It may not have gone forward on Friday December the 13th as originally planned, but there’s no doubting that this impressive billing featuring some of Australia’s most ‘cult’ bands gave justification to the title of Black Apocalypse today. Given that there were acts on show here that Sydneysiders don’t (or won’t) see that too often, it’s really came as no surprise then that even at the 2pm starting time the venue was almost wall to wall.
Dissension were up first, and while they may not be wholly original their swirling cacophonous black metal is the type of stuff Australian audiences are starved of. They’re a product of their influences but a solid showing started the day off on a strong note.
Spawn on the other hand are definitely an intriguing act. With a set that covered a diverse range of influences, they easily dodge between death-tinged rocking ala Melbourne’s Earth, a menacing, almost ambivalent quiet melodic approach and then everything in between. Unfortunately they didn’t really seem to grab the majority of the audience today, but with some growth I can really see them doing so in the future.
With their continually strong showings in recent past, the crowds swooped in when Bludgeoner began their unholy crusade of pure guttural death metal. With their six-track EP doing the rounds, the battery was relentless as the band stormed through their no-frills death metal with all the necessary viscera and gore allusions. ‘Blasvomit’, ‘Plight of the Corpse’ and ‘Seeds of Annihilation’ all stood out in my mind, for no particular reason either. An excellent set from an increasingly crushing band.
International drawcards Abbadon Incarnate were up next. It seemed that before today only a handful of people were well-familiar with these Irish grindmongers, but it’s irrefutable that after their rapidfire Australian tour – albeit on a small-scale – a lot more people were singing their praises. Playing explosive snatches of blasting grindcore that’s for once actually catchy and memorable, Abbadon Incarnate destroyed the room with some ultra-violent noise that had people alternately headbanging and spasming in glee. With a selection off their latest album Nadir, such as ‘They Use Dark Forces’ and ‘Rot’, they had to run immediately afterwards to play another show that night in another city, but their indelible mark had been struck.
Secratain followed with an even more cliched set of black metal than Dissension. With some of the corpsepaint jobs looking more like Ace Frehley than Euronymous, even the battle axe thingy (it was a log of wood with nails sticking out of it… I don’t know what it’s called) the vocalist was wielding didn’t cover up the blatant Darkthrone similarities. Not the worst out there, but not really ones that stand out from the pack either.
Surprise bag for the day definitely went to Eternal Dark. Considering their rather lousy band name and the fact that they come from a country town (as snobbish as that sounds), expectations weren’t particularly high, but Eternal Dark had the room roaring in approval by the end of their highly impressive set. Playing a standard of symphonic black metal usually reserved for more experienced outfits, they slayed with their simultaneously vicious and hypnotic attack. Proof that good bands don’t only come from big cities.
Psychrist once again came, saw and conquered. Like Bludgeoner, these long-time black/death metal survivors just don’t let up. The assault is relentless as they featured both old and new material of their massive rumbling extreme noise. Even on their off-days, there’s just something I always enjoy about Psychrist live.
Urgrund were another band that don’t play too often in Sydney, and so today was more or less the first chance I’ve had to really acquaint myself with their stuff. Even though the vocalist’s guitar was almost inaudible, their thrashing malevolent black metal style had a spark to it that made them a lot more interesting than some of the other bands today doing a similar thing. Not too bad at all for a first impression.
With the same drummer as the previous group, Astriaal played next and in my mind were without a doubt best band of the day. Performing old and new songs alike, Astriaal simply ruled. ‘Throne to Perish’ and ‘Ode to Antiquity’ from the forthcoming album intermixed with ‘Revere the Labyrinth’, ‘Serpentis’ and naturally ‘As Mist Befell the Ruins’, which is now almost their signature tune. To be innovative and interesting in black metal today is a difficult thing, but with the level of creativity and musicianship Astriaal possess, they pull it off easily. Awesome.
Gospel of the Horns headlined the night, which is a little unfortunate because frankly Astriaal owned Black Apocalypse. From what I caught of them, Gospel of the Horns played some more uninteresting black metal stuff, which would’ve ended the night on a sour note if I had stayed for the whole set. Nonetheless, Black Apocalypse still featured some excellent, excellent performances, and everyone should’ve found something they enjoyed today.
