Live Reviews : Angelus Apatrida, Asylum, Lavidius & Kaustic Attack @ The Back Room, Brisbane 26/05/2016

Have you heard of Brisbane’s ‘The Back Room’? This is probably one of my favourite venues in this city, having come and watched local gigs aplenty in here. It honestly stacks up against some of the best venues in the country and the fact that it’s a little unknown gem that not many people know about still blows me away. Maybe that’s because there hasn’t been many international bands announced for the venue. So when I saw that Spanish thrashers Angelus Apitrida were announced to play this fine venue on a Thursday night I was excited, especially when I saw the thrash attack that the band would be playing with.

Holy hell… what a thrash attack it was. Coupling the Spaniards with possibly Brisbane’s finest thrash acts in Asylum, Lavidius and Kaustic Attack is literally a thrash metal fanatics wet dream of a lineup. So in writing this, it is quite unfortunate that their wasn’t more of a crowd along; but when your playing a relatively quieter used venue on a Thursday night that doesn’t get the blow in crowd that some of the more prime location venues get then it’s understandable that only roughly 50 people showed up. That didn’t stop the crowd – and the bands – from having an absolute blast, though.

Kaustic Attack opened the night to only a handful of viewers, but still managed to provide the stage performance that you would come to expect from them. It was loud, harsh and fast and the band had the relatively small crowd in their hands from the minute they began until their last note rang out.

Following on were Lavidius, a band that has been doing the local scene laps for some time now and one that probably deserves some greater recognition. Their set was a stereotypical thrash run through – save for their tremendous cover of Amon Amarth‘s “Pursuit of Vikings” that was slotted seamlessly into the set, and was one which the crowd enjoyed.

Asylum were the penultimate act tonight, and honestly, if you have ever liked or loved thrash, or hell, even a good show, then these are guys that you need to check out at least once. Blistering guitar work, impeccable showmanship, and musically one of the most refined and tightest acts around. And they didn’t disappoint being on stage before the Spanish thrash lords.

Finally, making their first appearance in Australia five albums into their career, Angelus Apatrida embraced the stage with widened grins. Making a long overdue appearance on our shores for the first time there was something which seemed so familiar and inviting about the spaniards.

Now I’m normally the sort of person that can only manage thrash in small doses, so if you were telling me that I was going to be watching four thrash bands in a row I’d probably reply that I’d be bored by the fourth – but there was an aura about the way that these guys played which just drew me in. Fast paced riffs, blasting drumlines, and, on occasion, a bass drop which made the floor of the entire venue shake. The intimacy that this venue brings just made this whole show excel on several fronts. It heightened the closeness of the bands’ interactions with the fans, amplified the energy of the band themselves, and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Every element gelled together perfectly in a boiling pot that just created a mix for the night that I couldn’t falter.

The band themselves seemed overjoyed that they were able to perform for the first time in the country, with frontman Guillermo Izquierdo often commenting about how happy the band was to finally be playing in the country and hoping that it was the first of many tours that they perform here. This appreciative side of the band members is something that is lost in a lot of bands that tour internationally and it’s so good to see a band repay their fans with that kindness.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to get when I began the night, but I’m definitely glad I got to see this show. Angelus Apatrida are definitely one of the quieter acheivers of the thrash genre and one that deserves more of a spotlight than they receive. If you can make it to one of the other shows in this tour you should, because even if you’re not necessarily a heavy thrash fan like I am, you’re guaranteed to have a good time. And that’s something that a lot of shows these days gloss over.

Angelus Apatrida hit Sydney tonight at The Bald Faced Stag, before wrapping up the Australian leg of their ‘Pacific Assault Tour’ on Saturday night in Melbourne at the Bendigo Hotel. Tickets are available now via Oztix!

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