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Live Reviews : Dark Tranquillity, Be’lakor & Orphues Omega @ The Hi-Fi, Sydney 29/03/2014

By on March 31, 2014

Images: Sandra Welch
Words: Prathana Venunathan

For years I’ve been dreaming of the day I’d actually get to see one of the world’s finest melodic death metal bands, who gave new meaning to the genre. Dark Tranquillity, pioneers of Gothenburg metal, were finally making their way down to Australia after 8 years and although it has been eons, they sure as hell made up for it last night.

I made my way to the Hi-Fi, excited beyond all possible measure for the night’s line-up which was any melodeath fans’ paradise.

The Hi-Fi, to be completely honest isn’t my first choice of venue, given it’s reputation for sound issues and it’s rather inconvenient location. But that didn’t stop the fans from piling in, to catch the opening band! First up were Orpheus Omega who I saw a few months ago when they opened for Sirenia. I’m a huge fan and I was excited to be seeing them again. The lights dimmed down on the pretty crowded venue, as the Melbourne metallers took to the stage. Without any prior warning, they powered into their first track. Orpheus have a unique and distinct sound, the instrumentation on every track exhibiting music that is truly intriguing. The symphonic keys courtesy of energetic keytar-ist Keswick Gallagher blend dynamically with the rhythmic guitar sections and thunderous drums. Chris Themelco is an absolute beast, singing each track with raspy, guttural vocals, reminding me a lot of Ville Viljanen of Mors Principium Est fame, while Daniel fuelled their set further, causing a riot with powerful, vicious bass lines and his dreads windmilling to glory. Their set covered music from all three albums including ‘Unscathed’, and ‘Eternal Deceit’. ‘Sans Memoria’ from their 2013 release ‘Reillusion’ was the standout track for the night and one of my favourites from Orpheus Omega. In the most brutal way possible, Orpheus Omega’s music captivates you, their energy is incredible, also making you want to punch someone in the face and break something simultaneously. It’s the perfect combination of melody and death. This band has made a huge impact on the Aussie melodeath scene, and definitely got the night and the crowd all geared up for more metal!

After a 15 minute changeover it was time for the amazing Be’lakor. Let’s keep it simple, I LOVE them and the last time I watched Be’lakor they were outstanding. They exhibit melodeath at it’s absolute finest with incredible strong structures and compositions, each track boasting complex riffs that are played at mind-numbingly fast speeds combined with the beautiful haunting harmonies, the strong presence of the skilled Steve Merry on keys, that sound brilliant. Geroge Kosmas’ harsh and brutal vocals compliment the melodic nature of Be’lakor’s music and the deep, meaningful lyrical content, his growls obliterating everything in it’s vicinity, but coupled so perfectly with the glorious drumming of Elliot Sansom from Melbourne’s Okera who was filling in for Jimmy. The sudden transitions and tempo changes are so subtle and effortless making Be’lakor’s music flow in a way that it has a hypnotic effect on those listening to them. From the heavy and atmospheric ‘Venator’ to the more progressive, and magnificent guitar melodies of ‘Remnants’, Be’lakor graced us with music from all three of their albums and and played a brilliant set despite minor technical issues. In all honesty, with the precision at which they play their music, it’s almost as if it’s being played straight of a recording. Be’lakor are hands down, right at the top and can definitely put in the same league as Finnish melodic death veterans, Omnium Gatherum and Insomnium. The crowd burst into a choral of ‘Happy Birthday’ for George, giving us even more reason to celebrate the night!

At this point, the venue was packed with hordes of metalheads in black shirts of At The Gates and Insomnium, long locks of hair all out and ready to whip up a storm, you could feel the intensity and anticipation in the room. While the familiar tunes of Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’ played on, fans waited in an abyss of darkness, eager for the metal fury of Sweden ‘s finest. In the midst of a roaring crowd, members of Dark Tranquillity appeared on stage erupting into ‘The Science Of Noise’. Mikael Stanne, majestically entered a few minutes later and pulverized all senses of hearing with his fierce growls. Hardly two songs in and the crowd was lapping it up, the atmosphere was all kinds of crazy, circle pits surfacing and headbanging that threatened the durability of necks.

After the first track, Stanne asked the crowd if we were ready for more melodic death metal, and of course the insane gathering responded with loud cheers and applause. The setlist was a treat to both old and new DT fans, with the band covering music from pretty much the entire length of their 20 odd year career. This being a world tour in support of their 2013 release ‘Construct’, tracks like ‘The Silence In Between’, ‘ What Only You Know’ and ‘State of Trust’ were performed in an absolutely flawless manner. What added to the undeniable charm of the Scandinavians and the originality behind their Gothenburg style, was the video projections that made for a fantastic visual backdrop. It was synced so perfectly with each track that was performed, projecting scenic visions of natural beauty, and some rather trippy images, and had a soothing effect in contrast to the heavy music of DT. A few lyrics here and there were flashed occasionally making it easy to sing along to the catchy songs. It was truly beautiful to watch and personally, I felt so involved with the music and the meaning behind every song .

‘The Mundane and The Magic’ was probably one of the best tracks of the night! Stanne took it upon himself to inform the crowd that he need some assistance, preferably female vocals. And female vocals is what he got! Out of nowhere there was a beautiful voice that filled the air during the chorus and Stanne himself seemed thrilled with the fan’s contribution! I wanted to find that girl and give her a big hug, so if you happen to read this, you were fantastic! He shook the hands of pretty much everyone who was in the front row, hugged a few fans and created a feeling of warmth within the rest of us. The way he shifts from deep growls to peaceful and calming cleans, it’s amazing how creative this man can get with his vocal chords. Other tracks like ‘Monochromatic Stains’, ‘Lost To Apathy’ and ‘The Final Resistance’ were echoing the sheer awesomeness of the Swedes, people moshing and headbanging like nothing else mattered in the world. Although the sound wasn’t of the best quality, that didn’t stop DT bringing brutal awesomeness to the adoring Sydney fans. One of the most memorable moments of the night was when Chris from Orpheus Omega joined the legendary Stanne on stage for a dual rendition of ‘Terminus’. The two of them together, holy shit, excuse the DT pun here but DAMAGE DONE. It was an electrifying performance and if anyone else felt what I did, I was so proud to see one of our Oz lads up on stage with one of the veterans of metal. The two made it even more touching by giving each other the biggest hug known to mankind.

The stage presence of this band is unbelievable, and Stanne made good use of the stage at the Hi-Fi. Pacing up and down, throwing some cheeky grins giggles and extremely animated faces our way every now and then. Martin Brandstrom aced his keyboard providing DT’s music with a mystical and soft element while long-standing guitarist Niklas Sundin along with Martin Henrikkson led the chaos on their guitars. Anders Jivaarp was slaying the life out of his kit with his mad, versatile drumming. The Swedes bid us a short-lasting farewell before returning for an epic three song encore of ‘Lethe’, ‘Endtime Hearts’ and the cherry on top ‘Misery’s Crown’ for which Stanne enthusiastically lept into the audience, crowdsurfing and growling to his heart’s content. It was the most perfect ending to an amazingly tight set that left fans wanting more. The humble five piece from Gothenburg respectfully said their goodbye’s with the promise of returning soon, the charismatic Stanne delighting fans even more by jumping off stage again and hugging everyone in the front row.

In all honesty, it’s not easy to sum up in a few hundred words what it was like to experience the musical ingenuity of Dark Tranquillity. Metal to be stereotypically defined is a culmination of aggressive, heavy riffs and growls but these guys incorporate so much more into their music, especially live, each one playing with admirable passion and feeling. Their music let my tear ducts loose a few times and as I left the venue, my love for this band knew no bounds and I knew that it was a night I would never ever forget, the night that was Dark Tranquillity.

About

Prarthana is a vegan, Indo-Aussie, heavy music addict, fluent in sarcasm and metal. Traveling is an obsession as she enjoys taking in the history of various countries and following her favorite bands. She's either eating, teaching grammar or learning an instrument, when not occupied with windmilling in the faces of other humans.