Review / 200 Words Or Less
Toronto
Under Siege

Dying Victims Productions (2020) Mirza

Toronto – Under Siege cover artwork
Toronto – Under Siege — Dying Victims Productions, 2020

From the ashes of the sorely missed, contemporary but old school death merchants Morbus Chron rises an altogether different phoenix. From 80s style Death-and-Entombed death metal we get the same decade as a frame of reference, but this time we’re talking some fist-pumping New Wave of British Heavy Metal infused with speed metal and more than a smidgen of hardcore.

This is the band’s debut mini-album and follows the five song EP Nocturnal High from 2018. So how does this sound then? Well, the bass player, one of the founders and also one of the guys from Morbus Chron, goes under the moniker 79-83. This, I presume is a reference to when heavy music was at its peak. I won’t argue with that, especially if Tøronto are anything to go by. It’s anthemic, it’s catchy and hell, even the riffs are hummable.

This kind of music is just something you feel, not analyze too much. So I’m gonna stop typing now and crack open a cold beer and listen to Under Siege while patching my denim jacket. I’m only gonna patch it with 79-83 bands too.

8.0 / 10Mirza • October 5, 2020

Toronto – Under Siege cover artwork
Toronto – Under Siege — Dying Victims Productions, 2020

Related features

Riot Fest Toronto 2014

Music • September 29, 2014

Related news

Tokyo Police Club final Toronto date

Posted in Splits on January 27, 2024

Riot Fest Toronto 2015

Posted in Shows on May 30, 2015

Toronto Nirvana tribute

Posted in Records on October 27, 2013

Recently-posted album reviews

Six Going on Seven

Human Tears
Spartan Records (2026)

Late 90s post hardcore and emo feels impossible to recreate now. That’s not because the sound itself is gone, but because the tension behind it was so specific to that era. Six Going on Seven’s Human Tears, their first full length in roughly twenty-four years, captures that feeling perfectly. Having a wonderful history by having done a split with Hot … Read more

The Bug Club

Every Single Muscle
Sub Pop (2026)

  I got kind of obsessed with reviewing this record after I heard the first single “Watching The Omnibus” which they released digitally earlier this year. I could probably just write a whole thing about how hard it was to get an advance download of it for review, but I try to keep my reviews positive so I will steer clear … Read more

The Cascadian Divide

To the Sky
Independent (2026)

The Cascadian Divide is a Washington state based melodic skate punk band that formed during the infamous COVID lockdown. Although it started as an experiment, it soon became a passion project for the band members. The band has seen its share of line up changes over the years, but the commitment to maintaining the sound and integrity of the band … Read more