active INSIGHT
January 30, 2004

By Frank Correia/Rock Specialty Editor

What is it with Toronto and power trios? No, I'm not talking about the Maple Leafs' power line of Mats Sundin, Gary Roberts and Mikael Renberg. I'm talking about the quality rock bands hailing from the home of the Air Canada Centre. Ever "Fight the Good Fight" with Triumph? Toronto. Rocked out to Rush's "Red Barchetta"? Toronto. Currently loving "I Hate (Everything About You)" by Three Days Grace? I'll give you three guesses where they call home.

Well, three is a magic number once again for Toronto, as Tooth & Nail/EMC's Thousand Foot Krutch are out to prove with their newest album, Phenomenon. Formed back in 1997, when all the bandmembers were still in high school, TFK played wherever they could to develop their sound.

"We just wanted to play but weren't a very experienced band," vocalist-guitarist Trevor McNevan recalls. "We were playing everything from people's back porches to corn-roast parties. We even played a few high school proms, which was weird."

Eventually McNevan, bassist Joel Bruyere and drummer Steve Augustine built up a following in and around Toronto, cut a solid demo and began to see a healthy amount of interest in the MP3s they provided on their website. Signing with Diamante, the group issued Set It Off, a blast of hard rock fused with hip-hop that included a rap rock version of EMF's "Unbelievable."

For Phenomenon the group jumped to Tooth & Nail, which is working with the EMI Music Collective to bring TFK's music to the masses. So far so good at Active Rock, where the lead single, "RawkFist," is rawkin' hard at WTFX/Louisville, with more than 40 spins a week. TFK have the most played song along with —get this—Three Days Grace. With catchy rhymes and melodies over chest-thumping beats and guitar grooves, "RawkFist" is also pumping at KUPD/Phoenix; WJXQ/Lansing, MI; and KISS/San Antonio. Recent adds include WRIF/Detroit, WLZR/Milwaukee and WIYY/Baltimore. With the strides shown on the new album, Phenomenon might just live up to its name.