Between The Buried And Me

Perhaps punters were still recovering from The Black Procession which had commanded its way through Adelaide the night before, but Fowlers was looking very empty come Thursday night.

Opening the evening were local boys Far West Battlefront who, by no fault of their own, were disappointing. The sound system did not do them justice, with the vocals being almost inaudible and half the speakers not working entirely.

Despite this, and despite the lackluster crowd, the band made the most of it, tearing up the stage with blistering guitar solos and the kind of intense rocking out one would expect from such a well rounded Adelaide group.

Up next were one of Australia’s brightest talents. Sydonia, a four-piece act from Melbourne who have toured in Australia and overseas with the likes of Slipknot, Stone Sour, Machine Head and Dead Letter Circus. Their unique combination of metal and something else all together is indescribable. Vocalist Dana Roskvist really is a joy to watch, his vocal range is outstanding.

The band opened with ‘Rubber Bullet’, one of half a dozen or so songs they performed off of their album, Given to Destroyers. Two new songs made the set, including ‘Shame’ (debuted in Adelaide in January) and the brand new ‘Enemy’, both of which are strong reasons to be excited for Sydonia’s second album.

The drum solos were, as always, a great novelty in the set, which could almost be described as theatrical. Finishing on the blistering tack ‘Incoming’, Sydonia made their mark and set a very high standard for the headliner.

Between The Buried and Me’s return to Australia was, to put it simply, a letdown. While one can’t help but be impressed by their unconventional sound and talented musicians, they are not a compelling band to watch live.

Tommy Rogers divided his time between vocal duties at the front, and hidden behind other members and a keyboard. His voice was strong and he gave it his all, but it almost appeared as though the band was short a member.

Opening with ‘Obfuscation’, the crowd began to grow, showing their appreciation in a way that was almost too polite for a metalcore show. There was little in the way of moshpit movement, though this could have been related to the difficulties with the sound returning.
‘Selkies: The Endless Obsession’ was clearly a crowd favourite, and this was when they truly got into it. While the songs sounded good live, some seemed like an unusual and perhaps, unwise choice for a live set. However, the fans didn’t seem to mind.

It felt like a short show, but with each song being as long as three for any other band, it didn’t matter. Finishing on ‘White Walls’ the crowd was left wanting more. The curfew was creeping up quickly, but the North Carolina band re-took the stage anyway, ending the evening on ‘Mordecai’.

Between The Buried And Me are perhaps a band that one should only see live if they are a big fan, otherwise you could find yourself leaving with a feeling of emptiness.

While they gave it their best shot, the headliners were unable to surpass the epic display Sydonia put on. Nonetheless, it was nice to see a truly unique display of bands on the same bill.

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