Burning Love

Spinal cord damage notwithstanding, the few full-out moshers in the bar got what they wanted when Toronto's dirtied-up hardcore wrecking crew, Burning Love, closed off the first night of Sled Island. Short bursts of Motorhead-meets-Poison Idea punk, drawn out and feedback-drenched slow burners and straight up hardcore were the order of the night for screamer Chris Colohan and his merry band of men (merry being without a hint of sarcasm; these guys appeared to be genuinely jolly). The four-piece burned (ha!) through a number of new songs, which sounded fuller than the tracks from their 2010 debut album, Songs for Burning Love. Although, to be fair, older tracks like "Destroyer of Worlds" benefited from these guys honing their chops the past few years. By the end of Burning Love's sweaty, unrelenting set the band managed to carve a deep rabbit hole into a world where Henry Rollins fronted Keith Morris-era Black Flag.