Photos and review by Jenna Flood
The Kovenant graced our shores for the very first time this past weekend, and everything about their two shows in Melbourne and Sydney screamed how excited the industrial/cyber metallers were to have finally made it Down Under! Approaching Max Watts in Melbourne, the lineup was down the street and around the corner well before doors, indicating a very eager crowd waiting to see The Kovenant, who have eluded us to this point.
Local post-black metal outfit Nontinuum have returned to the scene in 2026 after a long hiatus, and opened the night for the growing crowd with their atmospheric, depressive black metal. No strangers to international support, Hybrid Nightmares warmed things up a few notches with their intense progressive black metal and impressive stage presence.
The Kovenant didn’t keep us waiting and were met with a massive roar from the crowd as they appeared on stage. Nagash, completely fascinated and amused by the many uses of the word, grinned and greeted the fans with “Melbourne! You bunch of fucking cunts!” to big cheers and laughter. Opening with The Sulphur Feast, the band played 2000’s classic Nexus Polaris album from start to finish with the crowd emersed in every note. The audience was truly engaged with the band, singing and dancing along to every song. There was a special kind of energy in the room, it was clear that Nexus Polaris held a special place in the hearts of this crowd.
The Kovenant interacted and engaged with the audience and were genuinely appreciative to see the full room of delighted fans. Nagash entertained constantly with the use of our “favourite” word, his stage antics and the particularly cute dragon horns which he popped up above his cyberesque contact lenses for The Last of Dragons and Dragonheart. As Chariots of Thunder concluded the Nexus Polaris part of the evening, there was no way the night was over. A selection of tracks including New World Order and Mirrors Paradise pushed the night out to gift us an hour and a half set.
The Kovenant are Nagash on vocals and bass, guitarists Ghul and Knut, Sverd on the keys, Hellhammer on the drums, and all accompanied by the powerful soprano tones of Sarah Jezebel Deva adding another dimension to the heavy industrial elements. Sarah was the highlight of the night for many punters, chanting her name as the vocalist’s melodies added something special to the musical ensemble. The whole band displayed an amazing connection with each other and an engaging theatrical stage presence complete with signature makeup and dress.
The crowd anticipation to see The Kovenant live had been clearly evident and the band gave 110%…and of course, everyone embraced being called a cunt hahaha!
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