This year was a year for NXNE’s metal and hard rock offerings. While a large portion of NXNE’s showcases spotlight the next big names in rock, pop, and indie, the festival made a concentrated effort to bring the heavy in 2026 at Bovine Sex Club on June 11 with a stacked bill of bands. One of those bands was Toronto’s own The Divine Project.
Founded by guitarist Eric Divine, The Divine Project has evolved into a staple of the Ontario heavy music scene, with frontman Ro Stevens, guitarists Eric Divine and David T. Anselmo, bassist Derek “DRock” Boshkov, and drummer Mitch Greenham. Their most recent EP, Rebirth, dropped in November 2025, and draws comparisons to metal titans like Killswitch Engage, Static-X, and All That Remains, all while bringing a more modern flare.
Having seen The Divine Project before, they brought the same energy, punishing breakdowns, and high crowd engagement as their last performance. The band has mastered melodic metal, crafting a sound that’s heavy, reminiscent of early 2000s metal, yet still very accessible. Within their 45-minute set, you could jump around, headbang, and wave your phone flashlight in the air, all without the complexities of overtechnical polyrhythms making you feel out of place if you weren’t dancing on beat.
In classic fashion, singer Ro Stevens was dressed entirely in his signature white, a deliberate contrast that, at a metal show, makes him impossible to miss. With nearly two decades of experience as a frontman, Stevens brings an undeniable stage presence. The band seems to feed of the energy of the crowd, culminating at the moment where both guitarists jumped off stage directly into the middle of the pit and let the circle pit form around them.
The Divine Project had just come off an appearance at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton, UK (their first major international festival run) and the gained experience shows. The band came back tighter and more confident in their stage presence.
As the set wound down, Ro Stevens, Eric Divine, David T. Anselmo, and Derek Boshkov leaned in together at the front of the stage, pulling a page straight out of Iron Maiden’s book. It was a moment of genuine connection, the whole band feeding off every last ounce of energy the crowd had left to give.
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