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Midnite Mitch

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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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Gig ReviewsReviews
June 5, 2023
Midnite Mitch

[Review] Make Them Suffer @ 170 Russell, Melbourne 01/06/2023

Review By Mitch Charlton

How good is going out and finding new music? Nothing convinces me more to listen to a new band than seeing them live. Tonight, I found 3 new bands that I will chuck on rotation, Make Them Suffer, Fit For An Autopsy and Ocean Sleeper. This sold-out show at 170 Russell had a packed line before the doors opened and a diverse crowd from the look of the band shirts, it’s great to see people come out to support Aussie bands on their tours and this is a celebration of Make Them Suffer’s 10-year anniversary of Neverbloom.

Opening tonight is Ocean Sleeper who came out hard, straight into a packed venue and had the crowd moving from the opening riff. Utilising the full stage set up, the energetic front man had crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. These guys have a great Metalcore sound with heavy verses and melodic clean choruses that had the everyone singing along. The whole band were appreciating the night, playing to a packed venue, and celebrating with friends on their album, you could just see it in how they were playing, the drummer didn’t stop smiling the whole time. If you are after Melodic and catchy, get out and see these guys, they wont disappoint.

Fit For An Autopsy hit the stage with a force so great that the entire crowd has to start moving to keep up with the riffs being thrown around. The music just got a hell of a lot heavier; we went from heavy Metalcore to straight up Deathcore heaviness. The venue is basically fully packed by this stage, and you can instantly see that the crowd are here to have a good time, circle pits break out, everyone is headbanging and bodies are flying everywhere! These guys had a solid mix, everything was crisp, the dissonant chords used were coming through clear and the drums sounded amazing, such a hard hitter! The track that won me over was Black Mammoth, go and have a listen to this one and you will see why, then go and catch these guys live if you want more convincing. If you are into Thy Art Is Murder, you will want to hear Fit For An Autopsy.

The reason we are all here tonight, Make Them Suffer’s Neverbloom albums 10th anniversary, it’s being played in full. I had only checked out a couple of songs by these guys before tonight’s show, so I didn’t fully know what to expect. Firstly, these guys have an incredible light and sound to their experience, it’s evident that they have thought of most of, if not all aspects of their live performance for tonight. They had light bars and screens on the stage to accompany the music, it was an incredible show. We had the melody of Ocean Sleeper early on, followed by the brutality of Fit For An Autopsy and what better way to have Make Them Suffer come on who combine the two perfectly. As they progress through Neverbloom the crowd are unrelenting, they haven’t stopped all night, if anything they are going harder again for Make Them Suffer and it’s clear the band are feeding off that energy and pushing themselves harder. When Maelstrom and Weeping Wastelands start up the crowd go hard with the moshing and circle pits, the security have had minimal to watch all night, but the bodies start going hard over that front bar at this point. The singer stops at the end of the album to say thank you and that tonight is their biggest selling show in their careers, which is incredible to be apart of and witnessing, they are humbled at the fact they have come this far. They then end the set on their two latest singles, Ghost of Me and Doomswitch, which we hear their female vocals come in strong, a great way to end the night.

It always pays to get out of your routine and comfort zones to check out something fresh, you never know what you might enjoy, get out and go find some new local bands and support the scene, so that more Aussie Bands can get to this incredible Milestone.

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Gig ReviewsReviews
May 28, 2023
Midnite Mitch

[Review] Vader @ Max Watts, Melbourne 26/05/2023

Review By Mitch Charlton

Its been 5 years since Vader were last here with Kreator, Australia missed out on a tour through the plague times, and this tour was also postponed once, maybe twice, but we finally get to have them back on their 40th anniversary tour and they bring with them their Polish brethren, Hate and Thy Disease, what a line up! I have been waiting for an Australian Hate show since I was about 17, this is monumental. Tonight Vader show us why they are still around 40 years later, one of the old school greatss still showing everyone else how it should be played.

Starting off tonight with a low crowd count at the stage, people went straight to the merch desk, eager to get their hands on the goods, which didn’t last long, I ended up hearing about a few people missing out on sizes of tour shirts within the first 30 mins, but I guess this is what happens when you have a killer line up and a bands first time coming to Australia. The last few gigs I have been to, I have noticed that merch running out really quick is a common occurrence, which is great but I’m curious as to whether this is due to bands not anticipating the demand or whether it’s a cost to get it made in the first place, any readers, let me know your thoughts on this please.

Melbourne’s own Vexation put on one hell of an opening set, a young 3-piece Death Metal band who everyone should keep an eye on, these guys have skills years above them, they know how to write a wicked Death Metal track and perform it with incredible energy. With a full sounding 3-piece band, they ran through a solid set of groove headbanging riffs that were then coloured with astonishing shred solos and bass runs that had heads turning from all over the venue. Their energetic drummer is definitely one to watch, this guy was keeping machine like tightness while headbanging and throwing in amazing drum fills and beats. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet, make sure you go and catch a show, you won’t be disappointed.

First off from the Poles is Thy Disease, this is their first time on our shores, and they show off a hard working ethic with a front man who, by the end of their set, had the crowd moving and headbanging. The crowd had grown to cover most of the venue by this stage and they had more heads moving with their brand of groove riffs and melodic solos. The only thing I was confused about was their mix, I could hear faint traces of backing synths but then there was minimal bass coming through, Vexation had a crystal-clear mix just before but, for them to have certain things missing was a bit odd. Thy Disease played a strong show and set the mood for the following bands tonight.

Hate, a band I have been listening to since I was about 17, someone who I never thought I would actually see play live in Australia are finally here. It is clear that I’m not the only one here tonight who has been waiting this long for them to come here. The crowd is thick with anticipation as the lights dim and their drummer comes out to start the intro with some rhythmic tom work that then kicked into Sovereign Sanctity. They run through a killer setlist that spans their career and get the crowd moving with the likes of Resurrection Machine, Rugia and Wolf Queen. The standout track for me was Threnody, the very first song that I ever heard of theirs, hearing this live was unreal! I hope they come back on the next album cycle, now that they know they have an Australian following.

It takes a lot of skill, determination, and grit to get a band touring and recording and Vader are here celebrating their 40th anniversary. They have toured the world multiple times and shown fans all over the world why they are one of the greatest and deserving of being here 40 years later. Vader sounds just as good live as they do on a record, their guitar tone and mix is phenomenal, everything is crisp and as it should be. Tonight’s setlist spans their 40-year career and starting off early on with tracks like Dark Age and Vicious Circle, then coming in with some newer ones Shock And Awe and Silent Empire. There is no slowing this band down, they are as hard hitting as ever and will probably still be around in the years to come! It’s impressive as hell to watch them play the way they do.

Death Metal is one hell of a genre, it has so many different takes but with bands like Vader leading the charge, modern and up and coming bands should be looking to these guys for the inspiration and the requirements to keep a band alive and strong after 40 years!

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Gig ReviewsReviews
May 19, 2023
Midnite Mitch

[Review] Emperor @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 17/05/2023

Review By Mitch Charlton

“Melbourne, are you ready to embrace the Nightside!?” I’ve always said in my reviews that I love The Forum in Melbourne, it makes every band sound and look amazing, and tonight was no different. The line out the front tonight shivers in anticipation for seeing one of the greats in the genre play one of their most prolific albums brought out. This is the second time in my life I have managed to see one of the founding bands of Black Metal play a classic album in its entirety. I was fortunate enough to see Mayhem play De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas in full a couple of years back, Cradle of Filth have been here with Cruelty and the Beast album and tonight, Melbourne gets to witness Emperor play In The Nightside Eclipse in full. If Satyricon can come play Rebel Extravaganza in full here, I’m pretty sure that would be my favourites done! HINT HINT!!

Ten years ago, I first saw The Amenta support Cradle of Filth, I’d never heard of them before that show, they then left an incredible impression on me that I went out and found a copy of their Flesh is Heir album and thrashed it for months! Then the announcement that they would be going on hiatus. I was shattered! Fast forward to 2021, The Amenta come back with a brand-new album, Revelator in 2021 and my hopes of seeing them get a little bigger, THEN comes the news that they are supporting the almighty Emperor! What a rollercoaster!

As soon as doors open, the crowd start packing the venue, although not completely sold out, it is still pretty damn full. It’s great to see the place over half full already before The Amenta start and also seeing such a diverse crowd, there are old schoolers and also younger people in the crowd, it just goes to show how influential Emperor have been over their career.

The Amenta slither out on stage to start the opening track, dressed in white shirts, ties and the skin masks from the Sere Money film clip, and then Cain, front man of this repulsive abomination of an outfit, storms the stage, in all black suit and red tie, in perfect contrast to the band. These guys have always had a flair for the theatrics of what they do, they take the art of their craft seriously and it shows in their performance tonight.

The Amenta are just as good as I remember, Cain is a commanding presence on stage and the band plays with machine like tightness. He occasionally jumps down to the bar at the front and stalks the crowd, getting in their faces, bringing them into his world of madness. They are able to create the same atmosphere live as their haunting tracks do played at home which is an incredible feat. Cain works the crowd as the band run through old tracks and new like Sere Money, Ego Ergo Sum and Teeth, just to name a few. The mix is great, everything is clear and crisp, I put it to being this venue, everyone sounds great here. The Forum tonight learns that The Amenta are back to shock and bring them into their dark world of disgust.

The reason we have all ventured out tonight, Emperor, one of the best in the business when it comes to epic sounding black metal, they walk out to the screaming crowd and kick straight off with Into The Infinity of Thoughts. Ihsahn’s voice is exactly the same as on the record, it’s incredible to hear this live, I never thought I would get to see Emperor live but seeing this album in full has been one hell of a show. I got to see him play his solo work live a few years back and he threw in a couple of Emperor tracks but this is next level, this is the true thing from start to finish. A minor technical issue causes the stop of a song a couple of tracks in and with minimal muck around they kick straight back into Towards the Pantheon. I am The Black Wizards gets the desired effect from the crowd, everyone goes nuts and when I say nuts, fans go from standing with their arms crossed, nodding to the beat to, horns up and whole-body head banging, there is minimal moshing when it comes to these types of crowds. The movement and excitement continue into Inno A Satana before they take a quick break to then come out for classics from Anthem to the Welkin at Dusk.

Watching Emperor perform was inspiring, what they have accomplished over their careers, their musicianship and skill in performing these songs, was a true sight to behold. As mentioned earlier, without the slight hiccup of a tech issue, this would have been just like the CD being put on. To play an album from start to finish as good as it was, maybe even played a little better now after decades in between, is such an amazing feat. It’s unreal to see these albums in full live, these have been some of the bands turning points in their careers. I hope that a few more bands do this type of thing when anniversaries come up. Melbourne embraced the Nightside whole heartedly! Hail to Emperor!

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Album ReviewReviews
May 16, 2023
Midnite Mitch

DevilDriver – Dealing With Demons Vol. II

DevilDriver fans know exactly what they want from an album, headbanging riffs with killer grooves that you can’t help but move to from first to last, and that’s exactly what Dez Fafara and the heavy groove lords of DevilDriver deliver with Dealing with Demons Vol. II. This marks the band’s 10th album in about 20 years, and for those of you who got into Volume I, be prepared for a harder hitting set this time around.

Straight out of the gates this album gives you that DevilDriver hit, I Have No Pity comes in hard with the groove orientated riffage over syncopated kicks, they know that’s one of their strong points, it’s one of the main reasons I love this band, it just drives the nail into the coffin and makes for a heavier track. The only thing I’ve ever had to say negatively about some of DevilDrivers tracks is that they can be so compressed in sound, that some of the riffs just have no room to breathe. I know that’s their sound and I still enjoy what they do but a couple of the tracks on here just reminded me of the way the modern metal sound is recorded and produced and I guess what I’m personally into.

Steve Evetts, who produced Dealing with Demons Vol I. and the Outlaws Til the End Vol. 1 albums is once again at the helm of this one, I mean, why would you change the goalie if he’s on fire right? The album production is very much the same as those albums but as I said at the start, these songs are written heavier than the previous album, but the mood is captured perfectly with songs like Bloodbath and Mantra. There is an element of southern style to a few of the riffs and melodies and I swear slide guitar, whether that’s been a thing since the Outlaws album, I’m not 100% sure but its wicked! The dual guitar work by Mike and Alex is incredible as always with their rhythm and lead work. Through the Depths, the first single off this album was a great choice, that chorus is catchy as hell and they released a film clip for it, Dez looks mad with white hair. My favourite off the album was a track called Bloodbath though. The riffs are dark and memorable, I couldn’t help but have this song on repeat. One of the other singles released was If Blood Is Life, and this track has that killer bouncy verse riff and big open sing along chorus that will definitely make the live setlist.

I feel with Dealing With Demons Vol. II, you aren’t necessarily getting something new per se, its more of what that do well, which is just going to add to their live element really. If you are a fan of Dez and the gents, then you know why you’re here and what you expect from a DevilDriver album. There are a few tracks that may convert some fresh minds to the cause but if you are expecting them to break their mold, then sorry. These tracks will convert to the live stage incredibly well and I’m excited to see which ones they choose to bring out, I honestly hope that Bloodbath makes the cut!

Dealing With Demons Vol. II was released on May 12 via Napalm Records, though you can order your copy today.

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Album ReviewReviews
May 10, 2023
Midnite Mitch

Cradle of Filth – Trouble and Their Double Lives

With the release of a Live album, you need to make sure that the production of each recording is top notch and that the songs were played spot on, unless there is a planned deviation from the original. Trouble and Their Double Lives, Cradle of Filth’s second Live album ever, since Live Bait for the Dead in 2002, is a compilation of live recordings spanning between 2014 – 2019, which brings you some of your favourite COF tracks live from across the globe.

The song choices for this album are a solid line up of classic Cradle of Filth, although it is missing some of my personal favourites, it’s still a great track list from start to finish. They have included Honey and Sulphur and Death of Love off Godspeed on the Devils Thunder, which I think has some amazing tracks that we never really get to hear live. Promise of Fever, off Damnation and a Day, a stand up heavy track on the Cradle spectrum makes the cut as well, another album I’d love to see more of live. The 11 minute track, Bathory Aria is placed about halfway through the album, such an incredible track and they do it well live.

Trouble and Their Double Lives starts off with one of the latest singles She Is A Fire, which is a new Cradle concoction bringing a great introduction to the next studio albums direction. For those of you who haven’t listened to it yet, it is along similar lines to the last couple of albums writing and production style. There is a cheeky second single halfway through the album Demon Prince Regent, there was a live footage video clip release alongside the album release. This track is incredibly melodic and heavy, another nice mix of a song to give further insight to the new direction. Cradle of Filth have been one of my favourite bands for the last 20 years, I have enjoyed the different approaches to each album, the concepts, the art, some of them have worked and some of them haven’t but it has always been them and I’m excited to hear what they come out with next.

Dani Filth is one of my all-time favourite front men, he wears the mantle well and in the last decade where I have seen them come out to Australia, I have seen him deal with hecklers, stage issues and poor crowd involvement and every time he has managed to turn it around. It’s good to hear some of the stage persona on this album as well as just his vocal work.

Listening to these live tracks brings back all the memories of the past shows I’ve seen. It’s great to reminisce on their shows, Nymphetamine will always make me think of watching a crowd slow dance, multiple couples, hand in hand, in the moment, dancing to gothic metal, I love being in this scene. There are tracks on here that cater to all Cradle of Filth fans, from all or most eras. Go out and get this Live album to tide you over until there is the release of a new studio album!

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Album ReviewReviews
April 25, 2023
Midnite Mitch

Enter Shikari – A Kiss For The Whole World

Its been 3 years since we ventured out into the great unknown with Rou and the gents from Enter Shikari. The Great Unknown can be an incredibly fickle thing, it can bring you to your destination quickly or you can wander, get lost and eventually rediscover yourself, which seems to be the path that Enter Shikari took. There were some doubts as to how long it could have been in between albums but with the brand-new album, A Kiss For The Whole World, a bright light has been cast in this current world of turmoil and uncertainty for everyone to look to for a piece of positivity in sound format.

Enter Shikari are one of the very few bands that I will try and listen to the lyrics before the music, being a little bit of a muso myself, I tend to gravitate to everything else first before lyrics, but these guys have always had incredible and inspiring lyrics, Rou’s messages are always worth a listen. The topics of choice for this album pass over, identities and Self-esteem or Self-worth, this is a very introspective album. Which makes sense, the time it was written was a solitary time for a lot of people, where else could you look but in?

With this record, they brought back a sense of DIY and freedom to their writing and recording process. Rou directed and produced the single video clips for (pls) set me on fire, It Hurts and Bloodshot and they went out to a farmhouse, powered off solar power, to try and rebuild themselves from the ground up. A Kiss For The Whole World is incredibly accessible to new fans, the music is light on the electronic aspect, incredibly catchy sing along choruses and rockin’ guitar riffs from start to finish. The album is only just over 30mins long, songs are straight to the point and with no real filler tracks, there are only 2 tracks that are the typical hardcore electro bounce that will be amazing in the live set for Rou to jump around to and they are the little outro filler track things they put in.

I couldn’t stop singing along after only a couple of listens of this album, all the choruses are catchy and have wicked hooks, my favourite track was Giant Pacific Octopus (I don’t know you anymore). It has such a catchy guitar and keys riff that got me right from the start. Lyrically it had me as well, dealing with the question of identity, go and check this one out! The singles for this album were a solid choice, (pls) set me on fire, It Hurts and Bloodshot, they show all the elements of the album and what to expect. Although they are great tracks, they aren’t the best off the album in my opinion, so that means you will enjoy the other songs more if you already liked them! Which is what I always hope when bands choose singles, don’t give away the best track straight up.

The new tracks from A Kiss For The Whole World will add more messages to the live performance, the introspective aspect is just another positive message for Rou to bring to the world. I was lucky enough to catch their gig at The Forum in Melbourne last year and their music translates live incredibly well, as well as their messages. The energy these guys bring out in their shows is incredibly positive and you can’t help but get into it. Stop doing your normal everyday routine, sit down, go get some sun and have a listen to this album. It pays to stop and think about something bigger than yourself from time to time and you’ve now got a perfect album to do that to.

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Album ReviewReviews
February 20, 2023
Midnite Mitch

In Flames – Forgone

Review by Mitch Charlton

Straight off the bat, this album reminded me of why I put on an In Flames album, it has all the right ingredients, heavy, diverse, bouncy, and catchy as hell, this is In Flames in true fashion. You know when you hear a track and you get that hit of nostalgia, remembering the first time you put them on and the reasons why you liked them in the first place? This is what I felt when I put this on, welcome to Forgone.

In Flames have now been around the scene for 30 odd years, I can only imagine what kind of pressure or strain that can put on creativity. There is nothing new here from them, it’s brilliantly performed riffage just like their previous albums but the biggest stand out is that it has a different energy to it. You know when you hear a track, and it just takes you back to being a teenager or whenever you first heard a band and you get that excitement? That’s what I got when listening to this. This is album number 14 for In Flames and I was just excited for this release as I was back when Come Clarity was released in 2006, and that was only from hearing the singles.

The album opener, The Beginning Of All Things That Will End, is incredible, I’ve always enjoyed their acoustic pieces and melodies, it was something different they used to do on older albums and they still do the dual guitars and melodies so elegantly, and it’ s only going to get better from here on out with Chris Broderick on guitar, damn that guy can play! Word on the street is, that he wasn’t involved too much in the overall album writing process but did sprinkle his flavour on solo’s throughout the album.

One of the singles, State of Slow Decay with its Straight Outta Gothenburg sound, just hit home. It sounds like they wrote it in a jam session with At The Gates, it has that old school melo death vibe. Anders’ vocals are the perfect mix for each scenario as always, laying down that killer melo death growl and then straight into those big chorus cleans. Listening to Pure Light of Mind, this song is an incredible song of light vs dark, it is well written and catchy as hell, a perfect example of how good Anders vocals really are.

Meet your Maker, another one of the singles released before the album drop, sounds like it comes out of Come Clarity era In Flames, I loved it, fast paced, melodic with that classic chorus hook that makes a single great! The single choice for Forgone was brilliantly chosen, I was excited to hear the rest of the album just from the energy of these first couple of tracks released.

With their upcoming shows at Knotfest, I am really keen to see and hear how these tracks go live. I can imagine songs like The Great Deceiver really getting that crowd moving with the opening riff and then into the stomping verse riff. Its been a little while since In Flames were here to bring the goods and with this new album under their belt, it’s gonna be one hell of a show!









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Gig ReviewsReviews
February 12, 2023
Midnite Mitch

[Review] Darkest Hour @ Max Watts, Melbourne 09/02/2023

The hardcore and metal scene has to be one of the most dedicated group of people in the world, people showing up on a school night is great commitment to live music, overhearing in the line up outside “I just come from work straight down” or even the band commenting on how they are playing tonight then going home to get up and go to work, it just shows that we all do what we do for the love of the music and scene.

Starting off this intimate night are Melbourne’s RUN, a heavy hardcore act that came out swinging from the get-go even though there were minimal people at the very start. I feel like dedication and heart is the theme for tonight, for these guys, they had a banner playing behind them of a brain scan, this was in fact an actual scan of the singer’s brain from a couple of years ago after being diagnosed with brain cancer. It was a touching story that gives light into the reasons he does what he does. Back story aside, these guys played their hearts out with one of the guitarists first shows with the band, you wouldn’t have been able to tell, showing off their tight riffs and melodies giving their drummer plenty of room to be a highlight of their set with some unreal drum fills and great energy.

Following up was Primitive, an up-and-coming metal band with the style like Machine Head or Chimaira, heavy and melodic, great twin lead work and solid precision! Yet again with a slow filling room, these guys came out and played like it was a full house, getting people to move in closer and enjoy the show. Primitive played the stage like they owned it and the front man getting down to fist bump crowd in between riffs is a humbling sight, it’s always a good idea to interact with the people who show up and support. The band looked like they had a blast playing off each other’s energies and even from the middle of the venue you could see that the drummer had a massive grin on his face loving every moment.

Finishing up the local supports are The Ascended, bringing in their brand of melodic death influenced syncopated riffage. These guys make great use of their 3 completely different vocal styles with a clean and a more typical death growl style as opposed to the metalcore scream of the other supports. Following along in the melodic sense of the night, The Ascended show off their musical prowess with some unreal leadwork and big sounding choruses with some of the crowd singing along, they’ve got some killer songs. The thing about metalheads is that they are pretty damn humble, “Thank you for coming out and spending your Thursday night with us, we appreciate it!”. They appreciate the chance to support and play live, all bands playing tonight have shown that being humble is also apart of the scene lifestyle, we appreciate the chances we have to play live music once again and have international bands back.

All of these bands have shown aspects of a Darkest Hour influence or at least the scene they represent. Its unreal to see how bands influence a play style throughout generations. 10 years since Darkest Hour have been to Australia, and while their fanbase maybe smaller tonight they make up for in energy and heart for seeing these guys do what they do! From the beginning of the intro music to the final chords the crowds energy is relentless and feeding the band, showing it’s always worth while and amazing to be apart of the live music scene.

Darkest Hour come out showing why they are still doing what they do twenty odd years later, with incredible energy and clearly enjoying how excited the crowd are. The guitarists are fantastic to watch as they bounce of each other’s melodies and solos and I couldn’t help but notice the drummer having an ambidextrous looking set up of his drum kit, it was nearly identical for each hand, watching how he played was unreal. Playing songs that cover their career, the singer stops about midway to ask if anyone was at their tour 10 years ago to a fair few of the crowd responding and then asking if anyone’s got their first record, a couple of people go berserk and the singer is just stoked that there are people here that have been listening for so long “This song is for you few”. 

I love seeing these types of shows, the bands that have only been here once or twice and finding that there are still fans around the world that get into their music and from seeing the age difference in this crowd, its covered a generation of Hardcore/Metal fans! That’s incredible. What is also incredible to see and hear is how bands unconsciously help shape a sound and in the Metalcore world, Darkest Hour would have to be one of them! If they come back on the next album cycle, get out and catch these guys!

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