Bloodline Festival 2011

22 – 23 October

Shed 5, Gold Coast

Review by Rick Daly

Photos by Brendon Yeo

Editor's note: The Bloodline Festival was held over two days on the Gold Coast. The event showcased a bevy of local talent incorporating a stack of hard rock, hardcore, deathcore and metal bands. There was no designated headliner for the festival and the promoter, Maria Bloodline, took no profits from the event with all money going back to the bands on the bill.  A stack of people including Sludge Factory donated their services by way of advertising, filming, photography, interviews, reviews, banner and poster design, t-shirts and lanyards.

Day One

Bands featured:

Icarus Complex, Death To The Witness, This City Ignites, Datura Curse, Erase The Thought, Hand Of The Architect, Nightmares, Ignite The Chamber, Rampage, Sausage Chopper, Cilikis Progressio Project, Trinatyde.

Day Two

Bands featured:

Demoniker, Sending Artax, Azreal, Kyzer Soze, Torn Asunder, As We Stand, Burn With Me. 
Bloodline Festival: 19 bands over 2 days, B.Y.O venue. Some die hard metal fans, watching SAUSAGE CHOPPER smash up computers and make an absolute mess. Priceless!! But they weren't the only ones tearing shit up that weekend.

Day One

First up was TRINATYDE. Having the first slot, the crowd was a little bare, but they did have some little kids with earmuffs on getting amongst it! They begin with a long intro before ripping into a punk/hardcore set. Their vocal style was scream to harmonic with a second vocalist adding a more aggressive touch. TRINATYDE was also the first of many bands to voice their disgust towards the Gold Coast City Council, whom is trying to shut down Shed 5. It was great to see so much support for the Shed 5 boys.

CILIKIS PROGRESSIO PROJECT, is a three-piece instrumental group that a played wide variety of styles, all of which featured epic shredding. There was no moshing but everyone that was there stood and watched every second in awe. Many people talked of them long after they were finished.

With caution tape set up across the stage, computer hard drives, pipe tubes, an ironing board, street signs, boxes and a sack of shredded paper, it became very clear what SAUSAGE CHOPPER was about to unleash. The band rips into the first song and the vocalist suddenly sprints on to the stage. He lifts a hard drive above his head and smashes it into the concrete floor. He then proceeds to smash and throw everything he can get his hands on while screaming his lungs out. The band themselves were ripping some awesome riffs that were a filthy punk/thrash style. Even without the props, SAUSAGE CHOPPER would kick ass! It became apparent that the promoter and venue manager weren't impressed with the mess and their set was cut a little short. But everyone pitched in with cleaning up (except S-C!!).

It was then the turn for RAMPAGE. The five-piece death metal/core group cranked into a high energy set. Heavy chunky riffs, trudgeoningly slow breakdowns with deep distorted vocals, their fans got pretty savage, some screaming lyrics. They were a band filled with rage and destruction. Their name, RAMPAGE fits them well!

IGNITE THE CHAMBER, also another five-piece metalcore outfit savaged a very heavy set with great riff structure. With plenty of double kick drumming and scream/deep vocal approach, they looked a bit nervous on stage but let their music do the talking. I was also really impressed with some of the slow dirty chugging riffs that you couldn't help but move your head to.

The sixth band to hit the stage was NIGHTMARES and I'm sure these guys have Red Bull pumping through their veins. Right from the start they threw everything at the audience with unrelenting fashion. Also belonging to the 'core' genre but with a faster tempo than previous bands. A high scream dominated most of the vocals with occasional deep grunts. Their music demands brutal moshing and that's what they got.

A replacement band HAND OF THE ARCHITECT took the stage, and as if I was living Groundhog Day, they were another five piece metalcore band! This genre is well and truly alive on the Gold Coast. The vocal style had more of a harmonic to scream approach. They were perhaps a little rusty than previous bands, but still played a great set with a lot of jumping around and guitar swinging.

I've seen ERASE THE THOUGHT plenty of times but I've never been as happy to see them as this time. Their progressive metal blend was a pleasant change of genre and this was the best performance I've seen from them. It was a lot heavier with more screaming and less of the harmonic vocals than usual. I love the drumming from this band. It's always in sync with the riffs and that really gets their fans going.

By this point, the atmosphere at Bloodline Festival was getting crazy and DATURA CURSE fed the fire. The metalcore outfit savaged out a killer set with clean scream vocals. With talented guitar solos and build-ups, the vocalist spent some time in the pit while still smashing out the lyrics. They showed a lot of diversity playing some fast thrash riffs to awesome rolling groove riff and they have an ability to bridge genres and appeal to any type of fan.
Four piece outfit THIS CITY IGNITES cranked out a brutal set. For me, they sounded like an original hardcore band similar to that of HATEBREED. The vocals were aggressive with brutal breakdowns into heavy chunky riffs and windmill moshing. To me, this is what old school hardcore is all about. Between songs there was plenty of banter from the band to the crowd inciting them to get more savage and more support shown to the Shed 5 crew.

The eleventh band of the day, DEATH TO THE WITNESS is another five-piece metalcore band, but these guys were epic. The screaming vocals were very clear and understandable. There were huge breakdowns aplenty, a wide range of tempos with riffs to match and an unrelenting energy on stage. There were a few people that were worse for wear after going through the DEATH TO THE WITNESS concrete mixer pit.

Last band up is ICARUS COMPLEX who throw at us some sadistic death metal. Vocals are a mid pitch scream with occasional deep backing. Backed up with riffs of all different tempos and blast beats, the vocalist is a big shaven head man who demands brutality. Occasional breakdowns brought out the heaviest moshing of the day. The last song finished up with a long solo that was a very fitting end to their set. The four piece band is definitely a band I'll be making an effort to see again. Thus brings the conclusion of day one and creates a few wrecked people!

Day Two

There's a few people looking hung over that return for day two. I was one of them, but as soon as BURN WITH ME ripped into their set it was smiles on everyone's faces and it was back to the music. The young five piece group had a very clean cut image. I was very surprised when they took the stage and a smashed into a heavy metalcore set. On stage, they were kicking the air, stomping in time together to heavy breakdowns. The vocals were delivered with a high scream and filled with emotion. They have an EP coming out soon, so watch this space.

TORN ASUNDER was another old school styled hardcore band that connected with the audience straight away. The front man of this band is quite a character, providing plenty of funny banter between songs. The music itself was pretty sick, displaying instrumentals, fast riffs and rapid changes in tempo. The vocal range was impressive too, with harmonies, high and deep. They also played a BLINK 182 cover but played it way faster and added their own twist to it. I'm not a BLINK 182 fan but loved TORN ASUNDER's version.

Next up was AS WE STAND; another very young metalcore band from Byron Bay, I presume, hoping to follow in the foot steps of PARKWAY DRIVE. Their set was just as awesome as any of the more experienced metalcore bands that played the previous day. They had all the breakdowns, hooks and energy that is the metalcore movement that's currently dominating new Gold Coast bands.

Smoke fills the stage led by a quiet pause, then boom! KYZER SOZE smash straight into it. No intro or bullshit, just flat the fuck out. Their music is a blend thrash/death and at times black metal. They have a main front man leading the vocals with a second guitarist providing backing. The riffs were flat out. The drummer looked like he was having a seizure as his arms were moving that quickly. They reminded me of Phil Anselmo's project band, SUPERJOINT RITUAL. For me they were the best new band I discovered at Bloodline.

The bearded crew (except drummer) that is AZREAL tore the Gold Coast a new one with their savage as fuck groove/thrash metal. We were treated with a new song titled Better Than Dead, which I loved and got my headbang on. Also, they played their cover of SEPULTURA's Refuse/Resist, which everyone got into but not as much as a 4 year old named Chaos. It was sick to see a kid that age embracing metal. They also played a Johnny Cash cover with a metal twist. They have been recording of late, so look out for some new material soon.
 
Gold Coast campaigners SENDING ARTAX played the second last slot of the festival with their usual high intensity. Whatever the vocalist is on I want some. That guy always gives 120%. He's never still. With veins sticking out of his neck and screaming his lungs out, Within The Evil Lies was played, which is always a crowd favourite. A guest vocalist joined for the last song providing backing and they too have a fourth coming album.

DEMONIKER: no words will do them the justice they deserve. Their set is an experience that can only be felt live. The nine-member band uses all sorts of instruments including an electric fiddle, didgeridoo, bongo drums as well as guitars and percussion drums. Also, there is someone on a laptop providing samples and an exotic dancer. A projector provides trippy imagery on the walls. It all adds to the effect giving it a spiritual feeling. There was also fire breathing and swallowing. Their set is a whole show with no down time. Even the introduction to songs was part of the performance. A lot of the lyrics were sexually motivated so it went well with the dancer! If DEMONIKER hit your town I would highly recommend the experience.

Well that wraps it up. Maria Bloodline deserves a big high five for hard work in organising this event of which all profits went to the bands and Shed 5 for putting up with us and YOU the fans for doing your bit to support underground metal.

Click these links for all the photos:

http://www.sludgefactory.com.au/gallery-bloodline-festival-day-two-shed-5-gold-coast-23-october-2011

http://www.sludgefactory.com.au/gallery-bloodline-festival-day-one-shed-5-gold-coast-22-october-2011

Bloodline Festival thanks the following people for supporting the event.

Rock Star Promotions - Advertising

http://www.facebook.com/rockstarpromotionsaus

Blackout mag - Advertising
http://www.facebook.com/weareblackoutmag

Underground Sounds - Filming
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Underground-Sounds/331287949496

Amanda Brenchley Photography - Photography
http://www.facebook.com/abrenchleyphotography

Sludge Factory - Advertising, Interviews and Reviews
http://www.facebook.com/sludgefactory.com.au

Dark Zen Design - Poster and Banner Design
http://www.facebook.com/darkzendesign

RW Promotions - Poster, Flyer and Band Pass Printing
http://www.facebook.com/pages/RW-Promotion/229935113705745

Print n Wear Clothing Company - T-shirts
http://www.printnwear.com.au/

Loud Online Magazine - Advertising
http://www.facebook.com/loudonline

PR Design - Lanyards
http://www.pr.com.au/