Live Reviews : Sonic Forge Festival 2011 @ The Espy

With Romania’s Negura Bunget pulling out of Sonic Forge Festival 2011 too late in the game to be replaced, a few local bands dropping off and times being swapped around, and torrential rain and wind (always a great thing for a venue next to the beach…) things weren’t exactly running as smooth as possible for this year’s festival. Thankfully, after bolting from my car to the Gershwin Room, I was met with not only the oh-so fantastic Arbrynth, but also a pretty decent crowd.

The “forest metal” band have been rather absent from the live scene this year, working on their debut full length album (which is being launched December 23^rd at the East Brunswick Club with Rainshadow, Okera and Myridian. Plug, plug, plug.), and their performance reminded me why I had missed them so much. Despite an unfortunate feedback hum that kept rearing its head during new single “Blood Red Skies”, the band put on a fantastic performance with their three-way vocal harmonies sounding bigger and better than all. Their new material sees them really amp up the atmosphere that drenched their style of melodic death, with the rather lengthy closer “The Veil” being a prime example.

A brief stroll to the smoke-filled front bar put me in front of widdly technical death metal band Primordial Space, who played a set that was hard to fault. A well balanced sound let their technicality shine, with the vocals sounding particularly huge. The one positive to the horrid weather became apparent as well; the fact that the front bar wasn’t full of summer sunshine. This meant that the lights, strobe included, were actually visible and really made the difference during the band’s shortish atmospheric breaks (which I remember there being less of last time I saw them, new song perhaps? Either that or beer.)

With nobody on afterwards that I was actually familiar with, I headed towards the Gershwin Room (or “the gersho” as we named it) only to quickly divert left when Black Orchid’s symphonic elements appeared. Not my thing, although I did hear some positive comments about their set from fans of the style.

The basement proved to be a bit of a surprise as well, with hardcore band Aura Vale being a somewhat odd addition to a festival otherwise lacking in the style completely. While their music might not have been the most original thing around, the amount of energy in their music made up for it. Unfortunately for them, a crowd of about twenty people left their energetic stage presence seeming a big over-the-top and their sound was spread a tad thin.

Local melodic doom band Okera were next up, playing to one of the biggest crowds of the night. Part of that may have been the fact that the only clash was resident Espy rock band Phil Para & Band, but I’m sure it was because they’re rather awesome. Despite a wobbly start due to a self-admitted absence from performing, the set was full of atmosphere and a great overall sound, no doubt collecting quite a few new fans.

Despite there being a decent amount of bands I was keen to see, Brisbane’s The Schoenberg Automaton were the key drawcard for me, and they did not disappoint. Their frantic, quirky brand of tech death sounded absolutely monstrous live, and was performed with robotic precision. Masses of strobe light and a vocalist who constantly paced the length of the stage boosted the energy even further. A brand new song was a welcome addition to the set, and “Where Are We, In A Cube” proved to be a perfect closer with vocalist Colin Cadell jumping down into the crowd for half of the song. Not only are The Schoenberg Automaton one of the most musically exciting bands in this country at the moment, they’re right at the top as far as live performances go as well. Mind blown.

It was essentially an impossible job for any band to impress after a set like that, but it was up to Circles to try. Despite kicking things off to a somewhat small crowd, especially considering the following this band has very quickly collected, the room did fill up towards the end. The set was undeniably tight, with the whole thing sounding pretty much like listening to the album. While I don’t find them to be the most interesting band on the planet, the big sound and power behind their riffs and grooves live was more than entertaining for a while. The vocalist’s over-confident stage presence made the set a bit of a struggle to watch at times, with his “We are Circles, definitely not square” line making me cringe like nothing else.

Leaving a couple of songs early, I made my way straight to the front stage to get a prime spot for the ever-consistent A Million Dead Birds Laughing. Despite seeing them countless  times, I’m yet to witness a disappointing set, and this was no exception. I’m sure every fan in the room was over the moon to see “King” make an appearance in the setlist; a song that every single person must experience live at least once. The highlight of the set was quite easily the finale though; a brand new song titled “Equilibrium”, which won’t appear recorded for another three-ish albums. The six-minute long track took their oddball style of death/grind and somehow managed to make it sound even more intense, with some of their most interesting vocal parts yet (which is saying something) and a twisted, clean guitar-based ending that confused me in a good way. I’m already keen for their next live appearance.

Perth’s Chaos Divine were a band that I never quite fell in love with, despite hearing constant praise, but live they were certainly impressive. Their big, thick sound meant they sounded much heavier and not quite as clean as on their recordings (a positive in my eyes), and while the vocals were a tad low in parts, it was a fun set overall with some melodies that you just can’t help but move to.

The basement was the next place to be, with filthy “southern gore slam” band The Mung getting down and dirty. A Million Dead Birds Laughing drummer Dean Turner was filling in for the set, and it was my first time seeing their newish vocalist, who has more than filled the spot. Playing songs off their debut release The Splatter Sessions as well as the upcoming Showering in Shit, the band filled the room with the infectious grooves and brutal gurgles that we love them for, and a brief pit towards the end. It was a short set, the band somehow starting late but still finishing plenty early, but it was a good’un. The band easily one on the merch-front too, with the crowd being a sea of their ridiculous weed-riddled new white t-shirts and singlets, myself included.

The fact it was past 10pm meant it was time to head to the kitchen for some cheap(er) pizza, and to give the ears a bit of a break. The crowd had died off a bit by this stage, with the still-abysmal weather no doubt playing a part. This was not a day for smokers.

The final band of the night for me was the ridiculously tight Synthetic Breed. The mix was crystal clear, highlighting their frenetic riffage perfectly, with a strobe light helping along the way and one of the most professional lighting shows of the day. Thankfully the room had built to a decent crowd during their set, which is always a worry for bands playing post-12am. Considering my severe sleep deprivation, Synthetic Breed’s mechanical sounding intensity was exactly what I needed to wake me up for the drive home, and a great end to yet another fantastic Sonic Forge. Bring on the next one.

Photography by Anwar Rizk, view the full gallery over here.