QUT Guild Bar - Tue Jan 6

Kicking off a new year that will see more metal shows at the venue, the Guild Bar holds its own tonight against the more obvious metal clubs. As the drinks start flowing, locals Empyrean take to the stage with decidedly Scandinavian heavy tunes. Ripping through tracks from their growing catalogue, the band’s keyboard-infused set is a treat. New school thrashards State Of Integrity are up next, their quick riffs appeasing both hardcore and metal kids in the crowd. Although they journeyed from Perth, the crowd is not receptive to Dyscord. Impatient for ‘croptic, the five-piece’s brand of sugary metalcore falls largely on unappreciative ears. From the opening notes of Psycroptic’s A Calculated Effort, the crowd’s prior restlessness is justified. The Tasmanian four-piece is a world-class act, schooling all the other bands on the bill in terms of heaviness. Focusing on more accessible cuts from their (Ob)Servant album, Psycroptic leaves the room wanting more.

Rather than some of the venues with smaller stages, the Guild Bar seems like an even better choice when all six parts of Tennessee’s Whitechapel pile on stage. Incidentally, have you ever heard a six-piece band play massive breakdowns live? It’s fucking gargantuan, Whitechapel’s set makes deathcore seem credible.

TOM HERSEY

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