Words – Manny
Photos – @killer.solo.music
There are gigs where the crowd gets rowdy, and then there are gigs where the floor at Jive Adelaide becomes a rapidly moving collection of fists, feet and questionable decision-making.
There Will Be Blood was very firmly in the second category.
Presented by Iron Jaw Bookings, the Adelaide heavy music showcase brought together a savage cross-section of hardcore, metalcore, deathcore and death metal, with Betrayed, Vulgar Bite, Theurgy, Anggrath, Seminal Embalmment, Bifurcation, Raccoon City, As Long As It Bleeds, Chapel Hill, Identity Error, Abandon All Hope and I Choose Violence all taking the stage.
From the opening two-step to a vocalist literally bleeding on stage, it was the kind of night that reminded everyone why Adelaide’s heavy music scene continues to punch well above its weight.
Manny was there in the thick of it. Here’s his account of a night that absolutely lived up to its name.
– Killers editor note
In our usual fashion, Killer and I arrived at Jive early, despite some navigational difficulties on my part. Before the first band began, he warned me that there would be some “moshlords” present and to be wary.
Betrayed opened the gig with an insane amount of energy. This was the first band in a while that had a moshpit that made me concerned for my safety. The vocalist and guitarist commanded the room to move, with everyone in attendance not needing to be asked twice.
A flurry of limbs were flying with a show of two-stepping and hardcore dancing. Somehow, people made the space to move in this small venue. Even the stage wasn’t safe, as the vocalist got in on the action while some audience members snagged a mic grab.
Props to the photographers who managed to weave in and out of said pit unscathed.
We were in for a hell of a night if this was only the first cab off the rank.
Up next was the all female assault of Vulgar Bite. They mixed elements of traditional heavy metal sounding riffs with hardcore vocals and drum beats. What caught me off guard were certain instrumental breaks that focused solely on the bass, which took me back to early 90s punk.
They say there’s a first time for everything, and I witnessed my first somewhat silent hardcore pit for two beats during the last song of their set.
It hit with all the force of a knockout punch.
The place came unglued for Theurgy.
Holy shit! What a set!
I had an inkling that once I saw the B.C. Rich Warlock, I was going to be in for a good time, and I was not disappointed. They showcased incredible talent, with riffs ranging from black metal and mathcore to ridiculously bass heavy chugs for the deathcore inspired breakdowns.
Definitely one of the standout bands of the night.
Being the closest thing to old school death metal on the line-up, Anggrath blew the doors off Jive, showcasing double bass power that seemed like it shook every inch of the place.
What surprised me is how the hardcore dancers managed to find moments to fit their moves in, which was yet another first to witness. Anggrath fed off the energy of the previous band and caused everyone to bring it up to 11.
For a brief moment in time, it seemed like the entire floor was nothing but a blur of fists and feet.
I will be anticipating their next show for sure!
With a name like Seminal Embalmment, I should have known what I would be in for, but I had no idea.
It was an old school death metal double header!
The sound they produced was huge and chock-full of brutal goodness. From the inhuman vocals to the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it footwork, everything about this set was a death metal fan’s dream.
I was half expecting the drum kit to burst into flames after the beating it took.
Unbelievable speed!
From the moment Bifurcation took the stage, violence was unleashed. There were hints of early Suicide Silence and Cradle Of Filth thanks to the insane range of the vocalist.
When the lights hit, the scenes looked more like a gladiator fight than a moshpit due to everyone swinging for the fences. One thing that will stick with me from this set was the snare tone. It took me back to 2006 deathcore every time it hit.
Pure nostalgic bliss.
As the final note of the set rang out, Killer and I were quickly reminded that we had to renew our parking ticket. We took the opportunity to do so and reached the point where we both needed a break.
We returned from our food adventure just as the first song from Raccoon City was wrapping up. These guys brought the emotional heaviness with a sound harking back to the days of post-hardcore.
The banter between the vocalist and the crowd was reminiscent of a comedian practising his act. It was top notch and effortlessly hilarious.
They delivered a welcome change of style without deviating too much from the hardcore dominant theme of the night.
I don’t know where to begin in regards to the next band, who were As Long As It Bleeds.
Absolutely massive sound that reminded me of early 2000s metalcore, with melodic guitar harmonies and decibel defying breakdowns to match. They had no trouble rousing up the crowd and getting them to cause some mayhem.
The breakdowns were so good that I almost considered coming out of mosh retirement a few times during their set.
There’s something that needs to be said for bands that are towards the end of the line-up, and something certainly needs to be said when it comes to Chapel Hill.
They brought the heat and kept the night alive by providing a heap of stage presence, momentum and energy. Their sound is what you would get if hardcore, beatdown and deathcore had a baby. Just pure balls to the wall aggression.
They smashed it with a huge undertaking by performing a cover of “Bludgeoned To Death” by Suicide Silence to close out their set.
Massive was an understatement.
There was an ever approaching elephant in the room heading my way at this point of the night known as fatigue. I was worried that I wouldn’t know what to write about the next band on the line-up, Identity Error.
Oh boy!
My fears were quelled in the best way possible.
During their set, their lead vocalist channeled his inner Alex Terrible and smashed the microphone into his forehead until there was blood. Who knew that the name of this festival would turn out to be so prophetic?
As if that wasn’t enough, he also jumped into the crowd for the final moments of their set while screaming the words “You still have tomorrow!” face to face with various members of the audience.
That’s one hell of a way to end a set!
I seem to have a habit of getting around to hearing bands that are already very well known well after the fact.
Abandon All Hope is the latest band to fall victim to it.
I remember hearing the name back in high school some 15 odd years ago, and here I am now only just witnessing them live for the first time.
I wouldn’t have known they had just reunited by the way they played, as they didn’t miss a beat. Some of their sound reminded me of August Burns Red, which should come as no surprise given their healthy china cymbal use.
Delivering breakdowns with bass drops that shook the building all the way to the drinks behind the bar, Abandon All Hope showed they are still worthy of their lasting reputation.
Last, but certainly not least, I Choose Violence were up to close out the night.
The crowd definitely lived up to the name, as they also chose violence by amping up the energy and making the most of their last chance to move.
There were some unexpected back to back guest vocal features during the set from members of Theurgy and Chapel Hill respectively. They had no issue showing that they still had plenty of gas left in the tank after both performing and moshing through the night.
A colossal shout out to all the bands on the bill and to Iron Jaw Bookings.
Absolutely top job of putting it all together and for displaying an incomprehensible level of musical talent.
The Adelaide metal scene and beyond are in more than capable enough hands.
This will be a night that won’t be forgotten any time soon.
– Manny
Editors note – There Will Be Blood 2 has already been announced with a massive line up.
