3 Inches of Blood Review

Introduction

The all-Canadian metal lineup of 3 Inches of Blood, with special guest Raider, performed at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall on July 20, 2024. Formed in Western Canada in 1999, 3 Inches of Blood disbanded in 2015 but reunited in 2024 for select shows, though there’s no word on new music yet. This mini-tour included a stop in Montreal on July 19th and this Toronto date, with additional shows planned in New York (Sep. 22), Calgary (Nov. 22), and Edmonton (Nov. 23) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 2004 album “Advance and Vanquish.” Known for their unique blend of power metal, speed metal, traditional metal, thrash, and blackened thrash, it’s a pleasure to see 3 Inches of Blood back on the scene. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, I wasn’t alone in my excitement. Hopefully, the success of these shows will inspire additional concerts / festivals and potentially a new album.

The show began promptly at 8:10 PM as scheduled, but I was surprised that no additional local acts were added to the lineup. Surely they could have squeezed one more band on the billing. The Danforth Music Hall is known for its solid sound quality, which was evident tonight, and offers good sight views from all areas of the venue. With a venue capacity of around 1,500, the crowd size was probably about 800 to 900 — impressive, considering 3 Inches of Blood have been mostly inactive since 2015. It makes me wonder why they ever called it quits if they can still draw such sizable audiences.

Raider

Raider, based in Ontario, Canada formed in 2017 and most recently released a lethal thrash / death masterpiece called Trial by Chaos in 2023 on Redefining Darkness Records. I personally discovered Raider late last year when they opened for Canadian death metal icons Kataklysm. I was so impressed at the bands live chops, stage presence and vicious execution last time, I was eager to see if they maintained the momentum. The verdict is, they did. The band consists of original members Gabe Rosa on guitar and vocalist Angelo Bonaccorso, in addition to Angus Pike on Drums, bassist Aaron Tanner and guitarist Bennett Smith.   

Raider came out at 8:10pm to a no frills stage set up with just a red logo banner at the back of the stage, but no matter, tonight was about the music and no gimmicks. I was happy to see a strong crowd for Raider as the opening act. It was clear to me many fans were familiar with Raider given their local band status, much of the audience knew the band and was familiar with the material. The band played 7-8 tracks opening with the brilliant ‘Trial by Chaos’ sending the crowd into a mosh induced frenzy. Raider was musically tight and fully in synch, the intensity was relentless throughout the entire set. Vocalist Angelo is a dominant force on stage executing his vocal lines to perfection. He is a large man physically commanding the stage and often waves his hand in a chopping motion in preparation of his intense vocal delivery. He doesn’t communicate much with the local crowd other than to hype up openers 3 Inches of Blood, thank the crowd for showing up early and to incite the mosh pit. Angelo’s vocals tend to slant more towards Death Metal with the underlying music primary being thrash based. The combination works nicely.

Raider played three additional tracks from the Trail by Chaos record including ‘Ark of Empyrea’, ‘Juggernaut Cerebrivore’, and ’Rite of Conquest’ to the pleasure of the crowd. It was very cool to hear some old demo songs from Urge to Kill including ‘Phlebotomized’ and ‘Urge to Kill’. The band closed with Destroyer from their first full-length album raising the energy level in the venue another notch as the pit achieved maximum velocity of the evening. The guitar duo of Gabe & Bennett shredded, executing their massively addictive riffs to perfection. Both guitarist have strong stage presence head banging with hair flying everywhere the entire night. Bassist Aaron was equally active dominating the left of the stage with guitarist Gabe by his side as Bennett maintained his spot of the right side of the stage. 

If you don’t know Raider yet, what are you waiting for? Get Trial by Chaos and you won’t be disappointed.

3 Inches of Blood

3 Inches of Blood took the stage a few minutes late, starting at 9:30 PM, to a very receptive audience. The giant backdrop, featuring an orangish-red design with a big “3” and the band’s logo on either side, was almost fluorescent in the dark, smoky atmosphere. To enhance the ambiance, candles were lit on the stage, placed among the band’s equipment. Chants of “3 Inches of Blood… 3 Inches of Blood” echoed through the venue, heightening the anticipation. When the band finally took their positions and launched into ‘Upon the Boiling Sea 1: Fear on the Bridge,’ the venue erupted. 3 Inches of Blood was in excellent form, brimming with energy and feeding off the crowd’s enthusiasm. I knew this was going to be a good night.

One of the highlights of 3 Inches of Blood’s performance tonight was the contrasting vocals of lead vocalist Cam Pipes and backup vocalist/guitarist Justin Hagberg. Cam’s traditional melodic metal style perfectly complemented Justin’s thrash and blackened thrash tones, showcasing the band’s unique vocal dynamic. The lineup was completed by guitarist Shane Clark, bassist Nick Cates, and drummer Ash Pearson, who all played with impressive energy despite the long hiatus, showing little sign of rustiness beyond a few years of age. The band performed 9-10 tracks from Advance and Vanquish, almost covering the entire album, while interspersing these with songs from their other records, keeping the setlist exciting and unpredictable. They also delivered about 70-80% of Fire Up the Blades, with standout tracks like ‘Demon’s Blade’, ‘Forest King’, ‘Through the Horned Gate’, and ‘Night Marauders’.

3 Inches of Blood expressed their excitement about returning to Toronto, reminiscing about their last visit in 2013. Interestingly, I was at that show too, where they shared the stage with Death Angel, Battlecross, and Revocation—it was a fantastic night. Embracing their Canadian roots, the band played up the rivalry between Toronto and Montreal, urging Toronto fans to outdo the Montreal crowd’s volume. They included one song each from Battlecry Under a Winter Sun and Here Waits Thy Doom albums, but surprisingly omitted any tracks from their latest album, Long Live Heavy Metal. I thought that was a little strange.

3 Inches of Blood took a brief break before returning for a three-song encore. They started with ‘Crazy Nights,’ which I found an odd choice due to its overly happy and commercial sound—not one of my favorites. Thankfully, they followed it with ‘Deadly Sinners,’ which ramped up the energy, and closed with the aggressive and powerful ‘The Goatriders Horde,’ a personal favorite. Vocalist Cam Pipes encouraged the crowd to give their all for the final song, leading to the wildest mosh pit of the night and enthusiastic audience participation, singing along with the memorable chorus.

Conclusion

Overall, the night at Danforth Music Hall was a triumphant return for 3 Inches of Blood, proving that their hiatus did nothing to diminish their energy or appeal. With Raider setting the tone with a blistering set and 3 Inches of Blood delivering a powerful, nostalgic yet fresh performance, fans were left exhilarated and hopeful for more. The crowd’s enthusiasm was palpable, and it’s clear that 3 Inches of Blood still holds a significant place in the hearts of metal fans. Here’s to hoping their successful comeback tour ignites new creative sparks and possibly some new music in the near future. If this show is any indication, the metal scene is more than ready to welcome them back.