There are certain nights where you walk out of a venue and know you just witnessed something special. Boundaries closing out their tour at Toad’s Place in New Haven was one of those nights. Walking up to Toad’s, the first sign of what kind of night it would be was the disclaimer waiver at the door. You had to literally sign paperwork acknowledging the chaos you were about to walk into. Only at a place like Toad’s!
Pyscho-Frame and Gates to Hell set the tone with that animalistic energy that you can only find in deathcore music. Then, Stick to Your Guns came to the stage, a band I’ll admit I hadn’t spent much time with before tonight. By the end of their set, I was all in. Sure, it’s heavy metalcore, but there is real musicianship present in their music. The way they layer tracks, the progression of their songs, and the weight of their lyricism hit hard. They gave me the same kind of vibe I remember feeling years ago with 36 Crazyfists. At one point, when they launched into “Keep Planting Flowers,” I literally stopped in my tracks. By the end of the evening, I left Toad’s with a vinyl and a sweatshirt in hand—always the best sign that a band pulled me completely into their orbit.
By the time Boundaires was doing final soundchecks, Toad’s was at capacity. The crowd was warmed up with three intense sets, crowdsurfers had made their initial journeys to the barricade. This crowd had no chill and I loved every second of it. One of the members of Boundaries passed a message to front of house to blast Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” over the PA and fans wasted no time, crowd-surfing for the entirety of the song. It was absurd, hilarious, and I loved every second of it.
The pit turned into a violent current when Boundaries dropped their first note. The sheer number of crowd surfers was unreal—three or four at a time pouring over the barricade while security worked overtime to keep things safe. At one point, the vocalist and guitarist climbed right up onto the barricade themselves, singing shoulder to shoulder with fans, bodies crashing around them like a stone holding its ground in a river. It was chaos, but it was a deep connection between this home grown band and its local fanbase.
I’ve seen Boundaries before, earlier this year opening for The Plot In You at Webster Hall. That night was a discovery of the local band; tonight, this one felt like a celebration. The crowd wasn’t just there to see them—they were there for them, to mark how far they’ve come in 2025. Their trajectory has been undeniable. Maybe Celine’s prelude softened my heart a bit, but you could feel what it meant not only to the fans, but also to the band.
By the end of the night, I couldn’t help but think this is what Connecticut’s metal fans needed. A historic venue, a band on the rise, and an epic tour finale.
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