The day warms up nicely with Chimaira, Hyro Da Hero, The Black Dahlia Murder, Shadows Fall and Hellyeah. Talented French deathmetalers Gojira really deserved to play to more people, the up side is that I can easily get a spot at the front and enjoy the show. The energy of the band has the small sea of black shirts and long hair thrashing about trying to keep up with drummer Mario Duplantier’s blast beats. His brother Joe stands tall and screams into his microphone, reminding me of Tom Araya.
Meshuggah take the stage and groove there way through a set full of favourites. “Bleed” is the final punch in the face as arms swing and push at the front and heads bang for as far as you can see. Jens Kidman’s voice cuts through the Melbourne wind with ease. His bald head swinging back and forth with every snare smash. Tomas Haake makes everything look easy as he punishes his drum kit, and diehard fans move in unison as each riff flows into the next. The crowd swells on each side and many more are enjoying it from the bleachers nursing the maximum four cans you can get at any one time at the bar. Just as it reaches the point where I have more of other people’s sweat on me than my own, “Bleed” finishes. The crowd lets out one hell of a scream and there is silence. I can’t believe it’s over.
Adding to the nu-metal feel of this years lineup is Coal Chamber. A lot of bands here this year have been around for a long time but this definitely feels like a reunion show. Dez Fafara looks tougher with his neck tattoo and sounds tougher since he’s been front man for Devildriver. They play their way through everything Australian fans have never had a chance to see before. Underoath are playing at the same time, and with a pretty relaxed crowd it is easy to move around as I try in vain to have the best of both worlds. The smaller stages make a nice break from the antics of the main stages. It feels more intimate and the band delivers a good warm up for the hardcore ahead.
People are starting to warm into their second and third rounds of drinks and the empty cans are starting to pile up underneath my feet. At the main bar I have Bush in one ear and In Flames in the other. Even from here I can see that In Flames are working the crowd up into a frenzy. The Swedes put on a show and their energy is infectious. Bodies are flying over the barrier and the circle pit continues to grow. I make my way back to the smaller stages for my hardcore fix with Biohazard. Hailing from Brooklyn and reformed without Evan Seinfeld, they kicked arse and by the time guitarist Billy Graziadei breaks into the opening riff of “Punishment” I’m badly in need of a drink. It was the most energetic crowd yet and definitely one of the highlights of the day so far.
Graziadei’s screams of ‘Punishment’ were followed by In This Moment from North Hollywood. Vocalist Maria Brink has a great attitude and easily draws your attention with her strong voice and flowing blond hair. With testosterone running rampant, it was nice to see women represented up on stage as she screams her heart out. I worked my way to the back of the crowd, people were hanging out anywhere they could to take a rest or have a cigarette. I stare at their Nando’s enviously as I dodge and weave my way through people headed from the bar.
Bad Religion are blasting from across the main bar area and the smoking area is full of smiles, smoke and Jim Beam cans. It’s a great day for punk rock too, with bands like Bad Religion,Unwritten Law and Strung Out, there is plenty to enjoy. From the top of the bleachers I watch Trivium’s Matt Heafy work his way up and down the neck of his Gibson in a master class as the band show their diversity and Heafy shows off his raw talent. The band have definitely matured with every album and Heafy is also a talented front man aside from his guitar work. He has an interesting stage presence and the band controls the stage like the seasoned festival pros they are. Bass player Paolo Gregoletto cuts a mean silhouette with his custom Warlock bass and rhythm guitarist Corey Beaulieu paces across the stage with as much energy as the kids in the pit.
Limp Bizkit are playing across the way and I recollect my thoughts and head across to check out the Fred Durst show. There’s plenty of hype in the air and it’s by far the biggest crowd so far today. Everyone’s packed shoulder to shoulder and it’s difficult to get a close look at Wes Borland who’s always dressed to impress. Durst is chanting about my generation as I head back down to catch Mastodon. I’ve had their new album The Hunter stuck in my head all week and couldn’t miss seeing Troy Sanders scream the hooks at me in person. Brent Hinds is always a pleasure to jump around in front of. His riffs are relentlessly good and you can’t help but get caught up in the moment.
I catch a glimpse of Marilyn Mason and get to hear “Dope Show” which keeps me happy. Australia has been a difficult place to tour for Manson throughout his career but if there’s one thing he can do it’s put on a show. I feel like watching the show unfold however Lamb of God are calling me and I make my way back down there as quick as I can. By the time I squeeze to the front, the crowd is already out of control.
Front man Randy Blythe and the boys from Virginia belt their way through twelve tracks, finishing with “Redneck” and “Black Label”. I can see why Lamb of God have so many dedicated followers. Their music is heavy and they put on one hell of a show. They’ve been doing it for a long time and this series of festivals is their first of a 24 month long world tour in support of their new album Resolution. New songs from the album, “The Number Six” and “The Undertow” go down well with the crowd and if you didn’t witness the wall of death, I’m sure you’ll find something on Youtube.
Having to manage yet another clash I manage to see Jamey Jasta scream ‘Perseverance’ and I take heed of his words and trudge back through the masses of people moving between stages to find Zakk Wylde. He’s a hard man to miss with his big frame, long locks and spiral painted ‘bulls-eye’ custom Gibson. He looks twice the size of anyone else who’s been on the same stage, the man definitely has a presence. This is reaffirmed when he grabs everyone’s attention by the throat with a guitar solo that needs to be seen to be believed.
The crowd has thinned out by now with Slipknot playing on the other side of the main bar. I arrive in time to hear Corey Taylor screaming about California and Marlon Brando’s eyes. “Siiiiiiiiiiick,” he screams as the crowd stomps along with drummer Joey Jordison’s double kick pedal work. There are people crammed in everywhere and thousands are singing along to every word. This is what festivals are about. Thousands of people forgetting about school or the worries of their day jobs and singing and dancing together.
Mind you, the singing may be more like screaming and the dancing more like throwing windmills but you get the point. Slipknot are an entertaining band live but I had secretly been waiting to see the stage antics of Watain. With the skyline getting dark the Swedish black metalers and their flaming inverted crosses looked pretty impressive, even from far away. Back on Stage One System Of A Down were seeing the night out with a ninety minute set of classic rock tunes.
Everybody in the crowd knew the words to at least one song and the sing-a-longs reached epic proportions. Serj Tankian seems a lot calmer since the days of Toxicity but the group still play songs like “Psycho”, “Suite-Pee” and “War” with endless energy. They finish the night with “Sugar” to the love of everyone who’s still left standing. On the other stages Raised Fist and Machine Head see the night out. Rob Flynn does what he does best and beats the crowd into submission with his fist raised in the air. It’s a sight I’ve seen a lot today, and with my ribs a little sore, feeling pretty hungry and my body pumped full of adrenaline I try to find the gates, get a tram home, and go listen to some more metal.
– Alastair McDonald
