Trivium + Orpheus Omega + Polaris
16 April 2016
The Roundhouse, Sydney
Review by Greg Smith
The last time I saw Polaris, they were supporting Melbourne post-hardcore outfit Dream On Dreamer, so landing an opening slot for an international act such as Trivium is a huge leap forward. Their performance was, as always, high energy, and vocalist Jamie Hails was as efficacious as ever. Their set consisted of songs from their 2013 EP Dichotomy, and new release The Guilt and The Grief. They made the most of their short time slot, and set highlights were Unfamiliar, Aspirations, and the closer, Regress, which drew a lively response from the crowd.
Next up were Melbourne melodic-death-metallers, Orpheus Omega. This was my first time seeing these guys, and they certainly lived up to their reputation of being a blistering live act. Opening with I, Architect from 2015 release Partum Vita Mortem, they brought the entire venue to life with their mix of melody and brutality. Tomorrow’s Friends and Yesterday’s, and De6Enerate instigated big mosh pits, although guitarist / vocalist Chris Themelco wasn’t impressed, declaring that a Sydney pit wasn’t quite as good as Melbourne. The crowd took up the challenge, and responded with a huge circle pit for the next song, Beacons. They closed the set with Sealed In Fate, which featured the seemingly compulsory ‘wall of death’, and another huge mosh. Judging by the reaction from the crowd, they now have a new legion of Sydney fans.
With the house lights down, and Run To The Hills pumping through the PA, the crowd began to chant “Trivium, Trivium, Trivium.” The Orlando four piece took to the stage to the melodic intro Sn0fall, and everyone seemed to know what was coming. Silence In The Snow, from 2015 album of the same name soon had the sea of black bouncing, moshing, headbanging and screaming.
Matt Heafy’s vocal issues have been well documented in recent years, and adopting a more melodic approach certainly hasn’t diminished their live show. Heafy was, as always, well supported by guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto, and they thrilled the packed Roundhouse with a set that drew on their entire back catalogue. New tracks such as Blind Leading The Blind and Until The World Goes Cold received a frenetic response, as did older tracks such as Rain and Requiem.
Heafy controlled the crowd like a seasoned professional, challenging them to out-do all of the other cities on the tour, even stopping the show halfway through Like Light To Flies to ensure that a few of the punters in the pit were OK. There were many highlights, but the standouts were, (for me, at least) the Shogun ‘medley’ of Throes Of Perdition, Kirisute Gomen, and Down From The Sky, as well as Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr, and the riotous encore, In Waves.
If you missed this show, you missed out big time…..I know it’s only April, but Trivium have thrown up a contender for metal gig of the year.
