The Japanese invaded Adelaide at the Lion Arts Factory last night. Wielding electronic metalcore mixed with genre bending chaos. They were met with a solid turnout and a big warm reception. There seems to be a unexpected connection between the Japanese and Australian metalcore scenes where we’re sending each other our best bands and everybody’s here for it.
Local legends Heartline opened the night and they were perfect for the job. They were a gateway drug to the styles that were about to come and set the tone well with a wild energy. Each band member was moshing their heart out and you could feel the bass through the floor.
We first witnessed them almost a couple years ago when they opened for Circles at the same venue. Back then they were popping up on a lot of interstate tours with heavy hitters such as Void of Vision, Reliqa and Pridelands. It seems like the time away working with the big boys and gals has rubbed off because they now sound massive. We expect to be hearing a lot more from Heartline in the future.
Paledusk were the reason we attended this show. It was less then 48 hours after their insane new EP ‘PALEHELL’ dropped and we were really keen to see it in person. When it was time to start they walked out to Eminem’s Lose Yourself, with the drummer pounding the toms to build tension. A welcome surprise to kick off the craziness.
Turns out their music is even better live as it’s less polished, heavier and more hectic. Witnessing a crowd chant along to their anthem like choruses was epic. The lead guitarist was captivating with their continuous Samurai style flying spin kicks. Leaping through the air while absolutely shredding. The type of thing you would wish to see from a Japanese metal band.
The frontman’s energy was infectious and there was a cool moment when Crossfaith’s frontman came out and joined them which got a huge pop from the crowd. Typically people don’t get too lively at a weeknight gig but that wasn’t a problem here. The energy in the room was palpable and any time people were told to get moving, start spinning, split down the middle and throw down, they did. It felt like we were a part of something special and it was exciting.
Crossfaith were the reason we stayed though. They absolutely blew the roof off the place! It was almost a rave vibe with their heavy techno infusion and people were really letting loose. There was a lot of energetic call and response happening. Along with a wild mix of pit and dance action given the varied nature of the music.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a metal band with a DJ and it gave a feeling of nostalgia. 90’s hip hop instrumentals being spun between songs was an awesome way to keep the energy up while preparing for the next track. The DJ also did backup vocals and acted as a wild hype man running around, crowd surfing and getting in between the wall of death.
All the drummers of the night were sick. However, Crossfaith’s drummer was an absolute beast. Headbanging hard while smashing the kit and catching sticks after launching them in the air mid beat. Towards the end of the set there was a sick drum solo accompanied by a hardcore techno backing track being spun by the DJ. It reminded us of Travis Barker’s ‘Fix Your Face’ mixtape with DJ AM where he just shreds over mashups of songs. It was a similar, more EDM focused, version of this.
Crossfaith mentioned that the last time they played in Australia was UNIFY Gathering 2019 and it has already been 5 years since then. They also mentioned multiple times that they’ll be back “very, very soon”. Sounds like they’ve got something planned and we definitely recommend keeping an eye out so you don’t miss them in future.
written by Brad Hapke
