LIVE: STORMRIDER FESTIVAL – Perth, 7 April, 2018

Shane | 7 May 2018 | Reply

LIVE: STORMRIDER FESTIVAL – Perth, 7 April, 2018
Badlands, Northbridge, Perth
Reviewed by Clayton Mitchell
Photography by Pete Gardner

SENSIMILLIA
www.facebook.com/Sensimillia.Perth

Life
Spell is upon U
Afraid to Die
The Trooper (Iron Maiden Cover)

Straight out the gate, Sensimillia hit the early crowd with Life, a solid heavy grunge vibe reminiscent of the early nineties mixed fluently with shades of Zakk Wylde and definite influences from Metallica. Drummer Shaishav Adhikari was on every beat and left no room for error within this short opening set.

Sensimillia really do own their solid sound, mixing their roots of Nepal with the last few decades of Metal. The contrast of the high mains and the low vocal backups adds a great atmosphere to the track ‘Spell Is Upon You’ as they push the audience to indulge the moment. A very driven song with strong moments of open chords and vocals that lead you into an epic, yet short lived solo from Guitarist Saurav Rayamajhi.

‘Afraid To Die’ opens with a very dynamic, broken riff, portraying a kind of movie soundtrack vibe of the downtrodden. The vocals of Pradeepta Shrestha fill the silence as the guitars trail off lightly till the next smash hits the speakers. It’s easy to feel an early Megadeth influence in the tunes, mixed with a very kinda metal Eddie Vedder vocal hook… hard to imagine but it’s what I heard in the pronounciation.

Nailing in the flow of the night the boys drive into a mad rendition of ‘The Trooper’ by Iron Maiden. The vocalist portrayed his passion for the greats with a vibrant belting of the lyric driven melody and feel we come to know of Maiden. Sworup Joshi really helped drive this song along with a solid bassline and aids to draw the crowd closer for the beginning of what can only be explained as an INSANE night!

After researching the band pre-show I was hoping to hear a bit of the Nepalese lead vocals but I can understand why they may have felt tonight was more about driving the songs people mainly feel and know. I definitely recommend checking them out and as for an opener they were an amazing addition and the night only gets better.

LEGACY OF SUPREMACY
www.facebook.com/legacyofsupremacy

Mystic 7
Lucid
Crisis
Haze Of Black & White

Next up we have the long running and very catchy Legacy of Supremacy. Last time I saw these boys there were a few different faces, but, as with all projects, people come and go as life beckons. Since then they have been joined by members of Empire of Angels (check ’em out) and never skipped a beat.

Flying straight into it with ‘Mystic 7’, LOS displayed an immediate 80’s style that felt familiar but also held a modern and unique vibe. Drummer Frank Lupino brought a solid and groove-filled backline which was accompanied with a very addictive vocal melody and riff. This all lead perfectly into the amazingly melodic lead intro of ‘Lucid’ which took you into a world of mysticism and wonder before blasting you with a chunky and straight groove that was accented immensely by the belting bass of Tristan Hodges.

‘Crisis’ despite the name had a very cruisy feel that featured some very prominent and clear vocals from frontman and guitarist Jacob Kenny. The huge chorus really flowed in perfectly and you could not help but bop along to the track while feeling every chord the music painted. Unfortunately the ending of this top-notch song was a little ruined by some ringing out from the PA but that can be expected this early in the night and thankfully didn’t happen again for this 9 hour epic festival.

Finishing in solid form second Lead Guitarist, Curtis Sucksmith and Jacob Kenny blasted forth with a riff that just oozed the God Era of Metal. Like a power-ridden Ronnie James Dio facemelt-fest it was easily taken in by the audience of the night, then couple that with the great bond and interaction of the members and you have the perfect closer to an amazing set from Legacy of Supremacy.

Having followed the band for many years it was a shame to not hear some of the earlier stuff but it really didn’t phase the feel. Featuring songs from their latest album ‘The Morning After’ helped everyone to see where they are and how the band has evolved as members changed and after many years of writing. Definitely check them out.

[Show picture list]

DEATH DEPENDANT
www.facebook.com/deathdependant/

Buried Alive
Sacrifice For The Cross
People Of Lie
Drug Machine
Parasite
Strapped Into Die

Straight outta Bunbury, crazy muthaf#@kers Death Dependant made the trip north to be part of Stormrider. Suprisingly with a name like that, opener ‘Buried Alive’ began with a clean and melancholic feeling. It misled the mind into a lulled state before they smashed your face with a chunked up thrash riff. Jimmy Edwards ground the crowd into the floor, powering along and bringing a deep angst to this huge song.

With a very early Megadeth vibe ‘Sacrifice From The Cross’ was definitely a standout track from this epic and fastpaced set. Frontman and rhythm player Marc Antonov displayed impressive use of clean and savage. If you closed your eyes you would probably swear it was dual lead vocalists. This amazing journey of highs and lows melded seamlessly into ‘People of Lie’ which was a highlight reel for Lead Guitarist Brandon Kelly, with an absolutely solid chunk of short, fast and loud music that drew in the crowd and easily got them involved. The solo-fueled outro was a force in itself and really upped the night to a new phase.

Labelled by the guys as a “Creative Cover” follow-up song ‘Drug Machine’ was, from what I can gather, a cover of the Flaming Lips song of the same name… Except a little more paced and full. A fun song to chuck in mid-set to mix it up before hitting us with the tasty originals that were being served up tonight!

A very distinctive Master Of Puppets sound could be heard in ‘Parasite’, this belter had a great push and easily got the crowd involved with an “Oi” chant, then did it once again with a say “F#@K Yeah!” repeat session drawing them in closer before the final song, ‘Strapped Into Die’. This track displayed many elements of Traditional Rock but didn’t sway too far from the metal vibe these guys radiated. It hit you with a wicked, speedy riff that was topped off with great vocal clarity.

Death Dependant received great applause and as you can read above they were well deserved. It’s always great to see bands making the effort to travel and stay as active as these guys, it was a privilege to see them back on the stage and look forward to many more shows as they join Hidden Intent (SA) for a couple of shows in June.

AGNESIS
www.facebook.com/AgnesisOfficial

Crawl
Suffocate
12
Jungle
Deceptions Throne

Alternative metal band Agnesis join the Stormrider line-up releasing an album called ‘In Places We Keep’ featuring 80% of the set we would be treated to tonight. The first things I noticed were the 5-string Bass wielded by Josie Crosby and also the majestic beard of Dan Christoffersen which in some ways resembled a knight’s helmet in its shape.

First up we got a treat in the song simply titled ‘Crawl’ not featured on the previously mentioned release. This song was backed by a chunky groove and featured amazing male and female vocal harmonies that really gave this night a new feature and progressive feel. It was mint to see the use of many different time signatures. The creative use of vocals and melodies merged to become a very unique sound that resembled combining Blackmore’s Night and Tool with a touch of Strapping Young Lad.

‘Suffocate’ introduced some deep vocals, that coulda been a touch louder, mixed with a great blend of contrasting guitars from Daniel Johnson and Cristoffersen. Together it forged a very real sense of morbidity but held an overall, very atmospheric tone. The simple yet complex ‘Twelve’ really appealed to my love of the middle ages with a solemn eerie melody that sent chills down my spine. The middle 8 introduced some heavier, brutal vocals that gave the song a real dynamic and lead superbly into then next song.

‘Deceptions Throne’ once again displayed amazing use of the dual vocals, with the higher female vocals of Josie Crosby giving it a different edge in an all male-fronted night. I really liked the use of songwriting to design a chorus that was really angsty and actually created the feeling of anxiety and unease. Ending on ‘Jungle’ left them on a high note with a very familiar sounding main riff and a great mix of brutal vocals to lead on strongly into the rest of the night.

Overall, it was an experience with a really smart use of every element to create its own entity and feel. It was all held together in a precise blend by drummer James Ng and just the overall unity of the band was amazing and it was truly great to see them perform for the first time, I will definitely be seeing them again.

REQUIEM
www.facebook.com/requiemaus

Divinity
Severance
Chadders
Maelstrom
Blackened

Next up we are getting a little more extreme with Ballarat, Victoria’s own, Requiem. Straight out the gate this unit absolutely illustrates itself as erratic. The energy and aura they put out absolutely resonated through the venue, immediately you could feel the spirits rise and start flowing even harder once they kicked off.

Bursting forth, with what I can only describe as Gojira meets King Diamond, this Extreme Metal mob really got the crowd up in a hurry after a short change-over. ‘Divinity’ harbored elements of music spanning the last four decades. It featured an intentionally odd overlaying riff from Lead Guitarist ‘Jye Matthews’ that radiated the mind as you questioned it, then almost instantaneously, it was trapped in the asylum of your mind.

The lead-in harmonies of ‘Severence’ cut through you and provoked a sense of edginess, an almost distraught feeling that just made the crowd cheer even louder. The concrete drums of Aaryn Dunks coupled with the bass slam of Tom Hainsworth created a blistering rhythm section that made everybody move. The speed and thrash elements were coupled nicely with the brutal, quick vocals of Zacharie Dunks resonating with a concoction of Hate, Fear and Disgust… Like your Mother screaming at you for blending the puppy.

Before ‘Chadders’ it turned into a softcore porn show as all the guys took off their shirts and then proceeded into the next song looking like Screech from Saved By The Bell on crack. The shattered timing of this and ‘Maelstrom’ provoked a kind of contortion effect in the crowd as people all created their own portrayal of the sound.

Ending on the epic ‘Blackened’ left you feeling provoked and rattled through siren like riffs, depicting impending doom. This band absolutely knows how to rev-up a crowd which led to a wayward and random performance filled with solid music and band solidarity. I will definitely be grabbing a CD when I can and will keep a close eye on these mental cases.

BASTARDIZER
Bathory And Lust
Enforcers
Demons Unleashed
Whiskey Til Death
Midnight In Hell
Pentagram Of Pleasure
Up The Ante

EYEFEAR
Eyes Of Madeus… or something like that
Wasteland
Always
Breath Again
A World Full Of Grey
Abandonded

SILENT KNIGHT
Intro
Prisoner
One By One
Raven
Prelude
Curse
Masterplan
Conquer
Empty
Big Finish – Power Metal

[Show picture list]

BLACK STEEL
Time Marches On
Breaking the Chains
We Are One
Hell’s Gates
The Power
Vengeance of the Damned
Hellhammer
Heart of a Lion
Destructor
Battle Call