Out December 5, 2025
Via Independent
Words by: Greg Walker
South Australia’s literal giant of heavy metal Si Durrant has put his money where his mouth is, gathering together South Australia’s grimiest bands for the worthiest of causes. A broad figure in more ways than one, Durrant’s shadow looms large and long over the Aussie metal scenes, a die-hard with a storied discography behind him that includes the mighty Superheist, In:Extremis, Devolved, and his own solo project S.I.D. He is also a human with a heart the size of South Australia, motivating friends and associates into donating time and tunes to upcoming compilation The Dirty South, the payoff of this passion project being 100% of proceeds from this release going to Headspace Adelaide, perhaps assisting the next generation of S.A. metalheads.
The Dirty South is a comprehensive collection showcasing South Australia’s obvious ability to produce world-class talent, from scene stalwarts and legendary names down to newcomers establishing a foothold. The quality on display here is indeed world class across the board, across the varied genres, and even across bands in the same locales. From the thrash of A Murder Of Crows, to Apocalyptic Annihilation’s primordial black metal, the death metal churn of Deathacation, SSMP’s streetwise hip hop, Ben Gel’s old school punk, the dark introspective grindcore of Burnt To Ash, Christ Dismembered’s meticulous blackened death, to the stoner rock of Dirty Pagans, the maximum power of Storm The Crown, the bleak intoxication of Sundowner, the pummelling Wounded Pig, to the intricacies of Lumen Ad Mortem and the steamrolling I Choose Violence, and featuring perhaps S.A.’s biggest exports In:Extremis and Freedom Of Fear, all the contributing artists deserve a mention in their own right.
But I’m not about to critique music that has been generously submitted to such a deserving cause, so suffice it to say there are exactly zero skippable tracks. All artists were given the option of submitting whatever they wished, be it new material, unreleased gems, or a highlight from their existing catalogue. In the spirit of the philanthropy of all involved, it would be unfair to cherry pick certain tracks over others, so I’m only going to concentrate on the album’s rarities…
Sickness submitted a song that has never been released, a buried treasure from a doomed record contract in 1992. Suffocated is a time capsule, classic grindcore in the UK vein that would’ve satiated my appetite for heavier matters during my Year 11 Biology classes, where myself and two other transients would trade tapes boasting “this is heavier than that”. Had I pulled out Suffocated by Sickness, it would’ve been checkmate to me! Pumping out archetypal walls of groove grind noise since the early 1990s, In:Extremis repurposed a track from their 1995 EP Skin Thick Vision, copping a sonic upgrade and a reimagining to become Blindfold XXV, never to appear anywhere other than this compilation. Criminally underrated, In:Extremis were among the frontrunners in Australian metal at the time, interweaving breakneck speed with stankface grooves.
With two full lengths under its belt, Si Durrant’s solo project S.I.D is a groove grind colossus spewing Bile; uncompromising music flowing with morbidity and riddled with anxiety, S.I.D manages to exude a ferocity few heavy bands actually manage to harness these days. Exclusive to this compilation, Bile couples that incredible guitar tone with punishing speed and massive groove, leaving me frothing for more. And I get more: the SSMPXSID title track was written specifically for this release, a coming together group effort of SSMP and S.I.D, with Echoes In Eternity, who also appear elsewhere on this collection. Studio extraordinaire dw Norton volunteered his production skills to considerably heft this one up, The Dirty South title track a veritable S.I.D Bizkit if you will, deftly blending old school Hip Hop with dark hardcore riffs and a message to all who pay attention.
Packing more punch than an atomic bomb, Durrant has paraded out a bevy of grisly beauties, the pride of South Australian metal. The soundtrack to a serial killer’s fantasies, The Dirty South’s sequencing is genius, eliminating the chance of listener fatigue by breaking up the genres in order to offer up something different and refreshing with each track. Josh Frost from contributors Apocalyptic Annihilation, Foul Temple, Sundowner, and once upon a time In:Extremis reborn, conjured all the artwork for the release, creating a proto-grind throwback of a cover reminiscent of the burgeoning 80s and 90s scenes. Back in the day such artwork was borne of poverty versus necessity, and Josh nails the aesthetic with a quintessentially South Australian flavour resplendent with the confronting evils in the dirty south’s DNA: multiple churches, barrels, bombs, and body bags.
Heavy metal is a community; we have a sixth sense for moral decency and embrace all kind deeds, from the simple act of picking up someone who’s fallen in the mosh, all the way up to selfless musicians and studio professionals donating their time, effort, and art to commendable causes such as The Dirty South’s beneficiary Headspace Adelaide. The fruit of Si Durrant’s initiative not only showcases the Adelaide scenes, but our purchases and donations go directly to assisting young people in various life situations often beyond their control, from homelessness to domestic violence to suicide prevention or needing a mental leg-up in our complicated world.
This is not an advertisement, but perhaps consider donating directly, or paying a little more for the Bandcamp download:
https://sidmusic16.bandcamp.com/album/the-dirty-south
https://headspace.org.au/headspace-centres/adelaide
To any projects on The Dirty South I’ve not referenced by name: please know your contributions were certainly not overlooked, and are just as vital to the cause as anyone else. To that end, all featured benefactors are as follows in alphabetical order:
A MURDER OF CROWS
APOCALYPTIC ANNIHILATION
BEN GEL
BURNT TO ASH
CHRIST DISMEMBERED
CULL THE BAND
DEATHACATION
DEFORESTER
DIRTY PAGANS
ECHOES IN ETERNITY
FOUL TEMPLE
FREEDOM OF FEAR
HEADBORE
HIDDEN INTENT
I CHOOSE VIOLENCE
IN:EXTREMIS
LUMEN AD MORTEM
SICKNESS
S.I.D
SONS OF EREBUS
SSMPXSID (FEATURING ECHOES IN ETERNITY)
STORM THE CROWN
SUNDOWNER
WOUNDED PIG
