Reviewed on Sunday July 20
Just so you don’t confuse them with the TV show or the indie rock band, this Sydney band have spelled out their name as Gvrills. Needless to say, it’s about as far from either Lena Dunham or Christopher Owens as one could expect – they play a bleak, sludgy and merciless hybrid of post-metal and old-school emotive hardcore. It would be unfair to say that they were lost on the meagre crowd that rocked up early – more that there was far less acknowledgement from the crowd than the band deserved. Perhaps a smaller room with larger numbers will do them justice.
It’s safe to say I Exist just had the best weekend ever. On Saturday, they played with Frenzal Rhomb and Bodyjar in Jindabyne, and tonight saw them score a support slot for a band that clearly serves as one of their biggest influences. This never felt like a cheap imitation, however – whatever debt they owed to tonight’s headliners has been well and truly paid back with interest. Cuts from I Exist’s latest, From Darkness, have been sharpened, sounding better than ever, while older favourites like ‘Ghost Of A King’ roused the fans. Party on, boys.
It takes a world of confidence for a bloke with a huge beer belly and a bristling handlebar moustache like Matt Pike to parade about without a shirt on. Then again, if anything sums up what High On Fire are about, it’s that unto itself – this is a loud and proud metal band, and if you’ve got a problem with that, there’s the door. Barely a year on from touring with Sleep, Pike was back in the Australian saddle with plenty of tricks left up his invisible sleeve.
There was initial discomfort throughout the first few songs, as both Pike and bassist Jeff Matz berated the sound guy for various mixing imbalances. Thankfully, this was resolved swiftly, and we were able to get on with the music at hand. Each of the band’s studio releases got a look in, with a dramatic banshee shriek of its title from Pike as means of an introduction. ‘Devilution’ got fists pumping and voices raised, while the epic closing sequence of ‘10,000 Years’ and ‘Snakes For The Divine’ was equal parts stunning and invigorating. A killer night of heavy music for all involved – more of the same, please, and soon.
