Shields Up For Six, To Be Continued, Sietch and Parapariah at la Toscadura September 5th

 It was a rainy night, I arrived at the venue late, I missed Shields Up For Six, I got lost walking around to find my place. Upon arrival, I met Sietch, we hanged around, played minigolf with others and eventually came back inside. 

 To Be Continued hopped on stage, all the way from Toronto. They threw together a strange and energetic mix of nu-metal, hardcore, industrial, emo, thrash, and drum-and-bass influences. There’s a distinctly DJ-driven element to the sound, with samples and electronic textures coming from a Novation setup alongside a basic Yamaha keyboard. The guitars range from a Hello Kitty-shaped guitar to a Guild SG-style instrument, giving the stage itself a slightly absurd visual character.

The songs moved between softer passages and explosive breakdowns, with melodic vocals cutting through the heavier sections. There were moments that recalled the aggression of Dillinger Escape Plan, the melodic heaviness of Slipknot, and the sudden, almost chaotic breakdowns of System of a Down. The band was extremely tight despite the music’s intentionally messy and unpredictable character.

The final song completely changed the lineup: the drummer moved to guitar while the DJ/keyboard player took over on drums. It gave the performance a chaotic, almost theatrical ending. The drummer, now acting as guitarist, were particularly wild onstage. The songs themselves had a dirty, abrasive quality, and the lighting followed the music closely, turning the entire set into something almost overwhelming visually.

With a new EP reportedly coming soon, To Be Continued feel like a band still expanding the boundaries of their sound rather than settling into one genre. For such a young band, they have a sound that's for sure, they have talent, and the crowd definitely responded positively to it.

After a couple of cigarettes and more shinanigans, Sietch came in with a much heavier and more technically focused sound, built around seven-string guitar, screeching vocals, groove-oriented riffs, and highly dynamic drumming. Their breakdowns rely heavily on shifting drum patterns and sudden changes in momentum, giving the songs a physical, almost mechanical quality.

There are clear progressive-metal influences in the guitar work, with some riffs recalling Mastodon and Periphery while retaining a more aggressive, visceral edge. One song moves from vocals into a melodic introduction before exploding into a Gojira-like passage, creating the sensation of something enormous taking flight.

The fourth song introduces an almost buzzing, abrasive quality, while elsewhere the band experiments with drone-like textures and increasingly fast, industrial passages. The music becomes progressively more experimental and aggressive as the set develops.

The vocals occasionally lacked some presence against the density of the instrumentation, but the final song changes the dynamic. Nick, from Parapariah, joined the band to sing a track he co-wrote with them, giving the ending a more collaborative and personal feeling.

Overall, Sietch balanced technicality with groove and atmosphere, moving between melodic passages, crushing riffs, industrial textures, and increasingly frantic sections. They're experimentations on stage, although at times unclear, was greatly received and the kids got a hell of a show for their money. If you missed em' and want to hear em', listen to their demos

Lastly, came Parapariah. Now their sound is thick, heavy, dense, yet swift. Their music balances crushing guitar work and heavy breakdowns with darker, atmospheric passages and melodic elements. On stage, the energy found in their latest record Whispers in the Dark was defintely hyped! Listening to them, it felt like the studio had confined them, to see them live, is to realize how big of a monster the band is and how fast they can go. 

 Parapariah carved out a sound onstage that simply couldn't be tossed aside. Although I was worried for them after seeing the other bands, they succeeded in tossing aside my doubts. They aren't to be taken lightly. One of the great things too was how much new material they showcased and must I say, Nick the singer, is such a great effigy for the scene. Between songs, he kept raising glasses to the crowd thanking them for their support and somehow, he made us all feel included in the metal or whatever big chugging guitar scene, even a guy dressed out of the sixties like me. That is such a crucial point for the metal scene, because the reason I got distant back in 2020, after being heavily implicated for four years, was because a lot of people in there were such jerks and posers. The newcomers need bands like Parapariah who establish their genre as boundless and open to all. For the night, Kirk from Honey played the bass, and that too blew my fucking mind out, the guy was jumping, screaming, sweating, yet all notes were present, he bulldozered through the set! That was such a beautiful raw showcasing of his talent as a musician! 

The whole night was just phenomenal. Nobody died, nobody was injured, and even I came back safe and sound after helping Sietch load out of the venue. I say so because Toscadura has been the venue were I've seen the funniest and disturbing situations of kids or bands just burfing or getting hurt or simply falling prey to weird extraterrestrial disasters.

 Parapariah have just finished a tour and have yet to announce new dates, Sietch haven't annouced new dates neither and To Be Continued are going back to Toronto after this playing on September 29 at BSMT254.  All photos taken by me, good night and hope to see you soon.