It was a warm spring evening when I descended upon the Basement in Canberra for the first Metal-Roos nation-wide Metal United Down Under show. Being a patron of the Basement for over 7 years, it was excellent to see the new changes to the venue, both acoustic & aesthetic. They really have spruced the place up beyond expectation. Ordering my beverage from the very friendly staff, I settled down at the bar to take in the changes & get ready to check out the show. Onto the bands!

The first band to take the stage was local punk-metal afficianados, COCKBELCH. Wearing their own brand of tongue-in-cheek corpsepaint, dubbed 'cockpaint', the guys dug in & started belching out their excellent tunes. Somewhere between crusty, garage-driven punk & an older, hardcore metal sound, these guys prove to be very entertaining. They even squeezed in a new track (or two?) with definite 'heavy metal' overtones especially for this show. They blasted through their set, entertaining both crowd & band members equally.
 

Following them was Sydney's DRILLSAW, who put on a great set of classic death metal. Some technicality mixed with straight-forward 'let's kill' attitude, they did a great job of showing off their skills as both individual musicians & performers, the band put on a stellar set. Very pleasing, and it was great to see their new vocalist, David Hart (psycho-frontman for Sydney's KUNVUK) leaping around the new stage set up like a hyena on steroids, settling into his new role with gusto.
 

Then it was time for young Canberra locals BEAST IMPALOR to take the stage. A very tight & entertaining set was to follow, mixing Black Metal with an almost 'carnival' edge to their sound & stage presence, it was great to see a young band eating it up & chewing it straight back out. The overall virtuosity of the band shined through, though not bogging down their ability to just get out there & rock the house.
 

Following them was another local band, CHUD. After seeing the band many years ago with a different line-up, I wasn't too sure what to expect. Then I was completely blown away. I wasn't too sure if Satan himself or Jesus reincarnate was before my eyes. Halfway between MESHUGGAH-styled riffing, a SEX PISTOLS-esque attitude and some unnameable, almost middle-eastern sound, these guys strode about the stage like hungry vikings & laid out a stunning, blistering & very impressive set. They truly have raised the bar for local bands (and in my humble opinion, even some international acts could learn a bit from these guys) in terms of performance, stage show & overall musicianship. More of a legend, less of a myth. Definitely not to be missed, these guys exceed expectations & remind me of what Heavy Metal bands used to be in Australia. Plus, I must say, I've never seen anyone belt out some of the biggest vocals I've ever heard, play a giant 8 string guitar (with a machete) & 'chop' out a fire on their amplifier (with a machete). All at once. Fuck me. What the Sam-Hell-Fuck!
 

Proceeding the onslaught of CHUD, was Melbournian band, BRICKS. Very heavy & pummeling, Bricks hand out their brand of 90's styled, SEPULTURA-ish business with abandon and live up to their name quite well. Jumping about the stage, cavorting like rabid punks, Bricks truly delivered an excellent end to the night.
 

Make sure you catch all of these bands when the chance arises, as I found them all to be equally very entertaining. Overall, the night was well organised & ran smoothly with very little 'dead airtime' between bands. The crowd was good, with about a hundred paying punters in the venue then the band members on top, the night turned out to be quite an excellent evening. There was a great energy in the crowd & between all the bands. I would have to say this night was indeed a roaring success & hopefully the first of many Metal United Down Under shows to come.

Great sound, great crowd, great venue & awesome bands. Kudos to all those involved with getting this together, awesome job!!
Well fucking done. m/

*Contributed by our Australian partners METAL-ROOS

Photography: Decade Three Photography (Beast Impalor Photos), Regis the Black from Reign Of Alcohol