Mayhem were FUCKING FANTASTIC!!!

As per the subject, Mayhem played on Thursday 23rd at the Hi Fi Bar and were sensational! Much like Coffins and Napalm Death, the venue appeared pretty packed, probably as full as I've seen it in the last few years. Only caught the tail end of a dark and brutal Astriaal set, and after a short break, Mayhem took the stage and delivered the best black metal performance I've ever seen! 70-odd minutes of fast, tight and furious black metal. Atilla, as always, was a fantastic frontman - his stage presence is amazing, and his voice was even better live than on record. The main set closed with Crystalized Pain in Deconstruction, but very shortly after Silvester Anfang started playing and the band returned to stage, this time with Killjoy from Necrophagia to join in the vocals for Deathcrush. Carnage was next, followed by the pleasantly unexpected De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, which was delivered perfectly. Pure Fucking Armageddon, as always, finished the night off. 9.5/10

Why isn't EVERY Saturday night this brutal???

Such a brilliant night! 6 top-end Australian support acts covering noise, stoner, doom, thrash, death and grind - Whitehorse, Ignivomous, Clagg, The Day Everything Became Nothing, Gospel Of The Horns and Cauldron Black Ram. All played very well, was great to see the cheesiness of GOTH again, it's been a few years since I saw them last.

Coffins were amazing, a nice mix of death and doom, and a real Celtic Frost feel to them. Despite being a 3-piece, they had a loud and very solid sound. Both the guitarist-vocalist and bass player were very animated, and really used the large stage. All looked to be enjoying themselves just as much as the audience, which was a LOT!!! They said goodbye and left stage after an hour only to return a minute later and launch into a brilliant cover of Eyehategod's Sister Fucker with Scotti from Clagg on vocals. A couple of more songs and the night was over. COME BACK AGAIN SOON Coffins, and next time bring another band with you!!! :) 9/10!!

Death By Napalm!!

FYI Anyone who did NOT attend any of the Napalm Death/Dying Fetus gigs last week: YOU MISSED OUT!!!

Extortion
An unexpected opener for the night, but it made sense given how much Barney & Co like them (hint: check the photo inside the latest Napalm Death album, check out who's on Barny's shirt!!) coupled with the fact they played the night before at Bastardfest @ Corner Hotel. Much like the previous night they were short, fast, tight & straight to the point hardcore. All so young, I'm hoping they never lose their passion.

Rotten Chop
Pretty decent death/grind, fairly tight and well animated on such a large stage (particularly the vocalist). Free Demo CDs available too, always a nice touch. Look out for their debut full-length soon...

Dying Fetus
Very tight, very brutal. The technical death metal side really doesn't appeal to me, but it was done well and they certainly knew how to engage the crowd - they were LOVING it!! Their slower, heavier songs were awesome, I'm glad they opened for Napalm Death or I probably wouldn't have seen them.

Napalm Death
The Godfathers of Grind. They were awesome in 2007. 1 more album since then (Time Waits For No Slave), and they're all starting to look a teensy bit older. Fuck Me did they deliver the goods though! As soon as the intro started, Barneys grinding convulsions (for lack of a better word) began, and there was no holding back from thereon. Still tight as ever, loud, fast and aggressive, and delivering a good mix of newer songs & PLENTY of older ones. Moshpit was just as brutal, particularly during the likes of From Enslavement To Obliteration, Deceiver, Scum & Nazi Punks Fuck Off. Encore of Persona Non Grata, Smear Campaign & Siege Of Power rounded off an awesome 65-minute set. Definitely a 10/10!!

P.S. Thanks again to Soundworks Touring for making this happen, aswell as most of the other international extreme bands over the last few years. Mayhem Next Week, Exodus a couple of weeks later. Bring it!