Ok, so we had another awesome gig in Lismore recently. I would go as far as saying it was the gig of the year and not just in the local scene but of any international gig I have been to so far! This claim is largely attributed to the amazing sound from the killer PA system Southern Discomfort Touring brought in just for the show. The bands did a pretty damn smashing job also.

First up we had Gold Coast hardcore outfit PROMISES. Having recently reviewed their new album "Evergreen" I was damn well blown away by their live performance. Each song they played was tight, professional and outright heavy. Maybe surprisingly for them the 70 strong crowd didn't start any hardcore type mosh pit but you could tell by the applause how much they were enjoying it! PROMISES blasted out a solid 8 song set list including "Lochview", "Signet", "Dead Kingdom" and "Like Dust". I caught up with front man Zac whose attitude towards the scene and touring was just as professional as his bands performance and being a young band, I wish them all the best and hope they can take it to the next level.

Second on the bill was local favorites HAMMERS - and I say favorites as I'm yet to hear a louder cheer from a Tatts Lismore audience! They got a lot of love tonight. One of the reasons for it was because of their guitarist Marc Ward. His performance was exceptional. The solos he belted out were intense, heavy, crafted pieces of art. HAMMERS are a four piece. The drummer drums, the guitarist slay, the bass player grooves and the singer sings. Having the one guitar player really lets the front man do what he is good at and interact with the crowd. Each member of HAMMERS performed like it was their last show and it sounded amazing. "Pocket Soup", "Hanging Tree" and "Speak of the Devil" were some of the songs we were treated to. HAMMERS are hard at work steadily building a fan base so watch this space!

Two down which leaves HELM. Now these guys are pretty calm dudes off stage but once they plug in they don't care if they are playing to 1 person or 30,000. They turn into monsters, musical monsters. Not limiting themselves just to metal they are very progressive until they reach their huge, heavy powerhouse sound. Once that happened everyone at the gig became one with HELM and head banged the house down! They played a killer set including songs: "Albatross", "Bermuda", "Taxidermist" (my fav) and "Great Escape". Having also extensively listened to their newest album "Panthalassa" I have to say I was amazed at how tight they played with all the good bits on time and in sync with exactly how the album sounds! I can understand why AJ Maddah called these guys up to Soundwave earlier in the year. HELM brought everything expected of them and beyond.

What was equally good to see were all the people who showed up wanting to have a great night. The mixture of quality bands with quality sound through the monster PA almost guaranteed it. This gig was so successful that you actually forgot you were in the backroom of a Lismore pub. It felt like a big production as it would at any entertainment center or arena. Wouldn't it be sensational if every local gig around the country could be like this? It is possible people. Time to show your support and let it be known that you care about your local heavy music scene!

*Contributed by our Australian partners, METAL ROOS