HEADLINER: DARKEST HOUR
SUPPORTS: PRIMITIVE / BLIND GIRLS / SHE CRIES WOLF
DATE: 12/02/2023
VENUE: THE BRIGHTSIDE
REVIEWER: MERT TYSON
PHOTOGRAPHER: ANDREW TREADWELL PHOTOGRAPHY

Melbourne northern suburbs lads Primitive kicked off the night with their melodic brand of Australian Metal that was incredibly infectious. Heavy guitars, killer riffs, booming backline and raw vocals topped with a great mix warming the crowd for what was going to be a fun evening. On the back of supporting the “With the Rats & Snakes” EP Primitive are an amazing band with an intense and dynamic sound. Not only do they have technical ability, but also an enthusiastic attitude that makes them a pleasure to watch live. Primitive are fast, furious and downright destructive! Highly recommend for anyone who loves a good heavy metal show!

Blind Girls From The Gold Coast are a band that did their own thing and don’t give a flying fuck about who likes it or not. The band have a strong following amongst the locals Was good to see them on the bill ripping their own unique brand of Metal and primal vocals. I wish I could find better words to explain what these guys do! Imagine a cocktail of Cradle, Arch Enemy, Dark throne, and Emperor thrown into a blender with a touch of Mayhem and Burzum resulting in a regurgitated hot mess!

She Cries Wolf local band from Bris Vegas were intense and so entertaining with their own brand of exciting kick-ass Metalcore. Kudos to such a high energy and encapsulating performance. Daniel Belic (Bass) was an absolute legend do a risky leap off the stage creating his own solo circle pit amongst the punters. Completely nuts (in a good way) embracing the massive energy that this band creates live. These guys create such a furious and dynamic experience and gave it everything last night A mix of clean punchy vocals with great mix of rhythm and melodies that allowed space yet creating a hard metal sound. The rhythm section were incredibly tight, and the guitars very impressive with some blistering solos and manic riffs. Vocals were spot on with Luke Harriss and absolute powerhouse of Aussie metal delivering a performance second to none.

Darkest Hour Bought their A Game and they were amazing! The technical skill of the band was unmatched, with a perfect blend of death metalcore, melodic rhythms and technical production is unparalleled. The sound and mix were clean, focused, and intense, perfectly capturing the energy of their live performance. The band were all spot on and created an impressive atmosphere at the Brightside, this made for the perfect up close and personal venue that the fans lapped up.

The band have waited a decade to comeback to Australia so they made up for it smashing out their own brand of Metal spanning 9 albums since 2000. The crowd were privileged to witness a masterclass of songs: “Doomsayer”, “Demon(s)”, “Convalescence”, “Stand and Receive Your Judgement”, and “Paradox with Flies”, leading a 14 song strong setlist.

We truly hope that we don’t have to wait another decade to see Darkest Hour again! Judging by the crowd last night and around the country for this whirlwind tour. There is a big following for the band in Australia and that was very evident last night!
All bands on the bill were an experience to see live that. The collaboration of technical ability combined with energy & enthusiasm created an electric atmosphere that had everyone in the crowd mesmerized. The song selection was on point and each band brought something unique and special to their performance. It was an amazing evening of metal that I thoroughly enjoyed, well done to all involved to make this happen!

As usual support the band, buy the music, see the shows! Rock on! – Mert.