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Midnite Mitch

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Gig ReviewsReviews
June 23, 2024
Midnite Mitch

Cancer Bats @ Stay Gold, Melbourne 19/06/2024

It’s a cold night in Melbourne, there is a chill in the air, but that is soon to disappear because tonight Cancer Bats are heating things up at Stay Gold, a relatively small venue, which means things will be up close and personal, hot and sweaty, chaotic… fun!

I love a good underground punk/hardcore gig, no bands hiding, everyone interacting, everyone setting up, how often are you seeing the headlining bands out and hanging at the merch desk just chatting away and watching the openers? How often are you seeing that international headliner setting up and sound checking their own gear? Straight off the bat tonight had a great feeling to it, just from these simple sightings.

Starting off with a “Thanks for coming out early, we have an anxious start cause of a gear muck up before the show, but the guitarist got back in here in 20mins!” Melbourne’s opening band Sidesplitter said they started with angst, but you can’t tell there aren’t any nerves at all with their tight, upbeat punked outset. Stay Gold starts off slow, but luckily in a venue like this it doesn’t take many people to make it look full. These guys smash through their set, which only goes for about 20 – 25 mins but it’s completely stacked full of songs, I guess that’s the perks of being a punk band. Sidesplitter pack plenty of melody and killer riffs played by one hell of a guitarist, most riffs and I’m talking like 95% of them were played all down picking, now any guitarist having a read of this will and should be impressed, especially for single note up-tempo punk riffs!  That’s a fair effort by any standard! They have great stage banter, ending their set with a bit of a laugh with a crowd member with the last line of conversation being “The sound guy said one, maybe he doesn’t like us Gaz, I don’t know”. These guys were a great opener for tonight and would go out of my way to see them play again.

Threats, straight outta Frankston. These guys looked and sounded exactly as the name suggests, threatening. Their brand of hardcore was a hell of lot rougher around the edges than Sidesplitter before them, straight from the streets. These guys had a mid-2000’s two step sound to them and they played it well, even covering an old 50 Lions track, that’s a name I haven’t heard of in a very long time! They kept the energy of the room high and getting people to come up closer to the stage with each song. They utilized their full band well, bringing out tons of gang vocals and guitar riff trade-offs, it had a great effect! Yet again, 25 – 30 min set but goddamn! These guys jammed a lot of tightly played chugging two stepping in. This was their singers first show with them and he put in 110% effort! He nailed it! If you’re into that style of Aussie hardcore, go and check them out!

Next up was Sydney’s Fangz, I didn’t know what to think when they were setting up, each band has looked and played different so far, the only thing I did know was that these guys had to bring the same energy that the 2 bands before them had. Queue the intro music, which sounded like some 80’s style rock riff and the band walk on stage in black overalls waving and the singers wearing this hot pink bucket hat, yeah ok, I think we are gonna be fine here. Fangz absolutely smashed their set! They had the energy, they had the banter, their frontman was part Canadian, it was probably criteria for getting main support, they had it all! Straight off the bat, the frontman had the crowd charmed, he scored some sunnies off a punter and was sporting those whilst jumping straight into the pit and joining the mosh. Fangz had the banter to match their energy, they were funny, witty and entertaining as hell. The singer sounded a little like a Wednesday 13 kind of style at times and the music was catchy riff after catchy riff, it was melodic, they kept the gang vocals going, their drummer was unreal, such a good snare sound, it would cut straight thru the mix every time. They had all the right things in all the right places.

All the supports tonight were exactly what was needed for tonight, all energy, all 0 – 10 attitude and all about having a good time.

As I said at the start of the review, how often do you see an international headlining act out and about? Especially doing their own set up and sound check? I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it, or doing it during a show? Like a support band? Like the rest of us!? It’s mad! It’s incredibly humble to see, that’s what it is! Cancer Bats are there on stage setting up their gear, they shake a few hands along the way of people up the front then they go to the side for their pre-show huddle and chuck on Metallica’s Whom the Bell Tolls, what a killer track! They stand there, headbang, sing, stretch and get ready to come out.

Cancer Bats kick straight into Gatekeeper and the entire venue erupts, all the energy built up from the last 3 bands just explodes into a mass of bodies jumping and moshing. I was standing at the side of the venue, with a great view of the stage and of the crowd and I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire gig, it was an incredible sight! Somehow the drummer has the sunnies from the Fangz singer and he is grinning ear to ear while smashing the kit, 1 minute into their set and they are already having a blast. Liam gives the safety speech and then looks to the camera guys to the side of stage “I’m sorry, I was meant to catch up with you guys before the show, we won’t be having professional shoots tonight, just phone footage with terrible voiceovers please. Everyone have fun. I WANT CHAOS!” Then they kick into Lucifer’s Rocking Chair, well he got what he asked for, it was chaos! I have been waiting to see these guys play for some time now and they did not disappoint! They were tight, they were all energy and they were down to earth. Liam stopped for a chat and said that they have been coming to Australia for 17 years now and that they had Deez Nuts support way back when, he then thanked the supports but not only just saying thank you “Insert Band Name” like every usual headline act on these shows, he brought up things that they did and said during their sets, showing that he actually watched and took notice! That to me says a lot! I would be so stoked to support a band where they actually watched your set. They smash out some killer tracks throughout the night, Radiate, Lonely Bong and Trust No One, to name a couple. We get to Bricks and Mortar, and not that the energy was lacking at any point, it steps up another notch, people know what’s coming up next, Cancer Bats killer cover of Sabotage, it’s absolutely unreal! Getting to hear this live the crowd goes nuts, and the singer from Sidesplitter jumps up on stage and screams along with them, how he must have been feeling to get up and do that! And then I finally get to hear their set closer, Hail Destroyer! My night was complete, screaming this along with them and everyone else in the venue! What a time! Ever since first coming across that album, I have been hanging to catch these guys live!

If you get a chance to catch them, go do it, you will not regret that choice. If you haven’t listened to their music yet, go and have a listen, it is heavy, groovy, it’s catchy as hell and just wait till you get to see them live!

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Album ReviewReviews
May 30, 2024
Midnite Mitch

[Album Review] Munitions – Remote Death

Melbourne Death Metallers, Munitions are back to take heads with their second EP, Remote Death, bringing back their neck breaking riffs and showing us that they have what it takes to back up a solid first EP, Black Winds.

In the two years since Black Winds was released, Munitions have been busy getting in some incredible milestones, already nailing their first international support slots, tearing up the local metal scene, then somehow also finding the time to get a brand-new EP written and recorded.

Second releases can be a tricky thing, you need to be able to back up, improve or at the very least, keep the same level of creativity/intensity as your first. Some bands can’t pull it off but goddamn, Munitions improve on all aspects that Black Wind originally gave us. Building off those already solid foundations, the sound of this EP is probably the biggest change that hits your ears first. Once again using their local recording studio, Dangertones, in Melbourne, they have captured everything perfectly and its incredibly well mixed. Anyone who follows the local Melbourne scene would have heard some of Dangertones previous album works and should investigate working with them.

These new songs are like sharpening a blade, they already have the weapon, the skills to wield it, now they are just making it a more efficient killer and that’s what these songs are, killer! This time around with the release they have filmed a video clip for the song Trapped, check it out on YouTube. The standout track for me was Manufactured Demise, I had it on repeat, I couldn’t stop. This song has dynamics, well written guitar solos, an excellent tremolo riff that then drops into the slower chunk version of the riff and you just get that headbanging feeling with a stank face, you know that face you get when you hear a riff and you just know that you’ve heard something incredible, yeah, THAT face.

If you’re into film clips and visuals, Trapped is the first track here with a film clip of the gents blasting it out. Great track to pick for a film clip and seeing the guys do what they do best. The second single released here before the rest drop is …And This Is How You Die, this is everything you want in an introduction of the band, heavy, groovy, tasty and well played. If you haven’t listened to Munitions before, go and put this track on, listen, then get excited for Remote Death’s release!

This is another incredible effort from a band that has not been around the scene for very long, mind you, if you look at the line up from this band, they are all scene veterans. They know what they are doing and there is no stopping them now that they are on a roll. This is definitely a band to watch out for!

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Album ReviewReviews
March 15, 2024
Midnite Mitch

[Album Review] Amaranthe – The Catalyst

Amaranthe, they are modern metal meets pop! It’s heavy, it’s catchy as all hell and I’m 100% sure your metal elitists would hate every second of it, but love them or hate them, they have proved again that they are here to stay. Amaranthe are back with their 7th studio album, The Catalyst and once again they have unleashed the hooks and melodies that will get under your skin and dig into your mind, where you will be singing them all day.

Three years on since the previous album Manifest, which gained them some new fans with the likes of the single Viral, The Catalyst will do that again and more! The old fans will be back for more of what they already love about this band, the 3 different vocal styles, the incredible melodies, and the killer rhythms. While I think newer fans will find these latest singles flavorful, then go and taste their back catalogue full of delectable hooks and sing alongs, always a tasty dish that one.

The singles released are some of the catchiest tunes on the album, but with an Amaranthe album, they still have more hooks and riffs to get stuck in your head, its pop music, it’s part of the charm. They have some killer film clips to go with these singles, Damnation Flame is a Vampire movie and as usual, we head to the future with Insatiable and The Catalyst. I have always enjoyed their art and effects. Outside of the singles, Amaranthe has given us, Interference, probably the heaviest Amaranthe riff I’ve heard. It has this chunky low opening/verse riff with an ever-talented Elize Ryd bringing in some low toned vocals, the girls got some range!

This is the first album featuring new Heavy Vocalist Mikael Sehlin, who has worked with Engel in the past, he comes in keeping the vocals pretty damn close to Hendrik Englund’s style, so it’s a smooth transition for the fans. You can’t go past the vocal dynamics of this band, Clean Female, Clean Male and Heavy Male, it’s part of the key identity for Amaranthe. They utilise it well for The Catalyst with songs like Damnation Flame, Liberated and Resistance, usually keeping a pattern when it comes to their vocal lines but that’s where the Pop element of their song writing comes into it, there’s a formula you use that works and you run with it.

As is tradition, there is at least one clean, slower paced song on the album that lets the clean vocals of Elize Ryd and Nils Molin shine and this time around it comes in the form of, Stay a Little While. This track shows that they work incredibly well together when it comes to vocal prowess and letting them show off their respective range to the full extent in the slower musical pieces. Amaranthe have always had a more positive approach when it comes to their lyrics, Love, Happiness, Strength, Self Confidence, those types of uplifting words, then they can also put out simple tracks like That Song, from the Maximalism album that is just so simple that it then gets stuck in your head for days, good track though!

The Catalyst is nothing overly new from Amaranthe in the ways of song writing, this is still a step in the right direction to becoming more known worldwide. I hope that this is the album that they eventually come to Australia for, it would be unreal to see them live and sing these songs. I am a sucker for catchy choruses and hooks. Go and have a listen for yourself, you will be singing them as well soon enough!

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InterviewsTour Interview
February 26, 2024
Midnite Mitch

Interview with Ben Ward (Orange Goblin)

Click above to see Mitch chat with Ben Ward ahead of Orange Goblin Australian Tour!

Cut from the same beer-stained cloth as the greats, UK stoner rock metal act ORANGE GOBLIN are still riding high and leading the pack in 'balls to the wall' heavy metal thunder. Emerging amid the exhilarating melee of the mid-‘90s stoner rock and doom explosion, ORANGE GOBLIN immediately endeared themselves to a generation of metal fans by simply going for it at full, beer-swilling pelt and some twenty five plus years later, nothing has changed! Moving towards 2024 it’s all hell for leather with the release of their tenth studio album, the first one since 2018's 'The Wolf Bites Back' and the first for new label Peaceville Records.

 
Being 11 years since their last trek to Australia, ORANGE GOBLIN are way well overdue for a bone jarring jaunt and have promised to pull out all the stompers for an intense and intoxicating atmosphere that will truly show the power and might these British heavyweights are armed with.
 
Earning a unique place in Australia’s heavy scene is Simpsons themed doom-rock band DR COLOSSUS. Brandishing low tuned guitar riffs and melodically driven songs that then manage to turn the genre on its head by presenting lyrics and an aesthetic based entirely on episodes of The Simpsons. A gimmick as it may be, DR COLOSSUS have earned a reputation as one of the one of the country’s most dynamic heavy acts who wield a dynamic palette of doom infused rock stomping grooves within well crafted, fun and riotously catchy material.
 
Leading the charge of mountainous riffage is Sydney’s two piece feed ASTRODEATH. Possessing a furious and intimidating sound, at a titanic reverberation that far exceeds the sum of its twin parts, ASTRODEATH belt out sludge ridden slices of heaviness that pack a devastating punch.
 
ORANGE GOBLIN with DR COLOSSUS and ASTRODEATH performing at:
 

April 9th – Adelaide, Lion Arts Factory

April 10th – Canberra, The Basement
 

April 11th – Brisbane, The Zoo

April 12th – Sydney, Crowbar
 

April 13th – Melbourne, The Croxton

 

TICKETS ON SALE at:

ADELAIDE – www.moshtix.com.au
 

CANBERRA, BRISBANE, SYDNEY, MELBOURNE – www.oztix.com.au

 
 

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Album ReviewReviews
November 23, 2023
Midnite Mitch

[Album Review] Helmet – Left

Helmet to me was one of those bands who were always mentioned, songs were played, I got into them but never really deep dived into but after listening to Left, the brand new album, I will be going to change this. It’s clear that Helmets soundscape has influenced a fair amount of music over the years with their brand of alternative Metal, Punk and even aspects of hardcore influence to assist the evolution further still. You’ve got to give credit where it’s due.

Going back to have a listen to some previous albums while writing this review for comparison, Left is nothing new to their already well-established sound but a solid reminder of why Helmet are still relevant and noteworthy. Bringing their classic gritty hardcore DIY sounding production to the table once again, it brings songs like Bigshot, Bombastic and Gun Fluf to the forefront of the album, these 3 tracks were the top ones for me. Gun Fluf has this solid snare beat that just drives that song like a nail in a coffin, its killer but if you are putting on Helmet, then you know what you are wanting and won’t be disappointed in what they are doing.

The opening track Holiday sets the pace for the Left, which is fairly mid – slow tempo with Gun Fluf being the fastest track on here and an incredible moody acoustic, strings attached track titled, Tell Me Again, being the slowest, but don’t let the lack of speed turn you off, that song is worth the listen. The song starts off with some steel guitar work leading into acoustic guitar and strings behind it with melancholy vocals about that lovely narcissistic friend, yeah, you know.. THAT mate!

The album ends on this wicked jazz avantgarde style track named Resolution, completely instrumental with some great guitar work, because you know, why the hell not!? With Resolution, Tell Me Again and another track Reprise, the album inherits a decent contrast of sounds from start to finish. You have everything from open punky chorus’ with catchy vocals that will have songs stuck in your head to a chunky palm muted riff that will get you headbanging as well as the previously mentioned, mellow track Tell Me Again, that will have you reflecting on everything you thought you knew.

Left is a great album to give to someone who has never listened to Helmet, it will definitely gain them fans and surely keep the old ones happy. Go out and try a left field album of your own music tastes and find something new! You never know what you will find and like.

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Gig ReviewsReviews
October 17, 2023
Midnite Mitch

[Review] Archspire @ Corner Hotel 14/10/2023

It’s been a fair while since I’ve been to a gig at The Corner Hotel, I think the last time was Bel’akor in 2022. Tonight is sold out and this place is a hell of a lot smaller than I remember but the one thing I do remember is that damn pole in the middle of the pit, anyone that’s been there knows exactly what I’m talking about. As the doors open and people flood the room, the merch line goes across the entire venue floor to the back-end bar, the bar line is then crossing over through the merch line, there are people everywhere and no one knows what line they are in, its chaos, but the sure fire thing is that everyone is keen for the line up tonight and it’s great to see a packed venue from start to finish.

Local Black/Death Metal trio Werewolves walk out on stage to a full crowd, who clearly have the local following behind them, being greeted with a whole room screaming for you as an opener must be an incredible feeling. I’ve now caught these guys 3 times and they are yet to disappoint; they are always tight and I’m sure everyone knows how freaking good Dave Haley is at drumming, the guys is a machine! They run through their set, smashing out track after track trying to fit in as much as possible with the like of Crushgasm, I Don’t Like You and Under The Ground. They get the crowd all riled up and energetic stating they are filming a clip for No More Heroes, to which they get a lot more movement going. Definitely a local band to check out if you haven’t seen them already.

Next up is probably the most talked about band tonight, Ingested. This UK based Death Metal band have come over here for their first time and are clearly loving the trip. I’ve never heard of these guys before tonight, but I walked away a fan. Right from the get-go, the singer had the crowd moving and screaming, there would have been some sore necks the next morning. Ingesteds sound reminded me of Thy Art Is Murder but with a heavier vocal style, it was unreal. They performed a tight and energetic set with the only issues being that some vocals were missing either from a mixing issue or even a vocal style mix. I noticed that some of his highs weren’t coming through and then also some of his faster phrasing work but goddamn, when it came through, it came through! What a scream on the guy! And the other issue being that the low end was a bit lost, but I think that may have been where I was standing, I was moved about a fair bit by just general crowd flow. About three quarters of the way through the set, the singer gets the entire venue floor to cut in half for a wall of death, to which, everyone happily obliged, and I saw some old hardcore moves I have seen in a long time, clearly there are some older style fans here tonight. The announcement of “This is our last song” is met with a chorus of BOOOO’s to which the singer smiles and thanks the crowd for making their trip one to remember.

Archspire, tech death from USA, I have listened to these guys a little bit since the announcement of the tour and I was keen as hell to witness the guitar work and singer live in action, the did not disappoint. Straight off the bat, wicked guitar solos and melodies are being played with the bassist following suit with some incredible handiwork, I wish I had a better view because it sounded incredible! The next thing that hit me was the drummer! This guy just didn’t make sense to me audially, and I wish I could have seen him, he just constantly blasted but the sound of his snare hits was amazing and crisp, cut straight through the mix. The vocalist had me in awe at how quick he was phrasing, it was just rapping but with a death growl style voice, I can’t imagine how hard that is to actually do and I would love to know HOW he actually does it. The whole band are incredibly skilled at what they do, and they are just as funny. In between songs was band banter of crazy introductions of members, an “I love you” snuck in at the end of a song, “First one to kiss the disco ball gets a free shirt!” and damn! I’ve never seen a guy climb up on top of people fast enough to kiss a disco ball. The ultimate thing of the night was watching people play “Twister in the middle of a moshpit! “Right hand Red!” I can’t say I’ve ever seen that in a show.

It’s these kinds of things that make a night great, unexpected, fun, incredible musicianship, packed rooms and a game of twister! It’s also what I love about the metal scene, people just want to come out to have fun and see some incredibly well played and performed music.

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Gig ReviewsReviews
September 19, 2023
Midnite Mitch

[Review] Cattle Decapitation @ Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne 16/09/2023

Review By Mitch Charlton

Cattle Decapitation were the last international band I saw play live back in Feb 2020 before the world was struck with the plague and everything went haywire! It was an incredible show, it made a lasting impression and made me a fan of their music. Hearing that they were coming back I was so keen to hear and see this incredible band live once again and my god! They did not disappoint but, on to that later.

3 years later, Cattle Decapitation are back in Australia with their latest destroyer of an album Terrasite and Melbourne is sold out! This is my second sold out show at The Croxton Bandroom and the one thing I notice about this place is, it fills really quick. For anyone that hasn’t been there yet, just make sure you move to where you want to be for the night, otherwise you might struggle to get to the bar and back later.

Melbourne Deathcore quartet, Body Prison come on promptly at 8pm and kick things off with some solid chunk style bass riffage or at least that’s all I’m able to really make out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear much of the guitars for most of their set, even standing in front of the mix desk, as is tradition, wasn’t helping me tonight, from the looks it had a fair bit of tremolo strumming but I’m not gonna hold that against them because their frontman had some incredibly fast paced phrasing skills and definitely got that crowd warmed up for the rest of the night, throwing some merch in to the crowd to fight for it, getting more movement than I’ve seen for an opener for a while. I want to go check them out again to hopefully hear them properly.

Fallujah, another band I hadn’t heard before tonight and I was interested to see how it all came across especially after Body Prisons mix and somehow things sounded incredibly different, I could hear everything but bass this time. These guys have come across with Cattle Decap from the States and brought their version of Tech Death to show off. These guys had more backing synth and clean style vocals, incredibly melodic and some incredible musicianship, it was such a shame I couldn’t hear the bass player, some of the tapping and riffs looked unreal. These guys had the room nodding along and from what I could see a bit of a mosh pit, the room was pretty much sardine packed by this stage. It’s awesome to think that you’re coming to a Death metal show and that all bands have an incredibly different style of play and how they go about their stage, Fallujah stood out from being the most melodic sound tonight, definitely a band to check out.

Just when I thought the room was packed by the end of Fallujahs set, apparently you can fit more people in, as the crowd got nice and cosy, the anticipation grew whilst waiting for Cattle Decapitation to come out and blast us all away. Coming out to album opener, Terrasitic Adaptation, its instantaneous to everyone tonight as to why these guys are one of the best in the business and this show is sold out. First time seeing CD I couldn’t look away from either the frontman or the drummer, don’t get me wrong, the entire band is incredible but how Travis can get his voice in both of those styles live is seriously mind blowing. It must be fun for bands to come to Australia where swearing is just part of our language and culture “MELBOURNE!! How the F$#k are you C&%nts!?” Travis yells and grins, he just looked and sounded like he is having fun saying that, he does drop the C word a few more times throughout the set with a massive grin, pretty funny to watch.

The mix became crystal clear, I could hear and feel the bass and kicks running through the floor, the pit explodes as they run through the first tracks off Terrasite as well as a killer set with the likes of Bring Back the Plague, Finish Them, Forced Gender Reassignment and coming out to an encore of Kingdom of Tyrants. They know how to work their crowd and you can see that all members are incredibly grateful to be back here once again.

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Album ReviewReviews
August 16, 2023
Midnite Mitch

Caskets – Reflections

When creating a new album, you always want to have something to say with the songs you’ve written, and you also want to do better than the previous album. Caskets have come out with their sophomore album, Reflections, which I believe does both. Metalcore is on the rise once again, that’s right you purists, go hide away from the mainstream for a while, big sing along chorus’s, chunky breakdowns and synth backing tracks are coming back in full swing, but what makes Caskets stand out amongst the crowd?

First off, you’ve got to have a wicked hook or melody and the singles released for the album Believe, Better Way Out and More Than Misery were the best choices off this album in this aspect. Believe is bouncy as hell and I had it on repeat, there are killer hooks and melodies throughout this entire album but this one got me good. The artwork for the film clip really ran with the reflections idea, crystals and mirrors everywhere! More Than Misery comes in with a massive sing along chorus and that’s gonna come across well when they hit live scene.

Better Way Out is a brilliant track, because as well as being a well written track musically, lyrically, it deals with those dark thoughts and the film clip perfectly portrays a scenario of someone not coping with that situation. With the “You are not alone, there are people who care” at the end, it really cements what they are trying to get across to their fans and listeners.

The second album is probably more daunting than the first, with the first, you write the best that you know how, you record and engineer to the best you know how. Once that first album is released, you then have a bar to go above and beyond but how do you write better? How do you record better? Caskets released Lost Souls in 2021 and they already have the next one in the barrel ready to go. They have definitely stepped up the game here with Reflections, they are sounding massive, stronger and coming out better song writers. The album will have you bouncing and singing along every time.

Having a message with your music is also what can make you stand out amongst the other bands, and I do love a band with a message. This album deals with the themes of mental health, dealing with your inner demons, ranging from a breakup song (high overview) to struggling with finding the strength to deal with everyday life. Caskets are reminding their fans and listeners that these are real issues and there are appropriate ways to deal with them. Self-care is an important message and more people do need to recognise this as a constant battle.

These guys were recently here, just as I got to do the review for this. I wish I had the chance to see them play live to give another dynamic to the review, I did hear that they dropped a couple of new ones in live though and I’m interested to hear which ones. After giving this a listen I’m hoping they are coming back sometime soon.

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Album InterviewsInterviews
August 16, 2023
Midnite Mitch

Interview with Luke Ashley (Orpheus Omega)

(Mitch Charlton) Thank you for taking the time to have a chat with me, it’s been a couple of years since our last chat, you had just released Career Suicide with Triple Kill, you’re now going on tour with them, any chance some of those covers will make the live set?
(Luke Ashley) Hey mate, it's our pleasure! We want to make every show feel like a unique experience so we're pulling out some new covers for this tour alongside our latest EP.

(MC) Triple Kill have been known to have a joke or two, create some pretty damn funny content, can we expect some tour antics when teaming up with Orpheus?
(LA) Absolutely not. I still haven't recovered from the last AirBnB we shared together, it was a total party wipe. This time it's all death & taxes.

(MC)With the upcoming Questfest in Sept, I’m hoping that there’s some stage outfit ideas already in the works, any hints the fans can have for the show?
(LA)Look, all I'm gonna say is we were forged in the fires of Cheez TV. You can expect some Cease & Desist inducing homages come showtime. My favourite part of Questfest is seeing how people twist the theme. Costumes are always encouraged but a rootin-tootin 'tude is mandatory partner.

(MC)Are any of the band into fantasy games/books?
(LA)I dare you to find a metalhead who isn't! A vast swath of heavy culture is rooted in escapism so there is shared DNA. It's rare to have a conversation with Chris or Kes without them referencing Middle Earth. Matt hoards CCG, Garry is a Warhammer wiz, and let's face it – Leon is the male fantasy. We draw a lot of inspiration from media rooted in sci-fi and mythology too.

(MC) What Class would everyone be in the band in a Fantasy world scenario? Feel free to include the Triple Kill gents for some fun too.
(LA) Haha, great question! Chris could be an artificer since he spends all day 3D printing new gadgets, or maybe he's a rogue because he stays up all night watching Lockpicking Lawyer. Matt is a Wizard of the Coast with sleight of hand proficiency. Leon is a lawful good paladin, Kes is a plucky bard and I'm the tavern keeper handing out fetch quests. Triple Kill are two half-giant barbarians and three gnomes in a trenchcoat – I'll let you decide who is who.

(MC)The songs from the latest EP have been written by individuals of the band, can you explain a little about this process? How did each track come together?
(LA)For sure. Each track on Portraits was written in isolation with each member having full creative licence. It was nerve-wracking hitting play on the demo since we'd all only heard one fifth of the record. The song order and arrangements unanimously made sense; very few structural adjustments were made from first draft to master. It may have been challenging for Chris to mix but the end result is the most natural work in our catalogue.

(MC) The Portraits EP features a few guests, Andy Gillion, Jim Grey, Jukka Pelkonen to name a few, how did you come about getting these artists involved?
(LA)The wand chose the wizard. Each song was designed with specific artists in mind – people who have inspired us through our own musical journeys. I can tell you now, these folks are the real deal, going so far as to contribute musical ideas and appear in music videos. It's sublime stuff and we're very glad to have met our heroes.

(MC) Are there any Aussie artists who you would like to work with in the future, not necessarily Metal related?
(LA) Dude, it's gotta be Team Cherry or House House. Tiny but mighty game dev teams that shook the global landscape of indie gaming. They're the bees knees.

(MC) You have just released a new cover, Children of Bodom’s Hatecrew Deathroll, will this be coming into the live set or solely a video release? Why this song in particular?
(LA) You'll have to come to Questfest to find out! Finnvox Studios mastered the original Hatecrew Deathroll 20 years ago and generously mastered our tribute to the late great Alexi Laiho in turn. The track itself is a rallying cry amongst the COBHC and holds significant meaning to us both as individuals and as Orpheus Omega.

(MC) Lastly, anything in particular that is a must have on an Orpheus Tour?
(LA) Our sixth & seventh Beatles Garry & Kayne. They make us sound good and look better, never leave your house without them.

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