Live Reviews : Be’lakor, Orpheus Omega, Decimatus, Hollow World, Colossvs & Cryptic Abyss @ Corner Presents, Melbourne 31/07/2015

Tonight was my most anticipated local gig of the year. It was to be the second show in Orpheus Omega‘s massive national 15-date ‘Partum Vita Mortem’ album tour. Set at Corner Presents, The Venue Collective (formerly the Corner Hotel), the lineup in itself was huge. Comprising six bands including Orpheus Omega, Kolony Records label mates Be’lakor were along for the ride, as well as Decimatus, Hollow World, Colossvs and Cryptic Abyss.

The one downside to the night this event took place on (and equally the choice of venue) is that it occurred on the same night as the football, and in the same general area. This meant that for me I sadly missed much of Cryptic Abyss’ set due to struggling to find a car park anywhere in the immediate vicinity of the hotel. However, I am pleased to report that after speaking with band frontman Calvin Cobby following their set that the band had received a warm welcome. I think this was made all the more impressive with the knowledge Cryptic Abyss tonight saw a small roster and duty change in terms of the band. With guitarist Damon Morley being absent from tonight due to personal reasons, band drummer James Catarinozzi filled on guitar duties, with Milein from Kill Brunswick taking up the role of drummer for the evening. Good to hear they got some people banging along!

Next up were Colossvs, a band I was excited to be seeing live for the first time tonight. And wow, let me tell you did they blow me away! Colossvs sounded massive. One of the best things about tonight was that for anyone who hadn’t seen or knew about these bands before tonight were getting the chance to see some of Melbourne’s best upcoming death metal bands all in one hit. And the Corner did a wonderful job of displaying said talent in all their glory. For much of tonight, the sound engineering was dead on. Tonight was to be the last show for Colossvs’ bassist, Adam Willett. Having played with Colossvs for over fifty shows since the release of ‘Cleansed in Blood/Reborn in Sin’ (2014), it was great to see people cheer him on. With vicious riffs accompanying the raw, virulent strength of Lochlan Watt’s vocals, it was a perfect and venomous sendoff for Willet, and one of the best acts this night saw.

Following on were another band I was seeing live for the first time tonight, Hollow World. One of the best credits I can award these guys was their sheer charisma and engaging presence whilst up on stage. Not only were they talented musicians, but they also managed to get one of the earliest circle pits for the evening going, purely off vocalist Ben Robert’s undeniable energy and his proclamation of “Melbourne, let’s see some fucking energy!”. Launching their new EP, ‘The Wrath Kept Within’, the title track and the others were warmly received, with Hollow World’s technical proficiency and refreshing attitude on stage a highlight. With breakdowns and blast beast that were designed for people to mosh along to, the crowd happily lapped up Hollow World’s performance. It also cannot be stressed enough how hilarious and awesome it was to see the band close out with Ben jumping off down the stage headlong into the pit. All the while being slammed around by the excited headbangers, Ben never once stopped screeching his vocals. It was fantastic!

One of the things that cannot go without notice about tonight was the sheer numbers this show pulled. From the moment I arrived, the venue was nigh full and come Decimatus’ set, it was already heavily packed out. Drawing a staggering crowd of more than 500 people, it was wonderful to see such incredible support for Melbourne’s local metal scene. Now, don’t get me wrong here, I love Decimatus, but they were the only band on tonight’s roster that I initially felt looked a bit out of place. With their musical focus landing more on the groove side of things rather than an all out evil death assault (as it was for the others), I was albeit proven wrong in the end. Decimatus actually proved to be the perfect final act before Orpheus Omega took to the stage. With their energy and penchant for getting patrons to headbang and thrash along, their drive to simply make everyone have a good time was brilliant. Musically, they are also incredibly talented. If it wasn’t in the twin-guitar assault of Booga and Chris ‘Czim’ Czimmermann, Tommy Jenning’s vocals complemented the heavy thump of Andrew Rondinelli’s bass lines, as well as the technical prowess of drummer Josh Rech.

Here we are, the main act of the evening. As red curtains crossed over the stage, people soon gathered before it in anticipation of Orpheus Omega. It wasn’t long to wait until the solemn call of “Conception” was heralded in. And as the curtains parted, “I, Architect” blasted in with a fury and the accompanying cry of many shadowed faces. Lit beneath iridescent lighting, the band bore the red-band insignia of Orpheus Omega on their arms and the black jackets of their new look. As much as they started to a strong opening, sadly, the band were let down by sound issues for the early part of their set. For the first few odd songs, the mix was imbalanced and certain instruments and vocals kept fluctuating between being too high or low in the mix. Whilst it definitely did seem to be a technical issue on part of the venue rather than Orpheus themselves, it was disappointing to see that their sound had been somewhat out shined by the bands who had preceded them. Especially when this was Orpheus Omega’s album launch. Thankfully, however, hit the fourth song for the night, “Karma Favours The Weak”, the sound had been all but fixed, and it wasn’t long after that that started to sound as they should have from the start. Speaking of “Karma…” for a moment though, this was vocalist Chris Themelco’s first time singing cleans before a crowd. Though his inexperience performing this style was visible compared to the tour-hardened growls, kudos must be awarded to Chris in this area; as he is suddenly having to become acclimatised to a whole new method of sing-style, which is to say, quickly shifting between vocal performances. All things considered, it was still a strong effort. With more shows performed in this style from now on, it won’t be long before this area is as tight as the rest.

The other upside to seeing Orpheus Omega as they are now is that Nathan Mesiti, who has been with the band as their bassist since October last year, looks completely comfortable in his role now and among the other longtime members. The crowd also loved him. Nathan would get up close to those at the front of the stage with people in the crowd reaching out to pluck along a few strings in time with Nathan’s playing. We were even treated to a special moment during “Sans Memoria” where Hollow World’s Ben Roberts ran out onto stage and started screaming along the lyrics with the others. That was a cool moment!

Earning massive mosh and circle pits, Orpheus Omega saw some of the best crowd response tonight for any local band I’ve ever seen. A great moment came when Chris Themelco announced to crowd how humbled he was by the turnout. “It’s great when you have a bunch of Melbourne bands and you can fill out the Corner Hotel,” Chris said, awed. “And it’s because of you!” Closing with “Sealed In Fate” as they always do, the wall of death this created filled the entire floor area of the Corner Hotel (which isn’t small!), and soon led into a huge circle pit. It was pretty insane to watch.

Closing out the night’s proceedings were Be’lakor, who were last in Melbourne mid-late last year. Be’lakor felt like the perfect closer for all that had come before them. With their music as atmospheric as it is, you were able to almost lose yourself to it; which, when in a crowd as packed as this one was, is an impressive feat. Though Be’lakor suffered a few moments of technical difficulties also, band frontman/guitarist George Kosmas played it up with a few jokes in between, saying how in the intermediary music sounded like pieces from the original soundtrack on Lethal Weapon 3, and went on to even describe the scenes he felt they were connected to. It was a nice touch, and detracted from what could have otherwise felt like a stale few minutes. Managing to fix the issues around mid-set, Be’lakor roared into “Remnants”. Roar feels an appropriate word here too, with Kosmas having some of the strongest harsh vocals of any Australian band I’ve seen or heard. Coupled with the fine musicianship of the other members of Be’lakor, it was a welcomed sight.

Speaking of the other members for a moment, with guitarist Shaun Sykes currently absent from touring due to medical reasons, his fill-in was Matt Dodds (Arbrynth). Dodds more than held his own tonight, and if you weren’t any the wiser, you could have been forgiven thinking he was a mainstay in Be’lakor. Fitting in perfectly with the mould of the band, Dodds’ playing was sharp and precise.

Playing a variety of tracks across their discography, the band also debuted a new song from the forthcoming album, was was well received. Ending the night with my personal favourite of theirs, “Venator”, it was a strong close to what was a great and memorable evening.

Related Posts

• 

  El Colosso – Forgotten Ancestors
• 

  Markus Saastamoinen – Puzzle Pieces
• 

  HJELVIK – Welcome to Hel
• 

  AC/DC – Power Up