Words by Jimmy Glinster
Pix by Helheim Photographic
The evening kicks off at 3:30 which is way early for this old bastard and unfortunately, I’ve had to give up my arvo nana-nap. Enough of my sulking though, let’s get to the show.
A short video introduces us to We The Hollow who kick off proceedings with their very own breed of heavy-masked filth. Last time I saw these guys they were hanging shit on the band that’s about to follow them on stage. This could get interesting, hopefully. A small intimate early crowd gives them the respect they deserve with some applause and cheer. Their set is heavy and unrelenting, and if you’re into that massively famous masked band, you’ll probably think these guys are pretty [sic]. BTW, that’s not a bad thing when you have four less members and still produce a massive sound.
Next up is DisKust, our second masked band for the day. The crowd is slowly building, and the band takes the stage unleashing some monster riffs! The crowd takes notice and quickly makes their way to the front of the stage. Their mix of Nu-Metal style groove’s, metalcore riffing and hardcore-influenced breakdowns has everyone interested in one way or another. The addition of sub drops here and there rumble the floor, and my soul. As frontman Bo gives a shoutout to We The Hollow, it appears the beef may be over and my hopes for a little bit of controversy are shattered. The mix gets a little amiss mid-set, but the band manages to hold it together, and as the mix slowly regathers form the band jump into a bit of a thrasher that I don’t believe I’ve heard before. Solid performance, as expected from the local veterans!
Complexant take the stage and very quickly live up to their name with some very complex riffing. I guess you’d call this grindcore, maybe even metalcore as the pace pulls back a little and the heavy groove takes over. It’s brutal to say the least and some twiddly diddly solos give it a little extra flavour. Three bands in and the ongoing heaviness is crushing me already, in the best possible way. I’ve just realised the bass player is following the guitar riffs note for note which is impressive considering the complexity and technicality of them, not to mention that he’s finger-picking it. Technical issues mid-set leave the band without a drummer for a few bars, but this doesn’t stop them, they just continue to shred relentlessly. What a fucking adventure!
The Northern Rivers based From Crisis To Collapse take stage next and waste no time getting down to business. If you’ve experienced FCTC before you’ll know very well that they waste little time getting down to business. It’s an onslaught of riffs and heavy vocals from the get-go and the ever-building crowd waste no time getting upfront. For an out-of-town band, they are well-known and respected in Brisbane to say the least. The onstage dance moves help to activate the crowd a little further. Just imagine Wednesday Addams dance moves from a grown bearded man. A shout-out to the original custodians of the land softens the mood a little, as does the intro for the following track. That doesn’t last long though before the band are back in full assault mode. I’ve watched this band closely for years, and they just continue to grow into an impressive beast of a live machine!
I’m pretty sure that I reviewed The Ascended‘s last release and rated it very fucking highly. Now it’s time to see how they go in the live setting. First impressions, they fucking thrash hard, and that’s just how I remember their release! They are a very well-oiled and tight outfit. The shared vocals of the two guitarists and bass player during the first couple of tracks keep things very interesting as you’ve really got to take notice to know who’s screaming at you at the time. Their mix of trash and groove has the attention of the entire room who are finding it very hard to look away, as am I. What a fucking band! This line-up is smashing it out of the park already, and we still have two bands to go before the headliner. This is fucking intense! Will we all survive the continued onslaught?
Babirusa take stage and unleash with fierce intensity. The dual vocal assault is brutal and unrelenting, and I believe extreme metal would best describe this band. The bass player joins in on the mask theme we had earlier in the day, and I’m not sure if this is part of his usual get-up or just an attempt to get in on the fun. If this performance gets any more intense, I may just hemorrhage. Each song only lasts a couple of minutes at most, but that’s all they need, and probably all the heavily enthralled crowd can handle as the mosh pit gets a little out of control.
King Parrot may have found their perfect opening act, and partners in crime! And poor old Unearth, they’ve got some killer opening acts to live up to, I’m sure they’ll handle it though. To be honest, I could probably review King Parrot without even watching the show, having seen them multiple times, sharing the stage with them, and booking the odd show for them back in the early days. But anyway, I always love their onstage shenanigans, so I’m going to watch and keep track of all the antics. First things first, it’s a pleasure to see Slatts back onstage having missed the last show at this very venue due to some health issues. And no, it wasn’t the filthy Rona but let’s not get down to all the dirty details.
So, onto the show we go, and King Parrot spend no time fucking around as they blast into Silly Ol Mate and the crowd absolutely loses their shit, possibly literally. The expected onstage chaos ensues as the band owns the stage with their highly active stage presence. Spit, beer and water flies across the stage to the ever-too-welcoming crowd. It’s both disgusting and beautiful in its own special way. An interesting conversation about jerking off and headbanging arises as Youngy instructs the crowd to participate, in the headbanging, not the jerking off. This is a King Parrot show though, and not a folk show, so anything is possible. What a show!
Here we are, time for the headline act and shit gets instantly crazy as Unearth take the stage and unleash with absolute ferocity. The signal goes out for a circle pit and the mosh pit complies. I’ve been trying to recall seeing this band many years ago, but it still eludes me even though feeling quite familiar. One thing is for sure though, this is some good Heavy shit, and the breakdowns speak for themselves. The circle pit continues through every song and the photographers are having trouble caught in the middle of it with no crowd barrier to protect them.
Bless their cotton socks.
I do actually remember these guys, but I was way too big of a Nu-Metal fan back in the day to take notice. My taste these days is a little heavier and has evolved somewhat and going by the performance I’m watching I should probably rediscover this band. Unearth have won me over!
Let’s not leave it there though because the lads from Massachusetts have come a long way, and still have a long set to play. The riffs keep coming, as do the breakdowns. The crowd gets invited for a sing-along for This Glorious Nightmare, and they happily participate screaming the chorus out loud. They drop a track from their upcoming album, and it commands the same respect as their previous known offerings. I’d say this new track has already won over the old fans, and going by that the new album could be an absolute fucking banger!
I could talk about circle pits all night long, because so far they’ve just kept going, but I’ll try not to repeat myself Did I mention circle pits?
Well, what a fucking banger of a festival. Every band ripped me a new one which may take a few days to heal. Borderline Destruction, let’s do this again sometime!
