CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE.

To think we’d ever see New York brutality-bringers Cannibal Corpse on Australian soil after the uproar their last tour brought was overly-optimistic at best. However, not only have the quartet returned to Australia on the back of one of their best albums, this year’s Evisceration Plague, they have even given Sydney punters of all ages a chance to get amongst it.

The phrase “all ages” was really driven home as the black-shirted, mostly long-haired masses filed in. The variety of punters on show proved to be a highlight of the evening even before a single note had been played. Grey-haired fathers, blue-haired teeny bopper daughters, Suicide Girl wannabes with creepy coloured contact lenses, over-enthusiastic high-schoolers who looked as if this was their first major gig, short old men with funny hats and seven-foot-tall gig regulars were just some of what was on display that night. No matter how different we all looked, though, we were all there for one reason: the well-oiled death metal machine of the Corpse.

A five-piece by the tongue-twister name of Ouroboros kicked things off to a still-gathering crowd. Whilst they showed plenty of potential, they were still presented with a few significant problems. Not necessarily involving the external sound – support bands are usually the guinea pigs to see what’s working and what isn’t.

More, the problems involved their actual music and onstage presence. The skill of the musicians was hard to fault (particularly during some dainty vintage dual soloing), but their tightness and precision was severely lacking in parts. Furthermore, vocalist Evgeny Linnik was a decidedly awkward frontman. During extended instrumentals, he knew only two methods of dealing with the fact attention was not on him – windmilling his Pantene-approved locks, or walking off stage entirely.

In addition, he also spoke the exact same way that he sang – which, unless you’re William Shatner, is kind of ridiculous. Once this lot loosen up onstage and take themselves a little less seriously, good things may eventuate – great things, even. Until then, however, we’re left with an average, slightly pretentious bunch of guys that have a lot of work to do.

The same fate was thankfully not kept for central coast lads Black Asylum. In spite of even more of the crowd than before drifting around the bar, this quintet tore through a set of occasionally melodic and always energetic tunes. They recalled early metalcore and Bay Area thrash simultaneously, all the while maintaining consistently interesting rhythms and grooves. Their enthusiasm onstage could not be halted, a passion for their music so infectious that even cross-armed cynics drew closer and closer from their dingy corners to get a better look.

By their set’s close, complete with a respectable wall of death and some crowd surfing from irrepressible vocalist Troy Harris, it was easy to deem the band, at the very least, a likable bunch of gentlemen with a sound that does not sacrifice heaviness for accessibility – rather, it chooses to strike a balance between the two. The band’s new EP, Anthem of Order, was being pushed that evening ahead of its October release. Even with a small following, you can rest assured this lot picked up a handful of pre-orders from their set.

The hour was upon us, and those amongst the sweaty, surging pit were ready to scream and pounce towards the stage the second there was a gap of silence in-between the P.A.’s set-list. Needless to say, when Corpsegrinder and co. took to the stage with Evisceration Plague cut Scalding Hail, bodyslamming chaos was left right and centre. With a set featuring tracks ranging from the band’s very first album, Eaten Back to Life, to their very latest, Evisceration Plague, this crowd energy continued throughout the night, complete with tween crowd-surfing, synchronised head-banging and even a few attempts at an en masse sing-along.

Everything was set for a solid performance, with the mix finally balanced and the band themselves in fine form, and this promise was certainly delivered upon. Bassist Alex Webster was an absolute beast of a player, with attendees nearing the front of the stage in awe of his insane speed and fret work. Both guitarists Pat O’Brien and Rob Barrett also turned in several blistering solos, all lead speedily along by in-constant-need-of-fanning drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz.

As cohesive and genuinely excellent the instrumental side of the band is, it’s hard to keep your eyes off the mammoth of a man, the towering George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. At the ripe old metal age of 40, Fisher is charismatic and engaging onstage – even when he’s introducing songs about “shooting blood out of your cock” ( I Cum Blood ) and “killing fucking zombies, man” ( Pit of Zombies – and those were his exact words).

Rounding out the set with rousing renditions of Hammer Smashed Face (the closest thing CC will ever have to a hit single) and The Bleeding cut Stripped, Raped and Strangled, the band left to deafening roars of approval and more horns than a jazz festival. Alex Webster even took the time to sign autographs and pose for photos with fans, further evidencing the theory that he is, indeed, the nicest man in death metal.

If there’s anything to criticise about the Cannibal Corpse live experience, it is the lack of momentum created by the extended breaks in-between songs. It’s difficult to get people back into the swing of things once it’s died down for an extended period of time – no matter how brutal the songs themselves are.

Even still, there was a lot more to enthuse about than to criticise on this particular evening. With any luck, we’ll be seeing plenty more metal gigs of this quality in the not-too-distant future.