It’s been 2 years since Sewn Eyes have played a show but the guys in Exalt have brought them back from the dead for a small run of shows in Southern Ontario. On Friday night the tour stopped in Toronto at Sneaky Dee’s and the reunion was in full motion.
A 4-piece noisy melodic band from Waterloo known as EDDYEVVY started the show and combined beautiful soft vocals with heavy crash driven drumbeats inspired by early 90’s shoegaze.
Next on stage was hardcore band Eternal Sleep, which was quite the shift in sound, but it was refreshing to have a diverse line-up. They made the trip from Pittsburgh for these shows and I’m sure everyone was glad they did. They came out hard and didn’t slow down. They also made fun of the crown for being so stiff, but little did they know, they were just warming everybody up.
A band you should be familiar with if you’ve been following the new wave of metallic hardcore is Exalt and they played next. They’re able to sound massively heavy with simple and addictive riffs. Vocalist Tyler Brand is diabolical and brilliant on stage. Combined with guitarist Ben Waugh, drummer Tim Waugh and bassist Mitch McEwan they have a special chemistry and you should keep an eye on these guys.
Last to perform was Sewn Eyes and as with any band that’s been on a bit of a hiatus for a few years there’s always the question of how they will sound and perform. Within the first ten seconds of their set, all those questions were put to rest and they sounded so tight and well-rounded you would think they hadn’t taken any time off. Vocalist Josh Hanusiak’s screams were loud and piercing. The band were passionate and energetic, you could tell they were loving being back on stage. They added outros to songs to keep them sounding fresher than ever and it was seriously impressive. Drummer Benjamin Leathem put on one of the most intense performances I’ve seen behind the kit in quite some time. The only problem with their set is that it had to come to an end but hopefully these shows are just the beginning because this band has too much talent to stop performing.
EDDYEVVY – https://eddyevvy.bandcamp.com | https://www.facebook.com/EDDYEVVYBAND
Eternal Sleep – https://eternalsleephc.bandcamp.com | https://www.facebook.com/eternalsleephc/
Exalt – https://exaltband.bandcamp.com | https://www.facebook.com/exaltband | https://www.instagram.com/exaltband/?hl=en
Sewn Eyes – https://www.instagram.com/sewneyesguys/?hl=en | https://www.facebook.com/asightforsewneyes
