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Midnite Mitch

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Gig ReviewsReviews
October 1, 2024
Midnite Mitch

[Review] Cradle of Filth @Northcote Theatre 27/09/2024

It’s been 5 years since Cradle of Filth have haunted these shores, playing their Cruelty and the Beast album in its entirety. The Australian Invasion 2024 tour has nearly sold out across Australia showing how much we love the Filth! Cradle of Filth have sold out 170 Russell the last couple of times and on this tour they are playing at Northcote Theatre, which is a 500 person increase in capacity and it still sold out! This would be my 4th time to the venue, and I decided to change it up and stand upstairs this time around to see if the sound is better or worse, I was not disappointed.

Northcote Theatre fills up quickly, it is already half full at 7:20 when locals Hybrid Nightmares take to the stage. This is the bands 3rd time in supporting Cradle of Filth, having had the chance to tour with them previously, I’ve seen these guys around the scene since they first started and it’s unreal seeing bands hard work pay off. Bringing in their A game tonight for a sold-out show, Hybrid Nightmare’s melodic black metal sound gets the crowd moving and headbanging within their 25-minute time slot, they play phenomenally, and the outfits tonight are on the simplistic approach, as opposed to previous years that I have seen them. It is quite clear that Cradle of Filth are an influence on these guys when it comes to stage performance. It’s always good seeing bands that put effort into their stage craft as well as their music, even if it as simple as wearing uniform colours.

This is Infected Rain’s first time in Australia, playing on a near sold out tour, where you would want to make sure you come in hot and make a great first impression, WELL GODDAMN! Did they ever!? Straight off the bat, they sound great, with heavy groove laden guitars and some electro backing tracks. Lena takes the stage, and everyone stops to watch and listen to her first scream, what a wicked voice! After the first song, a guy yells “WILL YOU MARRY ME PLEASE!?” the crowd laugh and Lena just smiles, laughs, and kicks on, showing that she can take the heckling and then also have the ability to carry the stage talk when tech issues happen after the second or third song, “There’s a problem in the kitchen!”. It is an important skill when being a front person for a band, you need to be able to make chat and you also need to be able to keep it from getting weird and awkward, Lena clearly has no issues in that area. Once they get over the tech issue and the songs are rolling, Infected Rain have the room at their control, bodies are moving, heads are banging, Lena commands and Melbourne responds. The band have an amazing energy, the guitarist is constantly throwing himself about and putting his whole body into his performance, the bassist plays incredibly well, just sitting in the pocket of the songs and creates the perfect heaviness, she then takes center stage at one point and has a little bass melody, as a fellow bassist, I appreciate this moment!  At the end of their set, a massive circle pit opens, it’s a great view from above, and it’s probably the biggest one I’ve seen in this venue, taking up nearly the entire floor. For a first time in Australia, I think they were convinced to come back, I have definitely been convinced to catch them again!

I don’t think I have missed a Cradle of Filth tour for the last decade, since turning the Godspeed on the Devils Thunder tour, they are one band that I have consistently made an effort to see live each time they come to Australia, I think I have even done Silver Tiger Media’s live review the last 3 times! I really enjoy Cradle of Filth! The intro to Existence is Futile begins and the crowd go nuts, Zoe Federoff, the latest female vocalist/piano player comes in with her intro note held beautifully and the band kick into Existential Terror. From the upstairs section, the sound is coming through reasonably clear but from the looks of things Dani, is not overly happy with what is coming through his inner ear monitors, there is a quick word with the stage sound tech before kicking into Saffron’s Curse and She is Fire but I don’t know what it is for Him, but he seemed bothered by something. The band are playing tight as always, the leads and twin melodies are cutting through mix as expected but we hit Dusk and her Embrace and something jumps, whether a guitar paused too soon or not soon enough, but something was amiss, but the band recovered so quickly, it was impressive, which is why I wanted to mention it. Yes, bands can play flawlessly and it’s always a good time but for me, after seeing them so many times and probably never seeing a mistake, not that I’m calling this instance a mistake, but seeing how a band you idolize handles a slight on stage and then recover so quickly is remarkable. Cradle of Filth write amazing music, they play incredibly well, and they handle situations with ease. It happened, they recovered, to anyone else, probably not even noticed, but to me, someone who has seen them play a fair bit now, and literally taking dot points on their performance, I thought THAT fact was incredible.

Dani’s stage banter is always a good laugh, he always has some Aussie joke, this time it was a comment about illicit crimes, something that we (Aussie’s) would know all about. He then also made the comment while introducing Necromantic Fantasies “This is a newer one, all you old school fans can go to the bar now, I saw you walking”. The encore kicks in with A Bruise Upon The Silent Moon, which is the intro to probably one of my favourite Cradle of Filth albums, Damnation and a Day, I get super excited to finally hear something off this album and the band kick into Promise of Fever! It was unreal! Finishing up their set with Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids, Her Ghost in the Fog and of course, From the Cradle to Enslave, the crowd are relentless, you can’t help but move around and bang your head to theses songs! When those keys kick in for …Cradle to Enslave, you just get this energy!

Even after years of seeing Cradle of Filth live, they still don’t disappoint, I notice something a little different each time I see them, but I have never left disappointed! I left the show, thinking I will be heading back upstairs for gigs at the Northcote Theatre, it’s a good view and great sound. Also I will go and find another Hybrid Nightmare show, go check out Infected Rain’s back catalog, whilst also remembering how Cradle of Filth have lasted this long in the business. They are damn good at what they do!

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Gig ReviewsReviews
September 3, 2024
Midnite Mitch

[Review] Amaranthe @ Northcote Theatre Melbourne, 31/08/2024

I have been waiting for this night for a very long time. I first listened to Amaranthe when a friend of mine told me to go and put on The Nexus album way back in 2013 and after 11 years and 5 albums later, they have finally come to Australia!

Amaranthe may have arrived in Melbourne on a miserable cold, windy and no sun kind of day, but that doesn’t deter any fans from showing up early to get in line and wait for a night of singing some incredibly catchy songs and I’m sure there are plenty of people who have been waiting as long as I have for this night to come about. You can’t get a warmer welcome than adoring Aussie fans, right?

Once inside Northcote Theatre, I move straight to the usual spot, right in front of the mixing desk, it’s usually where I find the best mix, where I start to look around and see a line forming at the side of the venue, then suddenly it cuts across the dance floor, mosh pit, middle of the room area and wonder what the hell this is about, then realise, that’s the freaking merch line! I don’t think I’ve seen the line come out like that before in this venue, mind you, I have only been here 3 times before now and this is Amaranthe’s first Australian tour, so, I guess that is fair, but still a welcome surprise.

With a sudden jump start of drum and bass intro music, right smack bang on the 8pm start time, most of the crowd jumped in shock as The Last Martyr walked out on stage. Melbourne local, female fronted metalcore with drum and bass/electro backings, The Last Martyr were a great choice for opening up the night, bringing their A game with plenty of movement, crowd involvement and a tightly played set, although it did take me a song to realise they did actually have a live drummer playing, I could hear an incredibly well mixed drum sound and thought that it must have been part of the electro backing tracks but then, neatly packed away to the side of the stage, there they were sitting, absolutely killing it. The Last Martyr weren’t here to muck around though, they were smashing out songs consistently, with minimal stage banter, even throwing in a great cover of Bombfunk MC’s Freestyler and having a guest vocalist appear from nowhere to add an extra element to one of their tracks. I think the guest vocalist completely smashed it and played his part in their set quite well. (Guest vocalist may or may not have been a certain STM review writer’s younger brother, definitely not a biased opinion).

The lights go down, and a spoken word intro comes on speaking of control, freeing your mind, AI, the general themes these days within the world and most of Amaranthe’s tracks. The opening notes to Fearless are played and the crowd instantly goes nuts. Unfortunately for Australia, Mikael Sehlin, their heavy vocalist had to step off the tour due to personal reasons but Samy Elbanna, who has filled in the part on previous tours is here with them tonight, who holds his own quite well. Elize Ryd was hard to hear to start with during the set but then I also noticed a fair amount of delay being added to her vocals, which then muddied her up a little. Nils Molin sounded absolutely incredible, that guy can sing! Amaranthe smashed out 19 songs in their 90-minute set tonight! That’s some hard work, and quite a selection in songs from their back catalogue. They cover something off all their albums, picking the singles of the era’s.

Finally seeing and hearing these songs played live was an incredible feeling and the band were so energetic. Constantly moving around the stage, jumping up on stage boxes, noticing that they do have a great system in place where whoever is singing has the main center stage, so there is constant movement and each singer gets the limelight, that’s what you call teamwork. Coming into Boomerang, Elize and Nils were standing on opposite sides of the stage tossing a literal boomerang to each other in their sections. Elize took the laydown, couch singer style approach for Crystalline, Nils and Elize do a great back and forth on stage with Strong, which Amaranthe had a guest female vocalist do the recording, but I did enjoy the male counterpart in that song as well.

Amaranthe come back out to an encore of Archangel, That Song and ending on Drop Dead Cynical, with a track like That Song being in there, the crowd completely took over with the drum beat and clapping along, to which the band then dropped in some lyrics to We Will Rock You, they definitely gave the crowd their monies worth in involvement and entertainment. With songs like these where they are pop metal, written with catchy lyrics and melodies so that they will get stuck in your head for days on end, the crowd did their part for the night and were walking out with minimal voices after singing and screaming along all night, me included.

Judging by the grins on Amaranthe’s faces by the end of the set, I would say that it was a successful and long overdue first tour of Australia. I would suggest they already have plans of keeping Australia amongst their touring locations. I would definitely go again.

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Album ReviewReviews
August 22, 2024
Midnite Mitch

[Album Review] Orpheus Omega – Emberglow

I have been listening to Orpheus Omega for about 9 years now, since the release of Partum Vita Mortem back in 2015, and like a fine wine, this band just gets better with age! Meet Emberglow, the 5th album from Orpheus Omega and yet again, this is one that just gets better each time you hear it, each time I’ve put it on, I’ve found another reason to enjoy it!

From start to finish this album will have you headbanging and singing along, it is chocked full of killer riffs and catchy as hell chorus melodies, like we have come to expect anything less from this band. There are so many songs on this album that I can’t wait to hear live!

I could probably name all the tracks on the album as to which ones I would like to see played live but tracks like We Were Kings, Emberglow, which I think has been played live before the release of the album and Atomizer are going to be incredible. They have the energy and bounciness in the songs that will get a crowd going nuts, but for me, I would love to see the tracks Destiny Machine and Marionette live, they would probably be harder to pull off just for the vocal efforts required.

Which brings me to the most impressive feature of this album, Chris Themelco’s vocals. He has stepped up to the ring and come in swinging, hard! This album has so many different styles and voices on it that I wasn’t even sure if it was the one person! It is incredibly well done. If you have a listen to the tracks Destiny Machine and Marionette, he has some crisp clean vocals that then tear into his harsh melodeath style, which have only become better over each album recording, in my opinion, it sounds effortless to the listener, but I’m sure it’s not on the singer. Destiny Machine has a Matt Heafy vocal influence, not because of the sound of the vocals themselves but more for the experimentation of the vocals, Chris is showcasing what I’m guessing is his full range of his capabilities here. Throughout this album, you can hear how Orpheus Omega have been experimenting with their song arrangements. This is something that every band should do, it shows that you want to improve and become diverse in your overall sound as a band, in Emberglow’s case, Orpheus Omega have nailed it!

The title track of this album, Emberglow, definitely brings in the Children of Bodom influence, the riff and arrangement sound like it could slide into one of the later COB albums quite well. This track was very Children of Bodom meets Trivium, if Heafy featured on something that Alexi Laiho (RIP You legend) wrote the music to! Which I’m shattered now that I’m writing this, sounds absolute killer and not a real thing BUT we do have this album, which is pretty damn close!

Emberglow is everything we have come to know and expect from an Orpheus Omega album whilst also experimenting and evolving their song writing and sound. If the Gothenburg Scene Melodeath is your jam and if you haven’t caught them live, go and do yourself a favour, chuck this album on, and any of the past albums that matter, I still love Partum Vita Mortum then go and catch them live, this band does not disappoint.

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Gig ReviewsReviews
August 22, 2024
Midnite Mitch

[Review] Triumph Of Death @ The Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne 17/08/2024

Someone I never thought I would get to see live is Tom G Warrior, one of the pioneers of Black Metal. He started Hellhammer, went on to make Celtic Frost and Triptykon. These bands have influenced so many musicians that I listen to today and are always unlikely to come to Australia, but tonight that all changes!

Heading out to the Croxton Bandroom, all I see is patch vests, the walking advertisements for bands worldwide. People love to show off who they have seen over the years, and I always have a look to note down some bands I’ve never heard before and going to an old school black metal gig, there are a few new names that I need to investigate!

Opening tonight is Melbourne’s Mammon’s Throne. A name I have heard over the years, but never had the chance to see them, after hearing so much about them, they did not disappoint. Straight from the opening note to the closing ring out, these guys had the room headbanging and moving. Mammon’s Throne has a killer stage sound and exceptionally written music, I was an instant fan and once their set finished, I went straight to the merch desk to grab a cd, unfortunately they did not have cd’s, but they do have vinyl, unfortunately, I do not own a record player, readers don’t hate! It’s on the Christmas list, I just haven’t purchased one. Either way, I did not get a CD, but I will be trying to get to another show. For anyone, like me, who hadn’t seen or heard these guys before, they would have walked away a fan being shown an incredibly tight and well played set. Definitely a local band to catch.

Speaking of local bands to catch, In Malice’s Wake, Melbourne born thrash metal, are always incredible to watch, make sure you get out and watch their set whenever you can. These guys make playing thrash metal look easy, all of them are top tier musicians, I don’t see many bassists playing fingers and flying all over a fretboard and their drummer is incredible, sticks everywhere and not a beat missed, even throwing in a killer drum roll for a seamless transition in between songs. In Malice’s Wake comes out with high energy that instantly gets the room moving and coming in closer to the stage. Between In Malice’s Wake and Mammon’s Throne, Melbourne bands have a great representation tonight, showing that there are some incredible talents in the music scene to check out locally.

I never thought I would get the chance to hear or see the set that I saw tonight, ever. These songs are from the 80’s, Hellhammer haven’t been a band since 1984 and yet here I am, not seeing an original line up but one of the original frontmen in the flesh, play songs that he wrote when he was a teenager and still just as passionate now. This is incredibly inspiring for a musician and a general music fan. Tom G Warrior comes out with his band, Triumph of Death and instantly he is met with cheers from the crowd and his signature “oooohhhhh”. They run through most of the classics, like Maniac, Decapitator and Chainsaw. Tom G Warrior gives a little bit of back story to some of the tracks as well, like Blood Insanity, where he states that it was originally written by his old band mate, Steve Warrior and that his lead guitarist will be doing the honour of his vocals tonight. There was another story for Visions of Mortality being the last Hellhammer and first Celtic Frost track. Watching them play these songs that are held dearly by the underground is unbelievable, they still have an old school vibe and sound to them, definitely not as harsh as the original demo’s but they are still rough and raw.

The crowd can see that Tom G Warrior is having a blast on stage playing these tracks and seeing the crowd, but he is also trying really hard not to show it. He can’t help but grin and laugh at the crowd when he is standing in between songs and hears the crowd yell “oooooohhhhh” at him, to which he replies “Ive been writing lyrics for songs for 43 f#$king years and yet the only one you remember is f#$king Ooooooohhhh!!! Well, Ooooohhhh!!!” and he just laughs. Triumph of Death deal well with a short stage issue of Tom G Warrior blowing a cab and the sound techs come and quickly take care of it, he thanks them and says that he wouldn’t be anywhere with out his sound guys, which is something I think every band should recognise! They close the set with the track Triumph of Death and walk of stage with massive grins. No one here leaves unsatisfied, band or crowd.

This is one of those gigs where I went in not really knowing what to expect, I was unsure as to how something that was recorded and kept raw on purpose was going to come out live and in a more modern setting. I was also unsure on how that would then be perceived by the crowd, we all know how die-hard fans can get. Triumph of Death played a tight, clear sounding and crowd-pleasing set. I walked away loving black metal all over again.

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Album ReviewReviews
August 10, 2024
Midnite Mitch

[Album Review] Dog – Self Titled

How good is finding incredible bands in your own local underground scene? That is where you find musicians writing for the love of playing and a passion for art, you find the people that just write songs cause that’s what they are feeling, and you can’t find a band around with more feel in their riffs than Bendigo’s, Dog.

Meet Dog, stoner desert sludge groove metal rock, and probably some more adjectives, I don’t know exactly what it is labeled but goddamn, these 6 tracks on their first self-titled album took me on an audial journey that I didn’t even realise was coming. From start to finish, its heavy, rhythmic droning arrangements kept me hypnotized and then the next thing I knew, it was over, and of course I had to start it again, what else was a man to do? The riffs throughout each track repeat but I never found that I got bored or tired of hearing them, the changing of the drum patterns under each riff progression keep the listener engaged and interested to hear the next.

Dog is straight from the underground; its rough, its raw, its ambient, if you are after some sort of clean-cut rock/metal album, this probably won’t be for you but if you are into the likes of Clutch style riffs, Orange Goblin heavy sludge tones and plenty of reverb in your vocals, then look no further, this is what you need.

This album is stacked full of sludgy, fuzz driven tracks that take a life of their own. These songs sound completely natural, like they recorded a jam session that just happened out of the blue. Their engineer has done well to keep the ambience alive in recording these tracks, with so many little melodies sprinkled throughout that add to the feel still being caught in the mix, it’s kept the live organic sound but with a nicely cleaned edge to bring this album together.

If you are going to only give one song a listen off this short album, make it Like Embers. This track sums up’ Dog s sound nicely, it has all the elements of every other song, but brings the tempo up a bit in comparison. The vocal style of Like Embers sounds like he is singing in pain, he adds an extra bit of grit to his voice, they also add a nice little tremolo style guitar solo into the mix for good measure. My favourite part of Dog’s overall sound would be their bass, it has this filthy fuzz driven sound that holds everything together, not that I’m biased towards the bass, but this is a killer bass tone! Bassists take note!

I enjoy finding underground albums, they feel like they have a life of their own. They sound original, fresh, you can hear the heart of the musicians. That’s what you will find in Dog, these guys are just playing to what they feel, the riffs repeats, the melodies soar, and the drums will hold you there in the moment, It’s all in the feeling.

Take a chance on the underground, you never know what you may find once you start looking into it, while there could be a lot of hard listens in your local scene, you can come across something different and standout, like Dog.

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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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