14/05/00
World War III: Alchemist, Cryogenic, Psi.Kore, Headmess
Parramatta PCYC
Reviewed by Kev Truong

The metal juggernaut that is World War III pulled into its final show today and showed no intention of taking it easy for the last day. Determined to inflict a brutal scar across the ears and minds of their last audience today's battlefield was an all-ages at Parramatta PCYC. I wandered in late so I ended up missing supporters Headmess but did manage to catch Psi.Kore’s set, bar the first few songs. Hindered by a pathetic mix, their chunky grooves still managed to come through and got most of the crowd moving. Chuck's vocals were at times all but inaudible but the mix did manage to serve the drums and lead guitar partial justice. Normally fine tracks such as 'Lost in the Aether' and 'Faker Taker' were reduced to fuzzy blurs and also Meredith's bass (which was fat-as-all-hell last time I saw them) lost a lot of its power. But on their part Psi.Kore were energetic and tight, and closing with the crowd favourite 'Cut' is always a good idea. Congrats for kick-starting the war machine in fine style, despite the shit mix. 6.5/10 Next up were modern thrashers Cryogenic, and maybe because this was their local ground they pulled the biggest crowd of the day. Now I know I labeled them a bit of a Pantera copyist before but after seeing their blistering set today all apologies go out to them. Especially after hearing the new material live I saw that they deserved more respect than what I gave them. Newies such as 'Fall On' and the earth-shaking 'Full Grown State' got every head in the vicinity moving up and down, and good old 'Mary Bell' got an airing too. They also maintained just the right amount of crowd interaction- inviting people onto the stage, passing the mike around and frontman Sloane is just a funny bastard. There's still hints of Pantera but they've proven to have a life of their own. Unmistakably better than the last time I saw them, and finishing with 'Bring It On' just makes it that much more worth it. 8/10. The final felon on this lineup was the creature called Alchemist. Armed with an array of keyboards and effects pedals, their tripped-out sounds coupled with fog and multicoloured light shows made for a hypnotic and entrancing set. Busting out with the 'Evolution Trilogy' on the second song, Alchemist displayed the diversity and ingenuity on stage that's evident on their albums. Blessed with a remarkable mix, 'Eve of the War' and 'Chinese Whispers' were awesome and you can not go past 'Yoni Kunda'. Watching Adam's vocals switch from guttural bellow to piercing shriek is surreal, and Roy executed those ghost-like guitar parts with pure class. Closer 'Garden of Eroticism' was phenomenal. Even if you don't like the out-there stylings of Alchemist, you have to appreciate the complexity and originality of their art. 8.5/10
Reviewed by: Kev Truong