Voyager

w/ Anarion and 79 Revisted

@ The Central Club, Melbourne

***Click here to view photos***

A trip to the Central Club in Richmond, for a quality live metal gig, is always an exciting prospect for me. Being one of my favourite venues, both in terms of the cosy atmosphere and the quality sound, the Central Club once again did not disappoint and my three friends and I were in store for another exhilarating night of first class metal. We settled ourselves in one of the corners at the back, where tables and chairs provide a welcome alternative to the “standing room only” venues such as the nearby Corner Hotel, and so taking full advantage of this we sat down and spread our jug of beer around for a couple of drinks before the night began.

Now, when I say, first class metal, I mean it. To say that the local talent we have here in Australia is incredible would be an understatement. Not only are they able to release quality albums of completely original and creative material, but they can bring it up on stage and deliver as though they were hardy veterans of the metal scene.

In terms of the opening band, 79 Revisited: they are. These guys, minus the dreadlocked singer, all look like ageing rock stars, brought together to bring to life one of the most interesting and important eras in metal history, the NWOBHM. I had not seen these guys live before, but they had piqued my interest as soon as I found out what kind of bands they usually cover at their shows. I was not disappointed in the least, as they tore through a set of little-heard classics and some vital metal-101 hits, such as Def Leppard’s “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak”, performed with outstanding precision and emotion, and Angel Witch’s self-titled classic.

The latter was enough to convince me to rush to the front to participate in a one-man mosh, in celebration of all things metal, while their cover, of the Tyger of Pan Tang cover, of the classic 50s song, “Love Potion #9” seemed to get a response from the ladies at the front. The set was finished with a rousing rendition of Iron Maiden’s self-titled brilliance, which once again brought me to the front to proudly bang my head in my Iron Maiden t-shirt. All in all, an exciting performance, complete with professionalism and metal goodness. Oh, and did I mention the bassist had a double-necked bass? Fuck yes.

Following 79 Revisited, my neck was numb and I basically could no longer keep my head up, so I returned to my seated spot at the back, doing my best bobble head impersonation, as I struggled to keep my head from falling from side to side. After a few moments of bobbling, I finally decided that while I’d rather be a bobble head than a real-life Picasso painting, it would be much easier (and less painful) for me to hold my head up with two hands at each side of my head, so I proceeded to make myself look like an idiot, while I watched on as an energetic Anarion played to an utterly disappointing crowd.

If you think me being the only member in the audience within a five metre radius of 79 Revisited (besides their girlfriends) was bad, then Anarion was even worse. Besides the fact that the area in front of the stage was now fairly packed, it might as well have not been, for the lack of movement made it seem like there was a giant snake on stage rather than a band and the entire audience was told not to move, so the snake wouldn’t see them and attack. Not only that but I now had a bunch of people standing there blocking my view from the back, so besides disappointing me to great lengths they also prevented me from seeing the guys up on stage performing the blistering solos on their guitars.

Despite that though, Anarion looked like a band designed for the big stage. Seeing them in the small confines of the Central Club is slightly saddening, given these guys have the stage presence and sound of a band that should be filling out concert halls, not small clubs in Richmond. Having gone to a number of stand-up comedy shows this year, I’m amazed that a single guy telling half-decent jokes can sell out a concert hall, while a band of such a high standard as Anarion is playing live once every two years and struggling to sell CDs and get people to their shows. The Anarion set itself consisted of a mix of new tracks from their latest album and their debut, all of which were great thrashy numbers, packed full of energy and intent.

I love bands like Anarion who play in the aggressive style of thrash metal, but still manage to keep the guitar and vocal melodies intact for a great contrasting effect, and Anarion really do it well. I’m still regretting being too lazy to go find an ATM to get some cash out to buy their new album for an absolute steal of a deal at $10, among others on offer. A bonus for some fans was the impressive cover of Nevermore’s “Dead Hearts in a Dead World”, but it didn’t seem like they got too much of a reaction from the crowd. To be honest, not being an avid Nevermore fan myself, I only identified the original performer of the song due to the style it was played in, which was easily recognizable as Nevermore, but I have to say that maybe a more well-known song would’ve fared better (emphasised by my friend shouting for Dethklok, which they played last time they appeared here).

Anarion had taken a while to get everything set up, so Voyager was probably running a little behind schedule. I lost track of time, but it must’ve been around 12 by the time they got on and we were all itching with anticipation. I mean, this is fucking Voyager man! Not only did we have to wait two years following a killer performance here last time out, but they had also released their newest album, I Am The Revolution, which frankly, is of the same high quality and originality as their last two and I was very eager to hear some of the tracks live. Thankfully, we were treated to a total of FOUR songs off the new album, and probably the best picks of the lot.

The band executed each song with perfection, the live wire performance and high energy infectious, as me and my friends gobbled up all the brilliance and crazy antics thrown towards us at the front of the stage. Thoughts of becoming a human bobble head permanently quickly dissolved, as all my concentration went into head banging through the intense gallop of “White Shadow” and there were plenty of chances to sing along to the choruses of songs like the debut’s “To The Morning Light”, uniVers’ “Pulse 04” and the brand new “The Devil In Me”. The usual medley they play was present once again and received with great enthusiasm by the crowd as they played small snippets of songs by such bands as AC/DC, Pantera, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Rage Against The Machine, Iron Maiden, and the Law & Order theme.

Voyager then wrapped up their set with the epic “Eleventh Meridian”, complete with an improvised keyboard intro and plenty of moments for me to give up my last ounce of energy and strength in honour of one of my favourite bands and one of the best things to happen to Australia in some time.

Following the end of the concert, any notions of staying behind to chat to the band and have a few drinks after they were done packing were quickly put aside, as I dragged myself to my car to drive home, with only the notion of sleep entering my brain. All in all, a fantastic night of metal mayhem, with hours of pleasant ear sex and days of painful whiplash. Please, Voyager, come back soon.

Photos by: Anwar Rizk (Flickr)