Monolith Festival has returned in 2024. To my utmost glee, Brisbane is the first stop on the tour and it's a sold-out show to boot!
Staged at The Fortitude Music Hall (2 November), this instalment brings much loved prog rockers Coheed and Cambria to our shores again. It's been a long time coming.Maybe it's a peace offering to patient fans that their set will comprise their Neverender tour concept; that's right, we get the monster fan favourite, their third studio album, 'Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness' played in its entirety.
Joining the line-up are djent favourites Periphery and Norwegian prog metallers, heavy rockers Leprous. The name itself conjures up feelings of something just as dark and gruesome as a Norwegian troll, but is way more abstruse and exciting. Even more bang for your buck with Intervals from Canada and Novelists from France also on the bill.
Hats off to Australia's own up and comers, Silver Fang. This Melbourne crew have the special task of opening the festival tour. I'm seeing them live for the first time and super excited for it.
Silver Fang - image © Clea-marie Thorne
When Silver Fang's frontwoman Stephanie Jessica Rose appears before the gathering crowd, she immediately dominates the stage while enchanting the audience. As the band progresses through their set list, we see how she can be vocally brutal behind the mic as well as ethereal.
It's amazing how Jessica goes from the extremes of otherworldly realms (eerie gothic and haunting airy tones) to tearing up her throat with bombastic hollow, almost demonic roars only to then let her voice soar like a metal siren.
Behind her, the band is full of ripping riffage and melodies and the electronicore elements that are suppurating an ambiance and adding depth to their diverse-sounding songs. We're getting a taste of their live action and it's creating the right mood for the night ahead. Thanks Monolith for introducing me to my latest musical intrigue and come on back to Brissie soon, Silver Fang.
Next, breaking their Brisbane cherry, are Novelists. This five piece takes no time to show us why they've evolved to be as popular as they are, although it's hard to see them at times.
Novelists - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Moody lighting isn't really the right word, but it's the music we are here for. Their relatively new vocalist, Camille Contreras, has the chops for her new job alright. However, she need not keep apologising so sweetly for technical issues with their samples or backing tracks.
It's live. . . we get it, and with a band behind her that work like a well-oiled machine, man those champions keep the music sounding ace in our ears and don't miss a beat while keeping the sound thundering. Just sing to us some more Contreras!
After a dash for some food, I return to see the stage is set for Intervals. Oh, and that gathering crowd is now a stacked one. Like me, punters are keen to take in some live Intervals. I didn't see them in 2016 and I don't know if they've been back to Brisbane since.
As they get on with their set, I am taken aback. Until now I've been content with Intervals as part of my recorded music collection but right now, this very minute, that has all been spoilt. Intervals LIVE is so much more.
Songwriter and guitarist Aaron Marshall is showing us the money and so is his touring band, Nathan Bulla (drums), Jacob Umansky (bass) and Travis LeVrier (guitar). Collectively, they dish up an unrelenting set of what an avid fan of Marshall's tells me is a selection of some of his finest instrumentals (not forgetting vocals did make an appearance in the maestro's creative space for a stint) that fanboy tells me is about an hour too short!
Intervals - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Ending this short, live love affair is aptly chosen, a live debut, 'Circuit Bender'; and as the last taste of its delicious vibrations hit my ears, I have but one word for this set – brilliant!
After the break, more prog metal and rock comes to us in spades from Leprous. Starting out with 'Silently Walking Alone' leads the likes of 'The Price', 'Out Of Here' and 'Like A Sunken Ship'. We lap up the dark, crushing riffs underneath harrowing keys that keep coming at us.
Those immense expressive vocals of Einar Solberg are damn fine, combined with lilting keys and major guitar chops flaunted by Oddmund Suhrke and the tight bottom end Leprous is deadset causing a collective rapture. The crowd looks enchanted by the infectious Leprous (oh yes I did).
More of their heavy juicy treats come in sonic flavours of 'Below', 'From The Flame', 'Slave' and 'Atonement', with maybe a touch of 'The Red Sky' fitting for the sunset that has been and gone beyond the venue walls.
Leprous - image © Clea-marie Thorne
With the stage backdrop, Periphery give a nod to an iconic Aussie food staple, in true ocker style. A giant jar of Vegemite is bastardised by giving it a Periphery makeover. Onya lads! The sight gets a laugh from punters that ripples like 'Wildfire', their opening banger from 'Periphery V: Djent Is Not A Genre', their most recent album.
This is backed by 'Atropos' and high-energy ripper 'Reptile', which ignites the pit in a big way and showcases how much talent Periphery hold as a collective. It's immense!
The intro to 'Zagreus' keeps necks snapping to and fro to the brutal progressive and evolving arrangements – it really is one of the top tracks from their 'Periphery V' instalment. 'Marigold' has fans are getting hotter and sweatier in the pit as they crash about for this one.
Sadly, frontman Spencer Sotelo is introducing their last song 'Blood Eagle' and yells "Brisbane! Spread those butt cheeks. Let me get in there!" We all laugh as he signals for a wall of death.
As the band goes off onstage, fans go off in the pit – I swear even new fans are joining in the fray. This is the most animated I've seen the friendly crowd so far – I think you need to return quick smart Periphery!
Periphery - image © Clea-marie Thorne
In saying that, Coheed crowds are typically chill and friendly enjoying the music in their own space; many of us are getting up there in age and are content to head-bang without the chaos of slamming and getting all messy. That's not to say there aren't moshers; they do exist in a healthy numbers.
What's heartening to see is those partaking in pit pleasures are generally respectful of one another. It's like this unspoken rule in the Coheed community, you know? It's nice to feel the vibe of camaraderie among the punters, even when the headliners aren't bringing the intensity. Yet!
On the darkened stage, an acoustic guitar is resting on a stand at the front near a microphone stand. In the dark shadows bodies move about as we hear the music of 'Keeping The Blade' playing through the speakers. It's preparing us for what we know is to follow and as Claudio Sanchez takes the guitar from its stand, fans drown out that intro music.
Coheed and Cambria - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Sanchez gives us what we anticipated, 'Always & Never' and the vibrations from the sweetly-tuned strings and his matured vocal chords echo off the wall. We can only be mesmerised from this point forward, and with Travis Stever (guitar), Zach Cooper (bass) and Josh Eppard (drums) kicking in with gusto for their bad-ass banger 'Welcome Home', it is on!
As they proceed to lavish us with the tracks in order of the album, each song and even parts of the songs feels like we are on a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, fits and starts, and we are willingly here for the ride.
Eppard is giving the tubs a good and proper thumping, driving the rhythm along while Cooper has the bass all over the place in the best way, adding thunder and frantic energy that keeps everyone moving. Fans are sounding hoarse from singing and chanting along, then there are those that have taken up back-up singer duties next level, even down to humming as they all groove and grind to the rhythms.
Coheed and Cambria - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Sanchez and Stever, however, are riffs and rhythms like their having a friendly footy match! It's all about that vibe I was telling you about. We are affected with every note that hits just right, pulling us deep into the music and we can't help but shout along to the words.
This is a one-way ticket for a good time given over with expert flair that makes it hard not to get lost in the moment. It's not hard, I am lost in it!
Concluding the album can be none other than the anarchy of 'The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut' that has Sanchez yanking his amp towards the front of the stage, tweaking the knobs until he reached the desired level of crazy feedback. Then, with no warning, he raises it as high as he can manage and lets it slam back down onto the stage.
Now if that wasn't enough, he proceeds to climb on it unleashing an insane solo that has us cutting loose – this is pure rockstar delirium and we love it. What an epic final cut if you'll pardon the pun. Of course, it wasn't. It sure could have been though it was that freaking epic.
Coheed and Cambria - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Encore time starts with 'A Favor House Atlantic' bringing pop-punk energy and appealing hooks. Sanchez vocals bounce off the roof and the light upbeat tempo has us getting wilder, knowing the end is nigh. Finally, closing with another fan favourite of course. Aren't all encores made of these?
Tonight, it is another of their epic longplay bangers from the early '00s, 'In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3'. It's a song that shines live more than its recording and is making misty eyes with many leaning in or hugging their neighbours. Bodies sways and mouths "woah" at its finale.
If you are here, you now understand why Coheed and Cambria get the spot to close out the festival. Welcome to the fold!
More photos from the festival.
