Review by Kris Peters
Pix by Helheim Photographic
The koala, or, more inaccurately, the koala bear (Phascolarctos cinereus), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is easily recognisable by its stout, tailless body and large head with round, fluffy ears and large, spoon-shaped nose.
Plus they are cute as fuck.
You are probably wondering what the fuck do koala bears have to do with Arch Enemy or even posing the Australian-made entitled question of who gives a flying fuck, but I digress.
Unfortunately, I only caught the tail end of opening act Valhalore so to give an educated appraisal would be… well, a downright lie.
What I can relay is they looked perfectly at home on the big stage and the crowd looked to be giving them the respect and attention they deserve, which is a pretty big ask for fans who have waited 5 long years to see Swedish metal warriors Arch Enemy on Australian soil.
With the stage lights set to minimal and an epic-sounding backing intro teasing the eager crowd Arch Enemy almost floated onto the stage, shrouded in darkness but dripping with venomous intent.
A massive drum roll introduced proceedings before vocalist Alissa White-Gluz roared into the microphone to rally the troops and Arch Enemy took flight.
Opening with Deceiver, Deceiver before launching straight into The World Is Yours, Arch Enemy not so much as owned but dominated The Tivoli stage from the outset, with more guitar solos in the first couple of songs than some bands manage for an entire set.
Founding member Michael Amott and fellow guitarist Jeff Loomis alternated lead and solos at a frenetic pace that was hard to keep up with but thankfully mostly kept to their own side of stage for most of the night which made things easier.
After giving a welcoming speech following The World Is Yours Alissa cheekily informed the masses that “we’re not hungry, we’re Ravenous” which introduced the song of the same name with a thunderous double kick intro from Daniel Erlandsson that is still ringing in my ears.
When Alissa declared “this is a fucken war” ahead of War Eternal, I found myself looking around for my battle armour but decided against it.
Resistance would be futile.
Resplendent with her blue mane violently sweeping across the stage Alissa provided the perfect presence up front, kicking, jumping and bouncing her way through a performance that was both frightful and captivating. Her vocals were dynamic and on point, commanding attention and saturating the entire room.
Breezing through In The Eye Of The Storm, House Of Mirrors, No Apologies and The Watcher, Arch Enemy never once wavered nor backed down despite the oppressive heat.
They are a band that refuses to become formulaic and routine, enjoying every moment of their time on stage by harnessing the adulation spewed in their direction before unleashing it with an almighty sonic thrust that is impossible to resist.
By the time they got to Handshake In Hell you could tell the crowd needed some form of respite from the relentless onslaught which Alissa provided in one of Arch Enemies few songs that revolves around clean vocals.
And fuck me can she sing!
Her voice was almost angelic despite the underlying demonic presence with her transition between the two effortless and compelling.
But although being the star of the show, Alissa also deferred to her bandmates at frequent intervals, stepping back into the shadows as each member stepped momentarily into the spotlight. The whole performance was elevated by the fact Arch Enemy shared the workload across all five members, each of which played their role to perfection.
Bidding their farewell with the frenetically awesome As The Page Burns there was no way in Valhalla that the angry – yet content – mob were letting Arch Enemy say goodbye just yet.
The band, perhaps sensing this, soon emerged once more before Erlandsson beat his kit into submission, ushering in Enemy Within and sending the crowd into raptures once more.
Morning Angel followed but the hauntingly rich and beautiful guitar play between Amott and Loomis on Showbound was perhaps the standout highlight of many.
They played off and with each other in a dazzling display of craftmanship that was only tempered when Alissa emerged from the smoky haze and introduced Nemesis. Her cries of “one for all and all for one” quickly inhabited the mouths of the entire crowd who yelled back affectionately. At one point the band slipped into silence while around them the cry of the Three Musketeers reverberated loudly around The Tivoli, perfectly encapsulating the atmosphere and unity created by Arch Enemy.
By the time each member had graced front of stage with heartfelt thanks and appreciation Arch Enemy had gone to battle with – and defeated – every demon in the room.
As Alissa departed – koala bear in hand – the crowd dissipated to the sanctity and calm of their respective home bases with the memories of a flawless performance sure to be etched forever into their consciousness.
Did someone mention that koala fucken bear again?
That’s right. This is where I get to do my best Henry Rollins impersonation and cleverly wrap everything into one perfect eucalyptus pie.
So, before the show started, I caught up with Jackson and his lovely partner Tash, who had brought in a stuffed koala that she hoped she could get to Alissa.
Despite me wishing her luck with a look of genuine sincerity on my face I have to admit the vision of a trampled koala laying defeated on the dance floor of The Tivoli filled my thoughts but hey, Carlton can win the occasional game of football so anything’s possible…
Towards the end of Nemesis Alissa leant out from the front of stage, bringing herself closer to the sweaty throng of fans that had swooned back at her for the last 90 minutes. I remember thinking it was a beautiful gesture before she stood up from the throng of outstretched arms clutching Tash’s koala bear with a massive smile on her face that suggested she would treasure this lifeless animal and not throw it in the trash can immediately after fleeing the stage.
It was a beautiful moment that provided that human connection between musician and fan that is impossible to portray through mere words alone.
Not only are Arch Enemy a fantastically brutal musical machine, but they are also human, just like most of us, but more importantly they care.
Not just about themselves and their music, but they care about us, their fans.
And that sentiment is priceless in a world that is becoming increasingly less personal every day.
