POISON THE WELL w/ CONVERGE, SPY, BALMORA
@ HISTORY, TORONTO
APRIL 7, 2026
Here’s one many have had circled on the calendar for a while—and for good reason. It’s not often you get this many heavy hitters on one bill, but here we are.
Fans waited 17 years for Poison the Well to return, and last month we got to experience Peace in Place. A mature, well-rounded, and more structured approach to the band’s already impressive discography, it’s an album that comes from experience. It feels more intentional while still keeping the core DNA that is Poison the Well’s signature chaotic sound. Not only were we lucky enough to get an album after all these years, but to celebrate this reunion, the band are also doing a run of dates with Converge, SPY, and Balmora.
Balmora, a band considered part of the new wave of hardcore, opened the show. They pull all the right elements from early 2000s metalcore, blending an appetizing balance of melody and breakdowns, with gritty vocals to top it all off. A band definitely worth keeping an eye on, especially with the release of their new album These Graven Halls at the end of May.
SPY was on next—one of the most bare-knuckled bands in modern hardcore today. They tilted the energy in the room in a completely different direction with their fast pace and hostility. Blink and you could miss a song, but the mosh pit embraced every second of it. Vocalist Peter Pawlak grips the mic with both hands and squeezes the life out of it, delivering his lyrics with urgency.
What can you say about a band like Converge that hasn’t already been said? Everyone knows their legend and the scope of their influence—but what does Converge do to a room in 2026? There’s no need to mention that they’re playing a “career-spanning set,” because the old songs are just as relevant, and the new songs are a continuation of that. That’s why you pay attention. They haven’t become a band trying to stay relevant—they just are.
Jacob Bannon’s presence on stage is immediate, explosive, and just barely under control. Yet he doesn’t stand out like a typical frontman—he feels more like a force within the band.
They perform every song with surgical precision. Whether it’s drums, bass, or guitar, everything is played flawlessly. You’ve got your money’s worth just seeing Ben Koller play a single song. Standout tracks like “I Can Tell You About Pain,” “Concubine,” and setlist ender “We Were Never the Same” really highlighted this.
When Poison the Well took the stage, they didn’t feel like a band returning—they felt like something sitting under the surface, waiting for the right time to come back up. There was no real sense of nostalgia in the room. The songs—old and new – blurred together into something immediate, almost confrontational in how present it all felt.
Jeffrey Moreira stood at the center of it, not commanding the crowd so much as pulling them inward. His voice hasn’t softened with time, it’s settled into something heavier, more controlled, but no less urgent.
The crowd met them there. Not in a frenzy, but in a kind of shared understanding. Movement came in waves – less explosion, more release. It felt less like a throwback set and more like a continuation of something unfinished. Poison the Well aren’t chasing what they were. They’re still in it, still shaping it.
(Photography by Jacob Vandergeer)
Poison The Well Photos
Converge Photos
Spy Photos
Balmora Photos
Poison The Well Links
Converge Links
Spy Links
Balmora Links
