe set the mood for the evening's show, which featured bands such as: Sykopath, Axecess, When Fall Breaks, My Hollow, and War and Hate. All were within the genre of metal for the most part, although there were different sub-genres of metal heard that evening; for instance, deathcore, metalcore, and thrash metal. Bands even took the opportunity to use the night to introduce new original songs. Sykopath debuted two new songs: one entitled "Your Demise", and one with the absence of a name. In addition, Axecess premiered their new hit called "Born Guilty". As well as introduce listeners to original pieces, some familiar sounds were heard as well. Chelsea Grin's 'Recreant' was covered by Sykopath, and Axecess covered 'Bloodline' by Slayer and 'Sweating Bullets' by Megadeth. Every band brought a unique essence to the stage that night; not one performance was similar to another.
Below: Sykopath performing
Left: Axecess performing
Above: My Hollow getting set up with some of the Rockpile's helpful staff members
Finally, Monet Hermogenes, who was the promoter of Brutal Encounter and made the entire evening possible, even had the idea to take photos of the band members mug shots. But once again, this was all in jest as it was part of the Rockpile's prison theme.
Above: [left] Monet Hermogenes, [right] Alexia Kapralos (creator of The Rock Spot, on location)
The night was a success, and all of the bands were a pleasure to watch. It is always a great idea to give recognition to the musicians of the local music scene - after all, this talent is thriving right in your backyard!
Coming soon: exclusive interview with Axecess!
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