Hosted By:
TITAN

When:
November 13, 2009

Where:
Sneaky Dee's
431 College St
Toronto

Description:
COLOSSUS CD/LP Release Show Pre-Order COLOSSUS now! http://thecolossusep.com TITAN http://www.myspace.com/titanslays Lost Cities http://www.myspace.com/wearelostcities Memories of an Old Man http://www.myspace.com/memoriesofanoldman Sound Asleep http://www.myspace.com/iamsoundasleep Doors @ 9pm $6

Click Here To View Event

Source: aux.tv

Okay, I have a confession; I showed up over an hour late to this show and I missed the first two bands. This is a horrible way to start of a show review, I know. Pardon my inability to properly schedule my day. I’ll just assume that the two opening bands, URSA MAJOR and GORGASM, were god’s gift to music. Extra points to Gorgasm, who have chosen the most metal band name in music history. Sorry, guys. I’m a jerk.

TITAN took the stage with their amps comparable in stature to skyscrapers. Titan’s set was both powerful and moving. Their music was so crushing and loud, but also melodic and beautiful. Haunting feedback rang out of their amps in between songs, creating an intense atmosphere that often doesn’t happen at shows. These Toronto locals are about to release their Colossus EP which you can listen to on their myspace page.  They also have numerous records you can also pick up on said page.

STRAY FROM THE PATH was an explosion of energy. Even though their music isn’t something that I’d typically listen to, they made for very fun to watch. 
THE NUMBER 12 LOOKS LIKE YOU was probably my favourite set of the night. Their music pushes through the conventions of their genre to create something with a lot of layers and textures. The singer’s charisma was both captivating and entertaining—not to mention his intense shrill scream that made me green with envy.

Next played THE TONY DANZA TAPDANCE EXTRAVAGANZA. Again, I applaud the choice in band name. They were the band that the kids moshed the hardest for. Speedy riffs, heavy breakdowns, with a dose of tech-parts thrown in the mix. Remember the scene in Back to the Future where Michael J. Fox plays “Johnny Be Good” at his parents’ school dance? Their set was kind of like that.

Lastly, the main attraction: STARRING JANET LEIGH. This band has been pressing on for years—they’ve survived numerous lineup changes and the uphill battles that come with playing their complex brand of techmetal. Their new album Spectrum (released on Ironclad Recordings) is a testament to the band’s perseverance. Their music is inconceivably complex. I really don’t know how they memorize all those parts! Most people leave their shows either captivated or confused as shit. This night was no exception. The band played with a lot of heart and was clearly having the time of their life, which always makes for an amazing show-going experience.

Source: http://kingdomofnoise.blogspot.com/2009/06/lordstitanbarnburnerkill-martyr-bar.html

Check out this review of the Starring Janet Leigh CD Release show.

http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid2=33&fid1=38851&csid1=134

Starring Janet Leigh / The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza / Titan
Kathedral, Toronto ON May 23
By Denise Falzon

Seven acts helped a CD release show for Toronto ON's Starring Janet Leigh (pictured) but, although there were a plethora of opening bands, only a few are worth mentioning. The first of the commendable contenders was Toronto's Titan. The band combines technical hardcore with down-tempo, sludgy doom for an extremely heavy and powerful sound. Titan included tunes from their debut The Chrysanthemum Pledge in their set, which was intensely strong throughout. Their performance included the fast and heavy "Mothlike," as well as the slow-tempo chugging guitar driven tune "His Eminence," which ended their dynamic set.

Following Titan were two mathcore bands that echoed generic mathcore. What brought the show back to life, however, was the entertainingly energetic, non-generic mathcore masters the Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza. The Tennessee band's set was comprised of tunes from their 2005 self-titled release, including the incredibly technical "Big Pun's Not Dead Because I Just Saw Him at Krispy Kreme," as well as "Go Greyhound" and "You Gonna Buy the Beer or the Whole Damn Bar" from 2007's Danza II: Electric Boogaloo.

But this show was in honour of the release of Spectrum, the debut full-length from technical metal band Starring Janet Leigh. Except for one track, the boys in SJL performed the album in its entirety, including opener "Noire," the intense "Mistress," and the intricate "Creation." Their progressive mix of death metal, hardcore, and modern jazz made for a vibrant yet severely powerful performance. The album's title track and "Ex You" transition especially well live, as the band's synchronized musicianship is displayed through an organized chaos of sound. With extremely technical instrumentals and unrelentingly vicious vocals throughout their set, SJL officially released Spectrum upon Toronto with a bang.

I recently did an interview with Matt Dixon of junnnktank.com. Totally rad dude!
You can check out the interview here:

http://www.junnnktank.com/interviews/titan.htm

-Chris/TITAN

TITAN is currently featured on soundproofmagazine.com which is a Toronto based online magazine offering Canada-wide coverage.

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.soundproofmagazine.com/Canada/Features/Quick_Dirty_-_Titan.html

Check it out!

Terrorizer #180 (February 2009)

Buried Inside is an obvious point of comparison but Titan do drama without as much bombast and pretension. They take it slow, building songs and each individual piece visits novel territory with a lovable moody punk-rock flair. Five songs are a teaser but also a good indication that their progress should be monitored carefully. [7.5]

http://exclaim.ca/musicreviews/latestsub.aspx?csid1=128&csid2=870&fid1=35694

Titan / Indian Ocean..
Marcello’s, Mississauga ON January 9, 2008
By Denise Falzon

Toronto’s Titan have proven again and again that they’ve mastered the art of a stellar live performance. Their show at Marcello’s in Mississauga with Indian Ocean was no different. Titan’s live sound is — as their band name suggests — immense and powerful. Add to that an extremely small pub, crammed full with people who were unable to move once they claimed their position to watch the show, and the result was utter sonic intensity.

The night started off with Hamilton’s Indian Ocean. The instrumental quartet, including the ex-drummer of Mare, delivered an impressive set with chugging guitars and vigorous drumming. Their sound was reminiscent of Explosions in the Sky and Mono, but with a deeply heavier atmosphere. Although instrumental post-rock tends to put me to sleep, Indian Ocean managed to keep my unwavering attention with slow-tempos that built up to strong dynamic riffs.

But the night clearly belonged to Titan as soon as they took the stage, which was just a small portion of the pub’s floor between diner-style booths and chairs that were made useful by being turned into pedestals for many attendants. As the five members struck their first notes, the entire room resonated with an onslaught of forceful sound — a combination of the hardcore style of Cursed, mixed with the technical elements of Botch, and anchoring it all down with the sludgy doom aspects of early Neurosis.

Titan’s six-song set showcased the band’s extreme energy and synchronized musicianship. They began with “The Glory of the Fleet” from their latest recording Colossus and linked it with the next four songs through feedback and short stops, including a medley of snippets from their debut, The Chrysanthemum Pledge.

Titan finished the night off with “His Eminence,” a song that combines slow-tempo melodies and crunching riffs in perfect unison. With intricately developed guitar work and larynx-shredding vocals, Titan’s performance was overall relentlessly heavy and strong from start to finish.