Alpha Wolf, The Devil Wears Prada, Invent Animate, Thrown @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 4/8/2024
The hottest band in Australia with the hottest ticket in town on a wet and cold Sunday night in sleepy old Adelaide. This city cops a lot of flack from our entitled cousins to the east yet every time a mammoth force of musical nature arrives, Adelaide meets it head on, the city vibrating with kinetic energy. Tonight, Alpha Wolf, the fastest rising metal band of Australia, headline their biggest tour yet and it promises to be electrifying.
This isn’t hyperbole either. This line up oozes precision, quality and musical brutality of the finest level. From openers Thrown’s brutal rap rhymes over distorted riffs, Invent Animate’s kaleidoscope of colours and textures, The Devil Wears Prada powerful energy akin to the sun, it all leads to Alphawolf. An absolute force of nature that’s brutality matches a Tarantino movie and some more.
Thrown open with Guilt and Dwell, and before you know it another song and another song. The bands effect at hitting the breakdowns hard, getting the pit moving and vocalist Marcus Lundqvist command of rhythm is dealt with the ferocity of a rabid dog. On The Verge has the place erupting and the old school hardcore is brought out with Nights, as splendid start to the evenings menu.
Americans Invent Animate, dressed in all white, sparkle and glisten like their accessories. While they also bring demonic growls, breakdowns and distorted grooves, they contrast that throughout with smooth vocals, lighter sonics and performance throughout that feels like you’re on a contact high. Shade Astray glitters like gold – well silver actually – before the breakdown drops like a bomb which is the theme throughout their set finishing with a vortex inducing Immolation Of Night, a circle pit pulling everyone in before spitting them out in a wall of death.
The subtle contrast of bands continues as heavyweights The Devil Wears Prada enter with Watchtower, the energy coming from the band is insane. They could power a small country with the vibe they are giving off.
Vocalist Mike Hranica covers literally every inch of the stage, Jeremy De DePoyster the anchor that stops Hranica from disappearing over the horizon such is his wildness, contrasting the gruff vocals with clean.
Salt has the place jumping and clapping, Broken may well be the ballad but crowd surfers are becoming common and new track Ritual harnesses that energy and lands the blow of a heat seeking missile. The end of Reasons crushes, and Sacrifice finishes the set in a fury of pent-up aggression that can only be released in song.
The red glare of the lights illuminates the room, the stage resembling a wasteland of graffiti and wired fencing. Alpha Wolf are here.
Opening with Haunter from the stunning album Half Living Things, vocalist Lochie Keogh owns this stage, he owns this venue. Hell, by the end he’ll own your soul. Creep is a brutal assault of noise and it’s brilliant.
An air again shoots confetti into the crowd as Sub- Zero has the floor rumbling, the crowd bouncing and riffs hitting you like a hammer to the face. A circle pit pushing to each corner of the room ignites during Bring Back The Noise and Double Edge Demise.
Alpha Wolf have been rapidly ascending to the top of the Australian heavy scene, this gig itself originally sold out another venue in a day before repeating the feat here. Time in Europe and the US have served the band well, there is not an ounce of fat on them. Musically tight, cohesive and the ability to channel that explosiveness into an efficient musical equivalent of the perfect killing machine means they are only going to get bigger.
The crowd chant Alpha Wolf on their own accord. The surfers continuing rolling over the barrier. It’s hard to single out one aspect of Alpha Wolf that is setting them apart from the pack, it’s just so dominant.
Sucks 2 Suck has the crowd get down, 60cm Of Steel has the crowd hitting the roof before finishing on Akaduma which has the place explode in a whirl of confetti and chaos.
Alpha Wolf brought their own pack to Adelaide tonight, and it is a strong impressive collection of beasts. However, in this land, tonight proved they are the alphas.
Live Review By Iain McCallum