It was a weird feeling, heading down to the Kataklysm show. After the huge build-up for Immortal earlier in the month, it was like people had gone back into hiding. Only a couple of people I knew were heading to this one, and I couldn’t help but think what a shame it would be if there was a pissy little crowd.
By the time we rocked up, locals Double Dragon were already in full swing, and the room was mostly empty. There was probably less than fifty people there, but many of those who were up near the front were getting into the set. I have to admit that Double Dragon really aren’t my thing; they have the occasional glimpse of brilliant heaviness, but mostly it’s breaks and hardcore. I don’t know what it is with Adelaide, but it always seems – judging by the supports that we see for international acts – that this town is just incapable of creating extreme metal bands. There used to be, in fact still are, some brilliant bands in this town: it’s just that they never get support slots. It’s a shame in many ways, not least because it gives international and interstate bands a potentially wrong impression about the metal scene in South Australia.
The second support act, Grotesque are a blasting death metal band from WA. The most brutal Aussie metal often comes from the far ends of the continent, and this was no exception. I’d heard ahead of time that it was worth paying the cover price just to see this band, and I was naturally sceptical about that: support bands, in my experience, are very rarely of the same calibre as the headlining act. Still, after seeing these Westralians blast and windmill their way through their set, then if they were the headlining act for a show, and were to play a far longer set, then absolutely I agree: the $45 would be worth it just to see them. They played a fairly standard brand of death metal, but they have a style all their own: it was fast, furious, heavy, and refreshing.
It was the first time that Grotesque had played in Adelaide. They were energetic and brutal, and engaged with the small crowd almost immediately. Grotesque obviously enjoyed their set, the punters liked it even more, and it was a great way to set the stage for the headlining act.
Canadian hyperblasters Kataklysm took to the stage on their first visit to this country, not long after Grotesque had left it. By now the crowd had swelled out a bit: obviously the supports were not much enticement for some to turn up early in the night. The band immediately established itself as friendly and approachable, creating a strong band-audience rapport almost immediately:
‘… even if you aren’t familiar with the type of music Kataklysm plays, we’re going to make sure you never forget this show. That’s a promise.’
Was it a promise that the band could keep? Yes, I think it is. The first track, Let Them Burn, was a good starter.
One punter yelled out, after the first song,
‘Play faster!’—a good old Adelaide heckle.
Iacono looked down with a twinkle and remarked, ‘That’s the intent, my friend’.
Did they? You betcha. Kataklysm played an awesome, fast, heavy set. You know it’s a heavy show when it becomes uncomfortable to stand in the venue because of the reverberation, when you know that the P.A. can barely handle it, and when the punters are going absolutely nuts.
There were several interchanges between the crowd and the band—this was possibly due to the fact that the ‘crowd’ was so small. One bloke asked the band what they thought of the new Cryptopsy, to which they received the reply:
‘Ah, we can’t say. They’re friends of ours.’
Another punter yelled out the age-old ‘Play Sodom!’ heckle from years past. He got a reply:
‘Sorry, we don’t do covers.’
And so on.
The band played tracks from several releases, from Prevail (2008) to Shadows and Dust (2002) and beyond. Every single track they played was received with the screaming appreciation of die-hard fans.
Perhaps the most unforgettable part of the night was when at least half the punters piled up onto the stage for the last song. It was unbelievable, and the band were totally obscured by a seething, moshing mass—at least, until the security got wise and kicked ‘em all down again.
Maybe that’s why there was no encore: but it was an incredible show, a brilliant set, and we can’t wait to see Kataklysm back again. They will be back: they promised.
