Josh Nixon

Metallise 160

A welcome surprise was the news that we’re getting a Sidewave coming off of Soundwave in all its heaving massiveness. Local Canberra folk unable to make the trek up the Hume on Sunday February 26 for the now sold out extravaganza can grab a ticket to see Lamb Of God, In Flames and The Black Dahlia Murder which is going to test The UC Refectory’s structural integrity on Thursday March 1. For about 20 bucks per international (61 smackers) you can catch three of the mega fest’s biggest names and you only have to travel to UC. Good one Soundwave. Tickets from Ticketek.

Lamb of God are on the Prosthetic Records label and recently joining their ranks on the Prosthetic partner label Lost Sheppard are Canberra’s I Exist. Securing a two album deal that sees the band’s second album The Broken Passage released in the USA on Tuesday January 31 and throughout Europe on Wednesday February 8, the band are touring Australia on the Keeping It Denim tour and play The Basement on Friday February 3 with Life & Limb, Venom Eyes and Something Must Break.

More Sidewave good news, Cathedral, one of the most important and longest running doom metal bands since the late ‘80s, are having their swan song last ever tour right here in Australia and in a nice symmetrical way, doing it with a band they first toured Australia with and who were only recently announced for Soundwave. Paradise Lost played The ANU Bar with Cathedral and locals Alchemist all the way back in 1996 and along with Finn folk metal maniacs Turisas will be playing one of two sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne on Wednesday February 29 and Thursday March 1 respectively. I spoke to Lee Dorian just before Christmas and the band leapt at the opportunity to finish off their touring existence in Australia, before going back to the UK to record one last final record before splitting permanently. They’ve not been in Australia since the Caravan Beyond Redemption tour in 2000 so we look forward to seeing them one last time. Tickets through Ticketek and Oztix for only 37 bucks.

Fu Manchu have announced a LONG overdue return to Australia in April and so far have confirmed Sunday April 29 at Melbourne’s Cherry Rock Festival as a start and hopefully some more shows to be announced off the back of that.

Dirtypunkmutha played the works of Christbait on New Year’s with Blood Duster, and it went so well they’re doing it again in Melbourne on Saturday March 10 and then forming a new heavy band with a more original focus. Featuring members of Christbait, Blood Duster, Pillow and Legends Of Motorsport, head on down to The Tote in Collingwood to check it out.

Unkle K’s band of the week: Saturnalia Temple – myspace.com/saturnaliatemple – Swedish doomsters move beyond just being another E.Wizard copy.

Metalise

Happy n’yeah and all that.

The Cavalera Conspiracy, yes, those Cavalera brothers of the legendary band whose name rhymes with “Cecil Pura” (my apologies, it's my first column of the year and I’m rusty) are doing a show right here at the ANU Bar on Friday January 27 with Lynchmada and Contrive from Melbourne. It's 15 years almost to the day since their previous collaboration cancelled a show here on my birthday, but I’m not bitter and shall attend with enthusiasm!

In less good news on the international tour front, Karma To Burn had to cancel their Aussie tour due to Visa issues. Tickets can be refunded from point of purchase.

Don’t forget the ANU Bar is hosting that great solo tour with Scott Kelly of Neurosis and John Baizley of Baroness on February 8!

Locals Tortured have just put out a full length slab of utterly brutal death metal entitled A Lesson In Holocaust and it’s quite the package. Complete with a CD cut into the shape of a ban saw blade (which makes for an amusing whistle tip like noise whilst ripping into your iTunes library) and conversely a cover that shows the band didn’t cut any corners at all. I’ve only had a chance to spin it a couple of times since returning from a south coast jaunt, but the 45-odd minute full lengther is jam packed with ten slabs of unrelenting brutal death metal proving that Canberra still has it when it comes to producing world class music in a competitive genre. The band are launching the album at The Basement in Belconnen on Saturday January 28 with a slew of great young Aussie metal bands including Whoretopsy, Empirical and Wretch which will serve as a good hair of the dog gig to follow up the Cavalera Conspiracy show the night before.

Infinitum and The Kill are two great Aussie bands that will have their own slabs of brutality out early this year so stay tuned to find out when you can get your mitts on these records.

Looking Glass, The Vee Bees and Sydney’s Mother Mars have a show on at The Basement in Belconnen on Australia Day Eve, Wednesday January 25. Check the feature in this issue for more details. Also at The Basement on Friday February 3 is I Exist doing their Keeping It Denim tour home match with Life & Limb, Venom Eyes and Something Must Break.

Chaos ACT VI hits The Woden Tradies in March with Switzerland’s Sybreed, Aeon of Horus, Ignite The Ibex, Elysian, Anno Domini, Mytile Vey Lorth, Ouroboros, Alice Through The Windsheild Glass, A Million Dead Birds Laughing, House Of Thumbs, The Schoenburg Automation, The Automata and Norse. Put it on your calendar now! [And stay tuned for more coverage - BOSSMAN AL]

Unkle K’s Band Of The Week: Hot Graves, from Florida in the USA providing some crusty thrash for good times – hotgraves.bandcamp.com

Looking Glass

Beyond the Looking Glass

If you’ve been attending heavier shows in Canberra in the last seven years, chances are you’ve found yourself drawn to the stage when three of Canberra’s maestros have been plying their Sabbathy fuelled riffs, driving bass lines and world class guitar playing. Further, if you had any sense at all, you would have gone and picked up one of their three albums. I refer, of course, to LOOKING GLASS.

Be it the considered riffing and great songs of the eponymous debut, the more spacey jam approach of their 2 record or, with no excuse for regular readers of my column, the career best combination of the greatest elements of the first two records on their latest album III, you know you’re listening to a truly special band.

Having trod the boards all over the country, with a couple of jaunts to New Zealand, the band have soared in the last 12 months as they prepared and toured the new material alongside the tried and true songs from their earlier works.

Catching up with veteran Canberra bass legend Lachlan Paine, I wanted to know what laid the foundation for the record that was my number one in 2011.

“We tried a few things that we hadn’t done in the past. Stuff like two of us singing, keyboards, and the use of instruments other than our standard guitar, bass and drums. There is a drawer full of cutlery being hit with sticks throughout one of the tunes. It’s subtle, but it’s there. This has opened the floodgates for new ideas and we are very positive as to which direction we are heading in; we’ve had great reviews of the disc from all over the world. We are also working on a ‘bits and pieces’ recording gathering everything that hasn’t made it onto our albums. Having access to our own studio now has enabled us to finish off a few things from the past without time and budget constraints.”

The DIY approach carries over into the bands merchandising also.

“We run our sales through Bandcamp now, which has been the best website for bands in recent times. I am visiting the post office a few times a week to mail out discs interstate, to Europe and the US that have been purchased through the site. In fact, we have sold more stuff through the site since the last album’s release in October than we have over the past two years. Most of the sales can be tracked back to CD reviews on overseas sites.”

Recent tours on the Doomsday shows with US bands Acid King and Cough have garnered further respect plus tantalising offers to head stateside.

“III definitely stirred up more interest overseas than anything we have done before. Being essentially a DIY band, and with the current climate of physical CDs heading out the door and only digital recordings being marketed, the possibility of us heading overseas is closer to reality. The NZ shows are always great and Cough and Acid King both spoke of the possibility of us doing a bunch of US shows with them. We sell quite a bit digitally overseas – it would be great to back it up with some shows.”

The band’s show at The Basement on Wednesday January 25 will include a full track by track performance of the latest record, including the haunting Shores of Carcossa thanks to the pedal keyboard skills of Mr Paine. You can catch them alongside The Veebees and Mother Mars.

Metal Columnist Josh Nixon's Top Ten Albums 2011

10. Gentleman's Pistols – Gentleman's Pistols [Rise Above Records]
Top notch British rock including the exquisite guitar work of former Carcass slinger Bill Steer. Brilliant.

9. Hydromedusa – Hydromedusa [Self Release]
South Australian doom moments are usually delivered from a more gothy place, Mournful Congregation, Chalice etc. These guys came from nowhere, put out a six track record with a 23 minute song on it and proceeded to floor everyone who got to catch 'em live in 2011. Can't wait for the follow up.

8. Premonition 13 – 13 [Volcom]
Wino. This fucking guy, his riff well is deeper than the earth's magma that seems to ooze from his fingers in between each and every project he undertakes. A slow year for Wino with only two or three releases as opposed to the four or five from last year. Expect to see at least one or two making the list next year as well.

7. Pentagram – Last Rites [Metal Blade]
Bobby Leibling should be dead. Straight up. That dude has done more drugs than a row boat full of rock 'n' roll casualties of the 27 Club and when combined with the indomitable Victor Griffin, is putting out consistent amazing doom metal for 40 years this year. Here's to another 40.

6. Autopsy – Macabre Eternal [Peaceville]
A welcome return to disgusting form. I got to speak to Chris Reifert earlier in the year and his affable almost evergreen enthusiasm for the most crusty and real death metal band in human history made this a favourite for me all year.

5. Yob - Atma [Profound Lore]
Woulda bumped this up higher if the drum production had some more beef in it, but god damn! Yob make doom metal that just keeps me coming back for more and Mike Scheidt is the genre's premiere singer-songwriter for me.

4. Wizard Smoke – The Speed of Smoke [Self Release]
FYI, the speed is not very fast. A vocoder in doom metal is really a foreign concept. It's delectable use on Weakling might make it my song of the year.

3. Argus – Boldly Stride the Doomed [Cruz Del Sur Music]
Butch Balich of Pennance brings the perfect vocal perofrmance to an album with enough guitar harmonies to make a mess of BMA columnist Scott Adams' trousers and that's all you need to know.

2. Orchid – Capricorn [Doom Dealer] PICTURED
OK so they had an EP, but it's the USA’s debut album of the year, straight from 1972 to you, packing an authority a debut record has no right to have. Sabbath worship at its best.

1. Looking Glass – III [Self Release]
You know, call it peroquial, call it being a one-eyed fan, call it what you will. I don't give a fuck. Canberra's Looking Glass are the best power trio in Australia and are top shelf world class players no matter how you slice it. The seven track record kicks off with Heavy on the Hook and bassist and producer Lachlan Payne stamps his foot on your throat with chops and authority of Australia's best rock bassist and you know you're in for it. Electric Mistress delivers the essential guitar solo of the year, from 2.52 in the track, through an utterly face melting bebop decontruction before kicking into a conjuration of Ritchie Blackmore before delving back into the strongest chorus on the record. Shores of Carcosa shows the band can create and wield an atmopshere full of Lovecraftian dread and melancholy, with a string section crying a lamenting harmony to the acoustic's simple, haunting refrain. Not content to rest, Child of Vertigo goes High On Fire with pumping intensity, Spiral Architect drops all the Sabbath-fied riffs that hundreds of pretenders worldwide wished they had along with dynamic psychedleic turnarounds from Jimi's spaciest blues jams. Wizard or the Skull crushes the testicals of both the former and the latter, and finally the record descends (or ascends, depending on your opinion of true doom metal) to the band's career heaviest moment and winnowing the hearing range of live audiences treated to its mantra in 2011. No band in Canberra peaks like they do onstage, no album in 2011 has matched its dynamo approach to its genre. Don't fucking miss it.

BMA Magazine Albums of 2011, Looking Glass – III

[Independent]

You know, call it parochial, call it being a one eyed fan, call it what you will. I don't give a fuck. Canberra's Looking Glass are the best power trio in Australia and are top shelf world class players no matter how you slice it. The seven-track record kicks off with Heavy on the Hook and bassist and producer Lachlan Payne stamps his foot on your throat with the chops and authority of Australia's best rock bassist. You know you're in for it. Electric Mistress delivers the essential guitar solo of the year from 2.52 in the track, through an utterly face melting bebop deconstruction before kicking into a conjuration of Ritchie Blackmore before delving back into the strongest chorus on the record. Shores of Carcosa shows the band can create and wield an atmosphere full of Lovecraftian dread and melancholy, with a string section crying a lamenting harmony to the acoustic’s simple, haunting refrain. Not content to rest, Child of Vertigo goes High On Fire with pumping intensity, Spiral Architect drops all the Sabbath-fied riffs that hundreds of pretenders worldwide wished they had along with dynamic psychedelic turnarounds from Jimi's spaciest blues jams. Wizard or the Skull crushes the testicles of both the former and the latter and finally the record descends or ascends – depending on your opinion of true doom metal – to the band’s career heaviest moment while winnowing the hearing range of live audiences treated to its mantra in 2011. No band in Canberra peaks like they do onstage, no album in 2011 has matched its dynamo approach to its genre. Don't fucking miss it.

Metalise

Another year flies on by and we look towards a long summer punctuated by the juggernaut of Soundwave and the resultant side shows that come from having a ridiculous amount of international heavy bands visiting our shores. Slipknot (Monday February 27 in Sydney, Thursday March 1 in Melbourne), Trivium (likely in support of Slipknot), Marilyn Manson, System of A Down (Tuesday February 28 in Sydney, Wednesday February 29 in Melbourne), Devin Townsend, Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan, Steel Panther and Cathedral (Melbourne definite, Sydney likely the other) all have a sideshow slated for either Melbourne or Sydney or both. Brisbane only gets one ‘Sidewave’ and the promoters have been pretty insistent that there will be no other sideshows in any other state or territory, HOWEVER, there are rumours afoot of a possible Mastodon, Kvelertak and Gojira Sidewave coming to our very own berg here in Canberra. Fingers crossed, but we’ll have a full update on the shows when BMA Magazine fires up the presses again in mid-January.

Friday January 13 at the ANU has been booked by Heathen Skulls Promotions for the Toxic Holocaust tour along with Kromosom and Hellbringer. Horror-themed chaos will abound and a local support is likely to be added soon.

If you’re not sure what to do this New Year’s Eve and some travel is a possibility, Blood Duster are doing a New Year’s Eve extravaganza at The Tote in Collingwood with a bill that includes King Parrot, Swidgen and a heavy metal cook off (Iron Maiden Chef) between Rowan from Captain Cleanoff representing the carnivores and Rob Wog representing the vegans. The really exciting news is that there will be a show from a group calling themselves Dirtypunkmutha. They’ll be playing the tunes of Melbourne’s legendary Christbait and featuring Craig and V from the original line-up, along with members of Blood Duster, Legends of Motorsport and Pillow, that’s a meaty New Year’s proposition for fans of heavy music.

The Basement in Belconnen has a cool show on Saturday December 10 with Eyes To The Sky, Knights of the Spatchcock, Point of View and Delinquent hitting the loudest stage in Canberra. Friday December 16 is a big night with Forbidden Burning, Vendetta of the Fallen, Knight Hammer, Indistrict, Blindfold Warhorse and No Longer.

A best of luck cheerio to Andrew Haug who has announced his departure from Australia’s only national heavy metal show, triple j’s Full Metal Racket, a gig he held down for ten years. Here’s hoping that doesn’t spell the end of metal on the js. Bon voyage Haugy, I’m sure we’ll hear from you again. He even chucked a tribute to our own Alchemist in the farewell show. Good dude.

In the interest of wrapping up the ‘best of’ flavour this time of year, Metallise recommends that you acquire the following for brutal holiday entertainment. The Walking Dead for brutal TV series, The Walking Dead comics (91 issues strong from Impact Comics, most brutal comic store with epically brutal staff), a copy of UFC 139 for the year’s most brutal main event with Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua, Human Centipede II for brutally banned films, my top ten albums of 2011 for brutal tunes and a copy of Skyrim on PC, PS3 or Xbox which is basically brutal electronic crack.

Three Unkle Kronoz’ bands of the week to check over the break – Windhand (myspace.com/windhand) for amazing female-fronted doom, Grimpen Mire (myspace.com/grimpenmire1971) for UK Celtic Frost-inspired sludge and Morbus Chron (myspace.com/morbuschronband), bringing 1991 Swedish death metal around again in welcome fashion.

Good festivus to you all!

Metalise

In their 20th year, Texan black metal outfit Absu have announced their first ever Australian tour, headlining the Australian Connexus Conjuration tour in January. With six albums and a bunch of EPs and 7” releases on their resume, some of the USA’s most stalwart underground warriors bring their fused in fire brand of black, thrash, death and traditional metal into their own signature sound. There is no more appropriate day for their Sydney show, Friday January 13 at The Sandringham Hotel in Newtown. The supports are absolutely first class, Queensland’s Portal, Tasmaniacs Ruins and locals Ourorboros and Norse. A stellar show and well worth the 43 odd dollars it will cost all up on Moshtix where tickets are now on sale. If you’ve been very naughty for 666mas, you might get one in your stocking with your lump of coal.

Ruins also features members of Psycroptic, who will release their fifth studio album The Inherited Repression in early February next year.

At the risk of repeating myself for like the fifth column in a row, Looking Glass’ new record III is another stocking stuffer that any self-respecting fan of psychedelic Sabbath-laced riffage needs on their summer playlist. The guys are playing an official launch at The Basement on Friday December 2 with one of my other favourite Australian treasures, Adelaide’s amazing Hydromedusa. The guys released their six track debut on Bandcamp for free earlier in the year (hydromedusa.bandcamp.com) and it is well worth a few MB of your monthly download budget to get acquainted with their music before the show.

Now if Infinitum and The Kill can hurry up and release their awesome upcoming records by the end of the year, my top ten could almost be comprised primarily of an Aussie set of releases.

The next night at Belcompton’s basement home of brutality is a big covers show featuring The Cult tribute Sonic Death Cult playing with Def Leppard tribute band Leppard on Saturday December 3 for a mere 15 smackers.

Negur? Bunget are a late scratching from their show out at The Maram due to a leg injury sustained by their drummer.

Scott Kelly of Neurosis and John Baizley of Baroness are embarking on a “joint” solo tour (holy nonsensical sentences Batman!) in February. The good news is we get one of the shows right here at The ANU Bar. Wednesday February 8 is the date to mark into your calendars.

Daemon Foetal Harvest unleash their unforgiving miasma of malevolence over Belconnen at The Basement on Friday November 25. The show also welcomes back long time Brisbane thrashers Lynchmada to town along with Tortured, CHUD and the amusingly named Festering Drippage.

March welcomes back Japanese uber trio Boris to our shores for a three date stint. Closest to Canberra is the Thursday March 22 date at The Metro on George Street in Sydney.

Unkle K’s band of the week: The Hookers, cheesy good fun that our man Unkle K suggests as a delicious accompaniment to a Vee Bees show. To check out the good times, chuck a squiz at myspace.com/hookersvalhalla

Metalise

Where does the year go?

Metal Fiesta is nearly upon us and the huge bill of all Aussie metal is headed by a band I remember meeting as far fresher-faced young men than the bearded metal warriors covering the advertising for this show. Frankenbok had recorded Greetings and Salutations and a ‘more metal Mr Bungle’ was a fairly overused analogy for their sound back then when Five Star Prison Cell vocalist Adam Glynn was on the microphone, with a highly Mike Patton-esque delivery. Over a decade and two vocalists later (and the addition of Yeti replacing Scott and former singer/guitarist Adam on second guitar) and the band has evolved into an even more formidable live beast. Their new album The End of All You Know is available to pre-order on the band’s website and for 30 bucks you get the CD, a shirt, a stubby holder and a sticker.

The Metal Fiesta show which serves as the Bok’s album launch is on up at The Basement in Belconnen on Saturday November 19 and also includes House of Thumbs, Witchgrinder, Hatchet Dawn, Darker Half, Nobody Knew They Were Robots, Strict Vincent, Neanderthug and The Devilzwork.

Monday November 21 at The Maram out in Erindale features the Romanian band Negura Bunget who are in Australia to headline the Sonic Forge Festival in Melbourne on Saturday November 26. A blend of their Romanian musical history and an atmospheric black metal assault, it is well worth a trip out to the south side to see them ply their trade. If Sonic Forge is more your taste, there is a HUGE 30 Aussie band bill at The Esplanade in St Kilda to complement the Romanian’s visit to Australia. Included are Dreadnaught, Eye of the Enemy, Chaos Divine, Million Dead Birds Laughing, Aeon of Horus, The Schoenberg Automaton, In Malice’s Wake, Eyefear, Circles, Ouroboros, Okera, Orpheus, Elysian, Synthetic Breed, Lynchmada, Arbrynth, Black Orchid, The Automata, Hemina, Naberus, Untruth, King Parrot, Whoretopsy, Odiusembowel, Phil Para & Band and more to be announced. Tickets are 20 bucks plus booking fee through Oztix.

I know I’ve mentioned it a LOT, but god damn, Looking Glass III is the bomb. Get on that record.

Claim The Throne, Perth’s most pirate metal band ever have a new webstore to buy such 666mas essentials as CTT g-strings for the little lady. Check claimthethrone.bigcartel.com for all the stocking fillers. Arrrrrr!

This fortnight also sees Children of Bodom hit The Big Top in Sydney on Saturday November 12 with in-store signings featuring Alexi Laiho, Roope Latvala and Hennka Blacksmith at Icon Music in West Ryde on Friday November 11 at 5.30pm.

Unkle Kronoz Band of the Week: Brainoil – Eyehategod-esque sludge of the highest (or perhaps lowest) order have a new LP on the 20 Buck Spin label.

Metalise

Cough tested the structural integrity of The Basement like no other show in recent times. Wow. It’s a good thing too, given all the action coming up at Belconnen’s home of brutality coming into the warmer climes.

The Frankenbok national tour in support of their new album hits town on Saturday November 19 with the bill including House of Thumbs, Witchgrinder, Hatchet Dawn, Darker Half, Nobody Knew They Were Robots, Strict Vincent, Neanderthug and The Devilzwork. That is a big night of brutality no matter how you slice it.

The Soundwave juggernaut rolls on with a second announcement adding to the… look, I gotta be honest here… I respect the Soundworks guys and those of you who may have come of age in the late ‘90s… but it’s just too soon for “nu” metal to have any kind of nostalgic revival for me. Hole dropped out because they supposedly wouldn’t open for main act Limp Bizkit and as much as I detest Courtney Love, I couldn’t argue with her logic. Okay, so here is the full line-up to date:

System Of A Down, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit, Marilyn Manson, A Day To Remember, Machine Head, Lamb Of God, Trivium, Alter Bridge, Lostprophets, Angels & Airwaves, Cobra Starship, The Used, You Me At Six, Devin Townsend Project, Unwritten Law, Coal Chamber, Dashboard Confessional, Thursday, Forever The Sickest Kids, Raised Fist, Dillinger Escape Plan, Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, Mastodon, Underoath, Saves The Day (playing Weezer’s Pinkerton), Circa Survive, Steel Panther, Jack’s Mannequin, Meshuggah, The Sisters Of Mercy, Enter Shikari, Four Year Strong, Black Veil Brides, Madina Lake, Zebrahead, Hatebreed, Biohazard, Times Of Grace, CKY, Street Dogs, Dragonforce, Gojira, Kvelertak, Letlive, Hellyeah, Cro-Mags, The Cab, Relient K, Versa Emerge, Heroes For Hire, Kill Hannah, The Dangerous Summer, Chimaira, Framing Hanley, Watain, Royal Republic, I Am The Avalanche, Turisas and River City Extension.

Last week the second line-up was announced: Bad Religion, Strung Out, Staind, Wednesday 13, Unearth, The Pretty Reckless, Cathedral, Shadows Fall, Tonight Alive, Motionless In White, Break Even, Heaven Shall Burn, Your Demise, A Rocket To The Moon, The Ready Set, The Menzingers, Dream On Dreamer, Kittie, Dredg, Attack! Attack!, The Smoking Hearts and The Summer Set.

Cathedral are playing their last ever tour, I pray the doom gods grant me a sideshow… with Kvelertak and Watain. Maybe Cro-mags too…

Indianapolis prog metallers The Contortionist will embark on a national tour in Australia in November with two Sydney shows on Saturday November 12 – an all ages show in the day at Blacktown Masonic Hall and an over 18s one at night at Venom. The band will be supported nationally by Newcastle outfit The Storm Picturesque.

Unkle Kronoz’s band of the week: Canberra solo project of 4 Dead’s guitarist Shane – Black Bong.

Babies

Each year new parents spend billions in preparation for the day when their lives are turned upside down by small screaming balls of demands, tears, laughs and fun. An entire niche of the book industry is devoted to a forensic rundown of what to expect and how to deal with every eventuality when junior won’t settle, cries in an odd pitch or fails to poo for five days. Or won’t stop for five days. We are one of the most prepared generations of parents in history – yet when you boil it all down, child rearing is one of the few things that remain a relative constant throughout millennia. Feed, clean, rest, play, nurture: rinse, repeat.

Babies is a deceptively simple yet meticulous and dazzling documentary that charts the lives of four babies in their first year on earth. The camera lingers on Ponijao (Namibia), Mari (Japan), Bayar (Mongolia) and Hattie (USA) capturing individual moments which codify cultures: Ponijao lives happily near-naked in sparse conditions in ochre expanses of Africa, Bayar co-exists easily with roaming animals in the steppes of North Asia, Mari is dazed by Tokyo’s neon landscapes and Hattie is fussed over in hipster suburbia.

What Babies thankfully refrains from is any overt finger pointing or point scoring; it doesn’t create a narrative that places one version of child rearing above another. The viewer is left with a slow moving narration-free canvas from which we make our own judgements, but you’d be hard pressed to call it heavy handed. What it does do is remind us that when in doubt it’s usually not the book to run to, it’s your extended family. It’s where our genetic knowledge base resides.

Metalise

Cough emerged from Richmond, Virginia in the USA among a scene known for such heavyweights as GWAR, Pig Destroyer, Lamb of God and Municipal Waste. What they brought forth musically through their demo and two full-length records, Sigillum Luciferi and Ritual Abuse was a wall of claustrophobic and nihilistic doom that smacked of the pitch perfect balance between English influences in terms of riffage and nihilism in terms of atmosphere as oppressive as any US born Lovecraftian nightmare. Equal parts of despair and ample lashings of psychedelic experiments gone wrong, I find the listening experience of their albums something akin to a realisation that you’ve just ingested one mushroom more than you should have. Cough bring their hefty presence to The Basement on Thursday October 20 and it’s a show that is not to be missed.

Also appearing and as advertised in several recent columns is the ACT’s greatest three-piece since Armoured Angel, Looking Glass. I have since last column had a chance to savour the new record in its entirety and they have absolutely exceeded my already lofty expectations, honing their musical muscles into a diverse and utterly compelling record of psychedelic blues ‘n’ doom. The moment this record hits the merch desk at the show is the time to snap this landmark record up.

Back in June I had a trip up to Brisbane on the Doomriders tour and had the opportunity to play with an excellent young Gold Coast band, The Matador. They’ve recently released an EP entitled Descent Into The Maelstrom and having sharpened their live skills on the very healthy Brisbane music scene, are heading down for a show at The Basement on Saturday October 22 with Lo!, We Lost The Sea and Adrift For Days. An excellent young Aussie band and well worth your hard earned dosh for a squiz.

Metal Fiesta is coming up in November also at The Basement on Saturday November 19 and a huge all-Aussie bill is on the cards headed by Victorian stalwarts Frankenbok launching their new record. The bill includes House of Thumbs, Witchgrinder, Hatchet Dawn, Darker Half, Nobody Knew They Were Robots, Strict Vincent, Neanderthug  and The Devilzwork.

Children of Bodom are back with special guests Voyager for a national tour in November and the good folks at Mr Laiho’s guitar endorsement with ESP rewards fans who buy a presale ticket with a chance to win a signed ESP guitar. The show is Saturday November 12 at The Big Top in Sydney.

Unkle Kronoz’ Band of the Week: Iron Witch from Liverpool in the UK have an unhealthy obsession with Eyehategod and it is wonderful. Check them out at ironwitch.bandcamp.com .

Metalise

Having spent the last three weeks on the road with the Bastardfest tour, it served as a pretty good health check for the Australian metal and heavy community. It seems there’s a diverse and healthy amount of music being made out there at any time since the scene galvanised around the early ‘90s with the advent of Metal for the Brain and the various states’ bands started making their networks to play together interstate in the time before booking shows on the interweb was an option.

d.USK are a band that formed to bring the music of legendary band .dISEMBOWELMENT live to the masses and I got to see them on the Queensland leg and catch up for a chat with them in Melbourne. They were amazing and it was welcome news when they told me at The Tote in Collingwood that they have been asked to play their classic album Transcending The Peripheral in full at Holland’s and the world’s premiere doom festival Roadburn next year. It’s great to see the impact of that album on the doom world, even after 20 years.

Speaking of doom-fests, Australia’s fourth Doomsday Festival is gearing up with the line-ups and artwork for posters is being finalised. As touched on last time, this year the Sydney event is at The Sandringham in Sydney on Saturday October 15 and features Cough, Clagg, Pod People, Summonus, Looking Glass, Daredevil, Mother Mars, The Devil Rides Out and Rituals of the Oak.

Looking Glass are just about ready to put out their third release and I am totally salivating at how this record will be received. I have often stated this, but we really do have the absolute best power trio in the country living in our fair city and there is no band that can match what they do when they’re on. Marcus and Lachlan both deserve recognition as being at the pinnacle of their chosen instruments and Clint’s drumming is just spot on this time around. Of course it’s about songs and this record really combines the tighter more traditional songs of the first album and seamlessly combines it with the more jammed out feel of the second album. Essential!

Karma To Burn are a top notch three-piece instrumental act whose Wild Wonderful Purgatory record was on high rotation at my place back in the late ‘90s. The band had a hiatus from 2002 ‘til 2009’s live shows and their two subsequent records, Appalachian Incantation and V. They are playing the Sydney Coma Festival on Saturday January 28 next year as well as dates booked for Melbourne and Geelong – more on that to come as we get closer to (gulp) 2012. Where does the year go!?!

Children of Bodom and Voyager announced a national tour last month with their five date Australian tour slated for November. Saturday November 12 at the Big Top in Luna Park in Sydney.

Unkle K’s band of the week: Author & Punisher ­– myspace.com/authorandpunisher – an industrial doom and drone metal, one-man-band utilising primarily custom fabricated machines/controllers and speakers.

Metalise

There‘s a big show at The Maram in Wanniassa this Saturday September 17 presented by Mudd Promotions with Sydney thrash giants Mortal Sin coming to town ahead of their Thrashfest tour in Europe in November/December this year with Sepultura, Destruction, Heathen and Exodus all playing the songs off their landmark albums. While we may not have the same set or other bands playing with them, we do get to hear the band pushing their new album The Psychology of Death and some great local acts with Reign of Terror, Chud, Eyes to the Sky and Rise joining the fray. Should be a huge night out there, get along!

In a, ‘you win some, you lose some’ situation, Monster Magnet pulled out of their Australian tour for September with the reason being cited as a “perfect storm” of problems that saw the shows canned. But they weren’t playing in Canberra anyway. The good news is that 666 Entertainment have confirmed the USA’s ultra amazing Cough for this October’s Doomsday festivals that mark the fourth annual event for the promotional team.

So this year the Sydney event is at The Sandringham in Sydney and features Cough, Clagg, Pod People, Summonus, Looking Glass, Daredevil, Mother Mars, The Devil Rides Out and Rituals of the Oak. Then Canberra on Thursday October 20 at The Basement gets Cough, Pod People, I Exist and Looking Glass.

The pick of the line-ups for all shows in my opinion, though, is happening Saturday October 22 at Northcote Social Club in Melbourne and features Cough, d.USK, Clagg, Looking Glass, Summonus, Hydromedusa, Sons of the Ionian Sea, Mother Mars and Wurms. That is an amazingly awesome bill from top to bottom.

Hydromedusa are an Adelaide band that knocked the socks off the I Exist boys on the recent Doomriders tour, and their free EP is available for all into classic rock influenced doom. The website address for the EP is hydromedusa.bandcamp.com .

Recently I wrote about the Aussies United concerts that were coming up in the ACT for up and coming bands of all genres and Saturday September 24 and Sunday September 25 sees the two-day free concert at the Black Mountain  Peninsula feature bands from across the musical spectrum. The line-up is SAMI, Side Show Annie, Emma Joleenk, The Rebound Slapdown, John Lollback, Two Thirds Rule, MushMellow, James Montgomery-Willcox, Blind Eyed Gods, Emma Dryden, Sp3cer, Take 3, Adrenalin, Black Squire, Chris Harland Blues Band, Indistrict, Russell Vincent, The Ginger Train, Venom Inside, Chud, What We've Made and guests from the Country Music Association.

This issue’s Unkle Kronoz’ band of the week is extra special in that it is the new project of former Alchemist frontman Adam Agius – The Levitation Hex. Heavier and more aggressive than the mighty Schmutz, but with that psychedelic prog twist that made the boys so special also apparent. www.myspace.com/573080527 and  www.levitationhex.net

Metalise

So Soundwave Revolution is out, but Counter Revolution is on. Cynically, it looks like bands that booked plane tickets with no way to cancel or put off ‘til next February have a mini fest happening in the major state capitals with the date for Sydney being Sunday September 25, venue TBC. Panic! At The Disco, All Time Low, Yellowcard, Story Of The Year, Face To Face, The Damned Things, Set Your Goals, Funeral For A Friend, Hellogoodbye, D.R.U.G.S., The Pretty Reckless, Young Guns, This Providence, Go Radio, Make Do And Mend, Alesana, The Swellers, We Are The In Crowd, and Terrible Things is the line-up for this mini event, but personally, I’m really only interested in a Watain sideshow…

Which is happening in club shows – Watain and Whitechapel also must have purchased non-refundable tickets, as their club dates while yet to be confirmed, are happening according to the much maligned folks at Soundwave HQ.

Devin Townsend is going to make it over for the next Soundwave in February next year and Van Halen will more than likely look to do a headline tour here instead. Sydney date for Soundwave has been leaked by Trivium on their website as being Sunday February 26, 2012.

Doomsday rumours are flying around and at this stage it’s looking like US doom lords Cough are the hot rumour. This would still include a Canberra sideshow; stay tuned for further details.

Russian Circles are in town Friday September 9 with 4Dead and Adelaide band Bronze Chariot. If you can’t make that show, the American three-piece are playing two Sydney shows on Sunday September 11 at Hermann’s Bar in Sydney with an early show at 4pm-7pm and the evening show at 8pm-11pm.

Bastardfest is on at The Sandringham on Saturday September 10 with Psycroptic, Blood Duster, Extortion, Dreamkillers, Ruins, Claim The Throne, Pod People, I Exist, Bane of Isildur, Ouroboros, Daemon Foetal Harvest, Anno Domini, Chaos Divine, Enforce, Dawn Heist and Ignite The Ibex.

Suicidal Tendancies, here last in May, will be back again in November as the Mad Mad Muir Musical tour continues. Supposedly here Monday November 14, though where and with who in tow is not clear yet. They’re also slated for a show at the Manning Bar in Sydney on Saturday November 5.

Frankenbok have a new record out on Monday October 10 entitled The End of All You Know which you can pre-order on their website. You can also get the song Dine In Hell through the iTunes store right now. If you pre-order the album, for 30 bucks you get the CD, a shirt and a stubby holder with your purchase and the band will be touring extensively to celebrate its release later in the year.

Unkle K’s band of the week - myspace.com/nightfukker - Nightfucker - Dark Sludge featuring members of Moss/Goatsblood.

Metalise

Promo is beginning in earnest for a number of Australian metal fests coming up this year and first cab off the rank is the fourth instalment of Slaughterfest, on Saturday July 30 at the Sandringham Hotel in Sydney. Notables include Looking Glass, representing for us Canberra folk, along with Melbourne’s astounding Fuck…I’m Dead and a tonne more great Aussie bands from a wide variety of heavy music.

Bastardfest is evolving rapidly and the Sydney line-up is another showcase of prime Aussie beef with Extortion, Ruins, Daemon Foetal Harvest, Enforce, Ignite The Ibex, Psycroptoc, Blood Duster, The Dreamkillers, Claim The Throne, Pod People, I Exist, Bane Of Isildur, Ouroboros, Anno Domini, Chaos Divine and Dawn Heist. That’s also at the Sandringham on Tuesday September 20.

Speaking of Looking Glass, the boys are nearing completion of their next full length record, and given the performances of new material in recent shows, it’s looking like an absolute monster of a record. Futility are also nearing completion on the follow up to their self-titled effort from 2009. Funeral doom hasn’t been done this good in the Capital ever, and Kurt was talking about a 75minute-long ambient piece that just sounds jaw dropping. Check it.

I almost yelped for joy when my good friend Nathan from 666 promotions let me announce the headliner for the recently announced run of dates for this year’s, the third consecutive Doomsday Festival. Japan has two all time great doom bands, and Church of Misery are one them (Corrupted are the other, for those interested). Combining a deep love of Black Sabbath with a lyrical theme exclusively around serial killers and mass murderers, these guys have been kicking arse since the late ‘90s. The Doomsday Festival is taking in four cities, Brisbane (Friday October 14) Sydney (Saturday October 15), Adelaide (Friday October 21) and Melbourne (Saturday October 22), but much like last year’s Acid King tour, Canberra will get a special show for those that can’t travel on Thursday October 20 at The Basement.

Sonic Forge is the other domestic fest and is looking to be held at the Esplanade Hotel in late November this year. 30 bands played last December’s show and the promoters are looking to book acts now. Got metal? Contact sonicforefestival@gmail.com with your bio, photo and a link to some tunes to get on board.

Darker Half are on a national tour this winter launching their new album Desensitized and The Basement will play host to the Canberra leg on Saturday July 9. Along for the good times are Perpetual End, Immorium and Katabasis.

The USA’s Doomriders tour hits the ANU bar on the Monday July 25 on their first Australian tour with locals I Exist, who pulled a bit of a coup in bagging Drum Media’s ‘CD Of The Week’ with their new album The Broken Passage, beating Lady Gaga and The Black Dahlia Murder to the honour.

josh Unkle K’s Band of the Week: Zebulon Pike - http://www.myspace.com/zebpike : Killer instrumental prog from the USA.

Metalise

Bastardfest has announced its full line-up for the shows touring the nation in September. The Sydney show is on Saturday September 3 and features, Psycroptic, Blood Duster, The Dreamkillers, Extortion, The Kill, Pod People d.Usk, Claim The Throne, I Exist, The Dead, Shellfin, Dead Letter Opener Iron Hide, Jack Flash, Synthetic Breed, The Ovaries, Happy Camper The Last Outlaw, Through Plagues and Magnertron. For our local hardcore fans, you may want to book in a trip to Melbourne on Saturday September 17 for the return of the USA’s mighty Ringworm, who will play alongside Psycroptic, Mindsnare, Extortion, Pod People I Exist, Fuck I'm Dead and Claim The Throne. Check the Bastardfest website for details.

Russian Circles have announced their first Australian tour and will be at ANU Bar on Friday September 9. The instrumental artists’ first tour will have some more acts added to the show as it gets closer, Metallise will keep you informed.

Sydonia are on a national tour bringing their self-described “alt metal” stylings, and they’re bringing Contrive up the Hume on Thursday June 23 at Belconnen’s home of heavy metal, The Basement. The band will be airing out new tunes due to come out later this year on their as yet untitled album.

Bay Area thrash masters Forbidden are touring Australia for the first time in July and August and they’re playing Sydney at The Bald Faced Stag (or ‘The Wall’ depending on how you know the Parramatta road venue) on Friday August 5 with Hobbs Angel Of Death, Hellbringer and Maniaxe.

If you didn’t catch Portal at The Basement on the long weekend, you might want to book a holiday up to Brisbane on Friday November 11 at The Globe Theatre with Star Gazer and Spire. It’s Portal, they don’t play very much and you should see them when they do!

Motely Crue have officially announced their Australia tour for three dates in Australia in September. Friday September 23 is the closest one for glam fans. Supports for the show are Brett Michaels of Poison and Doc Neeson of The Angels. Meh, the book was better. No seriously, The Dirt by Neil Strauss, probably the best rock bio ever penned.

The Doomriders tour hits The ANU Bar on Monday July 25, unleashing their blend of unhealthy obsessions in classic rock, hardcore and skateboarding all over Australia and New Zealand. I Exist are along for the ride and don’t forget to check out I Exist’s new album II: The Broken Passage out this week in your local record store. The band will launch the album next weekend, on Saturday June 25 at The Basement in Belco with Loveshy, Disavow and Anchors.

If that’s not your cup of chai, Aussie grind champions Captain Cleanoff play Sydney on Saturday June 25 at Black Wire Records with Burning Servant, Battle Pope and Michael Crafter and the following night at The Sandringham Hotel in Newtown with Roadside Burial, Serious Beak and F.G.W.M.W.S.

Unkle K’s Band of the Week: Drainland, Dublin, Ireland. http://www.myspace.com/drainlanddublin.

Josh

Metalise

OK, so by now the Soundwave Revolution juggernaut is in full effect with the entire line-up. Deep, deep breath - Van Halen, Alice Cooper, Bad Religion, Panic! At The Disco, Machine Head, Hole, Danzig, The Used, All Time Low, Sum 41, Alter Bridge, Yellowcard, Thursday, Cro-Mags, Sisters Of Mercy, Dashboard Confessional, Set Your Goals, Devin Townsend Project, Story Of The Year, The Damned Things, Steel Panther, Gojira, Hatebreed, Four Year Strong, Every Time I Die, Funeral For A Friend, Hellogoodbye, Madina Lake, Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, Unearth, Face To Face, Hellyeah, Times Of Grace, Relient K, Whitechapel, Versaemerge, Zebrahead, Terrible Things, Kevin Devine Band, The Dangerous Summer, Kvelertak, Hollywood Undead, Skindred, Watain, We Are The Ocean, This Providence, The Pretty Reckless, The Swellers, Make Do And Mend, Black Veil Brides, The Acacia Strain, In This Moment, Street Dogs, Young Guns, We Are The In Crowd, The Word Alive, Holy Grail, Framing Hanley, Attack! Attack!. It’s a ridiculous bill isn’t it? Tickets are $140, plus booking fee, and are on sale as this issue hits the grim, frostbitten streets of Canberra.

Glam fans have been hitting social media sites with news that a Motley Crue, Whitesnake and Poison tour is happening. October/November is the time - keep your calendar free.

Encircling Sea have had a busy start to the year on tours with 4 Dead and Unearthly Trance. The band are heading out on the road for a headline tour and hit ANU Bar on Saturday June 4.

Blind Guardian have announced an all ages show in Sydney in September to celebrate their new record At the Edge of Time. The Factory Theatre on Friday September 30 is the date, and Black Majesty and Eyefear have the support duties.

Doomriders have announced their first Australian tour and for a nice change, fans won’t have to drive to Sydney to catch the shows. The Boston, MA four-piece that includes alumni of Converge, Clouds, Cast Iron Hike and Disappearer hit New Zealand and Australia for nine dates, and the Canberra show hits town Monday July 25. Along for the whole tour are locals I Exist, who will have released their second full length album, II: The Broken Passage through Resist Records. Speaking of which, I Exist’s album launch will go down on Saturday June 25 at The Basement in Belconnen with Anchors, Loveshy and Disavow.

Slaughterfest IV is on in Sydney on Saturday July 30 this year and once again a big old bag of diversity and extremity is served up by the good folks at Grindhead and 666 Entertainment. Fuck…I’m Dead, Looking Glass, Roadside Burial, Summonus, Deathcage, Mother Mars, Ether Rad, Red Bee, Agonhymn, Burial Chamber, Arrowhead, Rock N Roll Weapon, Fat Guy Wears Mystic Wolf Shirt and Van comprise the stellar all-Aussie line-up. Entry is $20 and the first 100 payers get a free sampler CD. The Sandringham Hotel in Newtown is the venue.

Unkle K’s band of the week: Let The Night Roar – for fans of Lair of the Minotaur, later Entombed and High On Fire.
myspace.com/#!/tualatin

Josh Nixon

Metalise

There’s a great night coming up on Saturday May 21 for In Malice’s Wake’s album launch. For a mere 15 bucks you can catch the Victorian thrash assault launching their album, suitably entitled The Thrashening, with a wealth of local and interstate talent. Their Oceanic Assault tour takes in 15 shows in Australia and New Zealand and the Canberra bill has one of the strongest line-ups of the whole tour. Along for the bangfest is Kill For Satan, Hellbringer, Desecrator, Teratornis and Immorium and the doors open at 6pm for appropriate lubrication at the south side’s home of metal.

Morbid Angel are touring at the end of the month with their Saturday May 28 show in Sydney at the Manning Bar. The supports have now been announced and The Amenta and Ouroboros have been given the honour of sharing the stage with Florida’s supreme death lords. It seems like yesterday Morbid Angel were playing ANU Bar with Armoured Angel…sigh. Tickets through Moshtix, Oztix or direct from The Manning Bar.

Soundwave Revolution continues to ‘tweet-feed’ the line-up into circulation, though as many tweets seem to be devoted to who ISN’T coming. No, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne or Rage Against The Machine are NOT playing. This has not stomped rampant speculation flying around like buggery. Since last issue, The Cro Mags, Street Dogs, Hatebreed, Dashboard Confessional, All Time Low and Panic! At The Disco have been announced. Probably more exciting for heavy metal fans is the confirmation of Sweden’s Watain and France’s Gojira.

Evil Invaders Fest is up to its third instalment and the two days of brutality up at The Wall on Parramatta Road (also known as the Bald Faced Stag) features a staggering line-up of Australian goodness. Not only can you see Queensland’s Portal playing their only 2011 domestic show, but Raven Black, The Corps, d.USK (featuring ex-members and the songs of dISEMBOWELMENT), Taipan, Impetuous Ritual, Witchrist, Grave Upheaval, Erebus Dethroned, Assaulter, Black Jesus, Innsmouth, Trench Hell, Hellbringer and Ignivomous.

Nevermore announced a pretty monumental split recently, with guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams bowing out of the band. Suffice to say that the June tour promoted by Red Ant has been canned and any of you with tickets should be able to get a refund at the point of purchase.

Also in break-up mode is Sydney melodic death metal band Daysend who after eight odd years following forming from the ashes of Psi Kore, have called it a day. There’s no bad blood or any reason for calling it quits other than an inability to “continue as a band any longer”. Farewell.

A whole bunch of Aussie bands in the process of releasing new music this year including Blood Duster, The Kill, I Exist, Summonus, Looking Glass, Pod People and more. Expect a bumper spring harvest this year, The Kill’s album should be out first of this lot and what a face-shredding piece of grind it is.

Unkle K’s band of the week: Bohren & Der Club Of Gore – German ambient and avant garde jazz meets Sabbathy doom with lashings of Autopsy.

josh – Unkle K Band of the Week - http://www.myspace.com/bohrenundderclubofgoreofficial

Metalise

So last issue’s cover story on the Metal Health Tour was fine and dandy for the Warrant love, but apparently unwarranted was the alleged barney between the promoters of the Metal Health Tour and both Quiet Riot and Warrant’s management that has now seen both acts pull the pin on the tour (head to promoter Intense Impact's facebook page for the full run down). LA Guns will still play, and stepping into the opening breach is Mike Stone of Queensryche’s new band The Stick People. Saturday April 30 is the date, and ANU Bar the venue if you're still interested.

Segression, one of Wollongong’s more well established metal bands have revived themselves for the Never Dead Tour, on Saturday May 7 at The Maram with a great bill of Aussie metal. Melbourne band Dreadnaught don’t make it up here that often and it’s always a pleasure to see these guys ply their trade. Contrive are coming off a freshly minted album The Internal Dialogue mixed by Mr Devin Townsend and are always at the ready to riff along with locals Immorium.

Helmet are coming back again in June, and Canberra is getting another visit from they of the 90’s uncompromising rock. They must have had a good time last visit as they’re taking in 11 cities on the tour. The band will be in town Thursday June 30.

On international tours, since last issue Kvelertak of Norway, who forged an album making it into many top ten lists last year, have elbowed their way onto the Soundwave Revolution bill. The full line-up at present is: Holy Grail, Times Of Grace, Yellowcard, Unearth, Steel Panther, Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, Thursday, Funeral For A Friend, Devin Townsend, Zebrahead, Sum 41, Black Veil Brides, The Dangerous Summer, Set Your Goals, Hellogoodbye, Whitechapel, Hellyeah, In This Moment, The Word Alive, Skindred, The Damned Things, Every Time I Die, The Acacia Strain, We Are The In Crowd, Madina Lake, Make Do and Mend, Story of The Year, We Are The Ocean, Young Guns, Four Year Strong, This Providence, The Swellers and the Terrible Things.

Bastardfest announced their fest dates and first line-up announcements for the shows taking in everywhere but here, unfortunately. The Sydney one is on Saturday September 10 at the Sandringham Hotel with Psycroptic, Pod People, Bane of Isuldur, Ouroboros and Chaos Divine announced thus far.

KK Downing of Judas Priest has announced his departure from the band ahead of their epitaph world tour to farewell Birmingham’s second biggest contribution to heavy metal. All the best on the golf course KK!

Alestorm tickets still available for their Friday May 13 show at the Manning Bar with Voyager and Darker Half.

I Exist have wrapped recording with USA’s uber doom producer Billy Anderson in Melbourne. Look for album tours mid year on their new home, Resist Records. While on local hardcore, 4 Dead’s long awaited full length is rumoured to have a mid year release date also.

This week’s edition of ‘Unkle K’s Band of the week’ is Portland, Oregon’s best ever named metal band Tenspeed Warlock.

Unkle K’s band of the week – Tenspeed Warlock - http://www.myspace.com/tenspeedwarlock 

JOSH NIXON

Metalise

So, Soundwave Revolution details have been leaking more than a Labor Party cabinet meeting. With Interweb forums everywhere touting the likely date of Saturday September 24 for this festival one could be forgiven for calling it ‘Soundwave-lite’. Line-up details have been expanding exponentially with the announcement of Devin Townsend being the latest addition to 24-odd confirmed acts with quite a few more yet to be announced. The drip feed will continue as winter closes in on us.

The Arthouse in Melbourne, or The Arty has hosted 1000s of gigs over the years and a good proportion of those have been top-notch metal, punk and hardcore shows. It’s all coming to an end with the current proprietors not renewing the lease on this Melbourne institution and there’s been a slew of gigs being promoted as “the last Arty show” as a result. If your Easter weekend is free and you need something to do, I highly recommend that anyone needing a good cleanout head down the Hume for Sunday April 24’s RIDICULOUS grind bill. The line-up is world class. Fuck I’m Dead, Captain Cleanoff, The Kill, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Superhappy Funslide, Roadside Burial, Garbage Guts and Die Pigeon Die make up this stunning bill and a fitting farewell to The Arty for those who like their grind.

Speaking of The Kill, I had an opportunity to hear their forthcoming and as yet untitled record when I was down recording in Melbourne recently and mark my words, this is going to be a landmark for Australian grind releases, if not the most unrelenting and irrepressible force unleashed from Melbourne in a long time. The blasting just doesn’t let up and the cover of Slayer’s Necrophobic makes the whole album worth the price of admission alone. Be ready for a mid year release to coincide with the band’s Maryland Death Festival appearance in May.

The Bladder Spasms are a veritable institution in Canberra punk circles. Long time drummer Noro of The Vee Bees has had to hang up the skins and now the band are looking for anyone interested in tom-tom abuse and pro level beer consumption. Their only criteria being you must be over 18. You don’t even need your own kit according to Dave Spasm, who can be contacted through bladderspasms@hotmail.com for more info.

On the local front for all ages fans, New Yorks’ Emmure have rescheduled their canned January dates and will be at the Tuggeranong Youth Centre on Wednesday June 15 with Sydney break down addicts Shinto Katana.

Alestorm’s Saturday May 14 show at The Manning Bar in Sydney has been seasoned with the addition of Darker Half as well as shipmates Voyager. Tickets from Moshtix, but if you purchase one through the Soundworks Touring website (http://www.soundworkstouring.com/australia/tour/47.php), you can go into the draw to win a hoodie, signed tour poster and a copy of Voyager’s last album I am the reVolution.

Unkle K’s band of the week this week, with full, unbridled support from me is US band Bastard Priest. Basically a heavily Swedish influenced band ala Entombed or Dismember with a hearty and healthy influence of d beat keeping everything aggressive. Under The Hammer of Destruction rules – Check ‘em.

Unkle K’s band of the week - www.myspace.com/bastardpriest

Metalise

Heathen Skulls don’t let up on Canberra and following the highly successful Monarch show a couple of weeks back, the team are bringing out one man band Joe Preston’s avant doom act Thrones. Mr Preston will be familiar to some as the bassist who is known for his collaborations with The Melvins, High On Fire and Sunn o))) to name but a few. Also along for this special one off show is John Wiese, who has played with such luminaries as Wolf Eyes, Sunn o))) and Merzbow. At this stage 4 Dead are once again brutalising the ears of the early arrivals and the whole shebang hits the ANU Bar on Wednesday April 6.

Musically on the complete polar opposite of the heavy spectrum is the announcement of ‘70s legends and Randy Rhodes’ first band Quiet Riot doing a package tour of Australia with ‘80s LA glam rockers Warrant and LA Guns. I have heard rumours of a similar package tour happening later in the year; this may well whet the appetites of fans of ‘80s-style hard rock. This show hits the ANU Bar on Saturday April 30.

Locals Aeon Of Horus have officially launched their new web den, http://www.aeonofhorus.net, and to celebrate, visitors can download their debut self-titled EP for free. Make sure you get to your computer/phone and pay a visit.

The Amenta are on the road for the national Vo1d tour and the 18+ show (bring your ID) hits the ANU Bar on Saturday April 9. Also along for the show are Sydney’s Ouroboros and Wagga act Namesphyxia. The band are launching their Vo1d EP made up of a new track and re-recorded versions of their earlier work. Soundworks deliver again; should be a rad show.

The Basement’s shows for the next couple of weeks include a weekend of birthday shows on Friday April 1 and Saturday April 2 with Friday’s celebration of Brad Gallagher’s 30^th seeing shows from Immorium, Infektion and AVN. Greg’s birthday on Saturday night has Escape Syndrome and Beneath a Broken Sky performing. Friday April 8 is the big Nirvana tribute with John Lollback, Looking Glass, Inside The Exterior and Na Maza playing songs from MTV Unplugged , Incesticide , Bleach , In Utero and Nevermind respectively. Saturday April 9 has a four band bill featuring Empirical, Friend of Enemy, On The 8^th Day and Frostbite.

Also coming up on Friday April 15 is the interesting 15 Fest with 15 bands playing 15 minute sets. I will get the full line-up announced for the next issue.

My dear friend Unkle K (the K being for Kronos) is a veritable encyclopaedia of metal knowledge and has emailed me a billion times suggesting new bands to check out. I’ve decided to replace my inane now playing list with Uncle K’s Band of the Week and will post his suggestions for your underground listening pleasure each column.

Josh

Unkle K recommends: The Slomatics. Check ‘em and their forthcoming split with UK doomsters Conan – whom you should also check out!

Metalise

One of the highlights of a band not playing a festival will forever be for me Slayer’s cancellation on the day of the Sydney Soundwave show. Through the wicked web we weave in life, I had the fortune to cop backstage passes to the show and got wind of Tom’s cancellation at about 4.30pm when word spread around stage that the band had detoured to a hospital en route to the Sydney Showgrounds for their 5.30-ish performance. Not looking good.

Tom Araya had taken ill following the band’s Brisbane performance the night before and, following doctor’s orders post consultation, cancelled their show. I had seen Andrew Haug, metal presenter on triple j’s Tuesday night show The Racket, cruising around with his twin brother Paul. Paul filled in for Tom on vocals for a song when the band last had frontman issues in Melbourne at the end of ‘09 and made jokes about filling in again. No one was laughing.

Of course then when I heard Andrew somehow got the job to break the news to about 15,000 people, of which about half were wearing Slayer shirts, that the band had cancelled last minute, I ran around the front to see how the news went down.

For the most part it was a vibe sucker and the vast majority walked off disappointed (understandably). The best was to come from the 100 odd morons who then showered the stage with water bottles and half full cans of mid strength UDL drinks (12 dollars each, moron qualifier there) before attempting to set fire to a sweat and beer soaked Slayer t-shirt (moron solidifier) with around 20 odd cigarette lighters.

There was a small puff of smoke after about five minutes and a few extra shirts for kindling, but I still reckon most of those guys listened to Reign In Blood in the car ride home. People get sick – even Tom Araya – it was a bummer, but it didn’t stop the day being awesome. The Melvins, Kylesa, Monster Magnet, Dimmu Borgir and High On Fire, power cuts and all, were my personal highlights. Respect to Haugy’s ballsy move; a YouTube video is floating about of the events above, check ‘em for yourself.

There’s rumour of another, ALLEGEDLY more metal Soundwave show happening in September in the same cities to kind of bookend the Australian summer. Posters for the Soundwave Revolution are circulating and code breakers interpret the tour will start around Saturday September 24. Hopefully enough time for the bank balances of thrashers everywhere to recover.

The Basement has a big show on Friday March 18 with Draconis Infernum from Singapore making the effort to come down and test the structural integrity of Belconnen’s heaviest room. Joining them are Belligerent Intent, The Automata and Nemesphyxia. On Saturday March 19 there’s Changeable Dan and Who’s Ya Daddy. The following weekend sees White Circus play on Friday March 25 and Tortured on Saturday March 26.

On Friday April 8 there is a Nirvana tribute with a local band tackling songs from each of the band’s main releases. Na Maza do Nevermind , Variodivers do In Utero , Inside The Exterior do Bleach , Looking Glass do Incesticide and John Lollback the Unplugged record. Interesting…

josh np: the Truth Beyond – Entombed – Left Hand Path

Metalise

Brutal greetings.

As the ringing in the ears of metal fans begins to subside post- Soundwave and associated fruits, don’t forget there’s plenty more on this fortnight to keep the neck muscles inflamed from over-thrash-itis.

Tonight, Thursday March 3 at The ANU Bar is a MASSIVE bill of underground heavy gems in the form of France’s Monarch and the USA’s Unearthly Trance , Eagle Twin and Iron Lung being joined by our craziest four-piece 4 Dead on the Heathen Earth tour. I’ve harped on about this show the last couple of columns, and while Monarch’s brand of crushing doom is well known with many recent visits, you simply must, must, must go to this show to see this bill. Big props to Heathen Skulls

This weekend The Basement boasts a huge local bill on Saturday March 5 with performances from The Sacred Truth , Conspiracy , Looking Glass , Taliesin and Tranquil Deception

Locals Inside the Exterior have been rolling up their sleeves and have a new EP they’re launching on Friday March 11 at The Basement with a big bill of local talent including Red Bee , Nobody Knew They Were Robots , CHUD and Tranquil Deception . Looking forward to hearing the new work from this always interesting band! The Basement also has a show from Sydney band Engage The Fall on Saturday March 12

Kyuss Lives! supports were announced last week with Tumbleweed hitting the Sydney show and Byron Bay stoner rockers Fort kicking off the mothballs to do the rest of the shows.

Timely that the excellent doco on Lemmy has been through town in recent weeks ahead of the Motorhead tour for their new album The World Is Yours . The Sydney show is Monday March 28 at The Big Top in Luna Park. With seemingly every pub in Sydney rocking pokies, I’m sure he’ll be happy!

I was saddened to see an obituary in the Canberra Times last week marking the passing of Alec Hurley. Alec was to turn 40 next month, but he spent the last 21 years requiring full time care following an incident in Civic which left him with a severe brain injury. Due to conflicting stories over the incident, his family received a pittance of the compensation Alec needed to look after him comfortably. This prompted his friends Joel, Matt and Lucy from all time local legends Armoured Angel to organise a benefit show for him with eight odd bands that went on to become the country’s longest running heavy music festival, Metal for the Brain

I went to every one of those shows and had the honour of playing about half of them. Alec’s family took him every year and I hope the fest went some way to help the Hurley family. On behalf of the Australian heavy metal community, I want to extend our condolences and respects to Alec’s parents Liz and Gareth and his family. Vale Alec.

Josh np Dragon Time – Saint Vitus – Mournful Cries

Metalise

The next couple of weeks will deliver an unprecedented amount of heaviness with all the sideshows and the main touring behemoth that is the Soundwave Festival. Welcome news came through last week that the Sydney leg has shifted venue from the sweatbox that was the Eastern Creek site to the well tested Sydney Showgrounds which hosts the Big Day Out. Of course realising I now could have gone to UFC AND Soundwave with the Acer Arena literally a stone’s throw away, I was kicking myself, but hey, first world problems…

On a more serious note, I just want to acknowledge the passing of Gary Moore, one of Ireland’s all time great guitar players at the young age of 58. RIP.

The Haunted love Australia and to celebrate the launch of their new album Unseen due out in March, the Swedes will be back at The Manning Bar in Sydney on Friday May 27. Most of the final mixes should be in the can now and the album will be out through Century Media when it drops.

Nevermore also have bolstered their frequent flyer miles with several Aussie tours and the band will be back for another visit, also at The Manning Bar with locals Anno Domini on Saturday June 11. Tickets for both shows will be available through Ticketek.

On the local front there’s also a bunch of great shows to look forward to. The Basement on Friday February 18 hosts a Punk vs Metal evening with Toxic Men, Chainsaw Mascara, Reign of Terror and Knight Hammer to celebrate Kim and Weas’ birthdays. The following night, Saturday February 19, hosts a visit from Sydney’s Synperium, along with local blackened warriors Mytile Vey Lorth, Tortured, Hellbringer and New Blood. Saturday February 26 features a night entitled Canberra vs Melbourne with bands to be advised, but surely this is the musical equivalent of bringing a gun to a knife fight… that said it’ll be worth a look!

Of course the big upcoming show in early March is the huge international bill of underground warriors at The ANU Bar on Thursday March 3. Monarch, the French doom savants, are joined by Unearthly Trance of New York, Eagle Twin from Utah, Iron Lung from Washington and 4 Dead, who have recently gotten themselves a new drummer and hail from parts unknown. This show is an absolute treat for fans of quality underground music and if you can’t make it out of town for all the big shows in Sydney and elsewhere, this more than makes up for it.

There’s an all ages fest in Sydney under the moniker The Sydney Brutal Deathfest coming up on Sunday February 20 with a huge bill at The Lucky Australian. Ignite The Ibex, Alice Through The Windshield Glass, Elysian, Norse, Absolution, I Am Atlas, Point Below Zero, Syko Sapian, New Blood, Requiem For Prague and Ilcontent. A mere 20 bucks gets you in the door on the day.

Josh NP: War Is our Destiny – Church of Misery – Early Works

JOSH NIXON
doomtildeath@hotmail.com

Metalise

OK so last issue I promised some local show news and in the interim an amazing tour with unfortunate timing for those going to Soundwave and Sidewaves. French doom regulars Monarch are coming back again on the Heathen Skulls dime, which makes sense as the head Heathen Skull Robert McManus is now playing second guitar for them. Whilst welcome news, the sweetener on this tour is the very welcome addition of New York‘s blackened doom masters Unearthly Trance joining the fray, along with Southern Lord Eagle Twin who hail from Utah. Even better news for this bill, the intimidating power violence stylings of two-piece Washington dwelling Iron Lung will pummel all in attendance. Further adding a cherry to this bill are locals 4 Dead who have either gotten a new drummer or convinced John (skins for Fattura Della Morte) to do the show with them as a last hurrah, so we’ll wait dripping in sweaty anticipation for this show at the ANU Bar on Thursday March 3. A more than welcome tour for those of us unable to travel to the raft of shows in Sydney and elsewhere!

Needing an excuse to check out the National Film and Sound Archive’s cinema called Arc? Well get along there Sunday February 6 at 4.30 in the pm to catch the movie Lemmy, a doco about the man who has been rocking and rolling with extreme prejudice since the ‘60s for a mere 11 bucks full price or nine bucks for concession.

Alestorm must have enjoyed their Plunder Down Under tour last year as they’ve just announced Australian dates on the back of their third studio effort Back Through Time. Including songs with subjects ranging from midgets, Wisconsin and travelling backwards in time to kill Vikings, the album will be released here before anywhere else in the world. Also on board for all dates is Aussie band Voyager. The tour hits closest in Sydney on Friday May 13 at the Manning Bar and you can buy tickets from Moshtix or Oztix websites now.

Late last year you may recall the Black Mass Festival in Sydney getting the boot from the Newtown RSL due to Christians having a problem with, well, black metal in general. Like a chaos revelling phoenix, the Armageddon Festival, by the same people who didn’t quite manage to bring you the Black Mass, is being held on Friday-Saturday February 4-5 in Sydney. Friday February 4 is at the Bald Faced Stag up the hill from The Annandale on Parramatta Road with Pestilential Shadows, Thrall, Naetu and Bleakwood with a special guest performance as the headliner, cryptically billed in the presser as follows: “Friday night celebrations will be closed by an exclusive and secret guest performance which shall only be revealed to those eyes who bear witness to what shall come.” 12 dollars to see this evening’s show. Night two (Saturday February 5) at the Factory Theatre down the bottom of Enmore Road sees a bill headlined by Sydney’s Nazxul along with Astriaal, Drowning The Light, Destuktor, Wardaemonic and Erebus Enthoroned. All of this costs 35 bucks and also features the giveaways, stalls and DJs as promised last time.

2011 is already shaping up as the heaviest year on the all-time Australian touring calendar. See you up the front.

Josh np: Independent Politically – Realised – 21^st Century Terminal World

Metalise

Happy n’yeah and all that.

The deluge of this “summer” is being matched in the ever flowing stream of bands and sideshows from the big festivals that just keep coming and coming. Aside from more tangible dates being announced, I had a good chat with Robert McManus, promoter/musician and label owner at the recent Earthless show at The Basement (which was utterly stunning by the way). Robert was suggesting that tours from Goatsnake, Corrosion of Conformity and Electric Wizard were all in his sights for the year, though one rumour that had made it as far as gig guides in some of the other capital street presses was put to rest in the form of the early February tour from Japan’s venerable Corrupted. Reason being one member, former YOB bass player Isamu Sato, was recently imprisoned in Japan on drugs charges and founding member Hevi has left the band.

Soundwave starts in a bit over a month and the raft of “sidewaves” have started being announced. Primus and The Melvins are at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney on the Monday February 28 and Thursday March 3 at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne. Queens of the Stone Age are playing the Enmore on the Wednesday March 2 and The Palace in Melbourne on Thursday March 3. High On Fire, Trash Talk and Kylesa are playing on Thursday March 3 at the Gershwin Room in Melbourne also, no Sydney date as yet, but the horrible floods in Brisbane may see Sydney get the show they have lined up on Wednesday March 2 at the Hi Fi in the West End area of the city. Devildriver, Ill Niño, All That Remains and Nonpoint at The Forum on Wednesday March 2 is yet another sidewave and of course headliners Iron Maiden are at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney on Thursday February 24. It’s freakin’ nuts I say.

The Soundwave promotion folks are also bringing out Kyuss Lives! Now at the Luna Park Big Top, the gig is now all ages and plenty of tickets are left so those who want to relive the ‘90s greatest stoner rock experience can at least get an idea of what the fuss was all about. Also on the promoter’s list is the return of Suicidal Tendencies for a licensed all ages show at the Metro Theatre in Sydney on Saturday May 14.

More welcome news for one of the all time greatest death metal bands is the two date tour from Florida’s Morbid Angel. The band are wrapping up post production on the new record they began working on in June last year at Mana Studios with Eric Rutan on the engineering duties – hopefully it will be out in time for the May show at the Manning Bar on Saturday May 28. You can buy tickets for this show right now from Oztix. They’re also in Melbourne on Friday May 27 at the Hi Fi Bar, a show that will likely have better support acts.

Next ish I will have a full rundown of the next few months on the local front, see you at the pub!

Josh np: A Year In Suffering – Cough – Ritual Abuse

Josh Nixon's Top 10 Albums of 2010

10. High On Fire – Snakes For The Divine [E1 Music]

I was spoilt in that I got to listen to this record at the Slayer gigs through a friend on the crew I know. The production was cleaned up a bit from the copy I heard, but it didn’t disguise Matt Pike’s further ascension to guitar riff Valhalla.

9. Electric Wizard – Black Masses [Rise Above Records]

Dorset’s doom kings and queen return with a super sleazy occult masterpiece that continues to display founder Oborn’s vocal improvements and storytelling over a deliciously thick analogue production.

8. Cough – Ritual Abuse [Relapse/Forcefield Records]

Cough refined their recipe and methods to deliver a stunning doom metal album that captures the nihilistic emptiness of US doom with the psychedelic colours of a band forging a niche all of their own.

7. Ufomammut – Eve [Supernatural Cat]

The album’s Roman numeral song titles suggest each movement is a part of the whole Eve experience which really blends the synth, theremin and heavy riffing elements as effectively as anything they’ve done since Snailking.

6. Kvelertak – Kvelertak [Indie Recordings]

A three-pronged guitar attack that perfectly splices the harsh vocals of black metal with the riotous rock and roll of Turbonegro into a Norse party tour de force. Utter fist pumping, speeding fine-inducing rock with a fire in its belly that crosses any cultural divide the language barrier might present.

5. Lair of the Minotaur – Evil Power [The Grind-House Records]

Any album that has a song entitled Let’s Kill These Motherfuckers is obviously utterly devoid of the poserdom that has infected a lot of the stale safe domain of modern heavy metal records.

4. Ghost – Opus Eponymous [Rise Above/Metal Blade Records]

I almost feel guilty including this record, but it’s a guilty pleasure! It’s a metal album, but the Little Lord Fauntleroy-esque vocals might have some people scratching their heads with a mighty “huh?”

3. Black Breath – Heavy Breathing [Southern Lord Records]

Not quite as d-beat thrashy as their EP, but the dynamic experiments exemplified in my favourite tune Black Sin (Spit On The Cross) mark these guys as a band to keep an ear out for in the future.

2. Les Doigts de L’Homme – 1910 [Lamastrock]

I love this stuff, and celebrating the 100^th anniversary of Django Reinhardt’s birth, this French quartet led by the amazing fretwork of Oliver Kikteff at once celebrates and innovates a bunch of classic Django tunes.

1. Bongripper – Satan Worshipping Doom [Féretro Records]

Look at the title of this record. If that’s not worth the price of admission alone, the five dollars they charged for a direct download from Bandcamp made it even more stupidly awesome. My highlight is Worship in all its 16 minute glory.

Metalise

Merry 666mas once again!

2010 came, saw and conquered and left rafts of metalheads looking for a second job to pay for all the insane amount of tours both international and domestic. The forecast is that it’s only going to get better/worse in 2011 with sideshows from the largest heavy music touring festival in Australian history touching down in February in the form of Soundwave. Before getting to that, there’s a whole bunch of great local shows to keep you entertained from now through to mid-January when BMA returns.

The Basement is Belco’s home of metal and The Maram is ramping up with more and more shows so hopefully this will help kick-start some new bands on the local front going into 2011.

The day this issue goes to the streets, Thursday December 9, you can catch Queensland’s Ekklesia playing with a four-piece melodic death metal band from South Africa, The Dead Will Tell. Also along for the show are Tortured and Basement regulars Never Trust A Bunny. Friday December 17 features Alice Through The Windshield Glass and a big show on Saturday December 18 with Tortured, Hate Disciple, Frostbite and Daemon Feotal Harvest round out events. New Year’s Eve (Friday December 31) is a big one with Second Sun, Matt Dent, Fat Controller, Frostbite, The Vaine and Australian Kingswood Factory confirmed and more bands to be confirmed on a shopping list of goodies to see in 2011.

Tuesday January 4 sees a visit from Californian psyche trio Earthless who bring their long form audio travels to town. Check out the Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky album over the next month to get you ready for this show which is a great surprise and a real treat for the first week of 2011. Finally Fattura Della Morte bring their new vocalist to town on Saturday January 15 with Pod People, 4 Dead, Teen Skank Patrol and The Weapon.

The latest raft of international tour announcements includes Finnish folk metallers Finntroll on an ale-guzzling jaunt in March. Motörhead and Black Label Society are coming out in April. The Misfits (Jerry Only but no Danzig) are out in early February. Sidewave shows are taking shape, mostly for the punk hardcore column so far, but some Metallise readers will like the Devildriver, Ill Niño, All That Remains and Nonpoint show on Wednesday March 2 at The Forum in Sydney.

Kyuss Lives! sold out in about one minute in Melbourne and 40 or so in Sydney and moved to larger venues as a result. I believe those extra tickets have all been snapped up now as well.

2010 was great on the live front, finally getting a chance to catch Macabre two nights running after 20 odd years of being a fan. Coffins were also great. Acid King are super cool guys and gal too. I hope you guys enjoy and have a safe festivus and rest up for the onslaught of metal hitting our shores early next year. Stay brutal.

Josh np: Elizabeth – Ghost – Opus Eponymous

Metalise

Some disappointing news for black metal fans hoping to attend the Black Mass fest I’ve been spruiking over the last few columns. It seems two weeks out from the event, The RSL has bowed to pressure from some Christian groups and cancelled the event. The promoters of the event have communicated through press releases that the RSL Board decided to cancel the event following (and I quote from the promoter’s press release) “pressure from Christians who have lobbied them to cancel the show.”

At the time of submitting my article, the event is still looking for a host venue at the last minute, no small task. I do commend the promoters as they have contacted or endeavoured to contact all their ticket purchasers to let them know what is going on. Hopefully they’ll find somewhere to move the show. If you have a ticket and didn’t know the news, contact seancerecords@hotmail.com for more info.

Seems weird that a club that derives a good deal of their income from gambling would bow to a religious group’s concerns, especially given the RSL’s own constitution states in section 4.1, provision J) “To maintain a national association, NON SECTARIAN, and in relation to party politics, non partisan etc.” To be fair, I don’t know if the RSL board are aware of some black metal bands’ penchant to evoke Nazi imagery, but none of the advertising or material I’ve seen promoting the event have any of those elements in it. The poster does feature a devil figure with a bloody pentagram carved into its forehead, flanked by two skulls over an inverted cross, which was what young Catholic writer Siobhan Reeves reacted to. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that she saw the poster and event advertised on Facebook as highly offensive and lobbied members of her family who have served our country to pull the event. We’ll watch how this one plays out with interest. Hope it still goes ahead for the sake of Aussie black metal acts as a LOT of effort and time went into putting this show on, but I guess the Newtown RSL will likely monitor the shows played there a little more closely in future.

One festival highly unlikely to trigger anywhere near the controversy will be on at The Basement this weekend. The Festival of the Bread is on Saturday November 20 and features Australian Kingswood Factory, Witchgrinder, Aprocessof, Absence Of State, Na Maza, Teen Skank Parade, No Longer I and The Drill. Another bumper bill at the Belconnen home of all things heavy hits the following week on Friday November 26 with performances by Boundless, Godomination, Imperial, Corporate Takedown, Perpetual End and System Addict.

The Metallica hoopla is dying down now they’ve finished playing their 12932 shows in Australia for the past few months. One thing the band has always done is bring out great bands to support them and this was evidenced with The Sword, Baroness and Lamb Of God this year. Back in 1993 on the Australian leg of the Black Album tour the band brought along a band from the Californian desert who were just about to release an album called Sky Valley. Yours truly was at that show and let me tell you, after their opening set in the Sydney Entertainment Centre, I was pretty much ready to go home then and there – they were that good. Kyuss of course then broke up two years and two albums after that show and of course Mr Josh Homme then went on to form Queens of the Stone Age and hasn’t been interested in reforming since. Not so much the other guys in the band. So Kyuss Lives! is hitting Australia in 2011 and features the Blues For The Red Sun era members in Nick Oliveri, Brant Bjork and John Garcia, with Homme’s parts being played by Garcia’s mate Bruno Fevery. The Sydney show is licensed all ages at The Metro Theatre on Saturday May 7 and tickets are on sale as this issue goes to press on Thursday November 25 through Ticketek.

josh – np: Cough – Mind Collapse – Ritual Abuse (2010)

Metalise

Grimmest greetings. Stupid UFC has announced their next PPV event in Australia is on the same day as Sydney Soundwave (Sunday February 27). How am I supposed to be in two places at once to satiate my appetite for violence and see High on Fire? These are the sorts of tough decisions facing a metal loving public these days. Sacrifices must be made. To add insult to injury, Melbourne is getting a Sidewave show featuring Primus and The Melvins on Thursday March 3. Sydney, please deliver us many and as tantalising Sidewave shows as this one!

Speaking of sideshows, the other big summer festival is obviously Big Day Out which has Tool headlining proceedings next year. The band has announced Brisbane and Melbourne sideshows on the Monday January 24 and Wednesday February 2 respectively. No word as yet on a Sydney sideshow.

Following on from last week’s regional focus, there’s a few cool shows coming up in and around Canberra to get keen for. Wagga Wagga is an underprivileged regional centre for its size when it comes to shows and so it was pleasing to see promo start for early 2011’s Wagga Open Air Festival on Thursday January 6 next year. Headlined by Darkest Hour, the festival also features Carnifex, Anno Domini and Alice Through The Windshield Glass in the initial lineup announcement, with eight acts to be announced later, the promise of three of Australia’s major metal acts in that list. You can get tickets through Moshtix right now.

Also, last issue I told you of a show out at The Maram that happened on Saturday November 6. I had neglected to let you know that it also was the album launch for Sydney melodic death band Daysend. Within The Eye of Chaos is out now through Stomp.

The Basement has a couple of big shows on Saturdays this month with Shadowmill popping down from Sydney Saturday November 13 and then the week after, Saturday November 20, the even massiver Festival Of The Bread that features a great bill of local, NSW and Victorian talent with Australian Kingswood Factory, Witchgrinder, Aprocessof, Absence of State, Na Maza, Teen Skank Parade, No Longer I and The Drill.

A few albums I’ve listened to of late that will be of interest to fans of the slower end of the heavy spectrum are absolute must buys for your 2010 666mas stocking. Electric Wizard’s Black Masses is out through Rise Above and takes off where Witchcult Today left off, in ‘70s analogue horror movie sounding hell. Actually, it’s less horror movie and more akin to a ‘70s occult exploitation flick. It’s not as heavy, but it’s still amazing. Cough from America are a bit like the Wiz but with an unhealthy dose of American nihilism and their new album Ritual Abuse is utterly stunning in every way, crushing psychedelic doom metal. For a more upbeat and thoroughly angrier dose of trVe, check out the new Lair Of The Minotaur album Evil Power. How angry? Track two, entitled Let’s Kill These Motherfuckers, pretty much tells you everything you need to know. The Mung from Melbourne recorded an EP called The Splatter Sessions earlier this year and I had a listen to the record early on at Goatsound Studios on a Melbourne visit. The vocals are 100% unaffected. That statement might read innocuous now, but go listen to a sample on MySpace – holy crap. Another Melbourne doom band well worth your time is Wurms featuring little brother of Aussie doom pioneers dISEMBOWELLMENT and their record Natives Are Getting Restless. Stay brutal.

josh – Electric Wizard – Satyr IX – Black Masses

Metalise

Tickets for No Sleep Til Sydney are evaporating so for all those fans who missed Megadeth tour out here with Slayer about 12 months ago, you should consider the show in Moore Park on Saturday December 18. Pretty mixed bill of bands, here’s the full line up again in case you’ve missed it: Megadeth, Descendents, NOFX, Dropkick Murphys, Parkway Drive, A Day to Remember, Gwar, Atreyu, Alkaline Trio, Frenzal Rhomb, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Suicide Silence, August Burns Red, Katatonia, 3 Inches of Blood, We Came As Romans, House Vs Hurricane, Break Even, Heroes For Hire and Confession.

Another act that could be considered ‘seminal,’ but in a more underground context is stalwart New York act The Swans. Their first ever tour is slated for March next year with the Saturday March 12 Metro show likely to sell fairly briskly given it’s their first time out. Touring with The Necks, you can get your tickets through Ticketek.

On national affairs, don’t forget that the Black Mass all Aussie black metal festival is happening in the Shush nightclub, level 2 of the Newtown RSL on Saturday November 27. Nazxul, Astriaal, Drowning The Light, Sanguinary Misanthropia, Wardaemonic, Erebus Enthroned, Moon and Spire are the bands on the bill and there is promise of stalls, giveaways and black metal DJs too. Played there a few weeks ago and it’s a bit of a barn in size – hopefully a lot of keensters get along to that one as I reckon the more the better in that room.

Cataclysmic Events and Deadset Promotions have a show on Saturday October 23 at The Basement in Belco with Frostbite, Sagacity, System Addict and Dark Nemesis making for a super strong night of local talent.

Pantera was the gateway band to metal for many metal fans – not me ‘cause I’m old and I thought they were shit racists after I saw them on their last ever Aussie tour, but I digress… It’s about respect for Dimebag and there are a slew of tributes going on around the place celebrating the life of the uber talented guitar slinger. Canberra isn’t missing out. On Friday October 29 The Basement hosts Spoil, Blind Eyed Gods and Reign Of Terror. I would imagine the love-tera will be on in force that night so get along for Dime worship.

Saturday November 6 is a big night on both sides of town. The Maram is great now they’ve set the stage up properly and given the band room a makeover, and the shows get better and better out in Erindale. So Saturday November 6 they’ve got a killer lineup with Sydney’s Killrazer being joined by Tortured and Unholy Vendetta, all presented to you by the fine folks at CRMetal.net and Missmanagement.

Megafauna is on again Saturday November 6 with a diverse lineup of acts all for the benefit of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation. The Basement in Belconnen is the venue and the lineup includes The VeeBee’s, Disavow, The Red Vest, Inside The Exterior, Hoodlum Shouts, Yeti, Mr Fibby, Leisure Suit Lenny, Cracked Actor, Chasing Rabbits along with circus sideshow performers and more. Just 15 bucks for a good cause and a slew of great local music.

Don’t forget Festival of the Bread at the end of November at The Basement either. Australian Kingswood Factory, Witchgrinder, Aprocessof, Absence of State, Na Maza, Teen Skank Parade, No Longer I and The Drill.

Josh NP: Trouble – Heaven On My Mind - Trouble

Metalise

It’s been an international bonanza of late so I thought some all Aussie coverage was overdue. Acid King’s riffs are still ringing in my ears; thanks to all that came out for the show.

Never let it be said that the BMA doesn’t care about the country. We do. Regional NSW has long provided the metal scene some gems from far flung corners from Lord Tim or Lord out in my own hometown of Broken Hill through to Wagga’s Manticore extreme thrash. Helping to develop arts out in the regions is a group called Wired Lab. Established in 2007 to consolidate the work of Alan Lamb, who has been working with disused telegraph wires since the ‘70s, the group evolved into utilising the wires to reproduce environmental and human interactions with an enormous dynamic range of harmonics and frequencies with a visceral effect. The experiments have captured everything from earth hums to electric pings to insects colliding or crawling over the wires to the facility in south west NSW.

What has all this arty farty-ness have to do with metal I hear you ask? Well the group are presenting a coup for fans of ambient dark heavy music with one of two Australian performances by Sunn o))) alumni Stephen O’Malley and internationally renowned ambient artist Oren Ambarchi combining forces for a special performance at the Cootamundra Arts and Cultural Centre (16-20 Wallendoon St, Cootamundra) on Saturday October 16. For a mere ten bucks for adults and seven dollars for concessions, you can witness the two sonic voyagers on guitar with some electronic instruments and other instrumentation. Well worth the hour or so in the car for a country jaunt, the show kicks off at 7pm, more info at http://wiredlab/org.

Locals Kill For Satan have some new songs up on their myspace for you to check out, www.myspace.com/kfs666 is the address for your previewing pleasure.

Mass Burial from Sydney launched their new record Eternal War on Sunday October 10 and you can check out some previews of the new work from these guys here www.reverbnation.com/widget_code/tune_widget_popup/artist_362280.

More website preview goodies come from Queensland stoner doom band Shellfin who feature members of Defamer amongst other Brisvegan local bands. You can download their entire new album Secondhand Family from here, www.shellfin.bandcamp.com – click ‘buy now,’ enter an amount you wish to pay, from $0 to an amount you feel appropriate and follow the on screen instructions. Of course then fall into hailing thick riffs and driving fast, though the band aren’t nearly as generous in paying for speeding fines as they are in putting their album up online using the honour system!

The Basement in Belconnen has two weekend shows on the Friday October 22 and Saturday October 23 with Melbourne bands Bricks and Septerrus being joined by local doom merchants Futility and Vintage Vulva on the Friday. The next night features Sydneysiders Sagacity, who are being joined by Frostbite, Dark Nemesis and System Addict.

Megafauna is a great local festival that is in its fourth year this year (I think!) and is on again at The Basement in Belconnen on Saturday November 6 with The VeeBees, Hoodlum Shouts, Disavow, The Red Vest, Leisure Suit Lenny, Yeti, Chasing Rabbits, Mr Fibby, Inside The Exterior, Cracked Actor and some circus performers doing crazy circus stuff all in the name of raising money for the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.

Josh NP: With A Cold, Life Extinguishing Elegance – Thou – Tyrant

Metalise

And so it beings, with the Metallica tour heralding an unprecedented six odd months of international acts that’s simply insane in scope. With 500 odd payers at the Soulfly show a couple of weeks back, it would be nice if some promoters, local or otherwise, recognised there is a healthy market of fans here for international heavy shows.

Of course the bookend of this period is the ludicrous wall of metal, punk and hardcore in the form of the Soundwave festival in February. The second announcement rounding out the line-up that already includes Iron Maiden, Slayer and High On Fire (to name but an infinitesimal few) has hit, and for regular Metalise readers I guess the main name that sticks out is that of Norway’s Dimmu Borgir. On the cusp of releasing their ninth album, Abrahadabra, the band has added the Soundwave festival to their world tour. Maybe some younger readers are also into Bullet for My Valentine’s addition to proceedings. I’m not, but then I’m old.

One promoter that always gives us some underground gems is the fine folks at 666 Entertainment, who proudly present Acid King from San Francisco on tour for the first time in Australia in their 18 or so year career. The Basement on Thursday October 7 will host a night of serious heavy riffage with sets from I Exist – who have just seen their debut album A Turn For The Worse get a loving vinyl treatment – Looking Glass, who are returning from a quiet period to spread more of the greatest rock licks in the land for this type of music, and Pod People on the back of international supports for Macabre and Coffins. A huge night of riffs, don’t miss this show.

The Basement is also hosting a big night of local talent on Friday October 1 with Empirical being joined by Never Trust A Bunny and Friend Or Enemy.

Fozzy have announced a run of Aussie shows in Australia in December this year with the WWE fronted stylings of Chris Jericho and Stuck Mojo alumni Rich “The Duke” Ward hitting The Factory in Marrickville in Sydney on Friday December 3.

The line-up for the Baroness side show at The Annandale on Friday November 12 has been announced and it seems Akaname have the support and will be bringing their industrial tinged heaviness to proceedings to the three sideshows. Baroness is one of the world’s best up and coming metal bands. Check it.

Melbourne is getting a couple of interesting shows I would term almost as “boutique metal” and it’s only because it’s the only place in the land getting the show that I mention it here for those keen to head down to check ‘em out. Gravetemplar is the first act putting on a show on Tuesday October 26 at The Toff In Town. The band features Stephen O’Malley of Sunn fame, Matty Skitz of Damaged and sonic adventurer Oren Ambarchi. The Reverend Kriss Hades is doing his only 2010 show in December, also with Matty Skitz on drums, Dav Byrne of Agonhymn/Terrorust on bass and apparently Kriss is making a new guitar for the show. More details as they arise.

Josh  - np: Nothingface – Voivod - Nothingface

Metalise

Woe to you of earth and sea, for the promoters send their gigs with wrath, because he knows your funds are short. Gigs. Slews of them! Metallica’s big Aussie visit you can’t escape, so just give in, get out of the winter hibernation, and swing into spring. You can kick off this week on Friday September 17 at The Basement with Wings of Icarus, Friend or Enemy, No Longer I and Corderon.

On Sunday September 19 in Sydney, The Gaelic Club will undergo an extreme structural integrity test courtesy of Japan’s most effective combination of Hellhammer-and-Autopsy-influenced down tuned doom metal, Coffins. The three piece have been around for around 14 years now, but it took until 2005’s Sacrifice To Evil Spirit to unleash their riffage on an unsuspecting world. Their full length records Mortuary In Darkness, The Other Side of Blasphemy and Buried Death along with a slew of split releases are all well worth your time. For the low, low price of 20 bucks, you can catch the show along with Pod People, the last ever show for Sydney locals Rookwood, and Sydney doomsters Summonus.

The following weekend you can catch Mayhem with Sydney death metallers Anno Domini at The Factory in Marrickville on Friday September 24 and then drive home for DJ Pea’s Big Birthday Bash at The Basement on Saturday September 25 with a huge diverse bill including Looking Glass, Dead Letter Opener, Leicohtica, Leadlight Rose, Red Bee, ZZG, Paulie The Water Tiger, Vertical Smirk and Jizz Mis.

October is also offering a plethora of audible delights for all tastes! Saturday October 2 is a good example. If you want one of the most uncompromising and best examples of classic Bay Area thrash then look no further than the Manning Bar on the Sydney University Campus near Newtown for the Exodus tour; Gary Holt is still smoking after all these years!

For an entirely slower tempo, about a kilometre down the road on the same night is the third annual Doomsday fest headlined by the USA’s Acid King along with Pod People, Looking Glass, Summonus, Clagg, Sons of the Ionian Sea, Fattura Della Morte, VAN and a late show from Adrift for Days and Mother Mars.

If you can’t make it to Sydney or can’t get enough doom, the following Thursday October 7 at The Basement in Belconnen sees Acid King playing with Pod People, Looking Glass and I Exist.

Grind fans looking for an excuse to head to Melbourne in October should head down for the Saturday October 30 show at The Tote where Agents of Abhorrence will welcome their new singer to the fold ahead of the Japan tour. Also on the bill are Captain Cleanoff, The Kill and Die Pigeon Die. Well worth a weekend in the burn.

Josh np: Martryd?d – H?r Varnigen! – In Extremis

Metalise

Praise, hail Satan! Finally Australia has its own black metal fest!

Fans should be already eagerly awaiting the Black Mass Festival up in Sydney presented by Séance records. The eight band bill is on Saturday November 27 at the Newtown RSL on Enmore Road. Nazxul headline over Queensland’s comeback kings Astriaal, plus Drowning The Light, Sanguinary Misanthropia, Wardaemonic, Erebus Enthroned, Moon and Spire. The show is $30 bucks pre sale and $35 on the door. There will be stalls, giveaways and a promise that the DJs will play “only the darkest sounds from eve ‘til dawn”.

While on the black metal spear tip, don’t forget the Mayhem show in Sydney at The Factory, a bit further down Enmore Road than the above fest, on Friday September 24. Anno Domini will be in support.

Whilst we’re not getting the Big Four show (yet), Megadeth have announced they will be back to headline the No Sleep Til Festival, which seems to be setting itself up like a Soundwave-lite. The majority of the line-up consists of punk, hardcore and a good whack of bands that play breakdowns instead of songs, but NOFX, Dropkick Murphys and Descendents on their first Aussie tour suggest just the tip of an iceberg. For Metalise regular readers, GWAR’s first Aussie tour and Swede’s Katatonia might make the ticket an attractive one, along with Mustaine’s gang. The Sydney show is on Saturday December 18 in the old Big Day Out, and more recently Livid Festival’s, locale of the Hordern Pavilion and surrounds and you can get tickets at the Moshtix website.

The USA’s Acid King are confirmed for a Thursday October 7 show at The Basement in Belconnen along with Pod People, Looking Glass and I Exist. This is to make up for the lack of a local Doomsday Festival show also happening in October in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The Sydney Doomsday show is at the Newtown RSL on Saturday October 2 with Acid King, Pod People, Looking Glass, Summonus, Clagg, Sons of the Ionian Sea, Fattura Della Morte, VAN and a late show from Adrift for Days and Mother Mars.

This weekend on Saturday September 4, The Basement hosts Taliesin, The Danny John Trio, ZZG and Paulie The Water Tiger. Joel’s birthday bash, The DJ Pea’s Birthday Show on Saturday September 25 looks great with shows from Looking Glass, Dead Letter Opener, Leicohtica, Leadlight Rose, Red Bee, ZZG, Paulie The Water Tiger, Vertical Smirk and Jizz.

Baroness has announced sideshows from the Metallica touring juggernaut hitting Australia later in the year. Friday November 12 in Sydney is the date and the Annandale is the perfect venue, in my opinion, to “get” the intricacies of this great band in a live setting. Tickets on sale now.

I gotta recommend this album; I’ve been flogging in recent weeks. Norway’s Kvelertak play a brand of Turbo Negro-esque rock laced with black metal influences in vocal delivery, a few of their riffs, more hooks than a tackle box, and some super charming snow wog sounding melodies (see chorus of the one English titled song Sultans of Satan). It will have you air-guitaring and, should you speak Norse, singing along. I think not knowing the lyrics or song titles to the majority of the album has only enhanced my enjoyment of this record. Self titled album, stunning John Baizley artwork, check it out.

josh np: Blodtørst – Kvelertak – Kvelertak.

Metalise

Deadlines are a funny thing. I normally struggle, at best, to meet our usual deadlines here at BMA, but managing to scrape in on time for the last issue, I noted my scepticism of either Slayer or Iron Maiden being a part of Soundwave 2011. An early deadline had me one day late on delivery, and about one day early from a text message from a spy in camp Slayer that reads as follows “Secret squirrel: Slayer and HOF on Soundwave, not 100% but pretty likely”. I considered calling our hard working editor to stop press, but it wasn’t definite, so I chuckled and forgot about it.

A week later and a day after the last issue hit our pavements, I was playing in Sydney and talking to the promoter and new label manager for Macabre. He lives and works in Australia and casually announced to me over a pie “oh dude, Soundwave is nuts next year” (chomp chomp). “Iron Maiden headlining, Slayer, Primus, Queens (of the Stoneage), Melvins, it’s gonna be crazy” (chomp chomp).

“High On Fire?” I asked? (chomp chomp) “Yeah, them too”. Then I told him what I wrote in the last column. He said I was a dickhead and on that much we could agree.

Fast forward to Thursday night and a leaked phone camera image of the double page Soundwave ad hit Aussie interweb forums like the plague.

“With more to be announced” at the bottom of the page it read. “Good God” was the title of the email I sent around to friends with responses ranging from “F$%k festivals, sideshows” to all out gibberish excitement.

Irrespective of your tastes, inarguably, the Soundwave 2011 line up represents a huge step up in quality for the heavy music fan that would normally need to travel to Europe for such a bill. It’s pretty nuts. Of the responses I got, many who attended this year’s chapter were reluctant about going again, and spoke in fear of attending the festival after roasting in the sun. I asked another Soundwave connection about the two main issues people had: “parking and heat”. But the Soundwave camp have responded, “blame the RTA for the parking situation and we’ve spent 250K hiring shade cloth for next year”. I might have to attend a festival, Good God.

Iron Maiden has already announced side shows across the country, with tickets on sale now for their Thursday February 24 show in Sydney. It’s going to be an insanely expensive six months.

Death Metal At The Maram III hits (no surprise) The Maram in Erindale on Saturday September 4, for the grand price of FREE! You get four brutal sets from Victorian act Insidious Torture, NSW’s Mass Burial as well as locals’ Tortured and Point 17. Doors open at 8pm for this over 18’s show.

Zeni Geva played one of the heaviest gigs the ANU Bar ever hosted back in the 90’s and I was stoked to see them announced back in for an Aussie tour in September. Japan’s long serving purveyors of extreme avant garde are playing at the Bald Faced Stag in Sydney on Thursday September 23 as a part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. The tour is presented by the perpetual Heathen Skulls promotions folks.

Acid King has confirmed for Doomfest this year and there’s talk of a gig scheduled for Thursday October 7 at The Basement with Pod People, I Exist and another band on the cards, but yet to be confirmed.

Josh – np: Splattered Cavities – Carcass – Reek of Putrefecation

Metalise

The Soundwave rumours are in full swing for the 2011 run of the largest touring festival of heavy music in Australia, with more than a few sources predicting Big Four band Slayer and the return of Iron Maiden. If these turn out to be true (personally I don’t hold a lot of stock in them) metal fans are getting a second dedicated metal stage next year. The announcement of The Sword joining the tour is also welcome news.

There’s a tonne of big international shows coming up in the next few weeks to keep the summer festivals feeling too far out of reach. Let’s review <draws extremely large breath>

Testament are at the Manning Bar on Saturday August 7. Napalm Death are back again, this time with Dying Fetus and Extortion on Saturday September 4 at The Factory theatre down the bottom of Enmore Road in Marrickville, Sydney.

LA glamsters L.A. Guns are at The Forum theatre in Sydney on Friday September 3. Japanese sludge lords Coffins are at the Gaelic Club on Sunday September 19. Then we have Mayhem playing The Factory theatre in Marrickville on Friday September 24. Overkill play The Metro on Saturday September 25. Then Exodus play the Manning Bar on the Saturday October 2. Soilwork also play the Manning on Friday October 22.

All in all I expect to see a lot of longhairs either doing overtime or washing windows at the traffic lights in order to somehow pay for the accommodation, travel and merch expenses leading up to Christmas. Nuts.

On a local tip, Friday August 6 is the Dio Live Evil Tribute Show at The Basement which should be a big night to sink a few in RJD’s honour. Ignite the Ibex are looking for a new vocalist following Terry Crane leaving for a “life opportunity” in greener pastures. If you’re interested in fronting the tech death act, send an email to ignitetheibex@live.com along with recordings, Youtube links or any other evidence of your abilities [maybe keep it above the waist, though – AL].

The third Doomsday Festival is on again this year. To celebrate, the organisers have been scouring the globe for an international to headline, and fingers crossed it will be the formidable San Francisco three-piece Acid King. The dates for the two shows closest to us are on Saturday October 2 at the Bald Faced Stag from 3pm and in Melbourne at the Northcote Social Club from 7pm. Pod People, Clagg, Looking Glass and Summonus form the nucleus of the local contingent for most of the shows.

Halfway through 2010 already I thought I’d briefly reflect on a bunch of killer releases that have been keeping my ears warm this winter in case you’re looking for some new music or have slept on some of this year’s work. Abscess have been deactivated in favour of Autopsy’s reactivation, but Dawn of Inhumanity was awesome. High on Fire’s Snakes For The Divine is utterly essential. Cathedral’s The Guessing Game, Lair of the Minotaur Evil Power, Ufomammut Eve, Ramesses Take The Curse and Hooded Menace’s Never Cross The Dead are all worthy of your attention!

Josh – NP: Ufomammut – Eve Part III – Eve

Metalise

Anyone watch the Big 4 show at the movies? Reading our local “Let’s Mosh” 2XX metal radio show host’s drunken accounts were more interesting to me. Don’t forget to tune into 98.3FM Thursday nights from 11!

Before another report on international bands coming to our fair shores, here’s a diary planner on some shows coming up at The Basement over the coming months.

Friday July 30 is Progfest with performances by Melbourne eleventy-piece band Ne Obliviscaris, Taliesin, Sleepmakeswaves, Nemesphyxia and more for a mere 12 bucks from 8pm. If that’s not enough prog for you, the following evening in Sydney at the Annandale Hotel, you can see the Sydney lineup that includes Ne Obliviscaris, Sleepmakeswaves, Shanghai, Pirate, A State of Flux, Anubis, Arcane, Paradigm, Space Project, Slimey Things, Godswounds and Mish.

Friday August 6 is the Dio tribute night to celebrate the life, music and passing of the elfin icon by tribute act Live Evil.

Saturday August 7 features a celebration of extreme with Demonic Tempest, Reign of Terror and Dark Nemesis.

Saturday August 21 is the CD launch for Our Last Enemy and features a huge bill including Inside The Exterior, 1 Shot Kill, Friend or Enemy, Na Maza, Sacred Truth and Boonhorse.

There are a lot of shows coming up, but also mark down Saturday September 25 for DJ Pea’s ‘Birthday of Filth’ that features Looking Glass, Dead Letter Opener, Leichotica, Leadlight Rose, Red Bee, ZZG, Paul The Water Tiger (!), Vertical Smirk (!!) and Jizz Mist (!!!).

Soilwork are back for their third Australian tour in October to push their eighth studio album The Panic Broadcast. The tour kicks off in Brisvegas on Thursday October 21 with the nearest visitation for ACT Soilwork fans the following evening, Friday October 22, at the Manning Bar in Sydney. The supports for the show are Buried In Verona and Paradigm and you can purchase your tickets from Ticketek, Red Ant Touring or Oztix.com.au.

Lord are embarking on an extensive Australian tour before heading to Japan for the second time to tour with Doro and Jaded Heart. The tour is to launch their new EP Return of the Tyrant and it’s a doozy. The Tyrants Return tour is 22 shows including some jaunts out to Lord Tim’s hometown Broken Hill which will be pretty huge for the ‘silver city.’ Canberra is not missing out and the band will be hitting the Maram for an 18+ show on Saturday August 28.

Don’t forget Friday July 30 at the Bald Faced Stag (aka ‘The Wall’) is the first visit to Australian shores by my all time favourite murder metal act Macabre! The Chicago three-piece have been at it since 1985 and I still remember the first time I heard the pioneering double kick skills of their drummer Dennis the Menace causing my jaw to hit the floor. They’ve got a new album coming out later this year on Aussie label High Voltage with the working title Grim Tales. Playing with Pod People, Roadside Burial and Chaotic Impurity, don’t miss this show!

Josh Nixon – Serial Killer – Gloom/Grim Reality – Macabre

Metalise

September is not shaping up as a good month for smaller promoters to put international shows on, given Metallica has sold out four shows in Sydney and Melbourne alone and tickets are going very quickly on the fifth show at Acer and Rod Laver Arenas respectively.

Recently announced were the two international supports for the shows, which sent another tonne of fans scurrying off to the interweb for tickets upon the news of Baroness and Lamb of God joining the tour. I believe at the time of this being written there are still tickets for the last Sydney show.

That hasn’t stopped the promoters of all things heavy sending out the international goodness.

Om’s tour here turned out to be a rumour unfortunately. You can see ‘em in Sydney at The Factory Theatre on Saturday July 17 with Blarke Bayer/Black Widow and Breathing Shrine. They’re also playing with Lichens as the headliner on Tuesday July 20 at the Red Rattler in Sydney with Blarke Bayer/Black Widow and special guests.

Overkill, one of thrash metal’s most revered acts and who are just one of the acts likely to be unfairly overlooked by cash strapped metal fans, are hitting The Metro Theatre on Saturday September 25 to mark their 25^th anniversary. Australian audiences can expect to see founders Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth and D.D. Verni, as well as newcomers Derik ‘The Skull’ Tailer, Dave Linsk and Ron Lipnicki, and of course their beloved mascot Chaly (the skeletal bat from most of their album covers). Tickets are selling fast, so do not miss this landmark tour. Mortal Sin are the supports.

While on the old guard of thrash, Exodus tickets for their Saturday October 2 show at the Manning Bar in Sydney are also moving along and according to Gary Holt, “I’m not happy unless I see someone out there in the pit, bleeding and smiling!” Tickets through Moshtix and Utopia Records.

Having played the first of the Utopia Records 30^th anniversary gigs a couple of weeks back at the Bald Faced Stag, the show was great, but I’m sure it won’t be a patch on the celebration of everything Sydney metal on Saturday July 10 when Mortal Sin, The Amenta, Daysend, Switchblade, Killrazer, Darker Half, Anno Domini, Norse and Hellbringer take to the Manning Bar with a musical 4 x 2. Get along for all the thrashin’ fun.

Macabre are at the Bald Faced Stag on Friday July 30 with Pod People, Roadside Burial and Chaotic Impurity. Tickets are 30 bucks beforehand and 35 at the door for the murder metal masters’ first Australian tour ever. www.gobookem.com has tickets if you search for the venue name ‘The Wall’ which is the name of the venue inside the Bald Faced Stag.

Bastardfest is a fledgling festival being run in three states this year with a view to expand in 2011, featuring the best of Australia’s heavy acts. Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are first on the menu with the Melbourne show featuring a stellar bill. Blood Duster, Psycroptic, Extortion, Mindsnare, Captain Cleanoff and The Kill will be hitting the Corner Hotel in Richmond on Saturday September 4. The Kill has also been included in the first announcement for next year’s Maryland Death Festival.

Josh – np: Doomsower – Reverend Bizarre – In The Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend

Metalise

Testament head the list of tour announcements this week with a three show run supported by Melbourne band Dreadnaught. Having thrashed their way out of the legendary bay area over their 25 year storied career with five studio albums, the band come back for shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in early August. Tickets for the Sydney show at the Manning Bar can be purchased through Oztix, Moshtix or the Manning Bar box office for the show on Saturday August 7. Also appearing at Billboard in Melbourne on Friday August 6 and tickets through Moshtix. Keen to see Mr Bostaph on the kit again for the first time since he toured with Slayer on the Divine Intervention tour.

Don’t forget Paul Dianno doing his 30^th anniversary of the first Iron Maiden album in full this Sunday June 20 at the ANU Bar!

I was super chuffed to find out about the imminent arrival of one of my all time favourite bands in Australia in late July for their first ever Australian tour. Genre defining ‘murder metal’ legends Macabre bring their brand of sinister slaughter to Australia in late July for a pretty decent sized tour. The closest show is Sydney at the Bald Faced Stag on Friday July 30 (not “Stags” as the poster says that has been on the internet). The Melbourne show the following night is part of the reinstituted High Voltage fest and features a huge bill of bands aside from Macabre. Earth, Pod People, Depression, Dreadnaught, Cemetery Urn, Contrive, Internal Nightmare, Identity Theft and Embodied. All that for just 30 bucks!

Two-piece musical missionaries Om are touring Australia for the first time in their celebrated career. Supporting the God Is Good tour are the fine folks at Heathen Skulls. They’re playing with Lichens and Blarke Beyer/Black Widow in Sydney on Saturday July 17 at The Factory with Naked On The Vague. There is a RUMOUR at this stage of a possible show on Thursday July 22 in Canberra with the RUMOUR being that reformed Wollongong stoners Tumbleweed may be also playing. Be sure to check BMA next issue for confirmation.

From the ashes of Damage Plan with a sprinkling of Nothingface and a seasoning of Mudvayne, the combined result was party band with a “let’s tear the world a new ass” attitude in the form of Hell Yeah. Vinnie and pals bring the party to Sydney on Thursday July 29 at the Metro Theatre for a licensed all ages show. Tickets through Ticketek.

Alestorm’s show at The Gaelic is near sold out for the Friday June 18 show with Bane of Isuldur. Don’t delay if pirate metal is your thing!

cKy are touring in August too, at the Manning Bar in Sydney on Saturday August 14. Tickets from Moshtix.

Utopia Records celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year with a few big shows up in the big smoke to celemabrate. There’s a thrash night at the Manning Bar on Saturday July 10 with a big Sydney metal bill including Mortal Sin, The Amenta, Daysend, Switchblade, Killrazer, Darker Half, Anno Domini, Norse and Hellbringer. There’s also a doom/stoner night on Friday June 25 at the Bald Faced Stag with Pod People, Daredevil, Summonus and Bob Sledge.

Josh Nixon

NP: Three Water – Paul Chain – Alkahest

Metalise

RIP Ronnie James Dio – 1942-2010. There’s a plethora of tributes out there for the man, but I simply send a twin horn salute to the man that invented it \m/ – RIP DIO –\m/.

Mayhem has announced dates for the balked tour that, if my foggy memory serves, was supposed to happen last year. With Atilla Csihar back in the fold, replacing Maniac who came out last time, I think this time has the potential to outdo their last performance at the ANU a few years back. Last time I thought the pig heads were more interesting than the set, but I don’t wanna disrespect one of black metal’s Norwegian founders. It only adds to a September that is shaping up to be a significant liver structural integrity test for the metal fan, with tours from Napalm Death, Coffins, Overkill and now Mayhem all in one glorious month. Mayhem hit The Factory in Marrickville, Sydney on Friday September 24 or The Hifi in Melbourne on Thursday September 23, depending on where you’d like to see the band.

Speaking of the Coffins tour, supports were announced by tour promoters Obsidian last week for the big weekend of fun and games taking in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney respectively on the weekend starting the Friday September 17. The Melbourne show is a monster. Gospel of the Horns, Cauldron Black Ram, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Clagg, Ignviomous and Whitehorse at The Hifi is just a HUGE bill no matter how you slice it! The Sydney show features Pod People, Rookwood playing their last ever show and Summonus. Moshtix is the website to visit for your Sydney ticket, the HiFi website or Missing Link Records for Melbourne tickets.

In more doomy related international tour news, audio travellers Om have announced a tour thanks to the fine folks at the Heathen Skulls label. So far a run of four dates have been announced, so the possibility of a Canberra show is there. Also coming out with the band is the solo project of Mr Robert Lowe, better known as Lichens, and the tour is supported by Heathen Skulls head honcho Robert McManus and My Disco/Agents of Abhorrence guiterroriser Ben Andrews with their Black Widow/Blarke Bayer project. The tour is slated for October with a show at The Hifi in Melbourne and a Sydney date at The Factory on Friday October 15 and Saturday October 16 respectively. More news on a Canberra show as it comes to light.

The Basement have a couple of big shows in June and the month also sees the departure of Mikey from the management team. A quick salute to Mike for all his hard work over the past few years, thanks mate! Anyhoo – Five Star Prison Cell bring their album launch tour to Canberra on Friday June 4 along with Never Trust A Bunny, Recoil, Friend or Enemy and Dawn Heist. Friday June 25, the venue hosts Melbourne band Aprocessof with Never Trust A Bunny, Na Maza, Inside The Exterior and fellow Melbournites The Devyles.

Josh Nixon – np: Illoomorpheme – Portal - Swarth

Metalise

It was great to get an email from one of Australia’s pioneer metal gods Joel Green, ex-Armoured Angel, this week. Along with another of Canberra’s long serving axe slingers Tony Kirk (most recently of Kill For Satan infamy), the two have released their debut slab that was discussed in Metallise last year when Joel came to town to record it (he’s in Adelaide now). The project’s name is Wardom and the debut release is entitled When Darkness Reigns. If you’d like a preview of the album, check myspace.com/wardom666.

Unrelenting walls of international tours continue to cause the credit cards of heavy metal maniacs to suffer, particularly those heading over to catch the annual Maryland Death Festival at the end of the month (you lucky b%$tards know who you are). That said, those travelling eleventy thousand miles to see the likes of Autopsy, Pentagram and Entombed along with high profile slots for our own Captain Cleanoff, Blood Duster and Portal are likely to favour one of the following tour date revelations over the other.

Metallica tickets will go on sale roughly the day this ish hits the brutal frost-bitten streets of Canberra. Of course the ‘Metclub’ members have already had a feeding frenzy or two online for the band’s two part tour in October and November. The New Zealand and Australia tour starts in Auckland on Wednesday October 13, with shows in Brisbane and Perth on Monday October 18 and Friday October 22. Then a quick kangaroo patting gap until Wednesday November 10, where they play Acer Arena. If you can’t get tickets for that show, Thursday November 18 is the date for Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena. Good luck in the credit card ruck online and may eBay be kind to you if you miss out.

Really exciting news from Soundworks Touring this week on their new website, soundworkstouring.com. Napalm Death and Dying Fetus have announced a September jaunt around the traps with a five date tour starting Wednesday September 1 in Adelaide. The two closest shows for us would be either Saturday September 4 in Sydney at The Factory or Sunday September 5 at the Hifi Ballroom in Melbourne. In digging around the traps I’ve heard that Australian hardcore band extraordinaire Extortion will be the main support on the tour. May seem like a strange choice, but for those who don’t know, Extortion released their new album Loose Screws (and a fine album it is, BTW) earlier in the year which features guest vocals in the form of Mr Mark “Barney” Greenway on the final track Socially Inept. Tickets at Moshtix or the Factory and Hifi ticketing offices.

The Nile, Abigail Williams and Hate Eternal tour lands in Australia in a couple of weeks’ time and tickets are getting scarce for the Friday May 28 show in Sydney at The Factory. This much quality international brutality on one night is not to be missed, and you can try get a ticket from the Factory website. Don’t sleep on these, they will sell out.

The Coffins tour announced a couple of weeks back has a few more details on ticket purchase points. For the Sydney show at The Metro on Saturday September 25, you can get tickets from redanttouring.com, metrotheatre.com or Ticketek. Apparently there are also ‘VIP meet and greet’ packages available from the Red Ant Touring page.

Josh – np: From Their Coffined Slumber – Hooded Menace – Never Cross The Dead

Metalise

Brutal hails and RIP Peter Steele of Carnivore. I’m sure more of you will know him from the other band, but Carnivore and their kooky Escape From New York meets Mad Max 2 post-apocalyptic themes will be my favourite Pete memory.

Overkill is celebrating 25 years with a world tour including three Australian shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney – with the Sydney leg being at The Metro on the Saturday September 25. With a classic thrash band on tour, it comes as no surprise that Mortal Sin will be the support for the whole tour and fittingly so. You can get tickets at redanttouring.com, Ticketek or metrotheatre.com.au.

I mentioned last time a number of Australian releases due out soon and the first cab off the rank is Five Star Prison Cell and their new album M.A.T.R.I.A.R.C.H due to hit stores on Tuesday May 18. They’ve announced a run of over 30 shows to support the release of the record and the Canberra leg of the tour lands at The Basement in Belconnen on Friday June 4.

Alestorm’s “Plunder Down Under Tour” hits the Gaelic Theatre on Friday June 18 and the band has now announced Bane Of Isildur as the support. You can get your tickets at the Moshtix website.

Pod People are at The Basement on Friday May 7 with the awesome Sydney band Fattura Della Murte and I Exist. Fattura has parted ways with vocalist Benny and have recruited Bubsy, formerly of Sydney grind terrorists Ebolie, to fill in the lungsmith duties. I Exist have a new album entitled A Turn For The Worse that is supposedly due for release on the same day – check the band’s website for details on where you can pick it up. The following night, Saturday May 8, also at The Basement is the Welcome To Slavery show with a slew of delights in the form of Voltera, Sin City and Nobody Knew They Were Robots.

Contrive have had a busy six months preparing the follow up to the Fredrick Nordstrom mixed effort The Meaning Unseen. The new album, also featuring celebrity mixing duties by Canadian sonic experimentalist Devin Townsend, is entitled The Internal Dialogue and is due out soon. You can see recording footage, hear previews and pre-order the album at contrive.bigcartel.com.

Soundworks Touring have brought out a tonne of metal bands in recent years as well as handling the booking duties for Aussie heavyweights like Psycroptic. They’ve amassed a truckload of leftover tour merch and have a crazy run out sale to salivate over. If you didn’t have the cash to get shirts or posters on their recent tours hit this email up for a list – soundworkspromo@bigpond.com.

Damn am I stinging I’m not joining half of Australia’s metal bands on tour in the states next month. Portal, Captain Cleanoff and Blood Duster are all touring! Captain Cleanoff has just completed work on a new split 7” for the tour with Melbourne uber grinders The Kill. Also in Captain Cleanoff news, long time bass player Anand is leaving the four string duties behind on the US tour, with Jason P.C. of Blood Duster stepping in to take his place. The transition has already begun with P.C. playing a show recently to test the waters. Anand will play the much vaunted Maryland Death Fest… sigh… Autopsy.

Josh – np: Edwige’s Eyes - Cathedral – The Guessing Game

Metalise

The Metallise sources are proving reliable of late as the rumoured Metallica tour has now been confirmed in interview, with Mr Ulrich announcing that the band will do a run of Australian and New Zealand dates in November this year before the band takes a break and begins a new record cycle.

For me though, the Metallica news wasn’t as nearly as exciting as the email that got arrived in my inbox from a good friend late last week. Why? Because of welcome news that the folks at Obsidian Records are bringing out one of my all time favourite Japanese bands, Coffins. If you have not heard albums like Buried Death or The Other Side of Blasphemy, then mete out some self-flagellation and get them at once, especially if you’re into Autopsy-style dirty old school death metal. The tour is due to hit Australia for three shows in September, in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The Melbourne show is Saturday September 18 at The Hifi Bar and the Sydney show Sunday September 19 at The Gaelic Club. All shows are 18 and over as the kiddies might not be able to handle a band as brutal as a Tibetan sky burial (Google it). You can get pre-order tickets at the Obsidian Records homepage (www.obsidianrecords.com) or from Moshtix when they go on sale Friday April 23. Do not miss this tour.

On the local front this weekend, Friday April 16 at The Basement in Belconnen hosts a big lineup of local talent in the corpulent riffs of System Addict, Loud So Clear, Barbarian and Imperial. Saturday April 17 is a mix of interstate rock and metal acts with Melbournites House of Thumbs touring last years Crossing the Rubicon album with Heaven The Axe Spoil and Blindeyedgods.

Speaking of local albums, here are a couple of Australian releases to keep an eye out for that have just dropped. First is the monumental work of Orange (NSW) black metal band Arkheth. Their double album XI & I: The Quintessence of Algaresh has taken four years of hard toil and the band’s labours result in this huge double album out now through Obsidian Records. Algaresh provides the band a conceptual geographic platform for their concepts and the album is the long awaited follow up to 2003’s Hymns of a Howling Wind.

Also out this week is The Death of Utopia from Adelaide’s Space Bong. You may have caught their ungodly hate-filled doom dirge at the Doomsday shows late last year, but if you didn’t, the band’s blackened stoner/sludge is set to full uncompromising dirge on this record. You can pick it up for only 15 bucks through 65degrees.com. Albums from Five Star Prison Cell (M A T R I A R C H) and Astriaal (Anatomy of the Infinite) coming soon too; a big year for Australian metal.

I also note with interest that the Aussie metal band Gospel of the Horns have come back now more times than even John Farnham (thanks Geoffy) and touring Europe this winter.

Pod People will be at The Basement on Friday May 7 with Sydney band Fattura Della Murte who recently got themselves a new vocalist, I Exist and possibly another surprise act or two to come.

Josh np – Jaws of Life – Hatred Surge – Collection 2005-2007

Metalise

Brutal greetings thrashers.

I’m thinking I’ll reverse the trend of announcing more international tours in the column by letting you know that the Paradise Lost and Stryper tours have been cancelled. The Paradise Lost tour due to ‘promotional problems’ – get your refund at the place of purchase. Stryper has been postponed, and to hell with devil if I know when they’re coming back but I shall persevere until I do.

There have been many rumblings of other long stay metal and hard rockin’ outfits coming out though, either officially or about to be announced. The Cult, for example. The band are bringing their Love tour to Australia to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the album with the same name and hit The Big Top at Luna Park in Sydney on Thursday May 6. Tickets at Ticketek.

On the rumours front, Metallica are dropping hints for a Q3 or Q4 Aussie tour and that’s looking more and more likely with the rumour coming from Lars himself.

A Metallise get well card to a pioneer and champion of the double kicks, Pete Sandoval, who is currently recuperating from an operation to relieve chronic back problems. Tim Yeung (Hate Eternal/Divine Heresy et al) will fill in for Sandoval whilst he recovers.

The Black Dahlia Murder and Unearth are heading down for a run of seven Australian shows in late May/early June. The Sydney show is all ages at The Factory Theatre on Monday May 31. The Black Dahlia Murder are touring their Deflorate record.

The Dillinger Escape Plan tickets have also gone on sale and for 64 smackers the band plays The Metro on Friday May 21 with Maylene and The Sons of Disaster. Ticketek has got you covered for these tickets and the show is licensed all ages.

Cunt Butcher, Grannyfist, Hell Mary and Teenage Skank Parade make an interesting combo for a live show and you can witness the grindin’ times at The Basement on Friday April 9. The following Friday (April 16), The Basement hosts a huge local show featuring System Addict, Loud So Clear, Barbarian and Imperial. The night after, Saturday April 17, there’s House of Thumbs, Melbourne rockers Heaven The Axe (featuring Steve Watts of Terrorust/Manticore on guitar), Spoil and Blindeyedgods.

The Vivid Live Festival is happening over two weeks in Sydney in May/June and whilst Lou Reed or Laurie Anderson may not float the Metallise boat too much, welcome news that Japanese champions Boris will be doing a show on Friday May 28. The whole fest is on at the Opera House and the Boris show is at The Studio for $35 bucks, if you don’t wanna go see any of the other festival performances.

The Red Shore is currently touring the country along with The Abandonment and Forgotten Rival. The tour includes an all ages show at The Jam Factory in Fyshwick on Wednesday April 28.

Marty Friedman, he of the poodle locks, the Megadeth, the Cacophony and the shred, is doing a guitar clinic tour of Australia that hits Alan’s Music on Tuesday April 27 at 7.30pm. If you’re looking to add to your box of thrashin’ tricks, you can get tickets at the Alan’s Music website, www.allansmusic.com.au.

Saturday May 8 at The Basement is an interesting show under the banner of Welcome to Slavery. The show features an eclectic lineup including Voltera, Sin City and Nobody Knew They Were Robots. I’ll track down some details in the coming weeks.

Josh – np: Sink to the Centre – Age Eternal – Middian

Metalise

I thrust my horns in your general direction.

Last issue I was able to warn you of an impending boarding by Scottish pirates in the form of the Alestorm tour. Further rumblings from Europe have warned of an impending raid by Finland’s Turisas. Yes, the band named after the ancient Finnish war god are packing their fury underpants and battle axes to raid our shores. Darlings of the European summer metal fests, the show is bound to be a cracker and you can catch it Saturday May 22 at The Factory Theatre in Sydney and the show is all ages. You can find tickets on sale at justsayrock.com.au.

The Day Everything Became Nothing are at The Basement on Friday March 26 for a night of world class gore grind. The night after, Saturday March 27, at said Basement is also a huge local bill featuring The Darker Half, Templestowe, Dead Letter Opener and Forgery.

No strangers to our shores and equally as berzerk sans the costumes, The Dillinger Escape Plan are coming back. The tour is with Maylene, Sons of Disaster and The Red Shore and I’m still trying to determine if there are two shows on at The Metro in Sydney on the same day or if it’s a typo. I would assume that one show would be all ages and the other an over 18s show, either way, The Metro is the place and the date is Friday May 21 with Dillinger headlining one or both shows. I will do some more digging and let you know in a future Metallise.

Nick Oliveri is back for more acoustic shows at The Wall (345 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt) in Sydney on Wednesday March 24 with support from Blackie of The Hard-Ons.

Last time I reported that Paul Dianno was coming back, you may have sensed some cynicism in my reportage. Those that attended Dianno last time may have agreed with me after the legendary frontman from Iron Maiden’s first two albums left the stage with the shits that fans didn’t know the words to The Ramones Blitzkrieg Bop. Well, colour me impressed, in part, at the tour plans for this visit due to land at The ANU Bar on Sunday June 20. This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the release of Iron Maiden’s debut self-titled record, and to celebrate the landmark, Dianno and, I assume, the same band made of Sydney thrashers Killrazor will be back to play a set featuring said self-titled album in full along with a bunch of tracks from Killers as well. 25 bucks at moshtix.com and you can join in the celebration. If you’re a TRUE fan, you can pay for a 100 dollar VIP ticket. That will get you entry to the show, a merch bag, tour poster and a meet and greet with the man himself.

For those who prefer their metal a bit more core and tattooed, Confession, Thy Art Is Murder, Wish For Wings and Lovers Grave play the Canberra leg of The Mistake Tour at The Jam Factory for all ages on Sunday May 2. The Jam Factory is at 4/9 Lithgow Street in Fyshwick and is available for bands looking for rehearsal space – call Chris on 0413 476 591 if you need somewhere to make a racket at very reasonable rates.

Josh – np: Frosthammer – Snakes For The Divine – High On Fire

Metalise

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Hails and tortured wails. Not sure how the Australian Metal Awards turned out last weekend, be interested to know how Sadistik Exekution got along and I'll publish the winners list in the end of year edition. Let me know how it was if you went!

Lamb of God, Devil Driver and Shadows Fall have sold out their first show at the Big Top in Sydney on Saturday December 12 and have added a second licensed all ages show for Sunday December 13.

Porcupine Tree are coming back to Australia again in February with three Aussie shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. The Sydney show is at the Enmore Theatre on Saturday February 6 and at the Palace Theatre in Melbourne on Sunday February 7. Ticketek will provide their services for your tickets.

While in prog-ish territory, Les Claypool of Primus fame is doing some solo shows in December including an all ages show in Sydney on the Wednesday December 2 at the Enmore Theatre and an over 18s show at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne on Friday December 4. Check the info on his website, http://www.lesclaypool.com/tour/

Australia's proponents of the finest Swedish death metal flavour Earth have a new album about to hit stores entitled Fear of Tomorrow. The band is embarking on a national tour to support the record and the Canberra leg of that tour takes place on Friday November 20 at the Basement. Joining them are NSW band Code of Lies, Reign of Terror and Machete. The band then hit the Hume in the morning for a Harbour Cruise show the next day with Pod People and Anno Domini. I can't wait to check the new record out as both The Bleeding Fields and Star Condemned were excellent.

Also at the Basement this weekend, Friday November 13 (cue werewolf howl) is a great bill featuring Scapegoat, Futility, Inside the Exterior and Tortured. Adding to the local good time shows at the Basement, Friday November 27 is the band formerly known as Terrorust and Insidious Torture (Matty Skitz on drums) heading up from Melbourne to headline a super strong bill that includes Mytile Vey Lorth, Kill For Satan, Hell Itself and Forgery.

Portal, Blood Duster, Destroyer 666 and Captain Cleanoff are all announced on next year's Maryland Death Fest, better known as MDF. Autopsy reforming for the show alone has me severely tossing up over that show and the amazing Roadburn lineup announced for Holland next year. Portal has a new album out entitled Swarth and is the hellacious spawn of an utterly world class extreme metal act. The band are rumoured to be doing a Sydney show in February, so I'll keep an ear out for the date. Congrats to the Aussies on what is the US' absolute best underground metal festival lineup.

Josh NP: Equilibrium - Cathedral - Forrest of Equilibrium

Metalise

With a good deal of you likely nursing sore heads and necks from Slayer/Megadeth last week and the Slayer Reign In Blood show this week, the thing to keep in mind is that it will keep you in good condition for a summer of thrashing.

While at the Slayer/Megadeth show, I had an opportunity to meet Slayer and hear some tracks from their World Painted Blood record. It's in keeping with the more 'traditional' Slayer sound ala the last album Christ Illusion but sounding a little more mid-paced. Also had an opportunity to hear the new record from my favourite heavy band at the moment, High On Fire. Suffice to say the forthcoming ten track album is going to lay waste when it comes out either late this year or early next.

It was a treat to watch the show from the side of stage and see the slick Slayer touring team go about their business. As you would expect from an international touring juggernaut, they make well oiled machines look rusty. I think they packed down both Slayer and Megadeth's gear in less time than it takes for a band to change over at some local shows I've been to!

Following the Big Day Out announcement, you will now know that Mastodon is the token metal act this year. At $147 per ticket, if you could get one in the schamozzle that was the ticket disaster this year, the Soundwave show is actually stacking up as the big summer festival ticket of choice for many metal fans. The Screamfest shows over New Year's offer the more discerning, extreme leaning ears another alternative. Plenty of choice nonetheless! Tickets for the latter two are on sale if you're up for it.

International visitors in the coming weeks include Arch Enemy with the ever brutal Suffocation and Winds of Plague at The Roundhouse in Sydney on Friday November 6, Obituary at the Manning Bar on Friday November 20, Amon Amarth at the Metro on Saturday November 28 with Eye of the Enemy and Bane of Isuldur, and Brutal Truth and Blood Duster at the Manning Bar on Monday December 21.

Locally, there's a few notable black thrash type shows coming up in Sydney as well. Nazxul at the Manning Bar this Saturday October 17 with The Veil and Erebus Enthroned, Destroyer 666 on Friday January 15 at the Metro, and The Amenta with Subtract (NZ), Demon Foetal Harvest and Our Last Enemy at The Bald Faced Stag on Friday October 23.

Also, regardless of what you might think of the awards component of the evening, The Australian Heavy Metal Awards are on Saturday November 7 at the Forum in Moore Park and a rare as hen's teeth performance by seminal Australian metal pioneers Sadistik Exekution make the show tempting. Good luck to Alchemist in their respective nominations.

Josh

Now playing: Shrinebuilder  - Pyramid of the Moon - Shrinebuilder

Metalise

Slayer and Megadeth are sold out in Sydney and Melbourne for their Thursday October 8 and Friday October 9 shows but if you want to get onto the '80s metal ship, the Obituary tour has been announced now too. Thursday November 19 at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne and Friday November 20 at the Manning Bar in Sydney. The new Slayer record, World Painted Blood, should be in stores by the time this goes to press.

Also announcing their raid on Australian shores in recent weeks are Viking warriors Amon Amarth. Playing Billboard the Venue in Melbourne on Friday November 27 and the Metro in Sydney on Saturday November 28, the band are nationally supported by Eye of the Enemy and Orpheus in Melbourne and Bane of Isildur (must be a Tolkien thing) in Sydney.

Black Cobra play the ANU Bar on Tuesday October 6. Normally I don't get into two-piece bands without a bass player, but everything I've heard from these guys tells me that there is plenty of bottom end to be had. Also appearing is Robert from Grey Daturas' musical experiment Blarke Bayer/Black Widow.

Screamfest is making January "metal month" by following up their massive New Years two day bash in Sydney with a slew of national dates. Bands you ask? *deep breath* Cynic, Dark Funeral, Destroyer 666, Destruction, Edguy, Rotting Christ, Sonata Arctica, Ensiferum and a list of acts that the Enmore Theatre will barely be able to contain over Thursday December 31 and Friday January 1. Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart and Perth will all get side shows in the first ten days or so of the new year so if you're too far away to make the New Years show there's plenty of opportunities in most state capitals to catch the international acts on the bill.

Not enough international fun and games for you? Brutal Truth are coming back! The band have reformed and made one of the year's best albums to date in the form of Evolution Through Revolution which was mixed by Australia's own Jason P.C. of Blood Duster, who once again are the national support for the tour. The show won't be coming to Canberra this time, but you can catch the band either in Sydney on the Monday December 21 at the Manning Bar or in Melbourne at the Hi Fi Bar on the Sunday December 20. I rang Fuller to ask about it and he said the Melbourne show will likely have a few more supports that the Sydney one, so if a bit of pre-Xmas shopping and brutal grindcore are your bag then get along.

Speaking of Blood Duster, they've begun pre-production tracking on their latest record which will be out early 2010. Also finishing off a recording at the moment is Contrive who are over in Canada with Devin Townsend who is filling in for Fredrik Nordstrom in the mixer's chair this time round. Alarum are also finishing up their new album Natural Causes in Melbourne.

Josh - NP: Shotgun Boogie (James Oliver Huberty) - Church of Misery - Houses of the Unholy

Metalise

Yo. Well, the interweb and word of mouth have spread the news -tickets have been on sale for a fortnight already for the thrash tour of '09. For those who have been hiding in a nuclear shelter for the last month, Slayer and Megadeth are touring together in October and are bringing their sharpened tools down on the heels of new records. World Painted Blood is the title of the new Slayer record, which guitarist Kerry King has compared to a more Seasons In The Abyss type of record, as opposed to the flat out Christ Illusion we got last time around. Megadeth's newy, Endgame, is also due out in September in time for the tour. Both bands have posted video previews of tracks from the record and having toured Canada together, we can expect a pretty slick show. I've had a look at some of the production stuff thanks to super secret spies in camp Slayer and the show is looking fantastic. Buy a ticket if they're still on sale for the Thursday October 8 show at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney or the Friday October 9 show in Melbourne at Festival Hall. Supports announced soon.

Equally exciting and possibly as redundantly old news to some is the announcement just after the last column of the return of Kreator to the Metro Theatre in Sydney on Thursday September 24. Once again the metalheads of Australia get a right spoiling from three of the '80s undisputed gods of metal. Should make for some sore necks and ringing ears 'til Xmas! Don't forget September also connects hammers to faces with Cannibal Corpse at the Roundhouse in Sydney on Thursday September 24.

Saturday September 12 marks the overdue welcome home show of Alchemist at the capital's metal capital, The Basement in Belconnen. The boys played in Brisbane at a big prog show last weekend and we can all be looking forward to finally getting our longest running and biggest metal export home for a big show. Joining them fresh from an extensive tour of Europe and the much storied Obscene Extreme festival in the Czech Republic is Adelaide's favourite grind sons Captain Cleanoff. Also along for this massive show is Templestowe to open proceedings. A huge night, be there.

Stigmata have re-branded themselves with the interesting name of Never Trust A Bunny. They've got a couple of shows coming up, including a spot on the excellent all ages bill to celebrate the Hard ACT To Follow launch at Woden Youth Centre on Friday September 25 with Friend or Enemy, Corgi Crisis and Inpowered. Only 5 bucks for that show. The guys also have a show at the Basement on Saturday October 3 headlining over Friend or Enemy, Escape Syndrome, The Third Estate and Perpetual End, which is an 18+ show.

Mudd Promotions have been beavering away with a few big bills coming up in the last quarter of '09 and the first is a show on Saturday September 26 at the ANU Bar. For a mere 20 bucks you can catch Paindivision, Switchblade, Our Last Enemy, The Vaine, Forgery, Never Trust A Bunny, Reign of Terror, Inside the Exterior and Black Eyed Gods. The good folks at Mudd have a mandate to make Canberra the metal capital again and we here at Metalize salute them.

JOSH NIXON
Np: Cats,Mice - Big Business - Mind The Drift

Metalise

Big international death metal tours in Australia used to be the thing of many a Canberra thrashers' pipe dream, but these days it's like we can't club them away like so many rotten zombies. Mike Amott in particular seems to enjoy the flight and he's back again in November with Arch Enemy. Now while many will leap at another Arch Enemy show in Australia, this tour also brings out New York's super strangulation squad Suffocation too. With their sixth studio album Blood Oath (with requisite Jon Zig artwork) due to hit stores around the time this goes to press, Suffo will be bringing the fresh remains to The Roundhouse in Sydney on Friday November 6 and that show is licensed all ages. Also appearing is Californian Century Media act The Winds of Plague who will be touring their new album The Great Stone War.

Black Cobra are a two-piece LA band featuring Jason Landrian of Cavity and drummer Rafael Martinez, former bass player for Man's Ruin act Acid King. The band are about to release their third album Chronomega on US uber doom label Southern Lord. Why am I telling you this? Because they're playing the ANU Bar on Tuesday October 6! Also playing will be Blarke Bayer and Black Widow (featuring Robert from Grey Datura's). Whack that one on your gig diary.

Alice Cooper in Canberra on Wednesday August 26 should be awesome. The grandest granddaddy of all things shock and roll has forgotten more about stagecraft and putting on a killer show than most bands will ever know. The Royal Theatre is an appropriate venue for Mr Cooper to deliver the classics just like the record with a stage production that makes Mayhem's pig on a stick look like a thumb in a matchbox with some cotton wool and tomato sauce. Head along.

Brisbane stoner rockers Rollerball have leapt from the shadows to bless us with a blast of warm sunshine state riffage at the Basement on Saturday August 29 with Looking Glass. It's been some time since the guys came down to town so prepare for a huge night of big riffs.

Aforementioned in the last edition of Metallise was the Canberra leg of the Doomsday fest. Due to logistical hitches, the Canberra show is now in an abridged format due to a change in venue to the Basement in Belconnen. The lineup now consists of Pod People, Looking Glass, Agonhymn (VIC), Clagg (VIC), Summonus (NSW) and Space Bong (SA). That is on Saturday August 8 for a mere 15 bucks.

Don't forget to send your gigs and info to doomtildeath@hotmail.com to get your show in BMA as soon as you book it!

NP: The Silence of Heaven - YOB - The Great Cessation

Metalise

I just stepped off a plane from Christchurch and boy is my hang-woah-ver throbbing. Plenty of local action coming up this winter to tempt you away from the lounge room.

Aeon Of Horus, Kill For Satan, Empyrean (QLD), Mytile Vey Lorth and Immorium put on a display of force with extreme prejudice on Saturday July 11 at the Basement in Belconnen. Speaking of Kill For Satan, bumped into guitarist Tony Kirk at a gig recently and he was with none other than Canberra metal legend Joel Green of Armoured Angel. Both were in town to make some new music together. With the promise of those two legends of the local heavy combining forces, Metallise will keep a tinnitus-ridden ear to the ground to keep you in the loop. With a double segue, speaking of Armoured Angel, I see Lucy of Raven Clothing is selling the legendary black 78 rickenbacker. Budding bass players needing a bass possessed by the dark lord can do no wrong - hit Lucy up next time you're up at Raven in town.

The winter brings the doom and this year is no exception. Having freshly returned from New Zealand, locals Pod People are looking to release a new vinyl at the ANU Bar on Friday July 3. In celebration of the longest pressing period in the history of acetate, Victorian uber-doomsters The Grey Daturas will also be in attendance to promote their new album The Return to Disruption (on both vinyl and CD through the excellent label, Heathen Skulls). Also along for the ride are a couple of great younger local bands. I Exist blew me away when I caught them recently in their crossover of several styles, with anger seemingly being the binding force. The superbly named Yok-Oh-No Band will also be along to kick off proceedings. Should be a good winter warmer for those looking for some diversity in their heavy shows.

Further, Doomsday Fest '09 is a new touring festival that will hit Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra this year with a feast of the slow and low featuring a slew of great bands. The lineups change a little from location to location, but 666 Entertainment has announced the line up. The ANU Refectory on Saturday August 8 will host Pod People, Looking Glass, The Grey Daturas, Agonhymn, Clagg, Summonus, Dread, Sore, Space Bong and Encircling Sea. Slow head banging will abound. Glagg have just wrapped up post-production on their latest full length album and so we should be able to get our hands on the new album soon.

Hot tour rumour: I have it on good authority that a certain member of the world's "big 4" metal bands, who are currently on the cusp of releasing another hated by god studio album in October, will be on their way soon. I'm not giving any more clues than that.

Josh - Now playing : Hallucinations - Attrocity - Hallucinations

Pyscroptic

Is there a harder working band in Australian heavy metal than Tasmania’s PSYCROPTIC? Let me firmly implant in your minds that that question was beyond rhetorical – these guys have absolutely smashed the frequent flyer miles in the last 12 months alone and, since signing with major metal label Nuclear Blast, the list of bands that the band work with continues to grow in number and stature.

Just in the last six months the band have done an extensive Australian tour in support of the latest record Ob(servant), played the Summer Slaughter tour easily matching their international contemporaries on the stage and in terms of audience reaction, played a slew of European dates with Cephalic Carnage and a six week jaunt in the US with death grind icons Carcass.

After a couple of aborted phone calls trying to tee up an interview with one of the undisputed masters of the skins, Dave Haley, it appears that not only is he constantly pounding blasts out for his own act, but also doing tech work for none other than, as Dave puts it, “the man who started it all for me,” Pete Sandoval of Morbid Angel. Not to mention beginning rehearsals for the new Blood Duster album and upcoming tour of Europe with Melbourne’s grindfathers.

Now on the cusp of 11 shows with the Amenta and Ruins before ANOTHER run of European dates with Misery Index and Hate Eternal, finding five minutes to talk to BMA is obviously nothing we can take for granted. I was curious as to how the band’s perception of touring has changed or differed now that they’ve signed with a high profile label. “The main difference to me has been that promoters are more interested in having us play in their part of the world because the distribution of our music is now taken care of,” Haley explains. “The first thing promoters always ask is ‘can I buy your music here?’ and if the answer is no then you’ve an uphill battle.”

“It hasn’t changed the way that we operate as a band,” he continues. “I live in Melbourne while the rest of the guys live in Tasmania, but we get to decide on when and where we play and make all the decisions. Touring nationally with brothers in metal Ruins, also guitarist Joe Haley’s band, and Sydney’s The Amenta, Psycroptic are once again displaying that insane work ethic that has earned them the gear endorsements and support from a label that is internationally renowned. At the same time they’re also noticing that the crowd is changing and growing. “We see the same faces at a lot of the shows, but on this album we’re seeing a lot of newer faces up the front and that always gets us fired up to play our best.” You can expect nothing less than that which they expect of themselves.

Psycroptic, The Amenta, Ruins and Punishment will unleash extreme fury onstage at The Basement on Friday June 19. Tickets through Moshtix. Br00tal.

Metalise

Well knock me down like Ricky Hatton on the end of Manny Pacquiao’s lethal left hand if we don’t have another international tour to announce. Barely needing any introduction, the band whose music that save all but one of their ten studio albums until 2007 was banned from sale in Australia are touring! Yes brutal brutallisers, Cannibal Corpse have arranged a rendezvous for their hammers and your faces for a right smashing set of shows in Australia and New Zealand. All ages you ask of a band that you were not allowed to buy in a record store in Australia for like 15 years? Hold onto your butchered afterbirth it’s licensed all ages! The Roundhouse in Sydney on September 12. Ber-utal.

Of course in the next few weeks many hardy metal fans will inject money into the economy of the McDonalds’, KFCs’ and Hungry Jacks’ of the Hume Highway (Pheasants Nest on the way home for coffee or red bull for the night owls) for either or both of the UK’s Cradle of Filth’s twin nights at The Metro in Sydney, Thursday May 28 and Friday 29, with Sydney’s Synperium and Perth’s Naetu. Tickets through justsayrock.com.au if you’ve not got one yet.

Florida’s absolute deathliest of all death metal monstrosities Morbid Angel are not coming to town, but I’m sure our own local death kings Infinitum won’t mind their Mcstop on the Hume Hwy when they support Trey, Dave and Pete bring Destructhor of Norwegian band Myrkskog alongside Daemon Foetal Harvest. Friday June 5 also at The Metro and get their early to cast the horns skyward for the Canberra lads. Ticketek or Metro Theatre website for tickets.

Alchemist and the bastard child of three states, Captain Cleanoff (Newcastle, Melbourne and Adelaide) who will be relatively fresh from their appearance at Obscene Extreme this European summer are looking to do a local show at The Basement on September 12 and are looking for a local band to support. Got the chops? Got the tunes? Hit the Alchemist myspace (.com/alchemistau) up with your interest and you’ll be playing alongside two of Australia’s finest bands.

Speaking of The Basement, only a short few weeks ‘til we have the honour of hosting the voice of the only version of The Phantom of the Opera that I’ve ever cared for. The one and only Mr Paul Dianno graces the stage of Belconnen to bring the tunes to life that we didn’t get to hear on his old band’s tour last February as well as some choice cuts of his solo work. Of course Monday isn’t traditionally the most metal night for a thrash, but I can’t wait for the Monday June 1 show and a sore next Tuesday morning at work. Be sure to check BMA resident Iron Maiden expert Scott Adams’ chat with Paul on the next page. Sanctuary!

NP: Shotgun Boogie – Church of Misery – Houses of the Unholy

Metalise

New Years wishes to all the metal faithful and good news on the international gig front for local audiences to kick off 2009, starting with the distant yet unexpected show in June with none other than Iron Maiden’s original lungsman Paul Di’anno hitting The Basement in Belconnen for a night of classics and solo material. That will be very interesting indeed.

Chaos V is at The Basement on January 31 and February 1 with a selection of bands for every metal fan. The Bezerker and The Amenta will bring their respective world class sounds to both shows - the 31st being over 18s and the 1st being an all-ages show. Mytile Vey Lorth, Aeon of Horus and Ne Obliviscaris join Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, Synpernium, Templestowe, Gasma, Deprivation and New Blood on Saturday. The all ages show features The Bezerker, The Amenta, Templestowe, Ne Obliviscaris and Leichotica. That’s a big weekend’s Basementing.

A few weeks back I was very excited to hear of France’s absolutely monumental Monarch coming out for an Australian tour. The band deliver an astoundingly dense blend of considered blackened doom metal at an orbital pace, layering bludgeoning, entrancing repetitions of riffs accompanied by an unholy shrieking female vocal presence in the form of vocalist Emilie. Think Corrupted’s long form doom with a more black metal like vocal performance. Their albums are crushing works of doom mastery and their show is essential attendance for all doom fans as they test the structural integrity of The Basement in Belconnen on February 21. They will be joined by our destructive 4Dead, Melbourne doom scientists Agonhymn and Bowcaster.

In more doom news, The Basement is also hosting a more death-doom inspired joint CD launch with Sydney’s Ironwood and Canberra’s Futility releasing their debut records. I got to hear some of the new Futility record at The Basement recently and it’s sounding the perfect summer compliment to fans of entrancing repetitions Evoken, Morgion and the like. Also along will be The Veil (Sydney), Nevetherym (Newcastle), and Tranquil Deception (Canberra).

Tickets are selling fast for the Summer Slaughter Fest so don’t miss out on grabbing yours to the Manning Bar in Sydney on March 13 for Necrophagist, Dying Fetus, Aborted, The Red Shore and The Faceless. Check the myspace page - www.myspace.com/summerslaughteraustralia - for details. Also at the Manning Bar, this big international bill is followed up on April 7 with Deicide’s return to Australia, following a late scratching from last year’s heavy meal bill bonanza.

You really gotta try get down to Melbourne this weekend for the Grindcore 2009 show, which features pretty much every good grind band in Australia hitting the Corner Hotel stage on January 25. The bands playing are Fuck I’m Dead, Agents of Abhorence, Captain Cleanoff, The Kill, Roskopp, Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, Super Happy Fun Slide, Shagnum and Doubled Over, to put some sludge and slow to prepare for the day’s blasts ahead. Huge line-up.

Have a great year.

NP: Wino – Eyes Of The Flesh – Punctuated Equilibrium

Metalise

It’s the end of year column which means also Top Fives, Tens, top eleventy seventies and so on. Gig wise this year, there could be nothing to top the Iron Maiden performance at Acer Arena on the first night. The atmosphere, affection and sheer excitement that was in the air this night was by far the most awesome atmosphere at a gig of anything ever. Judas Priest and Pig Destroyer were also fantastic. Fallout 3 wins my most brutal video game of the year award thanks largely to the V.A.T.S. system, however before going on the summer writing rest, it’s dutiful reportage that opens Metallise this Black 666mas.

Smashing The Basement over two days in Jan/Feb is Chaos Act V. Headlining both shows are The Amenta and The Bezerker who’ve both released new albums in the last couple of months (n0n and Re-Awakening respectively) and are touring the country together. The Chaos V shows coincide for an 18+ show on January 31 and an all ages on February 1. The over 18 lineup also features Mytile Vey Lorth, Aeon of Horus, Ne Obliviscaris, Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, Synperium, Templestowe, Gasma, Deprivation and New Blood. The all ages show on February 1 is The Amenta and The Bezerker with Ne Obliviscaris, Templestowe and Leichotica. All at The Basement in Belconnen for your brutal entertainment.

The Eternal have a great new album out called Kartika which brings their awesome album total to three out of three. More stocking stuffers for the discerning doom metal fan.

There’s another grindcore bonanza event coming up in Melbourne on January 25 with pretty much the entirety of the best in Melbourne grind. Fuck I’m Dead, Agents of Abhorrence, Captain Cleanoff, The Day Everything Became Nothing, The Kill, Roskopp, BTBG, Super Fun Happy Slide, Shagnum and Doubled Over. All shall crush at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, a good excuse for a late summer jaunt to Mexico.

Having had a go at this myself a few years back, it was welcome news to hear of someone else giving an Australian Metal Awards show a crack. http://www.australianmetal.com.au is the place for all the info; my only slight criticism is that bands wishing to be considered for awards need to register. Registrations opened at the beginning of December and run through til March ahead of the awards show next year.

Devil’s Kitchen is on again next year with the Sydney leg hitting the Annandale on January 31 with locals Pod People and Looking Glass joining Winnebago Deal (UK), Nunchucka Superfly, Midget, Fattura Della Morte (new drummer yay!) Hytest, Summonus, HWCT, Mother Mars, My Left Boot and Buzzard. Pod People will have their vinyl release of their new album in time for these shows.

I hope you all have a simultaneously brutal yet safe 666mas, take care on the roads and save your necks for thrashing it in ’09.

Josh – Electric Grave – Cathedral – The Carnival Bizarre.

Psycroptic - Ob(serving) the ascendancy

Psycroptic

Tasmaniac’s PSYCROPTIC recently signed with one of the world’s premiere extreme metal labels Nuclear Blast, but the road warriors of the Apple Isle are not resting on their laurels. With a new album that is being widely received as one of the best of 2008 and an extensive tour of Australia and the world to follow, there is no rest for Australia’s kings of extreme metal.

Australian extreme metal has received more and more attention in recent years thanks to bands like Psycroptic. By going the extra thousand miles or so to tour Europe or the US, in a market that is relatively niche, staying true to their artistic vision and pulling up the sleeves for some old fashioned hard work has paid a much deserved dividend. That much is apparent in the sheer precision performance I’ve just witnessed as well as the songs from their latest album Ob(servant).

For a band already isolated from Australia’s mainland and its long roads and hard slog, Psycroptic have never once failed to put in that extra effort. That is reflected in the venue I find myself as I speak with guitarist, producer/engineer and songsmith Joe Healy. Behind the merchandise desk at a festival in Orange in country NSW, among bands like Butterfingers and Something With Numbers, Psycroptic are not only conspicuous by name and sound, but in that they get by far the most enthusiastic response of the day.

The new album was created for the most part in Tasmania, with guitarist Joe writing the songs and bringing them complete to the band as opposed to their previous jam based writing method. Joe said of the process for Ob(servant), “We spent a couple of days in a studio getting the drums down and then I took it home and had the time to really work on building up the guitars and getting the sound to a level before sending it to the States for mixing and mastering with Logan.” That Logan being Logan Mader, former guitarist of Machine Head. “But for the most part the record was the result of me at home getting everything to where it needed to be, getting Jason in to do the vocals and then off to the US for a final polish,” adds Joe.

As I filmed the Orange set on vocalist Jason Peppiatt’s camera (tour DVD on the cards fans), it was apparent how the large tours and international shows have helped forge the band into the molten metal machine they’ve evolved into. Jason stalks the stage perpetually, as bassist Cameron and Joe tear up their fret boards to the vacuum tight, yet unrelenting power blasts from drummer extraordinaire, Joe’s brother Dave Healy. Their musicianship positions them firmly at the front of the pack in Australian extreme metal stakes.

When discussing the breadth of their touring schedule Joe gives the impression of ‘business as usual’. “We want to tour as much as we can. I have got commitments with Ruins and Dave has Blood Duster, but Nuclear Blast are looking after us really well and the album is doing well and getting good reviews. So we will try and tour overseas as much as we can!” Given the power and vitality of a band in their peak form the Ob(servant) tour and album is one all fans of ultra fast death metal must not miss. They roll into the Basement in Belconnen Friday December 19 with Neo Obliviscaris, Infinitum and Aeon of Horus. The band will also include in the run of Aussie shows a tour with the triple axe attack of Whitechapel.

Psycroptic play at the Basement, Belconnen, on Friday December 19. Joining them will be Ne Obliviscaris, Infinitum and Aeon of Horus

Metalise

Unfortunately there’s some sad news this column with the passing of Nazxul guitarist Greg Morelli due to a motorcycle accident in the early hours of November 20. The tragedy is only exacerbated by the fact he had just finished work on the new Nazxul record in Sydney and Greg had reportedly been very happy with the way the album had turned out and was looking forward to touring the new work here and overseas. Vale’ Greg Morelli.

On a more positive note, if there’s one thing that has become a welcome staple of the Metal column since I began writing it, it’s international bands touring. To kick things off, The Summer Slaughter Tour has recently torn strips off the UK, USA and Canada and now thanks to Soundworks Touring it’s Australia on the chopping block. Germany’s Necrophagist, the USA’s Dying Fetus and The Faceless are being joined by Belgians’ Aborted and Geelong’s The Red Shore as well as some local supports on each leg of the tour. Fittingly the Sydney leg of the tour takes place on Black Friday March 13 2009 at the Manning Bar and the show is an all ages one. Tickets through moshtix.com .

Also heading over in Q1 next year are the Swedish masters of doomy atmosphere’s Cult of Luna. Touring their fifth studio album Eternal Kingdom, it’s a dark concept album based on a diary they found in their rehearsal space, a former mental institution. They’ll be bringing tunes from this and their vaunted back catalogue to Sydney’s Manning Bar, Saturday February 14. Scorpion Entertainment presents this in a busy month of international tours along with the Death Angel/Armoured Saint tour in March.

On the local front, Herratik, System Addict, Temptris and Reign Of Terror are playing an all ages show in Goulbourn on Friday December 12 at the PCYC and then Herratik and System Addict back up the following night at the Basement in Belconnen with Machete and Tortured. Both shows cost a mere 10 bucks for a healthy slab of local heaviness.

The Day Everything Became Nothing have had an awesome 2008 with the release of their best studio album to date in Brutal and a very well received tour of North America. To cap off their annus brutalis, they’re recording a live DVD and album at the East Brunswick Club in Melbourne on December 12 on a monster grind bill with Cut Sick, The Kill and Roskopp.

Finally, and whilst not a pure Metalise event, a good cause and a few heavy bands warrant a mention of the Rock for RADD drink driving awareness show at the Holy Grail in Civic on December 20. Following the loss of two friends in a drink driving accident two years ago, three of their mates decided to hold a show to commemorate their passing and to raise awareness at the festive time of year of the dangers on the road when you’ve been too merry. Aside from a 11 band bill that includes Gasma and The Veebees, there’s also a raffle for a signed pair of boxing gloves from Anthony Mundine and all donations raised on the night will go towards this worthy cause.

JJ – Cough – Sigillum Luciferi – 288 Years of Sin

Metalise

Brutal Halloween greetings thrashers, the weather is warming up and there’s plenty to get a sore neck about starting on Friday with Pig Destroyer hitting The Greenroom for a fitting send off to one of Canberra’s best venues in recent years. Joined by Melbourne’s Terrorust, 4 Dead and Aeon of Horus, this is going to be close to the best metal show you will see in town this year. Tickets from Moshtix online or anywhere Moshtix are sold (Landspeed, The Music Shop etc).

If that’s not enough to smash your weekend, then the very next night at The Basement in Belconnen you will have the opportunity for a massive bill of local brutality. Helloween ’08 kicks off at 12.30 pm Saturday November 8 with a huge lineup of bands, from first to last, Reign of Terror, Tortured, The Devilz Work, Inside the Exterior, Taliesin, Barbarian Machete, System Addict, Templestowe and headlined by the almighty Mytile Vey Lorth. In between all the brutality, your eardrums will be kept conditioned for a caning by Regulators Metal DJ. Punters are encouraged to rock up in their most Halloween-brutal outfits and a BBQ will be on hand for this, the second annual event at Belconnen’s home of brutality and twice the size of last year’s event. Should be a great weekend for ACT thrashers, perhaps get a neck brace for the inevitable ‘bangover’ that will set in Sunday.

YOB have reformed. This may not mean much to many, but one of my absolute favourite bands of the past decade have decided to reform and that is good news for fans of doom everywhere.

For those undecided on which Grave show to go and see, the Melbourne show at the Corner Hotel in Richmond on December 7 will not only feature the Swede’s bearing riffs, but also the as announced this week, the last gig of one of Australia’s premiere Black Thrash outfits, Gospel of the Horns. Yes, sadly after 16 odd years of thrashing, the guys have decided to call it quits. The support in Melbourne is a fitting send off for one of this country’s best exponents of the style, and they’ll be sadly missed by this columnist. Of course if Melbourne is too $$$, then the Sydney Grave show is Thursday December 4 at the Gaelic Theatre, with tickets through Moshtix.

The Lynch Mob and Faster Pussycat are touring and on Thursday December 11 at the Metro Theatre in Sydney they’re having an all ages show, senior citizens welcome (sorry glam fans, couldn’t resist).

With the decline of CD sales particularly affecting smaller heavy acts, The Bezerker have announced they’re leaving their oft touted former international label in favour of their newly constructed label, Bezerker Industries. The band’s new album will never hit stores as their sales model works on one-to-one internet sales. www.berzerkerindustries.com is the place to purchase their new album.

Josh – np: Gore: The Kill: ‘The Soundtrack to your Violence’

Metalise

With Judas Priest now a warm pleasant memory, onward to the warmer months and absolutely no slow down in the big bands heading out to ply their trade for our benefit. I loved Priest, sure there were a few more Nostradamus tunes than perhaps some of us were hoping to hear in lieu of some of their vast ream of classics, but Rob sang great and the guitar skills of Tipton and Downing are still razor sharp with the whammy-tastic solo in Sinner being a big highlight for me.

In case you didn’t know, the big news is that Pig Destroyer’s promoter has seen the light and added Canberra to their extensive array of Aussie shows. Not only that, but it’s on a Friday AND Halloween, October 31st.  Yes, The Green Room in Phillip will host one of the US’ absolute prime grind acts along with Melbourne’s Terrorust, 4 Dead and Aeon of Hours. Tickets through moshtix or Landspeed can do you a moshtix card to swipe on the night – it’s the way of the future I’m told. Huzah!

Further news to bring “Huzah!” from the senior set in metal is news that Sweden’s almighty Grave are doing their first ever Australian tour in December, they’ll be at the Gaelic Theatre (I assume this is the Gaelic Club) in Surry Hills on Thursday December 4. I believe Shackles and Terrorust (They’re everywhere!) are supports. The band released Dominion VIII recently and this is the catalyst for this tour of pure raw old school death metal ferociousness.

In continuing the war on metal heads’ wallets, the cavalcade of international shows continues, with The Haunted coming for another visit to our shores in November in support of the new album Versus. Supported by Double Dragon nationally, the tour is hitting Sydney on November 9 at The Manning Bar in Sydney.

Megafauna fortnight is upon us and the cancer benefit show at the ANU is huge. October 11 sees Melbourne’s The Nation Blue joined by a slew of quality bands with heavier tastes catered for with Pod People and Boonhorse bringing the sludge.

Make sure you head along to that one for a good cause. Only 20 bucks for a full day’s worth of entertainment kicking off at 2pm.

For those of us that missed the ever brutal Tasmaniac’s Psycroptic touring their latest exercise in brilliant brutality recently can rest safe in the knowledge they’ll be back at the Basement on December 19. Their album Ob(servant) is an essential purchase. Speaking of Psycroptic and Pod People, both bands are playing Freshly Plucked Festival in Orange, NSW Saturday November 8.

Soundwave Festival ’09 has announced their lineup and the near 60 bands including Nine Inch Nails, Alice In Chains and many, many more.  Check out all the info on the show at the website www.soundwavefestival.com and tickets for the Sydney leg of the tour go on sale Friday October 10.

Zenith Records - Lay it down on wax

Zenith Records

CDs you’ve made are a great achievement for any band. It represents the work and creativity of a period of your life, but sometimes you look at your parents’ record collection, your DJ sister’s gig bag and your older brother’s room that houses records. Child-like reverence leads you to realise that as awesome as it is to have your music out on CD, a double gatefold sleeve just kicks the crap out of that CD cover, no matter how fancy the cut yeah?
It’s like your music is more tangible, more real, it takes two hands to load it and won’t be mistaken for a drink coaster like a lot of my band’s albums deservedly ended up as.

Enter ZENITH RECORDS in Richmond down in Melbourne. In a move in an industry where sales are flailing due to internet blogspots (orexisofdeath = woo!) and a different market, a boutique vinyl-only outlet opening in Melbourne may seem strange. However, the thing is, bands are able to produce limited runs of 12” 170 gram vinyl with a number of very affordable packages available.

Unlike previous vinyl manufacture for bands with less resources than major labels, to press vinyl independently meant going offshore at some stage and for the first time Zenith are able to do the whole manufacture in Melbourne which most importantly means your turn around times are more reliable and faster. I remember well several friends’ experiences getting their pressing done in Europe and the back and forth pain that it caused.

Not only is the plant purely manufacturing, they’re also seeking bands for their label and have several exciting releases promised for the near future, and while I personally haven’t seen the new roster, the previous work out of the plant I have heard to date has been excellent. The label side have recruited some good people so I’m interested to see who they sign and what will come out of the plant.

Most impressive to me was an efficient and super clever folding technique for 12” covers on a budget that cuts down on the stick used and the cost per cover as a result; it was one of those super simple innovative ideas that tells you that Zenith are doing it with the bands in mind.  If you’re into having some vinyl out you should check out www.zenithrecords.org .

Zenith Records replice vinyl records at their own vinyl pressing plant. They produce 7 inch, 33 45, as well as, 12, and 33 inch. They also do a fine trade in any vinyl-related sleeves, linear booklets, and other paraphernalia.

Metalise

Meshuggah hit Australia in October this year thanks to triple j and Blue Murder. Touring their latest record ObZen, the band bring their hyper kinetic stylings down under and the only band to do this tour are our own well-seasoned international vets Alchemist, who are doing the whole national tour support. Well done lads. In continuing the trend of international bands touring but not playing here, the closest date for you keensters is Monday October 13 at The Roundhouse in Sydney. It’s an all ages show. The Melbourne show is Wednesday October 15 the Palace Theatre, which used to be the Metro up the top of the city near Parliament House.

Whilst on international tour supports, Carcass tour supports have been named, the Sydney show on Sunday October 12 at The Metro will have Daysend and Beyond Terror Beyond Grace, and the Melbourne show on Monday October 13 features Terrorust and Picture The End.

Opeth are playing a combined all ages/licensed Sydney show at the Big Top on this Saturday September 6, but I’m sure you’re all wired onto that one already!

Kill For Satan have been quiet of late, but that certainly hasn’t seen Lucifer’s Assassins sitting around idling. The band has begun work on the follow up to Thy Kingdom Undone at Infidel studios. Eight songs with the promise of a surprise or two is the word from camp Satan at this time. Having just done a big show at the Lewisham Tavern with a slew of Sydney’s finest last weekend, the guys are primed for a show at the ANU Bar this Saturday night to help celebrate Raven Clothing’s Third Birthday Party. Also along for the ride are Sydney bands Shackles and Backyard Mortuary. You will also be able to catch the band at the Basement’s second annual Helloween show in early November.

In response to a heap of interest in the Pod People vinyl release of Mons Animae Mortuorum, the Goatsounds label have commissioned an extra special double album addition to the record’s already stellar artwork to include the full 57 minute album in its entirety, as well as the fourth side featuring even more grim etched artwork from Glenn Smith to further compliment the awesome artwork from the CD. The album will be available in late October or early November.

The new Metallica single The Day That Never Comes hit the interweb a couple of weeks back. Aside from some issues with the mix that were blamed on the source copy, the only thing Rick Rubin has bought to the mix so far is encouraging James Hetfield to sing like a cross between Johnny Cash and Waylan Jennings before trying to staple the corpse of their ’80s thrash glory onto the tail-end of the corpse of the songwriting style from Reload. It’s like Franken-tallica only even scarier than Mary Shelly’s classic novel. I guess when Death Magnetic hits the stores there’ll be a more informed place to gauge the claims of ‘return to form’ that the hype machine is endlessly shoving down our throats. I stopped listening on …And Justice For All; I don’t think this is going to start a revival.

They’ve been suspiciously silent in recent years, but after nearly five years enduring the slow and painful process of writing a new album, NSW black metal duo Arkheth - comprising Tyraenos and Skolthorn - have returned with Algaresh. An epic in every sense, this two-hour-long double disc marks a new chapter the band, who “has never truly given itself the chance to reach its full potential. Until now.” Originally formed after a split in symphonic black metal outfit Eternal Dark, veterans may remember the band from a pre-Metal for the Brain show a few years ago. They play The Basement on Friday September 5. Doors at 8pm, $12 entry.

NP: Pavarotti – A.C. – 40 More Reasons To Hate Us

Project X - X Factor

Project X

Timothy Blair and Keith Thornton are en route. To where is unclear and unspoken and for which purpose one can only assume a classified response. As the interview covers them in New York, at JFK airport before being told to switch off their phones and, upon landing, driving around their mystery destination, it is apparent there is only one thing on their agenda at the present time. Answering in the form of their better known guises, Tim Dog, fake rapper antagonist supreme and Kool Keith, rap’s general chief and two thirds of PROJECT X , spell out a simple and concise mission statement. Tim ‘The Boss’ Dog wants “world domination. To clean out the infection that is in Australia and the rest of the world.”

So the ‘project’ is medical in nature? What is there to clean out? “Idiot promoters and dumb radio people that support the sensationalism of pop music. We are here to tell them that hardcore hip-hop will never die. Prepare for the destruction of the matrix.”

So apparently there are some counter-terrorist components to the Project. According to Keith, the project is here “to resuscitate hip-hop and bring it back to its original state of dope lyrics and creative music. We decided to get back together with cats who really respect hip-hop. I think hip-hop needs to be revitalised ’cause the way it is now people are more focused on the gimmicks and flashy lifestyles.”

The Project group consists of Tim Dog aka The Boss, Keith aka The Photographer and also Marc Live, aka The Rockstar, whom Australian audiences have seen grace the stage with Keith over his four recent Australian tours.

After rapping on the seminal Ultramagnetic MC track A Chorus Line and other UMC material, Tim Dog shook the rap world to its core with his inflammatory 1991 single and ode to notorious gangster rappers N.W.A., with the title summating the message: simply, Fuck Compton. This kicked off the East vs West coast beef in fine style. Fast forward to 2008 and you have Keith and Marc, who were both members of Analog Brothers, with Ice Oscillator, best known as Ice-T.

Hip-hop fans have all heard about the beef that has brewed following Ice-T’s review of Soulja Boy on YouTube and so I had to ask if the new object of the Project’s ire was pointed in his direction. “Well, Soulja Boy is nothing to exterminate, he is a baby roach, if he pops his head up I will stomp him. I’m the Russell Crowe of the camp. I’m Gladiator Maxiumus.”

So what draws venom from the pen of this project? According to ‘The Boss’: “The injustice and the politics of hip-hop have taken over. Now the people that don’t care about the art form are rich and the people that are creative and bring real hip-hop to the game are broke. We gotta send them to their home or their cage, they’re little animals.”

Keith ‘The Photographer’ (“My photography has been a big thing in my career; I like to involve my photography and my music ’cause it is relaxation for me. My photography is a lot to do with my musical inspiration.”) is based back in New York but still regularly commutes around Atlanta and California as part of his regular haunts.

After 20 years in the game in New York I wonder what the city’s hip-hop scene has that the rest of the world doesn’t; rarely can you get a more informed response. “Basically,” he says, “while the rest of the world is just rapping about anything, New York still has that lyrical edge.”

Tim expands: “Rap’s gimmicky these days - rappers just use something to sensationalise their product and the marketing sells it. Real rap sells itself, if it’s real cats will feel it. We’re here to give the fans real music, after all these gimmicks, that’s innovation these days.”

Project X play at The Venue, Erindale on Saturday September 6 with local lad Big Dave and more. Tickets available through Moshtix (online and local outlets), Oztix and iTicket now.

Metalise

What’s a Metalise in the past, like, two years without starting off with an international tour headline? Well this month I’m sure that this is belated, but a welcome reminder that this time it’s grind lords Pig Destroyer setting out on their maiden voyage and again keeping me broke. There’s three shows in range for Canberra thrashers in a tour that I’m a bit peeved we missed out on, considering the extent of the shows – i.e. if Hobart gets a show, then bloody so should we! However, Sydney’s Gaelic Club, Saturday October 25 along with Terrorust, Beyond Terror Beyond Grace and a special guest whom I believe to be Agents of Abhorrence - I’ll confirm next column (according to that most trusted of sources, the internet, it looks like there’ll be no Agents - ED). There’s two Melbourne shows, one at the Hi Fi with Blood Duster, Terrorust and Fuck…I’m Dead on Friday October 24 and another Thursday October 30 at the Arty (Arthouse Hotel, North Melbourne) with Gray Daturas (interesting choice), Roskopp and The Kill. Woo - perpetual financial embarrassment as the international caravan of metallic carnage continues!

Slaughterfest is on this weekend at The Basement in Belconnen and whilst I’ve written of it already, there’s been a late scratching due to the unfortunate limb breakage in Adelaide’s Space Bong. They’ve been replaced duly and the bill is now Blood Duster, Pod People, Ebolie, Roadside Burial and Clagg. 15 dollars will gain entry to this show on Friday August 8. As some may have heard on the triple j Full Metal Racket show last week (before that lucky arsehole Andrew Haug buggered off to Wacken… God that guy has some frequent flyers), with any luck Fuller will bring copies of the new Pod People album Mons Animae Mortuorum (”Mountain of the Souls of the Dead” in Latin) ahead of its official Australian release on August 9.

Pod People will also play Megafauna Festival on Saturday October 11 along with Looking Glass and the band that until a few weeks ago were know as LOG, but are now going by the moniker Boonhorse as recent personnel changes have altered the band’s sound. More on Megafauna soon.

Frankenbok have a new EP entitled The Last Ditch Redemption, which is apparently a concept EP about a journey in madness in which redemption can only be attained in helping those who cannot help themselves. This follows on the heels of their Murder of Songs album they put out recently and to celebrate, they’re hitting the road as they always do and dropping by town Friday August 22 at The Greenroom. They’ll be joined by Mytile Vey Lorth, Rake Sodomy and Point 17

More big shows coming up in Canberra down the track include the Chaos ACT III at The Basement, with Excruciate (QLD), Ebolie (NSW), Mytile Vey Lorth (ACT), Synpernium (NSW), People Die (QLD), Infinitum (ACT), Corpsickle (NSW) and Aeon Of Horus (ACT). This huge show is coming up on Friday November 24 for a mere $15.

I’m not one for classified ads, but this is one I couldn’t pass up for you guys. In the market for a new guitar? How about one of Jeff Haneman’s personal 2008 Signature models? Don’t ask me how, but I have a connection in camp Slayer now and if you want one you, can have one - signed if you like - for around $2,500 AUD depending on what the dollar is worth today. If you’re serious, you can email me at doomtildeath [at] hotmail [dot] com and I can hook you up.

NP: My Aftermath – Gigantic Brain – The Invasion Discography

Metalise

Carcass. Yes, metalheads’ bandwidth has been eviscerated, much like a collage of post-mortem photos the English grind/death pioneers championed back in the day, with the news that Australia is in for a five shows in five days assault. Sunday October 12 in Sydney at the Metro Theatre and October 13 at Billboard in Melbourne are the two closest shows for Canberra keensters. The touring line-up is Bill Steer, Jeff Walker, Mike Ammott and Daniel Erlandsson, taking Ken Owen’s drum spot due to Ken’s ongoing health problems following a brain haemorrhage in 1999. Ken was seen onstage at Hellfest in France recently, coming out for a friendly wave. All the reviews from their recent festival shows have been glowing, so get along and grab a ticket through Ticketek, apparently they’re going fast.

Too follow on the great domestic releases this year such as The Day Everything Became Nothing’s Brutal and the Captain Cleanoff record Symphonies of Slackness, joining the grind parade later in the year will be reformed Melbourne grind three piece The Kill. Following a hiatus after releasing The Soundtrack To Your Violence, the core line-up of Roby on guitar and Jay (from Fuck… I’m Dead) on drums recruited Nik from Melbourne grinders Super Fun Happy Slide on vocals and rekindled perhaps the most unrelenting brutal one foot grind blasting machine this country has ever seen. Nik informs that the band will hit the studio with their album-ready material as soon as they can decide on which one they’ll do it in. Structural engineers should be recruited for that one.

Welcome news that Sydney band The Amenta have entered the post production phase on their new album n0n. This follows on from 2004’s very well received Occasus record and provides 12 tracks that feature no less than two drummers, two bass players and six vocalists. Lachlan Mitchell is working on the mixes ahead of mastering at 301 by Steve Smart. They’ll have their work cut out as the band are talking up using over 100 recorded tracks on some songs. Should be interesting to say the least!

Ahead of their new album in October, it’s awesome to see that Psycroptic, my favourite Tasmaniacs, have been picked up by uber label Nuclear Blast, with Stomp taking care of the domestic side of the equation. The band is ecstatic and they sure deserve it. Nuclear Blast are talking them up as one of the world’s premiere technical death metal bands and the label finally gives the lads a huge promotional platform to show the rest of the world what we all knew years ago!

A bunch of local thrashers have teamed up to pay homage to the work of Dio under the banner Live Evil. Formed by local guitar hero Matt Davis last year, the group comprise Jason Phelan (guitar), Russell Knight (bass guitar), James Irving (keyboards), Duncan Beard (drums) and the man himself on vox. They’re an accomplished set of musicians, with backgrounds as diverse as jazz, blues, punk and death metal, who’ve united over the bombastic rock of Dio, Black Sabbath and Rainbow. Following many hours in the rehearsal room, Live Evil have whipped together an exciting and grandiose live show that’ll illicit horns from the hand of any punter within earshot. After packing out The Greenroom a couple of months back, the boys are at it again, this time at The Basement in Belconnen on Friday July 18. Tickets are $15 on the door, so get in early, people!

I’m many of you will already have tickets for Meshuagah’s show Monday 13 at the Roundhouse in Sydney touring ObZen. Ticketek for your tickets if required!

Don’t forget the Slaughterfest show at The Basement. Blood Duster fans be aware this will be the last tour for a while, so don’t miss out. August 8, with Space Bong, Ebolie and Pod People.

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Well, rumors that surfaced around the Iron Maiden gigs about a Halford-fronted Priest tour of Australia have come true. Yes, Judas Priest will play the Acer Arena in Sydney in September and, to further entice the cash from empty thrashers’ coffers, they’re bringing The Cavalera Conspiracy along for the ride so that we may finally taste the reunited Cavalera flavour in Australia for the first time since Max left Sepultura. (Note: just before their tour of Australia in 1997 - the Canberra show was on my birthday, bastards). Tickets are on sale June 13 and cost $150 for Gold and $100 for Silver spots in a similar price structure to the Iron Maiden shows. The date is September 12, and in addition to the brothers Cav, Daysend will also lend their brand of melodic death to proceedings. The whole Nostrodamus concept album doesn’t exactly make me sting for 150 buck Gold seats, but that said, Tipton and Downing anyone? Yes please!

Slaughterfest comes to town on August 8. It will feature Blood Duster, fresh from their US tour, Pod People, very possibly using it as a launching pad for their upcoming album, Ebolie applying Sydney grind with lashings of perversion, Space Bong unleashing their down-tempo blackened smoky torrent upon the unsuspecting hordes straight from their Adelaide coven, and Clagg, bringing darkened doom clouds northward with them from Melbourne. It’s at The Basement for a mere 15 bucks. An expanded version of this line-up, including (the band formerly known as) LOG - more on that parentheses next issue - and space rock gods Looking Glass, will take to the stage at Hermann’s Bar at Sydney Uni the following night, Saturday August 9.

Speaking of Blood Duster, I received a text from Fuller to rub in the fact he was currently watching Macabre at Maryland Death Fest where Blood Duster, The Day Everything Became Nothing and Fuck…I’m Dead were impressing all with their respective brands of Aussie grind. Fuck…I’m Dead in particular have been receiving the lion’s share of the praise on the message boards.

Now don’t get too hopeful, grind freaks, seeing what I thought was exciting news this week in the form of Japan GRIND gods Realized announcing an Aussie tour for August including Canberra on Friday August 15 at The Green Room, with Dad They Broke Me, Inappropriate Tough Guy Behaviour and Assassins. Of course it’s not the awesome GRIND version, it’s the still excellent Japanese HARDCORE band. I’ll be down for that show though!

Pod People’s new record will be called Mons Animae Mortuorum and will be out on Goatsound records in late July. The album title is Latin for ‘mountains of the dead’, which I assure you will make sense once you’ve seen the stunning artwork by Sydney’s Glenn Smith. There will be an extremely limited double gatefold vinyl run of the album, released on Rise Above Records in the rest of the world later this year.

STOP PRESS: At the less-extreme, larger-haired end of the spectrum, Sheffield’s own NWOBHM alumnus Def Leppard will be making their way to town at the end of the year. With 65 million plus album sales to their name, the lads recently added another LP to the canon - Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, their first new material in six years. The LP’s lead single Nine Lives, a collaboration with, er, country music superstar Tim McGraw, is currently shredding the charts in the US. Adding to the excitement is the announcement of Cheap Trick as support. My fists are already raised aloft in anticipation. Naturally, it all goes down at the AIS Arena on Tuesday November 11. Tickets go on sale Friday June 20 through Ticketek or 132 849.

Metalise

Ho-hum, another Metalise column announcing yet another international band’s set of dates!

Lacuna Coil, possibly the most photographed band in metal of the past few years, are at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney on Wednesday June 25. The night before, they’re down in Melbourne at The Billboard.

Blood Duster have never shied away from causing controversy intentionally or otherwise. The band recently announced reissues of every album ’til now, featuring a slew of extras including video of line-ups at the time of their respective back-catalogue and live material, including covers. As an interesting look into modern PC society gone awry, not one but two major CD cover printing companies in Melbourne - Regency and Technicolor - have refused to print the sleeves due to photographs on the inner sleeve being too offensive for either the staff or the general public. Sounds to me like Jason PC has gotten out his medical dictionary of venereology for band photos again… Still, weird to think that Fisting The Dead came out 15 years ago now with artwork from the same book, as did the Yeest EP in ’96 and Str8OuttaNorthcote in ’98. I guess it’s good to see controversy still being courted after 17 years as a band.

Blood Duster’s drummer, Dave Healy of Psycroptic, has a busy year ahead. Aside from heading to the US in May for a three week run of dates with Blood Duster, he’ll be back in Australia for a run of Australian shows with Australia’s most potent death metal band Psycroptic in June. The tour comes to Sydney on June 7 at the Bald Faced Stagg with Daysend and Beyond Terror Beyond Grace. Check it.

Sydney grindcore seems to be enjoying a resurgence of late, with a fair bit of activity coming in the form of larger shows from the more notable locals, as well as some bigger festivals the bands are collectively organising in August. The first event costs a mere $10 and comes under the charming moniker of Tits & Grind. Featuring Syphilis, Ebolie, Cunt Butcher, Bombshell Girls (“half-time entertainment,” according to the press release, and one would assume the “tit” component of the gig’s title), Grannyfist and Skippy The Bush Kangaroo - possibly the most amusingly named metal band in Sydney’s history. It’s on Friday June 20 at the Live House in Lewisham with the doors opening 8pm. I don’t think this one is all ages…

To continue the grind report, The Day Everything Became Nothing have released their third album through uber grind label No Escape. Simply and accurately entitled Brutal, it sees the band pushing the boundaries even further into the recesses of bottom end gore-soaked grindcore. Hot on the heels of this release, the band is undertaking its first international tour in the US, and I can’t wait to hear the new record.

In late-breaking news, the final line-up for Chaos ACT has been announced! The fourth instalment of what is now Canberra’s largest metal fest sees 16 of Australia’s choicest heavy acts converging on The Basement in Belconnen on Friday June 6 and Saturday June 7. June 6 will see Mytile Vey Lorth, Synperium (NSW), Daemon Foetal Harvest (NSW), Templestowe and Rake Sodomy hit the stage from 8:30pm onwards. June 7 will kick off a bit earlier, with doors at 12:30pm and boasts Tasmania’s Separatist (playing their only show on the mainland) plus a posse of local and NSW-based acts including Infinitum, Futility, Antonamasia, Aeon of Horus, Red Valley, Sword Toward Self, Ironwood, Leicohtica, Epoch Of Inexistence and Punishment. There’ll be a number of metal stores on site, plus a BBQ on the Saturday too. Tickets are available from Landspeed, The Music Shop (Belconnen, Civic and Woden) and www.moshtix.com .

NP: Suicide in Progress – The Melvins – Nude With Boots

Alchemist - Alchemical Crusade

When you see your friends’ bands grow and go beyond the garage to hit interstate stages in the metal scene in this country, it has as much in common with Indiana Jones in the third film when he comes to the second challenge in uncovering the Holy Grail. Faced with a broad, seemingly impassable gulf between safety and certain death at the bottom of an apprehensively deep pit, a leap of faith is required.

ALCHEMIST have been taking that leap of faith, and like Indy, discovering and taking that leap has launched them onto a near invisible path that leads to one’s goal and tests one’s faith.

After 20 years, Alchemist have more than walked the invisible path; they practically forged it for many Australian bands through their work on the much missed Metal for the Brain festivals. Now, in a sign of heart-warming good karma, it seems the path is leading toward the next and ultimate challenge, the European summer festival circuit.

In speaking with Roy Torkington, Alchemist’s guitar slinger and artist extraordinaire, it seems the faith is being rewarded big time. Hellfest in France, Graspop in Belgium and Waldrock in Holland alongside bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Slayer, Carcass, Motorhead and Morbid Angel to name a (very!) few; it represents the reward for their leap of faith to reach the pinnacle of the heavy metal touring circuit. How does it feel and how did it come about?

“There was a definite buzz for us in Europe last year and we were aware that some serious promoters were attending the shows and taking note. We really flogged ourselves on those tours and played as much as possible within the time we had. We are absolutely stoked to be added to these 2008 summer festivals - lucky and honoured. It is also reassuring as we have been focusing on Europe for some time now and Tripsis is our sixth record. In a way it has been a long time coming!”

The Prog Power festival in Holland has really helped to catapult the band to the next level and the types of festivals they’re playing now are obviously in the A division. Apart from the massive festivals, Alchemist are right at home in an intimate club atmosphere. Are there many smaller shows lined up this time? “We will be there for three weekends and two full weeks; we have agents trying to get us club shows or support slots presently in between the big weekend festivals. It is, however, a very competitive time and we are not expecting to have a show every day, as in the past. We have to wait and see what happens. It is definitely peak time over there for everything. Our big hope is to secure some Ministry supports as they are touring at the same time, but there is nothing confirmed as yet.”

Tripsis has been well received over there and a keen European fan has overseen its vinyl release, another benchmark in the band’s storied career. “We all grew up listening to records and it was always a goal for us to get some out there. We seemed to just miss the boat in the ’90s in that regard when the industry shifted to CD. The packaging and sound is as good as possible and it’s bound to become a collector’s piece. It is a limited edition of 500 copies, of which we have brought 100 or so home with us for Australia.”
So the guys take on a four show run of Aussie gigs in Brisbane (home to drummer Rod), Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, then to Europe and back to start on album number seven. “We have discussed some ideas and I think are all looking forward to writing again – I presume we will start on the next record when we return in July.”

Alchemist play the ANU Bar on Saturday May 3 with Pod People and Looking Glass. Doors 8.30pm, $15 entry. Tripsis is out through Chatterbox.

Metalise

Double horns to you all.

Children of Bodom are touring in June. Finland’s brutal quintet are undoubtedly one of the bigger modern metal acts, if going by the sheer weight of advertising I see for this band and guitarist Alexi Laiho in magazines! Touring on the back of their brand new album Blooddrunk, the band’s tour hits The Enmore Theatre in Newtown, Sydney on Tuesday June 24 and is an all ages show. So hit mum and dad up now and start chopping and stacking the firewood so you can go.

When the pedigree of a band involves two of Canberra’s most all-time brutal death acts Psychrist and Dehuman, you KNOW that there’s going to be an unrelenting wall of quality brutality unleashed by local act Infinitum. The band have prepared a ten track album entitled Behold Eradication that was recorded and produced locally with Kimmo at KV Productions. The band is doing a self release while the album is shopped around labels. For more info or to order the record, check the bands’ websites, www.myspace.com/infinitumoz or www.infinitum.us .

Alternatively, you can buy the record from the band direct at a huge metal bill on May 9 at The Basement out in Belconnen. The Behold Eradication album launch will see Infinitum ably supported by Rookwood (Syd), Aeon of Hours, Ironwood (Syd) and locals Point 17. We’ll review the album next issue.

Alchemist are preparing to unleash their psychedelic uniqueness in their third and highest profile run of European shows with a performance at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium in June. Before the lads head overseas though, they’re doing a run of Aussie shows and of course no Aussie tour is complete without the hometown show. On Saturday May 3, the ANU will host Alchemist, Pod People and Looking Glass in an all-out sonic sensory assault.

Cut Sick feature recent gigging visitor Agents of Abhorrence drummer Max on skins and are playing at the Pot Belly in Belconnen on Friday May 16 with Hardluck, Eat A Brick and Eye-Gouge.

More international touring news with a modern flavour comes in the form of Drowning Pool, who tour Australia in May and June for the first time since their 2002 BDO spot. Along for the ride are fellow yanks Puddle Of Mudd. You can see both bands at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney on June 3. Tickets on sale Friday April 18.

Saxon’s last-minute tour didn’t happen last year, but thankfully, one of NWOBHM’s best will be back Wednesday May 7 in Sydney at The Forum. Lord will ably support and all reports on the band live of late have been really good.

Korn, Biohazard, Chimaira, Throwdown and Bloodsimple running times for Sydney have been acquired in secret by Metalise for those that care to attend. I’m still scarred from seeing one of Biohazards’ onstage moshing crew smear poo into his chest on the first Slayer tour in Wollongong, so er, wish them well for me and maybe stand back a bit during their show. Running times: ticketed start - 6pm; 1st act - 6.30pm; Bloodsimple interval - 7pm; 2nd act - 7.20pm; Throwdown interval - 7.50pm; 3rd act - 8.10pm; Chimaira interval - 8.55pm; 4th act - 9.15pm; Biohazard interval - 10pm; 5th act - 10.30pm; Korn finish 11.45pm approx. NB: Times are subject to change.

NP: An Island Insane Part I – An Island Insane – Corrupted.

Metalise

The cavalcade of carnage that is the Mayhem live experience returns to Australia in 2008 for a run of six shows. They’ll be nationally supported by Sydney black metallers Nazxul, who seem to pop out of the woodwork with a new line-up for international tours whenever they come around. This time the band won’t be bringing the severed pigs heads to town;
you’ll have to head up the Hume to Sydney on May 22 for an all ages show at The Metro Theatre which will also feature Sydney doomsters Lycanthia. They’re also in Melbourne on Tuesday May 20.

I have no idea how this will work, purely on the size of the room alone, but Café Macchiato in Civic is having a metal night on Saturday March 29, with free entry to boot.

Templestowe and Aeon of Horus are set to bring the cornerstone of Civic crumbling down with doors at 11pm and the Bourbon Bar open for business from 10pm ’til well after the shows. Interesting! Speaking of Aeon of Horus, the band is also playing with local blackened lads Mytile Vey Lorth, Chapel and Sobrusion at the revamped Greenroom in Phillip on April 26. It’ll be a 10 buck charge on the door that night. Good to see some local gigs springing up around the traps in some different venues.

Insect Warfare, Agents of Abhorrence and 4Dead destroyed the ANU last month. Awesome show promoters, more of the same please!

Alchemist are playing the European festival circuit this year, including a slot on the much vaunted Graspop Festival (www.
graspop.be) this year in Dessel, Belgium, sharing the bill with the likes of Iron Maiden, Kiss and Judas Priest among a slew of others. Not a bad gig! Possibly not as exciting, but a hell of a lot cheaper to get to, will be the lads’ performance this weekend at the Metalstock fest in Sydney, which is happening over Saturday and Sunday night at The Manning Bar in Sydney. Get along to Sydney this weekend for a huge weekend of Aussie metal and Canada’s Kataklysm.

In the modern internet quagmire of blogs, one site is standing out as a shining beacon of amusing metal bloggery. This may appeal to a slightly 25+ demographic, but there’s some gold humour throughout this site that you should all bookmark and visit regularly. I give you Metal Inquisition - you’re welcome.

Pod People’s follow up to the Doom Saloon album is slated for a July release through Melbourne label Goatsound. Captain Cleanoff and The Day Everything Became Nothing (TDEBN) also will have new albums out this year on the Goatsound label as well as reissues of the Blood Duster back catalogue. TDEBN and Blood Duster releases come in time for their US tour in May and slot on the Maryland Death Fest.

TDEBN will also be touring Europe and the states for three months with Tasmaniac’s Psycroptic.

JOSH NP: I’m Sick - Accept Death - Accept Death

METALISE

Aeon of Horus

No Mayhem for Canberra this time around.