MASTODON w/ SUMMONUS

Not everyone likes going to Wacken or Big Day Out or Falls Festival. That's where Sideshows are key. It's great to see your favourite band with just under a thousand punters in the house. Not AS much sweat and more intimate a show with your favourite artist.

Only one support act? Hell yes. Local Sydney quartet SUMMONUS certainly brought the heaviness, creating the perfect revv up for the headliners. Slow dirty doom sludge metal boasting absolute destruction of the senses. Reminiscent of early Sabbath and well known underground veterans of High On Fire. Vocalist Rod puts onlookers at ease cracking a beer, raising fists to the metal gods as he takes us all through a journey of no-nonsense brutality all the while bringing the pain. Absolutely no guitar wankery inserted with solos here and there from verse to verse.  Just the constant echoes. The coming of an ancient giant intent on swathing everything in its path. Plain and simple head banging, sure to break your neck.

Having missed every opportunity, I've waited way too long to see the almighty MASTODON live, bearded and uncut. The halls of the Roundhouse ring with the lyrics "I flew into the sun before it was time" as the thunderous assault of the might of 'Oblivion' brings the crowd alive like some sleeping beast.  Now there are plenty of bands out there who write epic albums which work in theory only within the walls of a studio, never living up to your expectations in a live arena.

So you came tonight expecting to lose out on your 60 bucks? Not going to happen here my friends.

As heavy as they are eclectic, MASTODON do more than deliver. They reach into the very bowels of your soul with their hardcore metal gone progressive gone metal gone progressive rock all over again, reaching a place in your heart that you never knew existed. Just when you thought you knew everything there was to love about music you hear that ringing solo of 'Quintessense' rip apart through your ears. You smile and you fall in love all over again.

Celebrating the release with a multitude of songs off of their (I don't know how many times it's gone) platinum album Crack The Skye. If you needed proof of them stepping into their shoes as the "new metal band to see this year" then that image of guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds adorning his double headed guitar should do. Atmospheric keyboards backing up the band as they exit briefly for a breather before returning to make us sweat even harder on this forty degree plus night.

Taking as much from their old catalogue with Relapse Records - you heard MASTODON tear apart all your favourites. Solidifying their hardcore sludge metal roots in the likes of 'Blood and Thunder' and cracking your skull over the head with slide riffage driven 'Mother Puncher' before an almighty encore of 'The March of the Fire Ants' to send us home, heads ringing and all.