Chronolyth + Gutter Tactic + Head in a Jar
Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney
27 September 2015
Review by Salla Harjula
Photo by Kierra Thorn
Metal at Frankie’s Pizza on a Sunday night. Would you be blamed for thinking there’s not gonna be anyone around, free gig or no?
I dive down into the murky back end of the bar around eight o’clock and have to actually hunt down for a place to sit. The place isn’t overflowing but there’s definitely a good contingency of loyal heavy metallers ready to enjoy some groove metal from Brisbane.
Local outfit Head in a Jar kick off pretty soon after I settle into a nook off the main floor. These are four young dudes with hardcore riffs and classic thrash solos and totes absorbs stage antics. The music works to cheer you up just by itself, but it’s a triple package deal of fun, with pretty irresistible show energy and silly banter between songs.
Gutter Tactic switches the tone to death metal. Again you’re treated to a performance that’s way above the calibre you might expect from a free gig on a Sunday. These dudes can really play. It doesn’t hurt that the intense songs are actually kind of catchy, if you can call super heavy death metal catchy. And why not?
Brisbanites Chronolyth are definitely the main attraction today though. They even get a bit of a civilised mosh pit going in front of the stage, once they launch into full steam.
The guys serve up a quality show. Their brand of groove metal works particularly well live, it’s got punch and potent dynamics and ballsy riffs. The singer in a ‘Fuck The Westboro Baptists’ singlet delivers powerful vocals and a fiery energy. All in all, they categorically refuse to let the audience hang in a lazy Sunday manner and good on them for totally managing that.
