The Dillinger Escape Plan,Maylene and The Sons ofDisaster, Periphery @ TheHi-Fi (23/05/2010)

Wed 26th May, 2010 in Gig Reviews

With their incendiary, show stealing set at last year’s Soundwave festival still fresh in the minds of many of the Brisbane Hardcore and Metal faithful, The Dillinger Escape Plan once again return to our shores for another evening of mayhem and carnage.

Opening tonight’s show is Maryland’s Periphery, and as one of the more hyped metal bands at the moment they take the stage to a warm reception. Cuts such as Icarus Lives! and The Walk are heavy as all hell, but despite having a strong set of pipes it’s hard not conjure up images of pop-punk bands with Spencer Sotelo’s somewhat whiny vocal stylings. Regardless of this though, the songs taken of their self titled debut shows off the six piece’s exceptionally tight musicianship and a fairly obvious fondness of Meshuggah-esque bone-snapping riffs, but unfortunately they come across quite muddy thanks to an unforgiving mix.

Following the complexity of Periphery, Maylene and The Sons of Disaster seem to be from another planet, with their southern rock meets metalcore shtick on the complete opposite scale of both the openers and headliners sound. That said though, the five-piece don’t seem to be out of place in the eyes of the crowd, as every song in their forty minute set receiving roars of approval from the bulging Hi-Fi crowd. While Periphery might have seemed slightly mechanical, Maylene and The Sons of Disaster turn up the groove and throw in a bucket load of bluesy, Southern swagger into their set, with songs such as Dry The River and Memories of the Grove led by the Phil Anselmo style vocals of frontman Dallas Taylor.

With enough energy to power a small country, The Dillinger Escape Plan fly on stage to the un-bridled insanity of Panasonic Youth. It doesn’t take too long before guitarist Jeff Tuttle and man mountain singer Greg Pucaito launch themselves into the boiling audience with little obvious regard for either their own health or the struggling security guards. Focusing on their last two releases, Option Paralysis and Ire Works, the loyal Dillinger Escape Plan masses are also treated with old favourites such as Sugar Coated Sour and 43% Burnt, which sees guitarist Ben Weinman vacate the stage during the later and end up on top of fairly precarious ledge located beside the heaving mosh pit.

While a cynic may see the act’s onstage antics as a band simply putting on a rehearsed performance, from this reviewers perspective it never feels at any stage that the show is contrived or put on – the band simply know no other way to perform live, and the crowd hopes for nothing less than mayhem. The fury pauses for the piano led Mouth of Ghosts, with the classical, psychedelic stylings providing a somewhat timely interlude for the players (and crowd) to catch their breath. The more straight ahead numbers Milk Lizard and Black Bubblegum sound even more anthemic live than on the record, with the audience challenging Pucaito’s vocal levels during the choruses.

In just over an hour The Dillinger Escape Plan have brought utter mayhem to The Hi-Fi Bar, with the closing Farewell, Mona Lisa and the subsequent the destruction of Billy Rymer‘s drumkit bringing tonight’s proceedings to a shuddering climax. With a sincere speech of gratitude and appreciation from Pucaito the curtain closes on surely The Hi-Fi’s most deranged and utterly compelling shows. An absolutely awe-inspiring performance from one of the greatest, if not the greatest, live bands of our times.