Tuesday night.
The arctic presence of Winter stands over Autumn while she sleeps.
Relief lies within velvet lined walls of a seedy demesne.
The clear air looks sheepish, for it does not belong.
What right does it have to defy a cliché?
It’s better suited to an amber bubble.
Though no longer free, quite expensive in fact, it’s taste improves.
Five neighbourhood artists paint a progressive chaos on the velvet canvas, contrasting the ordered structure of their observers.
Their pieces are too epic for this exhibition, and only four are shown.
The observers are hypnotized by anxiety and sobered by breakdowns. A difficult and complex path it is, to follow their compositions.
“He needs a purpose, so roll your eyes, here comes the picture we drew. He needs a part, he needs love..” roars the looming figure.
Little is said outside of art.
The unveiling of a dark new piece shows promise;
The eerie delay of the strings, the funeral march of the sticks.
It may be called Hill of Grace.
Is this the serenade of a broken man shackled in a dungeon?
Defined by a precise craftsmanship of complex and multi-conceptual equations, time is not their friend,
yet what they solve transcends most other interpretations of their art.
Following this tragic and progressive poeticism of Eleventh He Reaches London, self-acclaimed Melbourne math metal masters, Five Star Prison Cell arrived on stage. Their set was a frantic step up, in volume and pace, from the opening act. Playing the part of performers rather than artists, they weren’t afraid to throw themselves around on stage and attempt to inject some heat into the sluggish Tuesday crowd.
With drummer Marc Whitworth at the foreground of the stage, the crowd’s gaze was directed at him most of the time; and rightly so. Whitworth gave a gut wrenching and enduring display of metal drumming. The frequent beads of sweat rhythmically flying every which way, suggest this was no half-hearted effort. Bassist, Cameron McDonald, looking like a hybrid of System of a Down’s Shavo and Birds Of Tokyo/Tragic Delicate’s Anthonny Jackson, was also a point of interest on stage, lurching around and creating growls and howls from everywhere on his fret-board. Together they were an imposing live rhythm section.
Airing tracks from last years Slaves of Virgo and their debut The Complete First Season, Five Star Prison Cell proved themselves as more than just an aural hurdle on the way to witnessing Dillinger and no doubt scored themselves some new interstate followers.
How does one review a band like Dillinger Escape Plan? A review requires order and a consistent line of explanation, but trying to describe this band in an ordered and consistent way would be a totally inaccurate reflection of the live experience. Their music is constructed on such a frenetic and intelligent level, that it is in no way a mindless, easy ride through their tracks. Unpredictable changes, complex beats and bizarre riffs build up and break down underneath the vocal and physical ferocity of front-man, Greg Puciato.
Launching himself into the multitude as the set opened, Puciato left the packed out Capitol crowd (disappointingly observing from a safe distance), stunned and not knowing what the hell was going to happen next. Dillinger’s stage antics resemble their music in its unpredictability and menacing demeanor, and the band members could, at any time, be seen stomping down the bar, throwing themselves into the crowd and generally enjoying seriously ENJOYING a total disregard for the promoter’s insurance policy. All this was done whilst executing some of the most mind numbing arrangements conceivable.
Puciato, whose arms look like they’re made of granite, caught an unsuspecting stage-crasher in a headlock, then encouraged him to harmonise in the key of scream. The over-excited punter was either lacking enough air, or just not familiar with the track. Having failed his mission, he ended up back in the crowd where he came from.
Dillinger performed tracks from all three of their LP’s, with Mike Patton’s influence ringing through tracks like Black Bubblegum and Milk Lizard from their most recent release, Ire Works. It is safe to say that many were there purely because of this Patton connection. Punk superstar drummer Gil Sharon, who recently joined the band, is an awesome addition to an already stellar line up of musicians, having no problem with the obscure technicalities of time keeping.
A text message received during the set reads; “this is some of the best shit I have ever seen” and it definitely was. The band’s intensity was beyond explanation and they made sure everyone left with a fire in their guts, a firmly clenched fist and acute mental and physical exhaustion.
Incomprehensible.
