Cancer Bats

For more than 20 years, Toronto’s Cancer Bats have delivered hardcore with no compromises. They’ve released seven studio albums, six of them nominated for a JUNO, and built their name on raw, sweat-soaked live shows full of circle pits, stage dives and smiles.

They’ve played everywhere from Australia and Europe to Japan, China and Nepal, and the UK has become a second home, with coverage in Kerrang! and Metal Hammer, airplay on BBC Radio and slots at Download, Leeds & Reading, Slam Dunk and 2000 Trees. The band is Liam Cormier on vocals, Mike Peters on drums, Jaye Schwarzer on bass and Jackson Landry on guitar.

After touring their JUNO-nominated seventh album Psychic Jailbreak, they made their eighth, Give Me Dirt, with Kurt Ballou (Converge, High on Fire) at God City Studios. Cormier wrote the lyrics in rural Nova Scotia, and the songs deal with loss, wildfires and motorcycle trips through the Canadian Rockies and the mountains of Nepal. "After 20 years of learning, we’re finally in a position to make the best album of our career," he says.