*Photography: Chalice of BloodIt would seem that New Zealand is being blessed of late with promoters stepping up to bring a massive increase in "big name" international acts down here, and due to venue choices and the somewhat niche market of extreme metal - we end up with more intimate versions of performances than other countries may experience - more often than not chances are you're going to end up sharing a beer and some stories with the acts before they hit the stage, sometimes without even realising it.
Such it was at Auckland's King's Arms Tavern on Saturday - a little over a week since UK legends Carcass and Napalm Death rolled thru town, US based Suffocation and Poland's Decapitated brought forth their own aftershock ending a 3 day jaunt across the country.
Following the release of their highly anticipated album "The Tides of Damocles" - Auckland's own DAWN OF AZAZEL opened the evening. now operating as a four piece with 8 FOOT SATIVA's Nik Davies joining the ranks as second guitarist. The result? Much like a good shampoo - you end up with fuller bodied experience in both sound and stage presence - I can't quite put my finger on it to say exactly what feels different - only that it was noticeable, and very much welcomed.
After a relatively short set from Dawn, DECAPITATED hit the stage with what sounded like an 80s industrial synthpop act starting up - it was a bizarre choice but soon enough we move on to deliver over an hours worth of non-stop carnage.
Oh yes - there was carnage, not only an aural assault from DECAPITATED but the mosh pit was once again in full force (and to the the guy dressed like a lumberjack - thanks for instigating most of the frenzy) with flailing limbs and high projectile bodies - not somewhere I normally like to be for a gig these days, let alone being deep in the throng with camera gear!
DECAPITATED delivered a both brutal, and surprisingly melodic groove laden death metal assault, whilst I was fully expecting this from many an album listen - it was something I wasn't quite expecting it to come across so clearly in a live setting - this alone is a testament to both the sound of The Kings Arms ( whose resident sound tech never fails ) and the band's flawless live act, combining this with vocalist Rafał Piotrowski's boundless energy for an enjoyable act to not only listen to, but to watch; and for someone whose long over moshing, this was a win!
Headliners for the night - SUFFOCATION hit the stage after a reasonably quick change over period (by leaving a mostly set up drum kit in the courtyard helped with this, and surprisingly didn't really get in the way) and never ceased to let the crowd draw breath - for almost the next hour the crowd were well schooled in the ways of relentless death metal.
I may be the only one - but for some reason I find death metal somewhat soothing and relaxing, it's a white noise that lets my mind drift away from thoughts clamoring for attention, after getting a few quality photos I fled the pit and found a seat side of stage, and somehow closed my eyes and just let the music wash over me before returning to the side of the pit to watch the remainder of the show.
