Live Review: At The Gates, Malignant Monster, Advent Sorrow

The horde kicked down the doors of Amplifier Bar on Wednesday night in anticipation of one of the strongest international/local line-ups in months, one that marks a changing of the guard in the Perth metal scene. The bands did not disappoint, with each act arguably of an international standard in their own right. Former symphonic black metallers Advent Sorrow kicked off the show with a fresh new album and a fresh new sound, shedding the locust plague image and taking on a stark, desolate, tortured, suicidal and somewhat romantic feel.

The complete reinvention saw no old tracks played save for the ever immortal Logic, opting for a complete set from their latest full-length offering As All Light Leaves Her. Catchy riffs still dwell in tracks such as The Agony Courses Through My Veins and As All Light Leaves Her but they stand in contrast to the lonely suffering of later tracks and show closer Absolute Perpetual Death.

It was a night for funerals as Perth stalwarts Malignant Monster (again arguably the best heavy local act going) announced that they were calling it quits during the week. The second-final curtain call was another inspiring performance from the dark lord Cain Cressall, living the role as a tortured soul on stage. Until It Withers blazed out with its chugging riff and soaring Jarrod Curley tremolos locking in with Lynton Cessford, Dave Sandstrom and Louis Rando to form an impossibly talented quintet. Human Nature Stained, Dust Beneath Her Wings and Back In The Icebox formed a razor sharp set.

In the vein of break-ups, the break-up and reformation phoenix At The Gates can be heralded as one of the great comeback stories of the global metal scene. Largely responsible for kicking off the Gothenberg melodic death movement, the overlords are touring to celebrate their shiny new full-length entitled At War With Reality. The crowd was ravenous to catch sight of an act they considered gone for so long and ATG did not disappoint, digging out some seriously deep cuts to accompany the new material.

Kicking off with a track off the new album, Death And The Labyrinth, At The Gates immediately reinforced the lifelong followers, following with crowd favourites Slaughter Of The Soul and Cold from the Slaughter Of The Soul album — one of the most important melodic death metal records of all time. At War With Reality proved a winner in the live setting with its frenetic energy setting the pit ablaze. Heavy chug sections unleashed more than a few windmills. Nausea and Suicide Nation were outstanding as the stupidly talented Bjorler twins clearly demonstrated why cloning would be so fucking fantastic. Blinded By Fear and the latest epic The Night Eternal rounded out a perfect set by the forefathers of modern metal.