Gigantour – Static X, Lacuna Coil, Devil Driver, Bring me the Horizon and Megadeth
Luna Park Big Top
16th November 2007

Friday night may be a good time for fighting but it’s also a great time to witness a bevy of international Metal acts combined for Gigantour 2007. Dave Mustaine’s annual Heavy Metal festival is in its third year and this year’s lineup was as impressive as predecessors that consisted of Soulfly and Arch Enemy.

Sheffield rockers Bring me the Horizon blazed into their set with their distinctive style of Deathcore Metal. Front man Oliver Sykes appeared at home thrashing and cajoling the crowd. The set was tight and before too long we were graced with Lacuna Coil. The impressive Italian outfit has been continually compared to Evanescence for their strong female vocals and gothic imagery. Christina Scabbia threw herself into Fragile, Heaven’s a Lie and Our Truth. The ever-present contrasting harmonies between Christina and Andrea Ferro accommodated by prominent keyboard and guitars lent to the surreal melodic detachment. The real crowd pleaser was the cover of Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence as crowd members enjoyed a sing along.

Here one minute and gone the next was the ethos for set changes, that allowed for a chance to grab a beer, have a chit chat and get on with the gig minus an overbearing wait. Devil Driver rocketed into End of the Line, I Could Care Less and The Axe Shall Fall. As an “All ages” concert, the youngsters had no qualms moshing, with a circle pit emerging at full speed.

Static X was on show and aggressively ripped into songs that defined the grunt of their method, Start a War, I’m with Stupid and Bled for Days. There is a very nice synergy between returned guitarist ” Koichi Fukuda” and front man “Wayne Static”, with both enticing Metal heads to let loose.

Despite a whole lotta shakin goin on, spirits were higher than ever for headline act, Megadeth. I expected the same set having seen them at their last two sequential appearances and was pleasantly surprised that a great number of the classics were played such as Hangar 18, Take No Prisoners, Countdown to Extinction and a real highlight being Peace Sells But Who’s Buying?, as the prior bands came on stage to assist Mustaine on vocals. The ultimate highlight in Megadeth’s set is Holy Wars, particularly when Glen Drover tantalizes with the distinctive guitar solo.

Never one to mince his words, Mustaine asserted that time was tight and went easy on the small talk. The “raison de etre” was to belt out the songs as the classic were accompanied by a revised version of “Tout le Monde” joined by Christina Scabbia with more of the newer stuff from the latest offering United Abominations such as Washington is Next and Gears of War. The set was tighter than past performances but the offerings were plentiful.

Check out the gig pics HERE