Photo by Tim Masih
Grotesque/DFC/Nails Of Imposition/Obscenium
The Civic Hotel
Friday, May 23, 2014
A DFC gig is never one to miss: the impossibly talented lineup makes their shit appear effortless. The Brad Trevaskis Show is always a highlight, spectacularly devoid of ego but loaded with eccentricity. His eyes dart wildly around the room, expressions ranging from mock boredom and nonchalance to all-out horror, in an almost blissful unawareness of the speed and precision with which his hands are moving, Brad’s flawless performance on bass commands attention: no easy task when sharing a stage with three of Perth’s most stand-out musicians.
Opening act Obscenium returned to the stage after a year-long hiatus with only original member Levi remaining on guitars, having successfully recruited four impressive and established locals to add speed and intensity to their tech death style. Minus the soon-to-be-announced permanent vocalist (in my opinion one of Perth’s most underrated: excellent choice!), we were treated to the one Dan Grainger filling in this evening.
A testament to his versatility, in a rare performance front of stage rather than behind the drum kit with which he is better associated, Grainger nailed the vocals in every way, with his energy and enthusiasm for performing clearly evident. Permanent newcomers Darren, Ollie, and Adam proved excellent choices to round out the group, with drummer Adam out to prove how far he had come since his early days in Inanimacy. Giving undoubtedly the most skilful drum performance of his career to date, these guys are well placed to become a favourite among death metal fans.
Nails Of Imposition have been hammering brutal technical death metal in Perth for some time now. A crowd favourite from inception, their legion of fans remains strong as ever, as Nails churn out the sweeps, scales and blasts up there with the very best. Their new material demonstrated their ability to devise an intense and frantic sense of timing, almost an intricately designed chaos, that spectacularly churns to a halt with the precision you’d expect of such an experienced group. Singer Matt Goodwin’s stage presence is beaten only by Brendan Nock’s obscene talent on the drum kit, which has cemented his place as one of Perth’s finest drummers. There aren’t enough superlatives in the world: the man’s a natural.
DFC soon hit the stage, bust out tunes from their latest release, Ungodly Violation. The boys laid waste to the merry Rocket Room punters who braved the cold and rain for this night of brutal death metal. The tiny stage meant the Brad show was limited to a small corner, but trust me: he owned that corner. 10 out of 10. The supporting cast do hold their own of course: Ollie and Dan are legit virtuosos of their respective instruments, and Blake’s vocals were as always, on fire.
Finishing the night off in their trademark brutal style were Grotesque. Legends of the local heavy metal scene, they hit us with the ugliest, most disgusting, and all-out brutal sound in Perth. After a hiatus and a few line-up changes, they are back with a brutal bang, featuring brutal new vocalist Ross Macrae. They are still brutal but now, with a more Psycroptic-style tech death influence. Grotesque put a brutal end to one of the most brutally fun gigs the Rocket Room have hosted of late. Brutal.
DISCERNSTEIN
