Metalise column summoned by Josh Nixon

The summer we barely knew has been and gone. It’s onto Autumn, with its annual vagaries of guessing: What will Dark Mofo do this year? I had a catch up with Dark Mofo heavy music curators to see how Into the Fall fest went. I can tell you that, between the festival and the two side shows, enough momentum was made to ensure that there will indeed be an Into the Fall 2024.

Fear Love Of The Dark

That was about as candid as they got after I bought up the Tasmanian uber fest and it’s famously under wraps cryptic approach. What they did tell me is this: this year’s line-up announcement won’t be the drip feed of previous years. The full program will be/has been announced to subscribers on Friday, 31 March.

If you are keen to get down there, and I recommend it to anyone that hasn’t been regardless of the program, the heavy proponents of this year’s festival are on between the 14th (date for the Hymns of the Dead show) and the 19th of June. Winter feast, Salamanca Bay, the MONA museum, and all the subsidiary events make it the best fest in the land. Get on it.

Metalise Canberra Focus

Locally, the artistic flair kicks off on Friday, 14 April at The Basement with Basil’s Kite, Freezer, HYMMNN and Frames. Basil’s Kite are an Australian microtonal mathcore outfit with members spanning from Katoomba to Wollongong. Formed in 2011, they are best known for their left of field approach to heavy music, harmonically punctuated by custom made microtonal guitars. That’s a night out on it’s own, when you factor in the rest of the bill. Get your tickets from Oztix ASAP.

Metal Down Under, Saturday, 22 April at The Basement, is part of a series of gigs across the country.

Now in its ninth year, Michael Leuders founded the event to bring the Australian metal community together. Now on the cusp of a decade, I guess you can say he’s doing a bloody good job of it.

The Canberra leg serves as the album launch of Baso regulars Temtris, celebrating their seventh full-length album Khaos Divide. Carbon Black, Snakewitch, and Taliesin are all on board for the festivities. So grab a ticket from Oztix while you still can.

The following evening at The Basement, Sunday, 23 April, sees Japan gore-grind legends Butcher A.B.C. make their first Australian visit. The full line-up is a treat! 100 Years War, Darkhorse, and Wretch will tenderise you ahead of the main eviscerating event. Tickets are available via Oztix right now.

Feel The Burn

Sun Burn 4 will blaze Belconnen into a riff hypnosis on both 28 & 29 April at The Basement. Earlybird single night tickets evaporated quickly, but a few two-night passes remain at Oztix. But why the bloody hell would you only go to one night? Both are stacked to the brim with the very best in Australian stoner, doom, stoner doom, doomster, and other doom-y variations.

The Friday night form guide sees your man at the BMA tote tipping monster sets from Bong Coffin, Lucifungus, Droid, Master Leonard, Goat Shaman, MWDC, Golem, Pitonfist, Robot God, Holy Serpent, and Yanomamo. That bill alone is insane quality (despite Hekate being a late scratching; more on them later).

CAPTION: Josh Nixon eagerly awaits Melbourne heavyhitters Kvll when they play this year’s Sun Burn festival

Saturday is heavier than carrying in every bag of groceries from the weekly shop. Let me tell you; this is some hefty shit. Just ask my missus. Amammoth, Astrodeath, Atolah, Burn The Hostages, Dirty Pagans, Dr Colossus, Earth Omen, Elephant Orgy, Emu, Full Tone Generator, Fumerole, Giant, Hydranaut, Khan, Kitchen With, Kvll, Mourners, Planet of the 8s, Pod People, Smoke Witch, Sundowner, and Vvarp present an alphabetical order of magnitude that gives me a sore head just contemplating it.

There’s lot of old mates on this list. I am really keen to see ’70s psyche groove masters Emu (QLD) and Melbourne’s heaviest, newish band Kvll hit Canberra for what I believe will be their first visits.

A Traitor You Can Trust

If the building is still standing after all that, I will risk carrying a much lighter load into the house in my new bachelor pad. But I’ll be looking to head to The Basement early arvo on Sunday, 30 April for the album launch of the insanely intense Melbourne band Class Traitor. These guys played a jaw dropping show with Religious Observance last year, and the prospect of a full-length is almost as intimidating as it is tantalising.

And they’re bringing an awesome Melbourne sludge band called Creep Diets featuring members of Religious Observance and Carcinoid to add to the salivation. Joined by Blight Worms and Facecutter, it’s going to be a ripper show. Grab a ticket from Oztix.

Transit Bar: A new home for metal

So our 50% own Hekate have been announced as the major support for killer Melbourne blues rock legends Child at the Transit Bar on Friday, 5 May. Hekate have a new album in the can that I am super keen to see hit the streets ASAP. The previews I’ve heard have been unreal!

CAPTION: Hekate’s Marcus De Pasquale and Ashley Byron shred up a storm at Sun Burn Lite. Pic by Christian J Perry

Unexpected guests are an Australian core value. So news that Despise You, all the way from the USA, are dropping down to the Transit Bar on Thursday, 25 May is a real treat! Melbourne maniacs CHOOF, and local action from Blight Worms and Bloodmouth, will help the transition into the winter. Tickets via Oztix a must.

In Memorium

We finish off this month with a couple more bits of sad news, with the untimely passings of Belco legend Simon Treadwell (Xipe Totec) and Dean Egert (The Day Everything Became Nothing) at just 49 and 43 years old respectively.

Tready was a great guitarist and chef, a handy writer, and a natural on a skateboard. His classic “TREADY RIPS FRONTSIDE” was tagged up on the OG Belco skate park for years.

Dean played a tonne of memorable shows up here in Canberra as part of Metal for the Brain, and plenty of other visits over the years. He leaves a young family behind.

Gonna miss both of them, and acknowledge their passings here for their contributions to Australian metal. I, and BMA, pass on respects and sympathies to their families and friends left behind.

Cherish each day folks. RIP Tread and Dean.