There was a real air of anticipation as people started to pile into the Eaton Hills Hotel to see the mighty Mastodon in action on Sunday night (29 March).
Kicking off the night were local, progressive metal-heads, Caligula's Horse. The Brisbane five-piece are all incredibly proficient musicians.
Caligula's Horse - Image © Gemma TraynorGeoff Irish on drums and Dave Couper playing bass form an incredibly tight and in-sync rhythm section, never once missing a step. Zac Greensill certainly holds his own on guitar, but Sam Vallen's lead-guitar chops would outshine even the most accomplished musicians. Jim Grey completes the line-up, proving himself to be a great frontman with his soaring and powerful vocals.
Click here for more photos from the show.
Caligula's Horse are obviously Dream Theater fans, but this combined with their love of more technical breakdowns, they provide a solid, live show. It's not exactly groundbreaking, but it is exceptionally enjoyable and well performed.
Finally, the crowd get what they were waiting for as Mastodon take to the stage. They start strong with 'Tread Lightly', starting off with signature Mastodon grooves, evolving into an exploratory, psychedelic jam. There's barely enough time to enjoy the enthusiastic applause of the audience, before they launch into the title track from 'Once More 'Round The Sun'.
Mastodon - Image © Gemma TraynorThe pace the band set is consistent throughout the night, with instrument changes and tuning breaks being filled with atmospheric interludes created specially for their live show. The set list is heavily skewed towards their latest album, 'Once More 'Round The Sun', but this is by no means a bad thing. In fact, most of these songs sound more complete and come to life when they are being played live.
That said, they balance out their set with a great selection of songs from their older albums, including a rarity off their first album 'Remission' with the seldom played live 'Ol'e Nessie'. Fans of 'Blood Mountain' were also treated to hearing 'Bladecatcher', which seamlessly transitions between the extremely heavy and technical prog-inspired riffing.
Each member of the band is absolutely crucial to the entire sound of their music. Bill Kelliher effortlessly churns out technical, guitar riffs and also provides backing vocals when they're needed. Brann Dailor provides fast and furious drum beats; Brent Hinds lead-guitar wizardry shines throughout the entire night; while Troy Sanders' brings fantastically-smooth bass licks – with all three providing vocals throughout the night. None of these men are conventionally good singers, but what they do works incredibly well for their music. The vocals were impeccable, completely audible and flawlessly performed throughout the entire night.
Mastodon - Image © Gemma TraynorFor a set jam-packed with fantastic songs, it's hard to pick highlights. However, their rendition of 'Aunt Lisa' was utterly mindblowing, with the entire crowd in unison providing back-up vocals for the band screaming: “Hey! Ho! Let's fucking go! Hey! Ho! Let's get up and rock and roll!” The only time the crowd screamed louder was during their standard Moby Dick inspired closer, 'Blood And Thunder', with the entire venue echoing to the screams of: “White! Whale! Holy! Grail!”
As the music comes to an end and the band make their exit off-stage, the entire crowd chants in unison, “Mastodon” in appreciation of the undeniably brilliant show they have just seen. Brann steps out from behind the drum kit to say thank you to the audience for coming out and supporting their first ever headline tour of Australia.
Their genuine love and appreciation for their fans does not go unnoticed. Playing for well over an hour, this experience was more special than any festival slot the band could hope to fill. For someone who has seen a decent amount of live music over the years, there are very few artists that would even come close to how fantastic and exhilarating it was to see Mastodon perform.
