Melbourne’s Billboard nightclub was packed to capacity just one of many Soundwave Festival sideshows circulating around town this week.

This would arguably be one of the more notable ones with Massachusetts’ own metalcore gods Unearth, Sweden’s melodic death metal stalwarts and ‘Gothenburg sound’ pioneers In Flames as well as American metal giants Lamb of God teaming up to deliver a night of unrelenting heavy metal.

Unearth, touring in support of new album The March got the crowd growing with their infectious blend of hardcore groove metal and melodic death metal. With a career spanning ten years, the band had an arsenal of tracks to choose from, delivering the likes of My Will Be Done, This Lying World, Crow Killer, Endless and Black Hearts Now Reign.

As the lights dimmed on an impressive display of shredding, the anticipation would grow, and grow, as In Flames’ crew took over 45 minutes to complete sound check. Fortunately, the production lived up to the crew’s efforts with In Flames live sounding almost as well produced as they do on record.

However, given In Flames’ status as the undisputed pioneers of melodic death metal, the band who lent their name to masterpieces such as The Jester Race, Colony, Whoracle and Clayman, they seemed to completely ignore the foundations of the band, opting to play a set list focused predominantly around their newer, more widely accessible sound.

Although old school fans would be treated to classics such as The Hive, the In Flames that metal fans have become accustomed to this side of the millennium was the one they would got, with tracks such as Take This Life_ (described as a love song by vocalist Anders Friden), Trigger and Disconnected from the new album A Sense Of Purpose taking centre stage.

Anders would invite the crowd to send a message to the fans in Sydney, and the crowd responded with an obligatory chant of ‘fuck off Sydney’ with Anders using his quick wit to explain to the camera that he’s just the messenger.

All in all, In Flames put on a good show, despite omitting much of their history and with the likes of Jesper Stromblad in the band, excellent musicianship is never lacking. Anders excused the band for playing a little late and eating into Lamb of God’s setlist (maybe the 45 minute soundcheck had something to do with it) and ended the night with My Sweet Shadow.

The lights dimmed again and this time Lamb Of God, after a comparatively quick soundcheck, roared onto the stage with a string of brutality comprising Hourglass, Laid To Rest and Walk With Me In Hell. Singer Randy Blythe was in fine form and so energetic, he was like a monster reminiscent of a cross between Bruce Dickinson and a young Phil Anselmo.

Out of respect for those who tragically lost their lives in the Victorian bush fires, the band took a moment to pay their respect and send their condolences, a class act all the way.

Lamb of God would march forward with Now You’ve Got Something To Die For and Redneck. The latter following a reference to Lamb Of God’s apparent feelings of kinship towards Australian crowds, particularly because Blythe believes Aussies are rednecks, much like the boys from Lamb of God hailing from Richmond, Virginia.

Set To Fail and Dead Seeds from fresh-on-the-shelves album Wrath also featured in the blistering performance, as Lamb Of God proved why they deserved to headline the show over such worthy peers.

If you didn’t get a chance to see the show and Lamb Of God in particular, then do everything you can to get down to Soundwave for a true dose of metal, which given the economic climate, there might not be much of this year.