In the months between Ne Obliviscaris’ last Australian tour as a part of this year’s Soundwave line-up, things have certainly picked up for the Melbourne-based band.
They've toured in 19 countries throughout Europe and played to thousands of rabid fans at some of the world’s biggest metal festivals. But the time has come for them to ‘Return To The Citadel’, and the local fanbase they have spent years cultivating couldn’t be happier to welcome them home.
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Despite being a somewhat curious choice to be Ne Obliviscaris’ nationwide, opening act, 23-year-old guitar virtuoso Plini managed to successfully woo the hardened, metal-hungry masses with his blissfully dreamy and introspective compositions.
Plini - Image © Jordan BirdJoined by members of The Helix Nebula as his backing band, they put on an unbelievably tight performance of astonishing musicianship covering tracks from each of his three EPs.
Each instrument was given its own space to shine within the songs, whether it be Plini’s stunning displays of dexterity or one of drummer Troy Wright’s astonishing drum fills (during which the entire band would often gather around the drum kit, themselves seemingly in awe). The songs, despite being filled with fluctuating time signatures and technical musicianship, retained an organic, soulful quality that makes Plini’s brand of progressive rock so unique.
Between thoroughly impressing the audience with his jazzy, technically demanding songs, Plini charmed the crowd with his dry humour, such as retitling their final song of the evening as ‘Spewin’ after the reaction of one particularly disappointed punter.
Plini - Image © Jordan BirdPlini also took the time to announce his sincere fondness for Adelaide crowds, truly humbled by their enthusiastic response and proclaiming Adelaide as one of his favourite places to play. It was quite astounding to see just how well received Plini was in spite of the stark differences between both acts; and he surely walked away with a raft of new and well-deserved fans.
From the moment Ne Obliviscaris took the stage, it was hard to draw your attention away from duel vocalists Tim Charles and Xenoyr, who both possessed an impressive stage presence, though for entirely different reasons.
Ne Obliviscaris - Image © Jordan BirdWhen not enchanting the audience with his astonishing violin skills and beautifully ethereal vocals on tracks such as ‘As Icicles Fall’, Charles bounded around the stage with a boisterous energy, amping up the crowd, often with an enormous grin plastered over his face.
Xenoyr, however, held court over the audience with his fiercely dark energy, his gaunt, pale face and skeletal frame gave him an otherworldly presence, and the shrieks and bellows emanating from somewhere behind his cascading black hair could well have been from some creature from the depths of hell.
These two contrasting frontmen also provided the perfect visual representation of their music, their songs morphing over their expansive duration from extreme, soul-crushing black metal, to spacious folk and flamenco-inspired passages, such as during their grand performance of ‘And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope’.
The duality of their music is what makes Ne Obliviscaris’ songs so exceedingly interesting, for every moment of gorgeous violin and wandering basslines there is lightning-fast riffing and blast beats waiting around the corner, ready to shatter these illusions of peace.
Ne Obliviscaris - Image © Jordan BirdIt is unfortunate then that one of Ne Obliviscaris’ more unique elements, Charles’ violin, found itself buried among the musical cacophony that the other five members managed to conjure. While it was perfectly audible during some of the quieter, more sombre moments of the set, its subtleties were lost when the entire band was in full swing, such as during the devastating ‘Pyrrhic’.
This did not appear to dampen the audience's enjoyment however, as they fed off of the band’s highly energetic performance and seemed more than willing to inflict permanent neck injuries on themselves while attempting to headbang in time with guitarists Matt Klavins and Benjamin Baret’s light-speed riffs.
Ne Obliviscaris - Image © Jordan BirdOf particular note is the incredible skill of bassist Cygnus, who has seemed to have mastered every conceivable style of playing in order to best suit the needs of each individual song – from complex, winding, progressive passages, to finger=tapping solos, Cygnus drew roars of approval from the audience.
Due to the sheer length of Ne Obliviscaris’ songs (often clocking in at well over 12 minutes per song) their set seemed to end as soon as it began, despite clocking in at over 90 minutes.
Ne Obliviscaris - Image © Jordan BirdNe Obliviscaris’ recent worldwide tour in support of Cradle Of Filth saw them garner almost universal praise from critics, with some even suggesting they came close to topping their well-established tour mates. After witnessing their performance it was hard not to agree with them.
Ne Obliviscaris is arguably Australia’s most high-profile metal export right now, and should they continue down their path of intense, live performances and incredible, genre-defying albums, it is only a matter of time before their name is on the tongues of metal fans worldwide.
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