In 2018, a new event celebrating all things metal was launched; Metal United saw events simultaneously occurring across numerous countries and continents. This year, Perth joined the ranks for the first time! The Civic Hotel hosted six talented local acts across a diverse range on heavy genres.
Alternative Rockers Broken Hymns got the party started. They wore their Prog Rock influences, such as Karnivool, Mastodon and Deftones, so clearly on their sleeves alternating between soft, melodic passages and heavy segments. Caleb’s vocals were far from technically perfect but they were emotive! When transitioning from clean to unclean vocals, it was almost as if a demon had taken over his body, complete with writhing body movements!
Newcomers, Cage The Hate had the crowd engaged the second they hit the stage with their genuine personalities, grateful attitude and ability to have fun while performing. “You guys are good!” said guitarist, Ryan, gesturing to the moshers up front. He continued “You guys at the back, I expect more!”. “In other words, get the fuck up the front, cunt!” clarified vocalist, Charlie. Cage The Hate may be a fresh band on the Perth metal scene, but they certainly made an impact.
Melodic Metallers, Icarus Lives, entertained with a very polished set, from the thought out introduction to each song bleeding into the next with no clear pauses. This obviously left little room for stage banter, which was perfectly fine! The fans could windmill away without interruptions.
All This Filth came blistering in, combining a range heavy sub-genres such as Groove Metal, Thrash, Hardcore, Death Metal and Industrial Metal to form one big, aggressive wall of sound. Unfortunately, the synth was often lost in the mix under the thundering bass and blast beats. Despite stating early in the set that there would be no time for stage banter, to cram in as many songs as possible, vocalist, Brendan, took time to introduce each track. We learned that a large portion of the set list was derived from their recently released album Misery Season, some of which were being performed live for the very first time, including their “Only positive song on the album” I Am The Fortress. Of course, there was room for a few “Old School” tracks, such as Helter Skelter, which had a hilarious false start. “That’s not even the same song, man!” Brendan screeched at the band.
By their own admission, Hailmary did “Sound like The Beatles after all this Metal!”. The Hard Rock outfit was far from the most heavy band on tonight’s lineup, but that did not stop the crowd from head banging their way through the set.
The night had come full circle when it came time for Thrash Metallers, Remission, to close the stage; The majority of the crowd gathered at the back by the bar, a few people up front in the pit. This evidently pissed off vocalist, Jacson, who viscously pointed at everybody in the room and commanded them to get up the front. Their set was filled with ‘let’s see how fast we can play!’ tracks and Lewis smashed the cymbals with such ferocity that it fell over mid set! This encouraged most people to move closer to the stage, but Jacson was still unsatisfied and continued to scold the stragglers throughout the set. This crossed the line from encouraging to hostile. Mate, you cannot force people to do something that they do not want to do and continuing to push in such an aggressive manner will raise barriers and reduce enjoyment of your set! Let the music entice people to the pit!
Overall, it was a brilliant night celebrating local heavy music! It’s always rewarding to see the support that Perth has for the local scene. I hope events like this continue to grow in subsequent years!
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tammie Molotov – Molotov Enterprises & Photography
All This Filth – Metal United World Wide – Perth, Australia 2019 | Photo Credit: Molotov Photography
All This Filth – Metal United World Wide – Perth, Australia 2019 | Photo Credit: Molotov Photography
All This Filth – Metal United World Wide – Perth, Australia 2019 | Photo Credit: Molotov Photography
All This Filth – Metal United World Wide – Perth, Australia 2019 | Photo Credit: Molotov Photography
All This Filth – Metal United World Wide – Perth, Australia 2019 | Photo Credit: Molotov Photography
All This Filth – Metal United World Wide – Perth, Australia 2019 | Photo Credit: Molotov Photography
All This Filth – Metal United World Wide – Perth, Australia 2019 | Photo Credit: Molotov Photography
