Suffocation: The Close of a Chapter (Live in Quebec) 2005
Review: Lana Harris
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‘This is … Brutal!’ yells Frank Mullen at the end of The Close of a Chapter’s opening track, “Infecting the Crypts”. This is Suffocation. Birthed from the insomniac New York Underground, Suffocation clawed their way to the top of the death metal pit in the early nineties, with shadows of their unrelenting riffs and Mike Smith’s seminal blast beats cast across lesser black drum kits ever since. Suffocation captures the energy of a single moment of explosion and sticks it on endless repeat. And the lyrics are about killing people. Yeah, it’s brutal. But this isn’t a | |
| dissection of the value of Suffocation’s music. That blood spattered throne has already been carved. | ||
Continue reading CD Review: Suffocation – The Close of a Chapter (Live in Quebec)
This rather cold Wednesday night presented itself as an interesting proposition from the start. It would have been safe to assume that if you had decided to set up a hair spray stall just outside the venue you would have made a handsome profit. Or perhaps spiked bracelets and belts may have also pocketed you enough for a six pack of beer. 
After overcoming security guards that were more intent on removing bottled water from punters then checking bags for dangerous items, I entered the RNA to a sea of people ready to have a good time. There was an incredible amount of space for everyone to move around in; there were plenty of real toilets, not those disgusting portaloo’s made famous by Kenny, and sufficient shade to shelter during the midday sun.
Clare Bowditch is smack bang in the middle of recording her fourth studio album in Berlin. The album isn’t set to drop until next year but Ms Bowditch and her band of merry men have hit the road for a national tour to celebrate the release of the single ‘The Start of War’.
Only having one support act seems a trifle insufficient for a band of Kreator’s standing – insulting even – but that’s what confronts us Thursday night at the Metro Theatre. Still, it looks to be a promising evening. I have never, in fact, seen such a huge line to get into the Metro before, and that’s always a good sign as it suggests that the opening band is worth giving a shit about. That honour goes to Sydney’s Mortal Sin, a band that have been kicking around for nearly as long as Kreator. They do themselves proud. Though, unfortunately, by the time we get past the line and into the venue we’ve missed half their set – and of the half we do see most of it is taken up by that marvel of the rock n’ roll genre, the thrash metal ballad.
Once upon a time, Death Metal bands that toured this great country we call Australia was rarer than rocking horse shit. However, over the past four or so years, there have been more of these groups hit our shores than illegal boat people. It was that time once again for Metal Heads to hold onto their faces, as the legendary Cannibal Corpse was in town to rip it off. 
Entering the venue and approaching main viewing area, I’m tuned in to the sight of a rather tall, masked clown making funnies on the stage. Standing alone, in front of the red and gold, fanned Bronx titled backdrop, it feels somewhat like a circus. Deep red lighting accentuates the atmosphere, as the “clown” begins to chant and stir the audience. Statements like “get those tequila shots into you guys!” come ringing from right of stage. 
It was New Zealand night at the Hi-Fi Brisbane last Friday, and if the accents didn’t give it away then the multitude of girls walking around screaming out for their countrymen did. Irrespective of how bad (and hilarious) the Flight of the Conchords make us look though, there’s no shortage of amazing New Zealander entertainers out there and Shapeshifter are undoubtedly some of the finest. Shapeshifter has earned no small degree of fame after the release of three albums, and you get the sense listening to them that they’ve come close to perfecting an electronically heavy but still organic sound. Unmistakably a drum and bass act on their studio albums, you more often than not see them referred to as a ‘dance’ act in live reviews. This may seem like an oversimplification of their sound but in reality the rising and falling of the beats is energetic and soulful – and doesn’t come across as straight drum and bass at all.
Buick Six are relatively new within the industry, but do not be fooled by the anonymity. They are a three piece local Brisbane band that has a fresh sound, or at the very minimum, is doing what other bands are doing within the genre, but just that much better to gain rapid notoriety. Three piece bands will always have the difficult task of producing a full sound, which is why many three piece bands turn into a four piece. That being said, Buick Six have an incredible full sound for a three piece which carries them throughout their whole set. The strength in their sound lies in the ability to create shades of colour in their music. The bass player grooved, the drummer walked off covered in sweat and the guitarist challenged a punter to jump on stage mid set after being asked to play Daddy Cool. Every member had the confidence needed to survive in this game, but remained humble enough to greet punters that thanked them throughout the night. These guys are very young and deserve much greater recognition which should come if they continue to perform such energetic shows filled with genuine artistic flair. 
