Swedish violincore pioneers Imminence returned to Australia this month for their debut headline tour across the country.
Imminence only visited Australia for the first time last year, for Good Things Festival, and they're still selling out venues on this headline tour less than a year later. Despite only just making their maiden voyage to Australia, Imminence aren't a new band.
They've been carving a name for themselves since they released their first album in 2014. Ten years later it all connected on the album 'The Black', which they're touring tonight (13 October). It feels sold out as people pile in to The Gov to see Imminence in Adelaide for the first time ever.
National support act, Sydney's Inertia is a metalcore Frankenstein creation fusing Loathe and Thornhill. They seamlessly move from crisp vocals and guitars to guttural screams and crushing riffs. They go from their heaviest song 'Dominion' – which turns the room into an impressive sized circle pit for the opener – to captivating sing-alongs with the ear worm 'Second Shadow'.
They've easily won the crowd over and everyone's got their phones in the air by the closing song 'Lament'. Vocalist Julian Latouche sings the introduction solo, which spotlights his velvety pure vocals that add an extra groove creating a sound that is individual to the usual textbook metalcore bands.
Inertia - image © Thomas Jackson
Julian mentions you can make the trip up to Melbourne to see them again at Good Things Festival or when they support a yet to be announced American band at Hindley Street Music Hall in January; a mystery for now but many people tonight will be eagerly waiting to see them again.
Imminence slowly takes to the stage with guitarists Harald Barrett and Alex Arnoldsson looking like bodyguards from a dystopian film with their trench coats and massive long hair nearly touching the ground.
Imminence opens with 'Temptation' before going into 'Desolation' and 'Heaven Shall Burn', which immediately puts vocalist Eddie Berg to work as he switches from clean to screaming vocals like it's as natural as breathing.
Imminence - image © Thomas Jackson
The signature part of Imminence is Eddie's violin that acts as a lead instrument, which he effortlessly plays while singing at the same time. A skill that no doubt would have taken 10,000 hours of practice to perfect.
You'd imagine this is what Yellowcard would sound like if they had grown up on Scandinavian metal instead of Californian pop-punk. It's a theatrical performance with machine gun strobes on beat with the double pedals lighting the sky as Eddie bends over backwards singing into the microphone like he's dodging bullets from Agent Smith in 'The Matrix'.
Imminence - image © Thomas Jackson
The set comprises almost entirely of songs from 'The Black' and two of the new tracks from the remastered and extended version 'The Return Of The Black'. It's a testament to how much of an impact this album has made in such a short amount of time.
Songs like 'Death By A Thousand Cuts' and 'Come Hell Or High Water' showcase Imminence's winning formula of melodic clean vocals that dive into anthemic screaming choruses. The recipe either has everyone in the room singing along or slamming into each other.
It's an enchanting performance and the melancholic violin throughout the set feels like you're witnessing another member speaking directly to you. Together it creates a larger than life cinematic score.
Imminence - image © Thomas Jackson
'Death Shall Have No Dominion' shows that violincore goes hard as the biggest breakdown of the night sees the whole room ricochet. They end on the title track, the triumphant curtain call, 'The Black'. It's a tight one hour and fifteen minute set that fits in everything it needs to while having no time for rest.
'The Black' feels like Imminence are just getting started, even after a ten-year career. If they follow up this album with something just as impactful, matched with a flawless live show like tonight, there's no anticipating what heights they'll reach. Don't expect to see them at a venue this small again anytime soon.
More photos from the concert.
