Tzun Tzu/ Double Dragon/ Carcass
Friday 10 October
HQ



Grindcore fans have certainly been given a treat this year - not only were we graced with the sublime presence of the malevolently vicious anti-social grind pioneers Napalm Death, we were also blessed with the recent unmissable opportunity to witness the twisted and sadistic gore-loving ferocity of a Carcass live show. Since the band's untimely demise over a decade ago, die-hard fans could only speculate through heated debates and internet forums as to whether the band would reform and once again tour, considering the fact that they never bothered to have a farewell tour, let alone a tour for the band's last album 'Swansong'. Thankfully the inevitable occurred, the band reforming, minus original drummer Ken Owen for medical reasons, Adelaide on the bill as part of a world tour and we were set for one hell of a night.

An unfortunate mishap resulted in me missing the first band Tzun Tzu. However, despite their relatively short set the overall crowd feedback for the band was positive. Consisting of members from Adelaide's popular black metal outfit Juggermath, they offered up some extreme metal combined with different electronic.

Next up was Double Dragon, now a well-known name in A-town. It seems as though Double Dragon are becoming the same old ball and chain for a shitload of international metal shows these days, and I'm starting to wonder whether we have nothing else to offer, or whether they know a lot of people... Having said that, the band had a good stage presence on the night and put up a good set, though I feel as though their metalcore influenced style just didn't fit well within the theme of the night.

Owning the stage for the night were the goregrind giants themselves. As Carcass pummelled the stage, opening with Impropagation, the somewhat docile crowd exploded into an electric frenzy, smiles painted across the faces of both young and old fans. Though vocalist Jeff Walker is starting to show the signs of his age, his vocals gallantly retained the intensity of the 'Necroticism' days. Hearing Buried Dreams live saw the 'Heartwork' fans satisfied but crowd favourites were of course Corporal Jigsore Quandry and Incarnated Solvent Abuse. The band's raw aggression and vehemence never dwindled at any point, replacement drummer Daniel Erlandsson from Arch Enemy putting up a flawless performance.

Surprisingly enough, the crowd response to Keep On Rotting In The Free World was one of elation; in spite of general negative attitude most have to the album 'Swansong' hearing the track live it is pretty catchy. No Love Lost and Heartwork were also crushing live tracks. The band's apathy towards their first two albums 'Reek Of Putrefecation' and 'Symphonies Of Sickness', was apparent in the set list, only a few of tracks from either making it in, so fans of their earlier material may have felt a little short-changed. However, I fail to see how any self-respecting fan couldn't have been blown away by the savage pre-eminence of the show; a truly awesome experience.

Brad Holland.