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

Floating Boy

Perfect Place
Independent (2026)

Sarasota, Florida’s Floating Boy have been grinding for seven years, quietly shaping themselves into a band that lives and breathes the ethics of Fugazi (if you couldn’t tell by their track inspired name) and the emotional chaos of DIY punk. Their debut full-length, Perfect Place, is the culmination of that time. There are ten tracks of anxious, politically charged emo-punk/post-hardcore … Read more

The Brokedowns

Let's Tips The Landlord
Red Scare Industries (2025)

I've reviewed a lot of Brokedowns records over the years. First, I'll say I love the band and I honestly feel like they keep getting better. Second, I'll say that this record threw a couple of surprises at me. The band play multi-vocalist poppish punk in the school of Dillinger Four or Errth, albeit more on the angry side. There … Read more

Dumbells

Up Late With
Mind Melt Records (2025)

When I started my end of year list this year I asked my pal Joel from Portland’s Dumpies to share his best of 2025 playlist with me. Several songs caught my attention which I, in turn, went and checked out the albums from which they had come. The one that has quickly climbed up my year end list over the … Read more