Trivium, In Flames, Sydonia @ 170 Russell, Melbourne (23/11/2014)
I’d heard the name but had never listened to Melbourne’s Sydonia before they opened up for two of the biggest names in metal music. So were these locals any good live? Holy shit were they ever.
Starting off with the 7-minute epic of 3 Tongues, the quartet‘s tight, impressive 30-minute set was an awesome showcase of how good Australian metal can be. From then on their powerful wall of sound-like brand of metal was consistent and almost mesmerizing in it’s delivery. Long-haired lead singer and rather posh dresser, Dana Rokvist was all about the delivery as well. Rokvist had one impressive voice, both when he was showing off his strong vocal range and when he was laying down guttural screams. Numerous times throughout their set guitarist Sam Haycroft and bassist Adam Murray would drop their instruments, grab a pair of sticks each and drum along with super tight drummer Sean Bailey on their own tom racks. This created some really engaging tribal-like rhythms, and the only band I can think of off the top of my head who does it as well as that is Slipknot. Now, that’s saying something. Also, a special mention has also got to go to Haycroft who was donning a pretty eccentric costume, complete with wig, dress, and makeup. The result was looking like WWE wrestler, Golddust, with a hair get up resembling that of the Mask of the Child from the hit video game, Dark Souls. Dude knows how to dress, that’s for sure. |
The wait between Sydonia and Sweden’s In Flames was thankfully quite short. It’s been a good two years since the band were on our shores, so as soon the lights dimmed and the intro to The Quiet Place began, a powerful burst of roars and cheers erupted from the crowded venue.
24 years is a very longtime. But with almost 25 years together, In Flames’ hour plus set was a great reflection of where the band once where and where they are now, and they seemed more than happy to be playing this kind of set, as smiles were abundant from all five members.
Oldies like Trigger and Cloud Connected were real show stoppers, and later singles like The Mirror’s Truth and Fear Is The Weakness really got the crowd going too. Of course, more recent material like Deliver Us, Rusted Nail, Ropes, Through Oblivion, and Where The Dead Ships Dwell made great appearances throughout the set. Even though the songs from the bands latest release, Siren Charms weren’t received as well by all in attendance, they were performed superbly well.
Front man Anders Friden may not be able to scream the way he used to, but he holds his own really well in the live setting, though admittedly, sometimes the vocals didn’t quite have the strength to cut through. But what he may lack in the vocal department at times, he more than makes up for with his strong personality.
For instance, Friden took a moment early on in their set to inform the audience that even though you paid to get in, you don’t have to watch the evening through your phones. He followed this up by borrowing one punters camera and taking some up close and personal shots of the band and himself in the next song, but it didn’t stop there. He then brought one filming and rather enthusiastic fan (by the name of Jeremy) to get up on stage and film the band play through Clayman era single, Only For The Weak, and got the awe-struck fan to sing a bit of the song too.
After that, the band then went off the beaten path shortly for Delight And Angers, one of the best songs from 2008’s A Sense Of Purpose, to which I still regard as the best In Flames album (come at me, Internet). Ending with the fast and aggressive, Take This Life, In Flames gave more than enough evidence to prove that they are still worthy of being one of metals biggest and best bands.
Trivium have been out here more times than Tony Abbott has made himself look like a complete fool, and as a result, they’ve amassed a huge fan base in Australia. After all, tonight’s show was one the first to sell out. Now, I’m not a massive fan of Trivium, but I like the band as much as the next metal fan out there, so I was pretty keen.
Their set mainly came from their last three records, Shogun, In Waves, and last year’s, Vengeance Falls, and that’s not surprising considering the commercial success of those three. So songs like Down From The Sky, Strife, Black, Villainy Thrives and the anthemic Built To Fall all reared their monstrous heads throughout their hour-long set.
The quartet also acknowledged their earlier albums as well with fan favourites like Anthem (We Are The Fire), and Dying In Your Arms. However, the real highlights came from songs such as Throes of Perdition and the brilliant Through Blood and Dirt and Bone. Now, that’s a real banger right there.
Singer/guitarist Matt Heafy (who shows off more tongue than Miley Cyrus on a bender) had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hands from the get go, and with his happy demeanor, intense faces and solid singing, it was completely warranted.
After dedicating Brave This Storm to In Flames, a happy birthday sing along was given to guitarist/screamer Corey Beaulieu, who kept his solos sharp and on point. Credit has also got to go to the recently new drummer Matt Madiro, who is tighter than Tupperware behind the kit.
Of course, Trivium ended with the song In Waves, (with the Capsizing The Sea intro) because why the fuck wouldn’t you? It’s such a great song from start to finish, and it’s deceptively simple intensity makes for a great set closer as it just goes off like Rush Limbaugh on a right-wing tangent, that is to say, explosively, just minus the mosh pit.
Before closing out their power house set, Heafy stated that Trivium would be back if we’d have them back, and I’m just going to go out on a limb here and say that we definitely will have them back.
Alexander Sievers
24 years is a very longtime. But with almost 25 years together, In Flames’ hour plus set was a great reflection of where the band once where and where they are now, and they seemed more than happy to be playing this kind of set, as smiles were abundant from all five members.
Oldies like Trigger and Cloud Connected were real show stoppers, and later singles like The Mirror’s Truth and Fear Is The Weakness really got the crowd going too. Of course, more recent material like Deliver Us, Rusted Nail, Ropes, Through Oblivion, and Where The Dead Ships Dwell made great appearances throughout the set. Even though the songs from the bands latest release, Siren Charms weren’t received as well by all in attendance, they were performed superbly well.
Front man Anders Friden may not be able to scream the way he used to, but he holds his own really well in the live setting, though admittedly, sometimes the vocals didn’t quite have the strength to cut through. But what he may lack in the vocal department at times, he more than makes up for with his strong personality.
For instance, Friden took a moment early on in their set to inform the audience that even though you paid to get in, you don’t have to watch the evening through your phones. He followed this up by borrowing one punters camera and taking some up close and personal shots of the band and himself in the next song, but it didn’t stop there. He then brought one filming and rather enthusiastic fan (by the name of Jeremy) to get up on stage and film the band play through Clayman era single, Only For The Weak, and got the awe-struck fan to sing a bit of the song too.
After that, the band then went off the beaten path shortly for Delight And Angers, one of the best songs from 2008’s A Sense Of Purpose, to which I still regard as the best In Flames album (come at me, Internet). Ending with the fast and aggressive, Take This Life, In Flames gave more than enough evidence to prove that they are still worthy of being one of metals biggest and best bands.
Trivium have been out here more times than Tony Abbott has made himself look like a complete fool, and as a result, they’ve amassed a huge fan base in Australia. After all, tonight’s show was one the first to sell out. Now, I’m not a massive fan of Trivium, but I like the band as much as the next metal fan out there, so I was pretty keen.
Their set mainly came from their last three records, Shogun, In Waves, and last year’s, Vengeance Falls, and that’s not surprising considering the commercial success of those three. So songs like Down From The Sky, Strife, Black, Villainy Thrives and the anthemic Built To Fall all reared their monstrous heads throughout their hour-long set.
The quartet also acknowledged their earlier albums as well with fan favourites like Anthem (We Are The Fire), and Dying In Your Arms. However, the real highlights came from songs such as Throes of Perdition and the brilliant Through Blood and Dirt and Bone. Now, that’s a real banger right there.
Singer/guitarist Matt Heafy (who shows off more tongue than Miley Cyrus on a bender) had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hands from the get go, and with his happy demeanor, intense faces and solid singing, it was completely warranted.
After dedicating Brave This Storm to In Flames, a happy birthday sing along was given to guitarist/screamer Corey Beaulieu, who kept his solos sharp and on point. Credit has also got to go to the recently new drummer Matt Madiro, who is tighter than Tupperware behind the kit.
Of course, Trivium ended with the song In Waves, (with the Capsizing The Sea intro) because why the fuck wouldn’t you? It’s such a great song from start to finish, and it’s deceptively simple intensity makes for a great set closer as it just goes off like Rush Limbaugh on a right-wing tangent, that is to say, explosively, just minus the mosh pit.
Before closing out their power house set, Heafy stated that Trivium would be back if we’d have them back, and I’m just going to go out on a limb here and say that we definitely will have them back.
Alexander Sievers