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Live Reviews : At The Gates, Kyzer Soze and Chronolyth @ The Brightside, Brisbane 01/11/2015

By on November 2, 2015

Images: Amanda Brenchley
Words: Jake Patton

Local music scenes are important. Every different ‘wave’ of music has come about from a local scene pushing its limits and creating a sound which is so familiar, yet so unique, that it starts a revolution. With my taste in music, one scene in particular which I worship, is the renowned Göteborg, or Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal scene, which was pioneered by what I consider a triune of bands comprising of In Flames, Dark Tranquility and tonight’s headliner At The Gates. While the promotion for this show ran for what seemed like an eternity, I was finally happy that it was here and that At The Gates had finally returned to Australia.

Opening band Chronolyth is a band that I have followed and watched grow for some time now; initially catching them as a band that was spruiking its first single, and following them through their first album, and their current preparation towards launching their second album. Doing the best that they could with the very crowded 50cm space that they had at the front of the stage, Chronolyth did put on one of the best shows of theirs that I have seen (out of the 20+ that I have seen). While showcasing a collection of older and some of the upcoming material, there was a small but faithful gathering that had come out early to see these guys, and vocalist Hamish McSorley tried his hardest to incite some crowd reaction by jumping down into the crowd and getting involved at every opportunity that he could. The highlight of the set for me was during closer “The Heresy” which the band usually holds a wall of death, where one fan took it upon themselves to do a backflip in the middle of that wall of death, while another lost his shoe and somehow miraculously put it back on while still going nuts in a circle pit. This was a really brief set, but one that was effective in getting the crowd warmed up for the nights ensuing chaos.

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I wasn’t prepared for the performance I got when Kyzer Soze took the stage. Having only witnessed these guys once or twice prior, I was eager to see them again as my impressions from last time were really good. I was suitably shocked to see that they were short on a vocalist since the last time I had seen them, and the vocal duties were now shared by the guitarists. This is a move that I personally think works to their benefit. I think the biggest thing for me visually about Kyzer Soze is that each member casts an imposing presence on stage, something which is very difficult to describe, and something which needs to be seen to be understood – I almost liken it to a very Behemoth-esque performance, in that it genuinely has to be seen to be believed. It was this presence that really blew me away and kept me quite transfixed on the stage. Musically, they play a very strong, fast and at times melodic style of Death Metal, which the crowd seemed to enjoy, making them an appropriate fit for tonight.

Now the Brightside wouldn’t have been my first choice for a gig like this. At times the sound can be hit and miss, and knowing the potential crowd that this show could have pulled I was a bit surprised that it wasn’t held at one of the ‘larger’ venues around Brisbane, but the turnout tonight was something quite appropriate for the Brightside, and was just enough so that when the headliners took the stage, that the place was packed, but not overcrowded. Surprisingly, the sound was also spot on apart a few minor (very minor) sound/technical problems, but nothing to the degree of the reports I had heard from the Sydney show.

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Tonight marked my third time seeing At The Gates this year, having seen them twice during major festivals in front of thousands of people in Europe, and I can honestly say that the more intimate performance on a smaller stage was far more enjoyable for me. From the minute that they emerged, the whole venue swarmed tight around the stage, with frontman Tomas Lindberg holding the crowd in the palm of his hand. Not one to shy away from his responsibilities, Lindberg made sure that, even if it was just catching eye contact that he interacted with everyone he could in the venue. Tomas has always been one of the better vocal influences for me. While not adopting the deeper, more guttural vocal approach that others of the genre have made popular, Thomas’ shrill shrieking style is one which provides him with the ability to move around and be as engaging as he is – which tonight works absolute wonders on the Brisbane crowd.

While At The Gates might not be as ‘technical’ or ‘complex’ as some of its peers, guitarists Anders Björler and Martin Larsson beautifully play off each other – something which is perhaps more prevalent in a live setting than on recorded material. Additionally, bassist Jonas Björler has a very a very stylish personality about him, able to play with a pick, finger pick, and incite reactions from the crowd in his own quiet way. Finally, drummer Adrian Erlandsson is someone that shouldn’t need any introduction, and I found myself watching him more often than not tonight as he is simply awe inspiring behind the kit. I still don’t know how some of the passages he beats out are possible, and to hear and see them live is just something else entirely.AtTheGates011115-43

After performing one of longest sets of any bands I have seen in recent memory, with 19 songs from their back catalog, both fast and slow, and also heavy and soft, the band finished up with a favourite of mine, The Night Eternal, before leaving the stage one by one while the final notes rang out, only to return to resounding applause to shake the hands of all the fans close to the stage.

As the forefathers of a genre which has not only touched, but gone on to influence so many, there is not a lot of words that can be said which would do justice to the impact that At The Gates has truly had on Death Metal, or metal in general over the years. Very rarely is there a band that can spend several years without a new release, and then come back and play at the same intensity that they were known for, and tonight was a masterclass in what musicians need to do right to succeed. If you missed this show, then you really did miss something truly special.

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