SPILL LIVE REVIEW: MAMMOTH w/ 10 YEARS & JAMES AND THE COLD GUN @ THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL, TORONTO

MAMMOTH w/ 10 YEARS & JAMES AND THE COLD GUN

@ THE DANFORTH MUSIC HALL, TORONTO

MARCH 8, 2026

Last October, the Wolfgang Van Halen helmed project, Mammoth, released their third album, The End, which coincided with a European tour. Now, just three shows deep into their North American tour, featuring support from 10 Years and James And The Cold Gun, Mammoth took the stage at The Danforth Music Hall – following a shift from the originally booked History due to a power outage over the weekend – for a night of virtuosic hard rock.

James And The Cold Gun took the stage to a nearly full house, something which should speak to the hype and excitement surrounding the band. Hailing from Cardiff, Wales, and having released their second full-length album, Face In The Mirror, last year, James And The Cold Gun put on a worthy performance backed by raw attitude. While brief, their hard-hitting, riff-heavy set was driven by a sense of high energy that gave off an air of danger. Without a doubt, James And The Cold Gun put on a set that should serve as an essential reminder as to why you should never skip out on the opener.

Tennessee’s very own 10 Years took the stage next with a sound highly reminiscent of Deftones, Chevelle, and A Perfect Circle. Punishing riffs collided with melodic vocals that were further accented by abrupt screams. The band demonstrated a focus on dynamics as songs would escalate from atmospheric verses to heavy choruses. From the shifting pulse of “Gravity” to the crunching riffs of “The Optimist,” or the damn near cinematic rendition of Nirvana’s “Heart Shaped Box,”10 Years flexed a highly polished sound, giving the appearance of control among chaos.

THE END ALBUM REVIEW

Walking out to AC/DC’s “Night Prowler,” Mammoth took The Danforth Music Hall to thunderous applause as they dove headfirst into “One Of A Kind” as Wolfgang Van Halen’s melodic vocals soared above crunching riffs. The five-piece band – which includes Frank Sidoirs, perhaps the only guitarist who can back up both Van Halen and Slash – sounded absolutely massive. The crystal-clear sound quality further supported the massive screen displaying a range of stellar visuals from the dystopic to Saturday morning cartoons, giving the show a high production value, especially for in a theatre.

Mammoth put on more than a hard-hitting rock show as they took time within their set, which clocked in around an hour and a half, to showcase more to the band. This was seen in the acoustic led “Distance” as Van Halen paid tribute to his father with a collection of home videos backing the band on the screen. Similarly, Van Halen took inspiration from Nine Inch Nail’s Peel It Back Tour, performing the beginning of “Stone” solo on piano before the band came in to deliver one of the most crushing songs of the night. “Stone” was, without a doubt, the highlight of the set, however, other’s included “Take A Bow,” with a brief interlude of Tool’s “Right In Two” played during the intro, “I Really Wanna,” “Like A Pastime,” and the climatic closer, “The End,” allowing Van Halen to remind everyone that he can most definitely shred like a motherfucker.

Performing six of the 10 songs from The End, Mammoth truly is demonstrating the strength behind their third record. Furthermore, their dynamic performance showcased their power as performers, alongside their exceptional musicianship, establishing Mammoth’s worth as bona fide headliners steering the course of modern rock for this decade.

Mammoth Links

10 Years Links

James And The Cold Gun Links