DEVOLVED TECHNOLOGIES W/ Widow The Sea, Ignite the Ibex & Nobody Knew They Were Robots - Sydney

Nobody Knew They Were Robots opened the night and although I only caught the second half of their set, I liked what I heard. They took a whole new meaning to stage banter, with front man Clayton Segelov showing off his newly acquired pinch harmonic skill to the crowd, which only really seemed a method to purposely waste time. Their stage antics didn't really impress me, but it was good for a laugh at least.

Ignite the Ibex were my highlight for the supports this evening. Their sound was very heavily Meshuggah influenced, and very well executed live, with guitarists Nick Pupovac and Ben Dubarry even playing 8 string guitars like the Swedish masters. This is definitely a band that any fan of Meshuggah should give a listen, and certainly see if the opportunity presents itself. This quintet delivered a crushing set of down-tuned chaos. This marks the best Sydney band I've seen in a while.

Widow The Sea of Brisbane was up next and despite their heavy, fast and aggressive songs, they didn't quite click with me. To me they sounded just like any other melodic death band out there, which was slightly disappointing, but it seemed the crowd did not agree with my opinions. This is a band that could go very far in the genre, which seems more popular with each year. Their sound and stage presence would certainly rival any international melodeath band.

After some 6 years away from the Australian stage since the band moved to America, a Devolved tour back on Aussie shores must have seemed like an impossibility to the old school fans. And you could tell who those fans were as the band emerged from the sides of the stage.

Consisting of the original line-up of members and Todd Hanson of The Berzerker on drums, this was a crushing set of death metal to be sure. They performed a range of songs from both albums, Technologies and Calculated, though the show focused more heavily on the former album.

They played so well that you would not pick that they hadn't played together with this lineup in so long, and this was probably a show that will never be repeated. For that, I am glad to have been there to see this.

The crowd was pretty weak for this show, but those who went made up for it. The true fans up the front made the most of the evening, spending most of the time on the floor, from running into each other while yelling the lyrics and spilling beer, as the rest of us laughed at them and enjoyed the band's performance. And this was an excellent live show, including some guest appearances from Widowed The Sea for a couple of songs including their powerful (energising, even) performance of Metallica's 'Battery'.

For what was essentially a tribute band to themselves, Devolved Technologies delivered their set perfectly, and the sound of the Gaelic Theatre complimented them wholly. Anyone who didn't turn up this evening missed out on one awesome show. Devolved is still an active band in America with a new album released in May, and they're certainly a band worth checking out for those who have yet to do so.