Coffins

w/ Cauldron Black Ram, Gospel of the Horns, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Clagg, Ignivimous and Whitehorse.

September 18 2010 – The Hifi Bar, Melbourne

2010 has seen, and is still seeing, band after band tour our shores. Much to the absolute disgust of the wallets of so many metal fans around the country, the big names in pretty much every genre have our little land in their (probably black) diaries, as well as quite a few surprises; Devin Townsend, Alestorm, Wolves in the Throne Room, and the list goes on. The latest surprise, and one of the few that really held my excitement, was Japan’s Coffins; the first international tour by Brisbane-based label Obsidian Records, and quite a large lineup down south.

Arriving a tad late, I walked in to the monstrous riffs Clagg and claimed my spot at the top of a step (thus having a nice, comfy seat in between bands). With the first half of their set being one lengthy track, the band let the music speak for itself. Chock full of infectious grooves and with a spot-on balance of big riffs and empty space, there is a reason these guys are one of the highlights on the local doom circuit. Scotty Williams’ smooth, low growls fit perfectly in their place while the higher screams add a whole new level of sinister. Plodding riffs, a ballsy sound, melodies that sneak out of nowhere; Clagg are everything stoner doom fans wet themselves over. And as we all know, doom is best experienced live, so if you haven’t seen these guys, make it your highest priority.

From entrancing to sleep inducing; The Day Everything Became Nothing played exactly the set I was expecting. While the crowd took to them with open arms, their mid-paced groove-oriented grind does little to titillate my senses. There is a real lack of the type of power or energy required to counteract the lack of interesting writing, resulting in a bland half hour that did nothing more than make the bar look like a more exciting option.

Clearly one of the bands most attendees were there to see, Australian metal veterans Gospel of the Horns stormed the stage with their classic style of blackened thrash. Playing a set that was hard to fault, GOTH blasted through their tracks, while constantly trying to rev the crowd up; throwing the metal horns at every opportunity. My main issue, and it’s more so with the genre than GOTH directly, is that it does became a bit samey towards the end. The blistering riffs and general energy is fun for a while, but doesn’t last.

Despite not actually enjoying what I’d previously heard, I was very intrigued to see Cauldron Black Ram. Having seen quite a few overwhelmingly positive comments, claiming they were something truly special, I was keen to find out what I was missing. While the pirate-themed trio were certainly an odd listen, that was where my enjoyment ended. Their quirky brand of death metal was the type that turns your head sideways, trying to figure out whether the three members are actually playing the same song. At times it works, and while I don’t know the tracks well enough to tell you what they were, there were some absolutely spectacular moments in there. But at other times, it just sounded messy. Needless to say, Cauldron Black Ram is an acquired taste. Much like Portal, who shares (or shared?) a couple of members.

From one trio to another, the Japanese death/doom masters kicked straight into “Buried Death”, the title track off their latest album. While I instantly knew it was going the set was going to be everything I expected, it wasn’t until the opening riffs of “Mortification To Ruin”, the one track I was hoping for, that I was truly awestruck. Not since Rosetta have I experienced anything so intensely crushing. Despite only being a three piece, the power was otherworldly, with the enormous riffs, pummelling drums and Uchino’s deep growls reaching a level of holy fucking shit this is fucking insane that few bands do. Thankfully, whoever was on sound duty managed to keep a hold of things, not letting their already dirty sound fall further into an inaudible wall of noise, ensuring there was just enough empty space to amplify the riffs even further. The set list was a great combination of their faster death metal material and devastatingly slow, filthy doom, and even an Eyehategod cover with Clagg’s Scott Williams on vocal duties. The collective sound of disappointment when the set came to an end said it all. The one and only complaint I have, is that it had to finish. Although as I walked out, my ears were somewhat thankful.