Cover shot – EVERYDAY METAL
One of the greatest perks of having a major international metal festival come to Australia is the additional side shows that all the bands put on while they’re in town. So not only are we uncontrollably excited for Knofest, which begins tomorrow right here in Melbourne, but tonight we get to see Amon Amarth perform a full set at the Forum supported by Trivium and Malevolence. We are a lucky bunch of metal heads.
Up first is MALEVOLENCE a 5 piece heavy metal band from Sheffield UK and we hear the track Bad Boys track play over the speakers right before the band enters onto the stage. With this being a sold out show the crowd was already a decent size for the first support and already the crowd was psyched to get going. This is my first introduction to Malevolence so I was not sure what to expect, what I didn’t expect was that I was going to really dig it this much. They have managed to merge a lot of metal styles together, hardcore, trash, sludge, but it’s so seamless and composed with super satisfying breakdowns. They play their second track ‘Still Waters Run Deep’ from their 2022 album release ‘Malicious Intent’ which I already know is going to become my favourite new track. Lead vocalist Alex Taylor engages with the patrons ‘hold up, hold up. I know you just walked through the door but I want to create some fucking history, let’s make the biggest fucking circle pit’ and the crowd complies! They break the energy for one slow jam ‘Higher Place’ everyone in the audience lifts up their phones creating a sea of twinkling lights which mirrors the starry lights imbedded in the ceiling of the forum. Bringing the energy back up they play ‘On Broken Glass’. ‘This is the last song, so give it everything you got!’. We are all buzzing from that set and ready for the next one!
Trivium is a tried and true favourite of us Melbournian metal heads, there’s still 20 minutes to go before their performance begins but the moment there’s a banner change on stage the crowd goes mental, and with 5 minutes to go the mob starts to chant ‘Tri-vi-um! Tri-vi-um!’. This will be the 14th Australian tour for Trivium, so obviously we enjoy them. Powerful start as they walk on stage we never had a chance as they open with ‘Catastrophist’ from their studio album ‘What the Dead Men Say’ released in 2020. Matt Heafy is not only dressed to the nines but as always is a super animated front man that commands the stage and puts on a phenomenal live show. The crowd always claps and sings back on cue and responds to all of Heafy’s direction, matching his energy. We also are treated to ‘The Sin and the Sentence’, ‘Strife’, ‘Deceived’, and few tracks off their fourth studio album ‘Shogun’ as Heafy explained to the fans that the album always seemed resonated with Australia. Another phenomenal set!
If you have never heard of the Swedish melodic death metal band, Amon Amarth, then you are not a metal head. The only way to describe their style is Viking metal which needs no explanation, it’s exactly what you would envision. Vocalist Johan Hegg enters the stage which is laid out like the helm of a large viking vessel. ‘Welcome to our little viking feast. Tonight is a fucking metal night so let’s keep it coming. Here’s a song about that traitorous bastard, Loki’. The show is filled with lighting changes and sound effects to mimic the journey on the sea as if we are the viking crew manning the longship. Johan coaxes the crowd to want more, and when we cheer and chant he responds with ‘that must mean you are The Great Heathen Army! ‘. It is almost time for the infamous row pit, Johan directs his crew, ‘Put Your Back Into the Oar’ and the whole mosh pit goes down and joins together as one giant entity to row, row, row! ‘Can you hear the ravens call?’, the set continues with ‘Cry of the Blackbirds’ and ‘War of the Gods’. Johan acknowledges his crew again ‘brothers’ a deep cheer, ‘sisters!’, a piercing scream, ‘vikings!’, a collective roar rises up from the audience, ‘vikings, raise the Shield Wall!’. The band then takes this opportunity to thank their fans as they raise their horns to us, ‘Melbourne, cheers. Skol!’, and they raise their horns, not in a figurative sense but the literal horns that have been attached to their belts, the whole band filled their horns with beer and drinks to their local viking fans. We are gifted with multiple encores which includes the track ‘Twilight of the Thunder God’. These metal lords leave the stage, lightening and thunders sounds the room, the lights return to the room and we are full from the feast, until tomorrow.
Huge thanks to SLIPKNOT and the KNOTFEST crew for having us.
Special thanks to Dallas Does PR.
EVERYDAY METAL – SUPPORT LOCAL HEAVY METAL