So it’s Thursday night, and I’ve got the beginnings of a cold, but the lure of a visit to the Crowbar Bistro, added to a night of quality Doom Metal spurred me on. It was a disappointing start to the evening however when Photographer Siv advises me that the Bistro is no more and we’d have to go further afield for our feed… Apparently Sydney’s premier Heavy Metal venue, and a vegetarian Bistro weren’t a good fit? Who’d’ve thunk?!
Appetites sated, the Doom commences with Potion, who state their intent from the start, with a sound so sludgy, you could almost feel your feet stuck to the floor (well, it’s the CrowBar, so nothings impossible). The riffs are pretty familiar, and singer / guitarist Lee is certainly into it, while Bass player Stella Leung is off to one side glowering, churning out a filthy bottom end sound. About 3 songs in though, it seems that they’ve played all their cards. I think that the drummer took over on vocals at one point, but it wasn’t really noticeable (the lights were such that you could barely see him). Overall, Potion are a promising enough brew, but they need to add a few more ingredients to spice it up a bit.
Dealing in Light & shade is not a skill that Witchskull lack, they’re able to mix their Metal up with some 60s pyschedelia, 70’s classic rock & light the whole thing up with a good deal of aggression. The intensity lifts as the set goes on, and by the time they play Breathing Blue Light, they’re on fire. These guys really stand out, and should have made a few more friends tonight.
The thing that immediately strikes me about Beastwars is just how “measured” the band are, no speed freak-outs or over the top hyperbole, just pure, purposeful brutality, and when Matthew Hyde opens up with that roar, the effect is fairly monstrous.
The band move seamlessly from quiet menace to a tsunami of power seamlessly, with the shamanic singer conducting proceedings, casting spells, or fighting demons… or all three. While the band provide the dynamic backdrop, He’s absolutely mesmerizing to watch, like he’s performing some kind of Heavy Metal Tai Chi, or he’s in a trance that every now & then he’d wake from, with a look of “Where am I, and who are you lot?”, before diving back from whence he came.
Beastwars were pretty special tonight, intense, immense, and spellbinding.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Adam Sivewright
Beastwars
Potion & Witchskull
