27/05/95
Alchemist, Addictive, Cruciform, Grungeon, Bluthadah
Phoenician Club Sydney
HM Magazine Issue# 77 July 1995
Reviewed by Sparky

The Sydney metal scene had taken quite a battering over the last few months. Through closure of numerous venues, including the only regular metal venue, the mighty Lewisham Hotel, bands are faced with fewer and fewer options. So it was great to see an excellent crowd brave the cold, the bouncers and steep beer prices to see Blathadah begin their aural assault on a night of strait up, stand up metal bands. Always an impressive act, Blathadah open the evenings strong bill with their brand of tight, groove-heavy thrash. Playing a selection of songs of their new EP and some old classics, Nick Madden’s bizarre and morbid lyrics are always particularly harsh, and complimented by the excellent percussive skills of Mike Mills, proved once again that Blathadah are consistent in their quality shows. Cruciform were up next, a band that has continued to steer away from the more traditional death metal trappings to create some impressive doom metal which they offset with haunting guitar melodies and Simon Gree’s textured keyboards. Sanctuary, Necropolis and their new single, Paradox, evidence that Cruciform have refined their music to an art form. Their monolithic riffs, Simon’s vocals and the drums cut through a slightly bottom heavy sound overcoming the technical glitches that may have hampered a less professional outfit. Even the ‘badboy’ on home and away wearing a cruciform shirt will not take away from this bands potential, power and credibility in the real world. Even after a lengthy absence from the stage, Addictive hit the boards with a rush and command everyone’s attention immediately. Unless you have been living in a cave for the last decade, you’ll know that Addictive are still Australia’s premier thrash act, and that all these other so-called ‘new wave’ thrash bands simply pale in comparison, not even coming close to being able to reproduce their power and aggression. Always ferocious and delivering their set with a minimum of respite, bassist/vocalist Greg thoughtfully announced each song before it was performed with machine gun like precision. What ward are U in? Pity of Man, and Kick em Hard were the highlights carried off with musical aplomb and technical flair. They even dusted off the old Megadeth chestnut. Wake up dead, for a truly rousing version that was spot on. The witching hour was upon us by the time Alchemist hit the stage and the result was simply stunning. They are a band who are all about superb musicianship accompanied by a great live show, and in being so Alchemist have transcended the genre we know as metal with a glorious combination of death and grind core with subtlety and melody. Soul Return, Yoni Kunda and Unfocused off their recently released opus, Lunasphere, sounded not only great live but exactly like the record, building from melodious intros to sheer unbridled power. Quite an achievement. Rod’s percussion work was top notch, flowing through the frequent time changes with ease, while Adam is master of all trade handling vocals, guitars and keyboards. Alchemist concluded with ‘Closed Chapter’ and were gone in a flash of fusion, but for 45 minutes you were transported to another plane by this truly amazing band. After several minutes of confusion caused by the bouncers assuming the gig was over, Grungeon had the dubious honour of closing proceedings. The reduced crowd didn’t dampen the revamped outfits enthusiasm a bit. New front man Dave Colless is an agro individual. So rise above. Infernal shelter and beyond Reclamation are faster and more intense than ever. Clocking in at under 30 minutes, Grungeons set was a blinder and a fitting ending to a night of some of Australia’s finest.
Sparky