The word on metal with Josh Nixon
The caretaker period may slow the ebb and flow of life in the capital, but the riffs don’t stop, and the announcements for yet more riffs from home and abroad continue no matter who you wanna vote for (just not LNP or Trumpet Of Patriots, but you do you).
The big announcement to motivate you to slug through the winter is that in Spring this year you have a huge double header grind crusher landing at The Baso on Sunday, 7 September in the form of Pig Destroyer and Wormrot.
Pig Destroyer played The Green Room a loooong time ago, and the news they’re coming back was only enhanced with the announcement of their touring buddies for the 6 date Australian tour, which is none other than the ferocious Wormrot. You can thankthe fine folks at Soundworks Touring for that one. Early bird tickets are on sale now via Oztix.
September is a big month for heavy. The first line-up announcement for Blacken Open Air dropped recently with the return of Blood Duster, Earthless, Carcinoid, Gutalax and local reps Witchskull, with many more to come. There are discounted flights to Alice Springs through the fest’s site, so get planning your red dirt adventure!
Brisbane also announced the first line-upline-up for their second Necrosonic Festival. A few legendary Australian metal names are coming back for that one, with Beanflipper, Daysend and Brace all making 2 odd decade comebacks for the event. I’m tempted to go just to have another excuse to have Impetuous Ritual cave my head in again. That one is on 23 August at the Mansfield Tavern. Early bird tix have sold out so hurry thyself up to grab the next round – via Oztix.
Just make sure you save some energy for our own big metal weekend on 3 October, with Essence 2 announcing more bands lately, including Life Cult, Burden Man, Mammon’s Throne, Golgothan Remains, and Oar, to name but a few of the featured acts hitting The Baso later in the year. Watch this space for tickets!
Closer to home and closer to now, on Friday, 11 April at The Pot Belly another Mixed Bill Madness does what it says on the tin and mixes up another concoction to discombobulate the senses with psych rock guitar delights of New Rock Syndicate, the psychosis electronica of Cletus Vortex and the gutsy punk of Matriarch.
Saturday, 12 April at The Baso dollops up a thick dose of riffs with Volatile Ways, Thantu Thikha, Post Human Dance and Peace Maker throwing down the riff as hard as possible.
If that backroom action is too hard for you, the front room that same night sees a welcome return to town from Wollongong legends Tumbleweed with The New Christs and Charlotte and the Harlots. The weed dropped a new single, When We Were Young, a few months back, and it’s choc a block with the fuzzy delights that bring back nostalgia but feel fresh. Choose your poison!
Black Friday, 18 April, is a huge one for me at the Pot Belly as Pod People finally plays some shows in support of the new album Oblivion. The album saw a limited release late last year on French label Blackfarm Records, but now a new pressing has been done by the band domestically at the Zenith Pressing plant in Melbourne, and you can get yourself the album in wax on its Australian release now through the band’s Bandcamp (podpeopledoom).
Germany’s Earthbong is touring the country in April , and this show is on the Canberra leg. A stunning stoner doom band is well worth the price of admission alone, and the night is rounded off by Lucifungus, who is on board for the whole Earthbong tour.
Come hang! Tix via Eventbrite
More launch shows are coming, with Adelaide Metalcore Chaos Life Pilot dropping their self-titled record and rolling through Thursday, May 1. Locals Under Siege, Fearetical (who are playing heaps lately!) and the opener I will only ever type once before cutting and pasting in future, Temproraryreliefoflocalpainandinflammation. Tix via Oztix
Wednesday, 7 May, is undoubtedly on many folks’ calendars for the doubleheaded Finnish phantasm of Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum. The Australian tour is hotly anticipated, so if you haven’t got your tickets yet, you’re rapidly running out of excuses. Immorium is opening this one, and it’s gonna be a ball tearer. Via the gods of Oztix.
Maniacal Japan blackened thrashtastic Abigail, joined by semi-regular NZ visitors Stalker on 14 May at The Baso. Don’t come for mid-paced chugging or doom-plodding; this will be flat-out thrashin’ as long as it lasts. Ozitx for tix!
This Saturday, 19 April at The Baso is a killer 4-band bill with Anoxia, Immorium, Vexation and Blackened Dred.
Anoxia is also launching a record, their debut in the shape of the hotly anticipated Revel in Sin with 3 east coast dates over April and May. Of course, Immorium featured in my end-of-year list for their killer Rose Water Black album last year and is in top form from their tour in support of the record last year. It’s gonna be a ripper. Go to Oztix (yes again) for tickets.
And that’s yer lot for another month. See you next for further mid-year doom-y tidings.
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