Live Reviews : HEAVYFEST @ The Hi-Fi, Sydney 17/01/2014

HEAVY Fest

Rotting Christ, The Amenta, Terra Australis, Bane of Isildur and Rise of Ave

January 17th, was a night that I will never EVER forget. I had been waiting for this day for months on end, given my new-found love for the gorgeous Greek metallers Rotting Christ. I trudged through the city side of Sydney, making my way to the Hi-Fi. It was a beautiful day and by the looks of everyone gathered, it was going to be a beautiful night of metal.

HEAVY Fest

This was my first time at The Hi-Fi and it’s a pretty fancy venue, not too big but enough space for a horde of metalheads. Rise Of Avernus were the first act and as always, they were amazing. This was my third or fourth time seeing them live and they did not disappoint. Living up to their reputation as a symphonic/gothic doom metal band, this five piece outfit from Sydney has a beautiful and eerie aura about them and their music. Playing tracks off their debut album, ‘L’appel du Vide’, Rise Of Avernus have a captivating myriad of sounds and began their set with the catchy intro to ‘A Triptych Journey’, the pounding war-drum beats and soothing orchestral synths. Ben Vanvollenhoven’s and bassist Daniel Warrington’s guttural growls compliment the hauntingly beautiful voice of keyboardist Catherine Guirguis. Drummer Andrew Craig is a mad man on his drum kit playing with so much energy it’s contagious, not to mention his hilarious facial expressions while drumming which is why I always love watching him play, ‘Ethereal Blindness’ and ‘The Mire’ are other tracks that sounds brilliant live, enticing listeners with elements of progressive and doom metal, and of course the harmonic sounds of the keys. Don’t miss out, they’ve got a couple of shows coming up and are definitely worth the watch and listen.

Up next were melodic black metal band Bane Of Isildur from Sydney. I’ve been waiting to see these guys for ages now but I never had the chance, which justified my excitement and the huge grin when I saw dark figures walk on stage, their bodies covered in war paint and frontman, Aron Worboys decked in a hooded fur cape of sorts. Given my obsession with Pagans, Norse Gods or anything mythological, I knew that I was going to love them. And I wasn’t wrong. Bane Of Isildur ( waddup Lord Of The Rings reference? ) With a strong viking/melodic death influence, I thought their performance was tops that night! They have an immensely grand stage presence to match their heavy groove-filled music. “ When the Earth becomes fire”, Aaron growled, cue for the standout track of the night, ‘And The Earth Becomes Aflame’. Bassist RayMcGill flicked his hair in delight while the in-demand Matt Bell who also plays in Rise Of Avernus took his stance before they rioted into the song, making me slowly but surely lose my calm. If you want a triumphant battle-like vibe and a good dose of black metal meets melody, Bane Of Isildur are your go-to band. DO NOT MISS THEM.

Carrying the night forward were Terra Australis. Not having seen or heard them before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I read a couple of reviews that said they were a strong black metal band. While this is true, I was definitely weirded out when the band appeared on stage. The vocalist reminded me of Chuck Billy from Testament with all that hair ( I saw his face once, and possibly just an eye) but was adorned in chains and metallic accessories of all kinds. As was the rest of the band, with one of the guitarists wearing some rather large arm spikes, the drummer a dog collar and of course, faces covered in corpse paint that reminded me of KISS. But not one to judge a band based on their appearance, I waited till their set started. A fast-paced, heavy sound, aggressive riffs and lyrics, their music was a confusing mix of various styles that didn’t seem to merge smoothly together. There were a couple of songs which were good but didn’t appeal to me entirely. What further annoyed me was when one of the guitarists threw a bottle of water at the audience. I understand the passion and energy but I don’t get unruly behavior like that. I was a little disappointed but I’m hoping to see them again and come to a more conclusive opinion.

The Amenta were the fourth band of the night and needless to say I was thrilled to be there given that this was one of their last shows. Perfecting their sound with a 20 minute long sound-check, the intimidating figures of bassist Dan and guitarist Erik. Powerful, relentless and just downright brutal, they have an absolutely prolific sound, a few songs enough to blow your brains out of your skull. Cain is by far one of the most charismatic vocalists I’ve ever seen, with his demonic yet emotional expressions, his body covered in chains of significance, and his voice which can screech and tone back down in a split second to haunting clean vocals. Dave Haley is a beast of a man and was ruthless on his kit, blasting the kit like it was child’s play. That man’s limbs move at supersonic speeds. Their set was a good mix of songs from all three albums released by the band, but my absolute favourite being ‘Teeth’ from their newest and possibly last album ‘Flesh Is Heir’. Some of the other songs played were ‘Ego Ergo Sum’, ‘Vermin’ and ‘Erebus’ each one more ferocious than the last. This was my second time seeing The Amenta and I’m really going to miss watching them. They have such a soulful, dark culmination of various metal elements in their music and along with their theatrical and emotional stage performances; they’ve definitely carved a musical niche of their own.

After what seemed like an eternity, the time had come for the mighty Greek metal titans to take to the stage. I’ve only heard a few of their albums after I listened to one of their songs a couple of years ago and having watched videos of them live, I was all set to see brutality, Greek style. As the lights dimmed and the Hi-Fi was drenched in nothing but darkness, the curtains pulled back as the deep, cult-ish chants and distant, soft voices lingered through the intense atmosphere. One by one, members of Rotting Christ appeared on stage, the crowd screaming in sheer happiness and my face breaking into this huge grin. I can never stop smiling when I’m at a gig, especially when I’m watching a band that I love. The chants build up at a threatening pace, rhythmic and with a beautiful melody, before my main man, Sakis Tolis appears and burgeons into their first track of the night, Χ Ξ Σ(666) from their new release ‘Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy’. This was just the first song and the crowd had ruptured into a crazed head banging mass of fans. For me, when there’s a significant historic and cultural presence in metal music, I fall in love. It also shows the loyalty of the band to their heritage and to me that exhibits more than just a passion for music but a passion for life and individual identity. Sakis’ signature powerful black metal growls were backed up by the grim, priest-like singing of his guitarists, it literally was music to my ears. The ghostly chants have such a hair-rising effect, their deep masculine voices enough to send chills down your spine. Man, you need to listen to this song to know why it’s so goose-bump inducing; it made for such a grand start to the set! DAT CHORUS!

Sakis and his Greek gang of warriors are menacingly charming, and there were moments where he would signal to the crowd to quiet down before getting them to break out into chants of ‘Dub Sag Ta Ke’ ‘Dub Sag Ta Ke’, another brilliant track which features some traditional Greek instrument sounds. Their set for the night was a satisfying mix of songs from albums spanning the length of their 20 year career. Tracks like ‘The Sign Of Evil Existence’ and ‘Athanati Este’ was just pure evidence of the blistering speeds at which Rotting Christ play their music. ‘Athani Este’ from ‘Sanctus Diavolos’ got heads banging and sounded insane live, it was positively flawless. “Grandis Spiritus Diavalos” played towards the end slayed the Hi-Fi, the crowd yelling along with the band.

The opening track to their latest album; my pick of the night, ‘In-Yumen-Xibalba’, was brutally epic in a hypnotic performance of synchronized headbanging and guitaring simultaneously. Whispers of ‘Xi-balaba’, followed by Vedic/latin-curse-sounding rhythmic chants were just a taste of what was to come. Unforgivably fast riffs, the mighty Themis Tolis’ (who I have a major fangirl crush on) drumming enough to make your eardrums bleed, it was beautiful to watch Sakis growl to his heart’s content, guarded by bassist Vaggelis and guitarist George alternating with their vocalist between deadly growls, war-like chants in the background and spirited headbanging, throughout the length of this song. Honestly, the pair were friggin brilliant. It was mesmerizing to say the least, watching the three of them co ordinate with such perfection. As hard as I’m trying to re-live and re-write this particular experience, words will not do justice to that performance. I was so lost in bliss, my hair whipping people’s faces, showing no mercy on my neck and a tear or two running down my face. After a little tease, they returned for an encore of ‘Archon’ and it was the perfect ending to the night.

The intensity and emotion with which they play is truly something else. The band have so much energy and love for what they do, it’s no wonder that they’re one of the best and most respected bands in the world. As controversial as their name sounds, just like the band themselves, no one could care less. Their name reflects their views, not just on music but on life itself. The whole world is caught up with trying to ‘fit in’ into the organized realms of society that people lose track and sight of what is real. It’s people like the members of Rotting Christ that are truly connected with the real world and it’s obvious in their music which is why I have so much respect for them.

I wish I could fly out to Melbourne tonight to see them again as well as The Amenta, because it was definitely one of the best nights of my life. So many good bands, so much metal and now an ardent desire to learn the language of the Greeks. It’s always a pleasure to be in the midst of like-minded people who have a deep love for the beautiful world of Metal and all it has to offer and if you haven’t listened to Rotting Christ possibly because of the dodgy name, you haven’t lived.

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