OUR LAST ENEMY with Dawn Heist and Recoil

Nearing the completion of an extensive national tour in support of their long-awaited, debut album release, Fallen Empires, industrial metallers OUR LAST ENEMY have rightly become one of the leading metal bands in Sydney. Having seen the quintet live on a multitude of occasions prior to their Sydney album launch, this night wholly blew me away, and if you believe that they had a lot to offer before, you must see them now - this band is a force throwing normality into absolute chaos.

Beginning the night was Sydney based outfit Recoil. From their opening riff, the quartet captured the attention of a slowly increasing crowd within the venue. This is a band that can only be described as straight up metal - capturing brutality and sheer force within their music that ceases to shatter during their set. Tearing through tracks from their debut album The Will To Sin, Recoil’s offerings of "Road To Nowhere" with guests appearance from Stevie Knight of The Dead Love, through to "This Winter", highlighted the candid advance of their music. Finishing their set with "Suicide Trip", it was interesting to see that these guys were opening the bill - as at this point, Recoil should be headlining their own shows.

Following a dreary intermission, another Sydney band hit the stage. Coming under the moniker of Dawn Heist, I began to question why such hard hitting bands are playing the tuna can that is the SFX band room. With an overt increase in punters - the energy on stage was building, translating to a room that was ready for the brutality coming toward them in forms of crushing guitar work, coupled with intense undertones of a rhythm section that can only impress. Dawn Heist is a strong outfit that will continue to grow and destroy venues – makes sure to catch them live.

As Dawn Heist wrapped up their set, the protracted wait for headliners Our Last Enemy began… and continued, on and on. As the room packed itself to the rim, the blood began to splatter across the plastic sheet hanging between the stage and the audience. The aesthetic created was reminiscent to that of a B-grade movie scene set in a morgue – smoke blinding the way, and lingering shadows dancing before you in the near distance; as a sole figure waits, tranquil, and finally creeping closer as the plastic is slowly torn open to reveal… Oliver Fogwell, rather than a maniac wielding a knife or chainsaw waiting to rip your guts out.

And so it began - a ride of insanity known as Our Last Enemy’s live show. The blood and the smoke, the attitudes and the fervor on stage were remarkable. As they erupt they duly become another entity. Playing live whilst stuck in what seems to be their own world, as they invite you into their personal darkness.

From "Decoy", to "Don’t Look Now", the talent of this band is palpable. With new additions to the outfit featuring guitarist Bizz and Craig Byrnes on keys and samples, their music has taken a tighter turn with intricacies not heard before, and a stage show that takes Our Last Enemy to a new intensity.

The stage presence of Our Last Enemy is beyond dominant, their proficiency live is on an international level, begging the question as to why they are not playing bigger shows to bigger crowds.

It is always mesmerizing seeing the emotion and talent produced from vocalist Oliver Fogwell whose strength is hard to avoid as these defiled creatures, rounded off by bass guitarist Matt Heywood and drummer Jeff Ritchie, tear through each song with consistent endurance and dexterity.

Track after track is coupled with shock and awe, as this creature feature show stomps through a set that flies by and is closed with "10 000 Headless Horses", leaving a sweat laden crowd wanting more. Our Last Enemy delivered an immense show – underlining that they are too big for this stage. What they brought forth tonight, makes one wonder as to what level they will take their live set when headlining bigger venues, which must come soon – as they are now firmly planted in the “why are they not huge yet?” category.