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Live Reviews : Ne Obliviscaris, Beyond Creation & The Helix Nebula @ The Bald Faced Stag, Sydney 27/11/2014

By on November 29, 2014

NeO17

Words & Images: Martin Michea

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Holy smokes what an evening! I am shocked that not a single guitar caught on fire tonight as this prog metal package demolished the poor Stag on what would prove to be a memorable evening.

First up was The Helix Nebula, they took to the stage at 8.30 and while I have certainly heard of this band in the past (and listened to a few songs beforehand) I never really reflected over the fact that they have no vocals at all. Not that it matters, because someone up there in heaven should know that they don’t need them. There was actually a decent amount of people watching The Helix Nebula and it is always great to see people supporting the smaller local bands as well! The energy on stage was great and the bar was set really high from the get-go. The only thing that was lacking really was a bit more crowd interaction, there were a couple of silent moments between songs that could’ve been used to fire up the crowd, but that’s something  that many well-seasoned live musicians don’t even manage to do so I’m just being a bit picky here.

Next up was the main supporting act of the tour, Montreal based Beyond Creation. I had never heard of this interesting band before this week and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. Just the fact that drummer Philippe Boucher (who was a complete monster at the back) performed while wearing glasses was reason enough to like this band. Playing a mix of prog and death metal the Canadians took it to the evening to the next level and the crowd responded in the same way.

The audience was a bit slow at the beginning of the night, probably because of the near winter temperatures that had a grip of most of Sydney all day. But then something happened, after just a few minutes into Beyond Creation’s set, the Stag started to get a bit warmer and people got closer to the stage. Then, at the very end of the set, a huge mosh pit erupted on the floor, resulting in me getting completely soaked by beer and rum. It doesn’t get any more metal than this, right?

The one issue I had with Beyond Creation’s set was that thing. I have to come up with a name for if there’s not one already, because it is not the first (nor the last) time that I have encountered this. The sound tonight was excellent, crisp and clear (although a bit on the loud side at times), but with extreme music like this the sound sometimes just becomes a big mess. It only bothered me on a few occasions however, and overall I was impressed with what the band brought to the table. There’s no denying that the guys from Canada are great musicians and the chemistry between the band members was great. Bassist Dominic Lapointe also performed with what seemed to be a broken arm, that’s what I call dedication.

Fast forward a bit and we reach the beginning of the end, the highlight of the night.

It’s not hard to understand why Ne Obliviscaris are so successful right now. They have a unique flair that makes them really interesting. I guess you could say that it’s all because of the violin, but there’s so much more to it. Xen’s growls are out of this world. Tim’s clean vocals are some of the most godlike vocals I have heard ever. Add to that his crazy stage antics and his skills with the violin and you pretty much have a frontman who can rival the best in the business, this without even singing that much. When you watch and listen to Ne Obliviscaris live (first timer here) it’s like watching art.

I don’t really think I can describe in words what a NeO concert is like. You kind of have to go and see them to understand it. When I watch Tim jump around on stage, air drumming and singing along to the growls at the same time, just smiling at the crowd, I guess that sort of defines what this night felt like. It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while a band comes along that give exactly everything they have and you can just see how much that moment right there and then means to the people on stage. It’s sincere and it’s powerful.

I was surprised to hear that Ne Obliviscaris has existed since 2003. But then, when I think about it, it makes a lot of sense. They perform like the biggest of arena bands and I have a feeling that this is just the beginning.

The setlist was evenly balanced with five songs of the new album Citadel and four songs of Portal of I. If the crowd was slow in the beginning it more than made up for it by being really amazing throughout Ne Obliviscaris’ entire set. They were chanting, singing along and during Xenoflux and I really thought that The Bald Faced Stag had seen its last concert.

I think that almost every person that witnessed this tonight would agree that Ne Obliviscaris’ first sold out show in Australia is a night to remember, both for the band and the audience.

NeO setlist:
Painters of the Tempest (Part I): Wyrmholes
Painters of the Tempest (Part II): Triptych Lux
Painters of the Tempest (Part III): Reveries from the Stained Glass Womb
Xenoflux
Pyrrhic
Forget Not
Of Petrichor Weaves Black Noise
Devour Me, Colossus (Part I): Blackholes
And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope

About

Martin is an aspiring music photographer/videographer. He is originally from the southern parts of Sweden and now he's living in Sydney, Australia. Thanks to his older sister, he got into Rammstein at the age of 9, and since then he's been into all types of metal/rock. He loves to combine photography and music, but also filming concerts and produce live material. Follow him on Twitter and check out his website.