CONCERT REVIEW: Mayhem 30th Anniversary Australian Tour with Watain (Venue: The Factory Theatre, Saturday 11/01/2014) by Collin Brophy

Tonight was the night that true metal fans were waiting for.  Not only did Sydney get a fantastic international metal band in Mayhem (Norway), but the amazing Watain (Sweden) as well.  Included in this brilliant line up was support band Nocturnal Graves (Australia) who were privileged to join in on this once in a life time gig.

When I arrived at the Theatre Factory, there were quite a few fans already lined up out the front of the Factory Theatre.  By the time I got in, the place was packed. Everyone I spoke to in the courtyard said that they were looking forward to tonight’s gig. It was a very warm summer’s night and the cold beer was flowing, as was all the talk about tonight’s gig. The atmosphere in the courtyard was buzzing, so I couldn’t wait until the gig actually started.

From what I was told, before the gig had started, was that the gig was a fully sold out.  Not bad, when you consider that there were couple of other gigs on tonight close by.

The support band for Mayhem and Watain was Nocturnal Graves. NG are 4 Aussie guys from Victoria who played a very tight, intense and evil brand of Death Thrash metal.

It was the first time I have seen these guys and from the outset they didn’t disappoint.  With former members from Impious Baptism, Ex-Destroyer 666 and Denouncement Pyre, these guys sure know how to put on one hell of a show, with tracks from their old and new material.

The set list was, 1. When the Demons Feast, 2.Promethean War, 3. Ascension Through, 4. Lucifer's Might, 5. Nocturnal Maniac, 6. Iron Command, 6. The Great, 7. Adversary, 8. ...From The Bloodline Of Cain.

I can’t wait to see these guys live again, and from what the majority of the crowd said, they can’t either.

The wait for Watain was intense.  The room was so full, easy around 800 plus fans poured into the Factory Theatre to watch what was going to be a gig of a life time. The chant for Watain was so loud, you could hardly hear their intro.

The front of the stage had 2 huge upside down crosses, with flames flickering out at the top which created a stage presence that demanded your attention. Watain put on one of the most energised gigs I have seen in a long time.

During Satans Blood, the guy in front of me coped a face and head full of fake blood, which was flicked around on all of those who were in reach. The crowd went completely crazy for the whole set.

Watain was one of the hardest gigs to photograph, mainly due to being thrown around in the middle of the pit with the other metal heads.

The set list for Watain was 1. Nightvision, 2. De Profundis, 3. Malfeitor, 4.Devils Blood, 5. Storm Of The Antichrist, 6. Sleepless Evil, 7. Reaping Death, 8. Outlaw, 9. Holocaust Dawn, 10. Sworn To The Dark, 11. On Horns Impaled. It took the crowd a while to disperse after Watain's set, due to people chanting an encore, which sadly never happened.

All the fans were so pumped.  I’m sure the fans that attended won’t be able to wait for Watain to return to the “Land Down Under”.

The anticipation for what was about to be an awesome end to the night was so intense that the crowd were chanting for Mayhem before they were even ready to get on the stage. From the opening song Pagans Fear, the crowd erupted into chaos.  There were bodies all over the place, some made it onto the stage and dived back into the crowd.  One guy missed and went down face first.  He was quickly picked up, laughing with raised devil horns and was back up moshing and having fun.

For the entire set the crowd was going insane and absolutely crazy. Attila dressed in his usual outfit, with a black painted upside down cross on his face while singing to a skull, and towards the end of the set he got changed into his priest robe and hangman’s noose.  Mayhem didn’t disappoint. They put on one of the best gigs around.  At some stages throughout the gig, it was hard to hear the music over the crowd’s excitement.

The funniest moment of the night was when a young female got on stage and went up and kissed all members of the band on the side of their face, and I’m sure she offered something else to one of them. At one stage she was about to leave when she turned and walked up to Attila and when she got near him, he grab her by the scruff of the neck, picked her up and threw her back into the pit, leaving the whole crowd laughing.  She dusted herself off with a big smile on her face and got back into moshing.

After what was one insane gig, the guys even did an encore, which echoed what was going on inside the factory tonight, which was “Pure F##king Armageddon”. Mayhem’s set list as follows, 1. Pagans Fear, 2. Buried By Time and Dust, 3. Deathcrush, 4. Ancient Skin, 5. My Death, 6. Time To Die, 7. Illuminate, 8. Symbols Of Blodsword, 9. Freezing Moon, 10. Carnage, 11. Piano Intro, 12. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, 13. Funeral Fog, 14. Pure F##king Armageddon.

I’ve seen Mayhem a few times now, but each time they get better and better and this gig was no exception.  Mayhem really know how to get the crowd going.  If you haven’t had the opportunity to see these guys, do yourself a favour and grab a ticket next time they come around.  I can’t wait to see these guys again … they never disappoint!

Published by Collin Brophy