Killswitch Engage + Lamb Of God + Unearth

Not since Torville & Dean or the Howard government & AWB has the world seen as exciting a pooling of talent as tonight’s metal extravaganza. Three of America’s most shit-hot headbangers are set to peddle their distorted wares alongside one of Australia’s strongest talents, instigating spontaneous head butts, invisible ninja combat and a good few cases of acute post-gig tinnitus.

Deftly arriving an hour late, I missed I Killed The Prom Queen’s set and most of Unearth’s as well. I copped an elbow in the face during Unearth’s finale, Black Hearts Now Reign, and so I will forever refer to it as Black Eyes Cause Pain. Performance-wise Unearth were decent, but their music requires absolute technical excellence, and I’m not sure they had it. Too much waiting for the breakdown with inexpertly delivered filler.

The Palace heaved with sold-out-crowdness. When Lamb Of God finally appeared a pit opened up immediately, and several 5-tonne men bounced into the ring, grinning ominously at each other and their victims on the sidelines.

LOG began the crushing with Ruin, and so they did. The stage could barely contain Randy Blythe, the band’s ferocious frontman, who tore back and forth across it like a beast caged and possessed, his impressive stature and low-slung jaw completing the image. His truly incredible voice (“Show me your horns, motherfuckers!!”) combined with razor-sharp ax-wielding and pounding drums to bind the room into a synchronised shuddering of heavy metal awesomeness.

One of the human Mack trucks grew tired of splintering people’s ribs and decided to stand directly in front of me, serving as a convenient shield from the flailing limbs of the pit. I weathered the storm from behind him as LOG ripped through such gems as Hourglass, Pathetic and Now You’ve Got Something To Die For. Closing track Black Label inspired a mini-Wall Of Death, where a space is cleared and punters wait for the musical moment to hurl themselves headlong into each other from all angles. Stupid and ultra-violent, yet graceful.

After that massacre, Killswitch Engage were underwhelming. No doubt they’re good – bloody good – but LOG were fucking good. The lead singer, Howard Jones, had the crowd in the palm of his hand but didn’t do much with it. His vocals were very impressive, as was the playing of the rest of the band, but the dark energy of the previous band eclipsed their efforts in my eyes. Clad in numerous sweatbands, lead guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz quipped “I’ll lick your ovaries” to the crowd, and that set the tone for me. I like my metal hard and angry, not cute or silly.

I chipped a tooth while assisting an aspiring crowd surfer on KSE’s last track. Given the overall quality of the night, I didn’t mind so much.

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