Obituary, Black Lava, Descend To Acheron @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 18/1/2024
For my first gig for the year, I came hurling in from the throes of the glaring reality of holiday time with family (and attempting to present to them as relatively ‘normal’), back to the dank dark underworld of Death Metal when the highly anticipated powerhouse that is Obituary landed in Adelaide for their Dying of Everything tour. Drawing in a healthy crowd of loyal fans that cleared out the merch stock before the supports even finished, it was an all-immersive ride and the best kick starter to this year’s live music offerings I could have hoped for.
Local legends Descend to Acheron took their home turf stage with full face-blasting energy to fire up the punters, kicking goals with the prestigious slot of opening for the forefathers of their genre. Heading in with the unsettling chaos of The Transience of Flesh and moving through moody glowering Godless Pt 1 & 2 before offering intricately gloomy blackened 2022 single The Welcoming Void, the boys get richer sounding with every show and the solid grasp of their genius technical arrangements is a testament to their illustrious musicianship and reputation in the local metal scene.
Black Lava kept the energy high, gracing our city for a second time after an appearance at the infamous New Dead Festival last April, with all the right ingredients for some tasty Death Metal. Northern Dawn amped things up exponentially with its fast forced rhythm, sneaky blasts and dramatic fills keeping things flowing and grooving while the packed venue stood immersed. Rob Watkins on vocals exhibits an impeccable range with gutturals so low they are almost lost in the loaded heavy riffs. There is a lot going on in these tracks, with cheeky interludes of groove and prog rock encased in a hard blackened outer shell that keeps you wanting to move. Aurora starts with that hard rock jingle beat that appeals a softer palette but leads you straight back down the path to hell building intensity whole moving through unsettling rapid harmonic tension.
By the time Obituary graced the stage the venue was well and truly packed with a sea of black and red, as fans in their souvenir tshirts raised horns to the band, a blood dripping logo in the background and a lot of impressive hair going on. Easing in with popular track Redneck Stomp, by the time whirling tumultuous thrasher Sentence Day started, the urge to gravitate to the pit and get sweaty was intense. This urge to dance- and this is the kind of music that is designed to make you move- was unrelenting, as the constant tempo changes throughout the set switched the energy up more severely than any HIIT class I’ve endured.
For a 40-year-old outfit, the precision and energy in Obituary’s performance is faultless and they gave their fans everything they hoped for, with a stacked set of popular ferocious tracks and gloriously wicked beats to move to, the entire show was an absolute ride. Coming out strong with a four-track encore and finishing as they started- hard and heavy, with crushing Slowly we Rot the audience left sweaty and full of endorphins. It would come as no surprise to most long-time fans that Obituary’s unwavering reputation for putting on a monumental live performance is maintained and keeps them firmly in the league of distinguished extreme Metal acts.
Live Review By Bec Scheucher