Despised Icon, The Red Shore,Thy Art Is Murder @ HolyGrail, Canberra (12/11/10)

Mon 15th Nov, 2010 in Gig Reviews

SEE THE GALLERY HERE!

Canadian death-core veterans Despised Icon stopped by Canberra on the Australian leg of their farewell tour on a warm Friday evening that signaled that summer might actually exist this year. Playing to an ecstatic and animated crowd at the appropriately named The Holy Grail (what with the overwhelming pseudo-religious content matter that metal has so adamantly saturated over the years), the sound of ridiculously detuned guitars and violent beat downs saturated the streets where curious passersby could catch a glimpse of the chaos held within.

Supporting Despised Icon on their run down-under was Thy Art Is Murder, who picked up the ball with their take on the ever so subtle art of the break down. The compulsory circle pit quickly formed and pissed-off meatheads defended the honour of their beer drenched girlfriends as the devoted flung their limbs about to pig squeals clamoring haphazardly atop the simplified Meshuggah-esque rhythms. Thankfully the vibrant reaction lifted the band and created a frenetic atmosphere that made the often repetitive riffs more than enjoyable. Shredding eight-string guitars and getting their crab-core on, Thy Art Is Murder tore through a precise and tight set.

The Red Shore, fresh off the release of their latest effort, The Avarice of Man, followed on stage. Drawing from the filth of death metal and propelling it through a hyper-melodic and varied hard-core lens, The Red Shore ripped out breakdown after breakdown to a crowd that continued to rabidly lap it up, riff after riff.

The night’s big attraction promptly eviscerated all misconceptions of a lack-luster gig, overcoming issues plaguing the mix all night and quickly setting about to inflicting as much damage as possible. Literally the climax of the night, Despised Icon played tighter and heavier than any of their peers, igniting a pit worthy of any gig twice its size and proving that if you bring the band, people will come, even for ‘sleepy’ Canberra. Playing a mind-fucking set that touched on their entire discography, Despised Icon played a set that defied conventional expectations and promptly lifted the bar for more than a few gigs to come.

Despised Icon proved their iconoclastic status amongst death-core circles with a performance that was monumental and one to remember, perhaps even providing an ample substitute for the heartbreak felt for those that weren’t catching Metallica the night after.

SEE THE GALLERY HERE!