Now before we begin I just want to preface this by saying that I’m not an expert on slam, deathcore, or whatever you want to call it these days. I enjoy it, but to be honest, only dabble in it in very small doses, and even then only when I’m in a particular mood. That being said, the lineup for this show was nothing to be dismissed, with all bands having played songs which I had enjoyed listening to before, so attending Suicide Silence with Boris the Blade, Graves and Disentomb was a no-brainer.
Firstly, whoever at Destroy All Lines put this package together deserves a round of applause. Rather than opting out of the normal ‘local city support’ that is usually used for each different show and instead putting on a tour package complete with bands from the three capital cities that usually constitutes a typical ‘Australian Tour’ (for those who don’t know what this means, when a band announces an Australian tour they typically play three dates in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne and often miss some of the other cities). It just gives a sense of connectedness when they get to play more than one show together, and this was something which shined through tonight.
After some difficulty finding the Wooly Mammoth (it was my first time in this venue), I was pleasantly surprised at the set-up that they had going on. I didn’t have very long to take in the sights however as no more than two minutes after I had entered Brisbane crusher’s Disentomb had begun. Disentomb is a band I have a lot of respect for. With this being their first show back in Brisbane following their US tour with The Black Dahlia Murder and Fallujah the band was on point. Although there was only a meagre turnout at this stage, it only took a small amount of time before their singer was down in the crowd trying to rouse some movement from the fans. Their set was good to watch, with special mention coming from the incredible drumming from behind the kit. It was such a shame that the band’s time expired just as the fans were starting to get into it.
Having previously caught them as part of their 2014 tour with The Acacia Strain, the next band up was Sydney’s Graves, who instantly garnered more of a crowd response than Disentomb before them. I found it a bit difficult to get into their set this time around (recalling a much more energetic performance from two years ago), but still enjoyed it nonetheless. The band seemed pretty happy up on stage, but it just seemed to be missing that spark that I know the band has. The crowd seemed to love it though with a few people throwing down in the pit – which is always a good sign at these shows. Following on from Graves was Boris the Blade, and from the moment they took to the stage the intensity for the night lifted tenfold. There was just this exuberant force emanating from the stage which was unrivalled by any of the predecessor bands and just hit you like a truck. It was beautiful to take it all in and seemed like no matter where you looked that there was something to pick up on. The frontman deserves a special mention because his presence and interaction with the crowd was phenomenal and really took the band’s performance up to the next level.
Following their conclusion everyone filled any available skerric of space for the nights headliner. Now there is a lot that can be said about Suicide Silence, as this is a band that has done remarkable things in the face of extreme adversity, and has risen from the ashes like a phoenix. Being my first time watching them live I was amazed, and their performance was nothing short of memorable, and I can’t honestly find many words to describe it. The intensity of the show was nothing short of spectacular, and frontman Eddie Hermida chillingly nailed his vocal sections perfectly, and was also like a puppet master in the way he orchestrated the crowd’s movements. At one point I actually thought there could be an issue as following request for the room to ‘jump’, of which the crowd obliged, I could feel the wooden floorboards of the venue bowing underneath my feet. Musically, the band was on point and the sound system of the venue did a very good job to accentuate that. There was a very beautiful distinctness to Mark Heylmun‘s leads, but in contrast there was a crushing bleakness to Daniel Kenny‘s bass. All in all it was very difficult to falter and just boosted my perception of the night even more.
Their setlist was nothing short of amazing for any fan of the band, and the intimacy that such a small setting provided for the band meant that they were able to provide an up-close look into how they are the machine that they are. It was fierce, it was loud, and it absolutely crushed and the Brisbane crowd let the band know that by singing, throwing down, head banging or cheering whenever they could. It’s something you don’t see very often, but is the true mark of a great band when you get that level of crowd interaction.
Although it was my first Suicide Silence show, I was still blown away – and if every experience of mine watching the band is as good as this, then I will leave every show as a very happy camper indeed.
Catch The Band On Tour:
Tuesday 6th – NEWCASTLE, The Cambridge 18+
Wednesday 7th – MELBOURNE, 170 Russell 18+
Thursday 8th – ADELAIDE, Fowlers Live Lic/AA
Friday 9th – PERTH, Amplifier 18+
Tickets: http://tickets.destroyalllines.com/