If you crave a dose of Metal Theatre, then the Rockpile was the place to be. Operus invited you into their creepy home and dazzled you with a very slick production that most veteran bands do when they get into large arenas. From my understanding, they were a different band before Covid and over the last two years they reinvented themselves. It seems to be working for them.
You had the torn curtains hanging about, you had 4 band members with 4 distinct personalities hitting the stage and getting in your face. You had a solid light show that was squeezed into a nightclub. You had 2 smoke machines filling the room up. You had a drum kit that took up half the stage. We are talking serious drum envy for you drummers out there. It kind of felt like being part of a Tim Burton production with Queensryche, meets Alice Cooper, meets Queen kind of vibe. Even the lead singer reminded me of Ozzy Osbourne from the No More Tears video.
Did I mention the whole production was very slick… and the playing was incredibly tight? They strutted around the stage with a confidence and boldness that you don’t find with many Metal band trying to make their mark today. These guys are reaching for that brass ring and look great doing it.
Operus is Toronto’s best kept secret right now, but they are really let the cat out of the bag and as an audience member, I refuse to look away.
Here are a few images of Operus:
Opening the evening was a band, I saw a few months back called Solarus. They simply came screaming back on stage with their high energy performance and a new stage show. These guys know the value of stage production and are working towards that. It simply adds a new dimension to the overall joyous package you already get with this band. Their energy on stage could power the Rockpile for a week! What I loved about the show was this time the crowd became super receptive to this band and the level of loyalty was very prominent. These guys are turning their own tide as they are truly building a very strong fan base. There were a lot of people wearing their T-shirts, the crowd was singing along with them and the audience was larger and louder. This band is becoming more infectious than Covid, but a hell of a lot more fun. The singer, Sarah Dee was genuinely more humbled and grateful that they are feeling the change. According to the lead guitarist, Lucas McArthur they felt this shift at a recent London gig.
The first time I saw these guys I really enjoyed them, but this time I can feel the vibe of Star Power in the air. Melodic Power metal fans, this is the band you want to experience!
Here are a few images of Solarus:
Find more info on Solarus at… https://www.facebook.com/solarusmetal/?ref=page_internal
Catch up with what Operus is doing here… https://www.facebook.com/Epic.Operus