Chelsea Grin, Born Of Osiris, Diamond Construct, Relapse @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 28/6/2019
There is a queue one hundred deep already standing outside on this unseasonably warm June night. The jibber jabber of the punters waiting for the forthcoming four band sonic attack is palpable. For tonight we have Chelsea Grin bringing with them Born Of Osiris, Diamond Construct and Relapse in what promises to be a foundation-shaking night of metal.
Opening proceedings is Adelaide’s Relapse who bring to an already filling room, the heaviest of groove breakdowns. The floor vibrates as the fearless head towards the mosh pit that remains for the rest of the night, while vocalist Ethan Robinson and the band pummel the brain with their audio heaviness.
Diamond Construct have a spot across the whole of this tour and it’s easy to see why the four piece band have been making the right noises in the scene. Mixing a riffage style of old school Fear Factory with the progressive bass tendencies of Periphery, they are energetic and electric. Vocalist Kynan Groundwater being the always influential front man, brings audience members into the whole experience of the band and they are not left disappointed.
Born of Osiris are the demolition wreckers of the show as the old venue shakes and moves to the bass of the band. The vibrations below matching the blurred vision of the band as the Americans push themselves to every corner of the stage.
While Divergency has the touching guitar solo the band hit the mark with the brutal Open Arms To Damnation. They share vocal duties with the crowd, literally handing the mic over, do the obligatory shoey and they make sure everyone’s necks are hurting with a crunching rendition of Bow Down to finish us off.
Whatever energy the crowd had left, Chelsea Grin were going to suck it right out of them as they opened with Dead Rose, which has a breakdown that only Satan himself could’ve thought off, and the chaotic The Wolf.
The circle pit, which hasn’t stopped since the beginning of the night, finds another level during My Damnation as Pablo Segura’s drums batter away like a pneumatic drill. While guitarist Stephen Rutishauser may be unwell he is still killing it as the band keep cranking out the brutal tracks including Lilith and Hostage.
Tonight was about feeling the music, literally. Whether it was due to music vibrations moving the building, the punishing duels within the mosh pit or the way music hits the soul. The sonic attack that came from the bands battalion was executed perfectly leaving plenty of punters left with more than just a grin at the end of the night.
Live Review By Iain McCallum