Trench Hell w/ Zombified, Sorcery & Altus Astrum @ Auntie Annies – 01/07/2010

July 6, 2010 No Comments

Dust off your old denim jacket, strap on your favourite leather wristband and set your dials to thrash! The old school resurgence continues at Auntie Annies!

Chances are, if you grew up in the early 80s and you still have an “old denim jacket” and reminisce about the good ol’ days of Motorhead and Sodom, you would have been right at home tonight.

‘Zombified’ take to the stage first to initiate all kinds of aural violence. Brutal, aggressive death metal is the name of the game here and it’s pretty visceral stuff. These guys wouldn’t sound out of place in late 80s Florida, the birthplace of this curious beast known as Death Metal, which is fairly heady praise. However, the poor sound quality on the night ensures that the majority of their set is lost on most people. The inherent danger with extreme metal is that it doesn’t translate in the live arena and often drums and vocals dominate the mix. When that happens it can be a tough listen, even to the most hardened fan.

Despite this, there were one or two moments when the frenetic pace was slowed and the strength of the band shone through. “ Zombie Fodder” was the definite highlight of the set with it’s crushing, lurching riff sure to put a smile on the face of anyone who has ever bought an Obituary record.

By the time Sorcery appear the audience could use something a little more lively to get heads nodding and feet tapping. So it was hard not to get excited about the prospect of four large men in wizard get up playing thrash metal for our viewing pleasure.

All gimmicks aside though, they turned in an entertaining set with a tangible good time vibe. Benefiting from a much clearer sound than Zombified, and with guitar playing straight out of the “James Hetfield Riff Writing 101” user manual, Sorcery got the place rocking. They had their fair share of strong songs and clearly enjoy doing their thing, which really translated in their performance. If you want to thrash like it’s 1986 and have a stupid grin on your face at the same time check out the guys in Sorcery!

Having previously reviewed Altus Astrum and concluded that, although they were not my cup of tea, they were a fairly well made cup of tea all the same, I was fairly optimistic that they would turn in another credible showing. At their last gig they were blighted by bad luck and technical difficulties and that black cloud doesn’t appear to have lifted as yet. No more than a couple of songs into their set, proceedings were cut short because of an injury to a band member. No light was shed on the exact details of what had transpired but I’m sure the resident Black Metal fans felt a little short-changed.

After this debacle the night lost a little momentum, which only served to put a little pressure on the Aussie headliners Trench Hell. It soon became clear that, although they had traveled halfway across the globe, there were quite a few in attendance who were there just to see Trench Hell and the reception they received when they hit the stage soon relieved any supposed pressure or anxiety.

There is nothing remarkable about this band and there’s even less in the way of diversity but, tonight that’s somehow endearing. If you grew up to the sounds of Destruction and Motorhead and think that Metallica lost their way after “Kill ‘em All” then you’re probably in the mosh pit with all the other crazies, enjoying every second!

It’s remarkable to see just how many people know the Trench Hell set and sing along to every word. It’s even more remarkable to see them re-appear onstage to play an encore, the first I’ve seen at a local metal gig. But they were definitely good value tonight, again, not the most talented or diverse band on the planet but they know their place and they know exactly what they like. Tonight, the old school reigns supreme!

By Ryan Bentley

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