Soundwave Festival @ RNAShowgrounds, Brisbane(26/02/2011)

Mon 28th Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Happy Soundwave Day! The day of the year that fans of metal, punk, hardcore, rock and all its variations look forward to most is here, and everyone is ready to party, including plain-clothes policeman writing oodles tickets for public drinking, even at 11am.

Having the somewhat unenviable task of performing before midday is Las Vegas’ classic metal upstarts Taking Dawn, who take to Stage 4 the big hooks and guitar lines of Save Me. Like the lovechild of Zakk Wlyde and Paul Stanley, frontman Chris Babbitt careens around the stage like a man possessed, and their set climaxes with Babbitt taking a trip into the respectably sized crowd for a spot of deranged soloing.
 
Without any smoke and mirrors, the unashamedly old-school hard rock leanings of The Sword has an impressive number of punters eating out of their hands for their allotted half an hour. Vocalist J.D Cronise might not be blessed with the greatest voice on the planet, but it’s physically impossible not to groove along to the massive riffing and drumming of Maiden, Mother & Crone and the juggernaut Freya.

Sevendust hit the stage to a great reception and with a wide catalogue at their disposal, set an early benchmark for the day. Songs like Praise and Assdrop had the mosh bouncing, with Lajon Witherspoon’s vocals at his throaty best and the band tight.

Despite a sluggish start to their set, Monster Magnet finally hit their stride with the sleazy, guitar driven gems like Medicine, Dopes To Infinity and new tune Dig That Hole. Dave Wyndorf’s gloriously rock n’ roll stage banter and the occasional extended jam helps overlook the disappointingly small crowd that has turned out to witness the New Jersey five piece.

With their latest album Beast cracking the top ten in the Australian Music Charts, it’s safe to say that DevilDriver and Australian metal fans have a fairly healthy relationship. Despite battling a decidedly average mix (especially in the drums and guitar tone department) and having to cut closer Meet The Wretched short, DevilDriver’s set sees the group delving into all their albums, from the angst ridden I Could Care Less to the hard hitting power of Dead To Rights.

The PA speakers suffer a malfunction as Welsh metallers Bullet For My Valentine kick off a typically high-energy set, the sound eventually coming midway through the opening Your Betrayal – to massed cheers. Buoyed by the adoring crowd, singer/guitarist Matt Tuck is having a great time, roaring and swearing in pissed-sailor fashion and at one point inciting a signature circle pit. Axeman Michael Paget, meanwhile, rips up rapid-fire, wah-drenched solos, later prompting an ovation with the solo rendition of Advance Australia Fair. More enthusiastic, synchronised headbanging and hair-whipping follow during staples Waking The Demon and Hand Of Blood; the bludgeoning Begging For Mercy is a frenetic, feet-on-monitors finish.
 
Stone Sour do what they do best – polished post-grunge metal. Shorn of his trademark dreadlocks and sporting a plaid shirt, Corey Taylor’s everyman image couldn’t be more different from his evil mask-donning Slipknot guise – but his pipes quickly dispel whatever confusion. Flanking the booming, profanity-yelling frontman, guitarists James Root (Taylor’s Slipknot bandmate) and Josh Rand are also decked out like typical modern rock dudes, while bassist Shawn Economaki is the spitting image of ex-QOTSA/Mondo Generator yowler Nick Oliveri. From the collective’s latest album Audio Secrecy, Mission Statement and Digital (Did You Tell) go down well, however it’s chestnuts Reborn, Get Inside and Hell & Consequences that get the things cooking with gas.

Mere seconds after DevilDriver depart from the main fourth stage, metalcore survivor’s All That Remains jump head first into their set with the anthemic Two Weeks. Phil Labonte nails his clean vocals and throat shredding screams effortlessly. Some of the People shows off the heaviest aspect of the band, but it’s the closer This Calling that has the faithful swooning.

As dirty, raw, loud and fast as any band on the Soundwave line up – High On Fire are undoubtedly the torch-bearers of the true rock n’ roll spirit forged by Motorhead many years ago. Lead by the ink-covered Matt Pike, the trio burn through an uncompromising thirty minute set, with the crushing drums and guitar work of Frost Hammer and Blood From Zion pushing the Stage 4 Annex’s P.A to it’s upper limit.