Well it’s time for Bastardfest. It’s a bastard of a day and I have to get up before midday on a Saturday, which is quite annoying. Actually getting up before midday on any day is crap, but on Saturday most of us at least have a choice in the matter. To be truthful there have been festivals starting at 10am and I’m glad it’s not one of those. As grouchy as I am, I'm glad it’s the Bastardfest. I'm really looking forward to hearing decent Aussie bands of death, thrash and black metal, plus a few other less reputable genres I would not usually see. The venue is the Sando, which I'm sure I've been to at some stage, but my terrible memory is shrugging its shoulders at me as usual. All I’m getting is happy juggling clowns and mice turning little wheels. They're good at what they do so I try not to judge. Anyway, venues are always refurbishing, so I'm sure it will be completely different from any previous gig I may have seen there. On arrival, The Sandringham Hotel is massive downstairs and has a bistro which is cool, but on seeing the stages upstairs, called the Chill Room and the Main Room,
I am a little disappointed and left wondering how many metalheads they can fit in here.
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Ignite The Ibex
Ignite the Ibex are a powerful start to the day. This first band is in the Chill Room, which is a small room with a stage, a bar, widescreen TV, a bench and stools. The Chill Room is way too small for these guys. The floor is bending as the packed out room of punters jump about. The whole band is confident, especially the guitarist and singer who perform whilst moving about the crowd, entertaining some and startling others. They are fucking loud, brutal and technical. These guys are certainly not a first slot band and it feels kinda odd seeing them showcasing their material at this time. The set is cut short to keep on schedule and the crowd are a little disappointed.
Ignite the Ibex Setlist
Axiom - Absorbing Free Will - Exit The Immaculate - Carbon Lungs Dioxide
- no Ignite The Ibex pictures available
Dawn Heist
The next band to play in the Chill Room is Dawn Heist. After Ignite the Ibex, it’s a tough act to follow. They pull out some great rhythms with some simple lead parts, the drummer playing some cool syncopated beats. The vocals are a blend of heavy and clean, with that metalcore Killswitch Engage feel and at times a higher range that reminded me of Mudvayne. The punters stand back watching the band, getting drinks, chatting or fooling around. Another set cut all too short and up next are Enforce.
Dawn Heist Setlist
The Anesthetist - Chalkline Silhouette - Nine Worlds - Loki
- no Dawn Heist pictures available
Enforce
Enforce are the first of many metal bands with some influences I quite like. Gravelly vocals fill the room, though with some instances of what reminded me of Sepultura. It’s not as black as I had thought. The room is packed pretty tight once again and the crowd seemed into it but I unfortunately missed a lot of the set due to door entry issues for our photographer.
- no Enforce pictures or setlist available
Chaos Divine
Chaos Divine are the first band to be graced with the main stage. It involves a much larger room, larger stage and a desk for selling merch. The room is full, the band being recorded and relayed into the Chill Room on the widescreen TV where people are sitting on stools, watching the band on the TV and buying drinks. Chaos Divine consist mostly of progressive sounds and grooving rhythms driven by a loud smooth bass sound, a repertoire of solos and a splash of finger tapping and some sonic guitar noises that give an extra thickness to the sound. The lighting covers the band in an array of colour, which suits the whole prog rock element. The vocalist keeps it heavy and fairly simple whilst playing guitar and you can tell that the guitar work is key. A strong drummer with meaty double kicks keeps the band metal and heavy enough.
Chaos Divine Setlist
One Door - Chasing Shadows - Beautiful Abyss - At The Ringing Of The Siren
Anno Domini
As I head off from Chaos Divine, Anno Domini are up next, drowning the stifling, packed Chill Room in what sounds like Satyricon-esque black metal. Classic gravelly vocals and steady rhythms of droning guitar sounds, a touch of thrash, some epic synth sounds and a raw drum sound fill the air. It’s at this time that the place is really heating up and it’s a good idea to locate a fan and stand in front of it.
Anno Domini Setlist
Breathe Deep The Ash - Criminals - Obliteration - What Lies Inside
Ouroboros
Ouroboros play next, their sounds jumping from thrash and grind to droning sounds, then to solos some of which is simple and at other times progressive. The bass has a high end chunky sound that cuts through the mix clearly, it’s awesome! The vocalist is doing windmills and calling out to the crowd. His voice is one scary deep growl and he is fucking massive, reminding me of Cannibal Corpse or even Nathan Explosion from the Metalocalypse series. Still thinking of the Dethklok similarities, I then couldn't help but turn to look at the soloing guitarists with their long straight hair and grin stupidly. A circle of death soon forms for Ouroboros. The temperature is heating up but the fans are still moving air around if you can find a draft. The bands are baking under those lights though.
Ouroboros Setlist
Animal Man Machine - Blackhole Generator - Sanctuary - Disembodied Mind - Disolved
Daemon Foetal Harvest
It’s back to the Chill Room and the vocalist of Daemon Foetal Harvest is showing off a huge range of low growls and high screams as the guitarists thrash non-stop. The solos are tight at the speed of thrash and it’s fucking fast. The drum sound is raw and not as slick as some of the other bands, but the crowd enjoys the set, packed like sardines and sweating along the stairways as they struggle to find room.
Daemon Foetal Harvest Setlist
I Butchered Them All - Of Nightmares And Cruelty - Dumped Beneath The Mangroves - Dead Before I Started - Abducted And Compacted - Riddled With Parasites - Where It Dwells
- no Daemon Foetal Harvest pictures available
Bane Of Isildur
Covered in warpaint and ancient garb, Bane Of Isildur stand before their backdrop on the main stage. These guys look fantastic! The singer/guitarist, with ashen beard and long straight blonde hair, stands proudly as he yells, “Prepare to attack!” and the crowd cheers in response. It’s all straight metal but carried out in such a powerfully visual and dramatic display, like ancient warriors heading into battle, the singer at one stage wielding an axe.
Bane Of Isildur Setlist
War Of Gods And Men - Crimson And Cold Steel - 1066 - Red Dawn - Furious Hunt - Chosen Path
I Exist
I Exist hit the Chill Room sweating out some hard punching and pounding dredgy rhythms and then some more. It’s all about thick rhythms played as heavy as possible and loud feedback and noise fill the room after almost every song. The vocals sound like the typical Killswitch Engage sound, which might drop it in the metalcore genre but the rest of the band's hard-hitting approach keeps the band out of the genre.
I Exist Setlist
Ghost Of A King - Wyverns Keep - Immortal Mare - The Weak Shall Fall - Blades Ruin - Wretched Earth - Inveiglement - Black Unicorn - One Thousand Hooves - The Temptress
- no I Exist pictures available
Claim The Throne
Back to the main stage and Claim The Throne's own backdrop is revealed. It’s another packed out audience in the main room. Last time I saw these guys was when Finntroll played at the Manning Bar and they were amusing as hell. The singer reaches the stage dressed in chainmail and fake blood, taunting the crowd and having fun before the music even starts. The keyboards soon kick in and the distinct folk metal that is Claim The Throne is in full swing. The vocalist is soon speaking to the crowd in his gravelly black metal voice, joking around and demanding more drunk in his foldback. He introduces his band, including the guitarist who is apparently single. “I would have a piece of that if I had a vagina... which I don't!” he chortles. The packed out room is getting louder and folkier and a sea of moshers form. The beer funnel is brought to the keyboardist and she chugs it down with no problem. The folk tunes and revelry is catching and the crowd is soon yelling as uproariously as the singer. The image of mugs being smacked together drunkenly is in everyone's thoughts as they sing along to the great 'Set Sail On Ale'. A nice acoustic number comes out, allowing the crowd to be heard as they yell belligerently and clap to the beat. The beer funnel makes another round until the acoustic evolves into a heavier song. The vocalist for Claim The Throne expertly keeps the audience well entertained with thoughts of drunken revelry and a crazy-ass circle of death forms for the rest of the set. These guys are true entertainers.
Claim The Throne Setlist
Conquer, Trounce, Vanquish - They Shall Live On - Through The Rage Of The Storm - Plunder Saga - Of Mead And Weed - Set Sail On Ale - The Lake - The Thousand Toonders - Fable From An Oaken Table - Two Pints Of Honey And A Barrel Full Of Beer
Pod People
Pod People are back in the chill room which equals painfully squishy by this time. I've nicknamed it the sardine room among others. Pod People completely destroy the room with flat out massive rhythm and vocal effects that are way cool and sound like the devil himself has scored a gig. The rhythm is all doomy with chunky dredgy sounds. They've been in the game forever and the music is seamless until they stop and restart a song, bitching jokingly about the guy who made the mistake. It’s all fun though and these guys are pretty cool on stage.
Pod People Setlist
Subterranean - Filling The Void - The Missed - Road Block - Back To Reality - Liar - Speaking In Tongues
- no Pod People pictures available
Ruins
Ruin blast the main stage with heavy machine gun-like blast beats. The drummer has technical skill and is fucking loud, lording over the droning guitars and gravelly black metal vocals. The lighting guy must have felt the same way because there was plenty of strobe-like lighting used in the set to match the kicks. A thin layer of sweat covers the room as the oscillating fans fail to reach the crowds and I get the feeling that this boat is bursting at the seams. For the last song a friend of the band jumps up and hammers out cover song 'Dethroned Emperor' by Celtic Frost.
Ruins Setlist
Suicidal Pulse - Cold Dark Sea - Long And Mournful Shores - Draw Near The Ice - The Sum Of Your Loss - Where Time Is Left Behind - Spun Forth As Dark Nets - Dethroned Emperor
Dreamkillers
It’s back to the little chill room and the band Dreamkillers launch into a blend of chunky rock riffs and thrash with plenty of squealing guitars. The vocalist Lez stands out. The dude has one helluva moustache and he is quite a character. If that is not enticing in a band, I don't know what is. This guy rocks out with some nice screams and lazy yelling and even some spoken word. He pulls out all the rock moves, stealing the show from the solo guitarist and keeping the crowd thoroughly entertained with a classic heavy metal roots feel that was in contrast to the more darker sub-genres of metal at the festival.
Dreamkillers Setlist
Smoke Over Marysville - On The Night - Monster - Fight On - Gas Clown - Wattage - LBT - Bonebag
- no Dreamkilers pictures available
Blood Duster
Blood duster fans are pouring in like a funnel into the main stage area. As soon as they start the crowd goes absolutely nuts with a circle of death almost immediately taking form. Cups are flying into the air as metalheads tackle their unsuspecting mates into the circle and like a whirlwind it’s moving about and growing, threatening to take over the whole floor as more are taken in. Now, usually in a circle of death there is that first and second line you can stand behind, but when those lines are moshers who don’t look like they will be there for long, it’s time to warily step back. Unfortunately, the back of the room is already quite crowded. There’s crowd surfing and a couple of guys fist pumping with someone else's shoes but everyone else is too busy running amok to notice. The music is nothing original but a good mix of different sub-genres. The vocalist has the crowd in his hands. These guys are complete bastards; stopping the crowd to demand to know who the best band of the night is, while bagging out the other contenders. It’s amusing and the crowd take in everything said like a pack of starving wolves.
- no Blood Duster set list available
Extortion
Extortion are what I would have called a hybrid hardcore metal punk band in my youth and although I mostly avoided these bands it kind of feels like a blast from the past. Short songs with speedy guitar work and fast paced yelling vocals that keep up with the guitars. It’s all intense and frantic but not at a technical level. Have to admit, these guys were really tight, with nice kicks and the bass sound had some great depth. Short haired youths were bashing into each other and there was a random faceplant from a dude trying to crowd surf. Although I'm not one to watch Funniest Home Videos, it was totally one of those moments. Old band shirts like The Misfits were floating around as well, which I thought gave a good indication of where these guys come from.
Extortion Setlist
Beginning Of The End - Degrade - Useless - Life Under Lies - Curl Up And Die - The Audience - Curb Crawl - New Blast Song - Stevie - Regrets - Ramirez - Worthless Life - Pull The Pin - Maniac - Uniform
- no Extortion pictures available
Psycroptic
Meanwhile the majority of the festival is resting up for Psycroptic, sitting in circles in the main room or stretched out on the floor. It’s been a long day. Eventually the crowd arises and the room heats up as Psycroptic come out. After some cool digital sounds they launch straight into some hard technical shit like it’s the middle of the set; thrashing away with melodic guitar licks and changing rhythms. The crowd is moshing away, roaring and growling as the band smash into their own version of death metal. The sound is a perfect mix and it’s super tight making it easy to single out each instrument. The light show is perfect and there are cameras being held up everywhere to take advantage of it. Metalheads roar in appreciation as the lights suddenly change, the band hidden by silhouettes in front of white blue or red lights while smoke machines cover the stage in a fantastic display. I bet the guys are sweating like buggery up there. They finish their set and disappear through the stage exit, probably to pass out. It’s a killer set to end Sydney's turn of the long anticipated Bastardfest Festival.
Mystic Metal Live Review by Jaimey Foti © 14 September 2011
All pictures by Shonny Photography
Editing and Layout by Déa di Morté