Live Carnage at The Cavern Club has become a regular fixture of the Adelaide metal circuit, the lineup tonight included three of the premier bands from Adelaide and special guests from Queensland.
From Birth to Burial kicked off proceedings with a visceral brand of metal. This is metal consummated in the deepest vaults of hell, the bastard child of a plethora of different metal styles. Guttural vocals and a brutal sound which is both primitive and raw. They have obviously garnered a sizeable following as they had some good support gathered at the front of the stage for this early slot.
Tria Mera made the 2000 km journey from Queensland as part of the promotional campaign for their new e.p. “Extinction”. No strangers to Adelaide, they celebrated the bands six year anniversary with an appreciative Adelaide audience. They unleashed the brutal sonic assault which won them the 2011 Triple J Unearthed competition, which ultimately saw them playing their third ever live gig as the opening band on the Soundwave main stage in Brisbane.
From Birth to Burial kicked off proceedings with a visceral brand of metal. This is metal consummated in the deepest vaults of hell, the bastard child of a plethora of different metal styles. Guttural vocals and a brutal sound which is both primitive and raw. They have obviously garnered a sizeable following as they had some good support gathered at the front of the stage for this early slot.
Tria Mera made the 2000 km journey from Queensland as part of the promotional campaign for their new e.p. “Extinction”. No strangers to Adelaide, they celebrated the bands six year anniversary with an appreciative Adelaide audience. They unleashed the brutal sonic assault which won them the 2011 Triple J Unearthed competition, which ultimately saw them playing their third ever live gig as the opening band on the Soundwave main stage in Brisbane.
Arcadia have consistently been at the forefront of the Adelaide scene and have stamped their mark on the Australian extreme metal. Clearly they have refined their sound over that time. Sonically it has evolved into a bombastic assault of the senses, an angry, driven assault meandering on the edge of chaos but still maintaining a sense of cohesion. By the time they took the stage the crowd were well and truly into the swing of things and their 40 minute set was enthusiastically received.
The headliners Octanic are a band that I have seen before, most notably supporting Ripper Owens (ex-Judas Priest/Iced Earth/Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist) but never truly appreciated how good they actually are. After witnessing the astounding performance tonight I will not make that mistake again. Octanic are an enigma, the music is so original and diverse that it transcends the metal genre, thus ultimately, the band supersede their contemporaries.
The headliners Octanic are a band that I have seen before, most notably supporting Ripper Owens (ex-Judas Priest/Iced Earth/Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist) but never truly appreciated how good they actually are. After witnessing the astounding performance tonight I will not make that mistake again. Octanic are an enigma, the music is so original and diverse that it transcends the metal genre, thus ultimately, the band supersede their contemporaries.
This is thinking man's (or woman’s) metal. A diverse tapestry of musical landscapes driven by melodic hooks, tight musicianship and complex arrangements. At various stages I was fleetingly reminded of Disturbed, Bullet For My Valentine and In Flames but the sense of individuality and originality in the songs make these comparisons superfluous.
The other aspect that made this show special was that Octanic know how to entertain, the band clearly enjoy their time on stage and the atmosphere created spills over into the audience. Vocalist Jay Shepherdson stalks the stage like a caged beast ensuring every member of the crowd is drawn into his world. The talented musicians that support him had to dodge and weave to avoid being drawn into the hurricane that he creates on the stage. The highlight of the night was the encore “Pariah”, were Jay was joined on stage by Damo Seller from the band Sever Hill… The vocal sparring between the two sent shivers down my spine.
In the Adelaide heavy metal scene Octanic are in a league of their own and tonight’s blistering performance was one that I will not forget in a hurry. Suitably armed with both Octanic albums, I walked away from the Cavern Club tonight with a sense that I had witnessed one of the truly special performances from a band slated for much bigger things.
Review by Mike Trandafil
Photos by Tanya Begg - see the full gallery here
The other aspect that made this show special was that Octanic know how to entertain, the band clearly enjoy their time on stage and the atmosphere created spills over into the audience. Vocalist Jay Shepherdson stalks the stage like a caged beast ensuring every member of the crowd is drawn into his world. The talented musicians that support him had to dodge and weave to avoid being drawn into the hurricane that he creates on the stage. The highlight of the night was the encore “Pariah”, were Jay was joined on stage by Damo Seller from the band Sever Hill… The vocal sparring between the two sent shivers down my spine.
In the Adelaide heavy metal scene Octanic are in a league of their own and tonight’s blistering performance was one that I will not forget in a hurry. Suitably armed with both Octanic albums, I walked away from the Cavern Club tonight with a sense that I had witnessed one of the truly special performances from a band slated for much bigger things.
Review by Mike Trandafil
Photos by Tanya Begg - see the full gallery here
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