Another successful sold out evening of pure metal brilliance was had in Melbourne at Max Watts again last weekend with the incredible return of one of the godfathers of pure unadulterated death metal in Florida’s Obituary. Supported ably by two equally killer bands Melbourne’s own Remains who opened proceedings and the truly unbelievable Wormrot from Singapore.
Let’s get straight into the evening shall we! Remains kicked off our night with some killer straight up blackened death metal. Remains are what could be regarded as a local supergroup of sorts. Formed only early last year the reputation and standing in the Aussie metal scene is unquestioned due to the calibre of members alone and absolutely shines through within their sound and stage presence. I’m not gonna harp on who’s who in Remains because their music speaks for itself which is unapologetic blisteringly brutal good times. ToneBone knows, through years of frontman experience how to warm and control a crowd and the rest of the blokes shred unceremoniously, with conviction, talent and a straight up obvious love for the heavy genre. All the while being all killer and no filler blending everything that has made the members past ventures into the beast we hear as Remains.
Next up let me tell the uninitiated about Wormrot…FUCK ME, what a band! I had had zero exposure to Wormrot before Saturday night but I know for a fact I am not the first to fall victim to these Singapore natives take on PURE PROPER FUCKING GRIND! It is rare a band that can truly encapsulate and embody the very foundation and core of all that grind embodies but Wormrot do it beyond perfectly and with such conviction and clarity. For the amount of pure destructive insanity from this but a mere three piece their entire presence smashed their entire audience at Max Watts audience. Every single jarring ear shattering riff, piercing shrill scream and armageddon style blast beat blew the crowd into complete oblivion. Wormrot are plain and simple the new breed of grind (although they have been around for a decade now) and lay waste to any audience. The highlight and pinnacle of Wormrot’s set was the song “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Grind” from their Voices album [2016]. That songs title is perfect summation of the raw and chaotic nature of their existence. Wormrot are an absolute force to be reckoned and if you are a fan of extreme beyond extreme metal then you NEED check them out immediately and at your own peril!
Now to the reason Max Watts sold out (again) was one of the original and still the best old school death metal legends Obituary. For thirty years they have reigned as pioneers of their style. Rarely straying from their signature sound and the unmistakable voice of one John Tardy. This Oz tour was all about celebrating the thirtieth anniversary and playing the classic Cause Of Death album in its entirety. I want to say straight off the bat and go on the record as saying the front of house sound for Obituary’s set was perfect (honestly that goes for all three bands). From the opening track “Sentence Day” to the finale of “Slowly We Rot” everything was clearly discernible and audible. Hearing every note and lyric was a joy to finally experience. Tonight’s Obituary experience proved that even after three decades of dominance they are still a formidable force in the world of death metal. The passion and energy that Obituary have poured into the perfect nature and foundations was displayed for all of us present in Melbourne to see and hear. Whilst hearing Cause Of Death in full was an absolute pleasure the encore which featured “I’m In Pain” from The End Complete, “A Dying World” and “Slowly We Rot” from the album of the same name. Last Saturday night in Melbourne with a few hundred close metal brethren was awesome and I was stoked to see one of the founding fathers of a genre I revere deeply for the first time in my home town and the added bonus of being exposed to new and significant extreme metal talent in Remains and Wormrot was the icing on the cake.
