Blood Oath were the ignition point for the entire day as Thornhill hosted their annual Christmas Festival Extravaganza in Melbourne on Saturday.
Even while people were still filtering through the doors, grabbing drinks and finding their footing (20 December), the moment the band hit the stage the room shifted.
Conversations stopped. Heads turned. People moved forward without really thinking about it. The sound was raw and aggressive, cutting straight through Melbourne Pavilion and forcing attention.
There was no easing anyone in, no slow build. Blood Oath played like they were setting the tone and they knew it. By the end of their set, the crowd wasn't warming up anymore. It was switched on.
Blood Oath - image © Joshua Stroud
Headwreck walked into a room that was already buzzing and tightened the screws immediately, their costumes on-point and demanding attention.
The floor packed in closer, the pit started opening naturally, and the energy stopped feeling tentative. Vocals hit hard, riffs felt thick, and the band carried themselves with confidence that translated straight into the crowd.
You could feel people starting to let go, pacing disappearing, movement becoming instinctive. It was the kind of set where the night starts to feel inevitable, like you know things are only going to escalate from here.
Diesect were the breaking point. The moment they dropped into their first heavy section, the Pavilion turned feral. Crowd surfers started launching from the middle of the room, the pit widened fast, and security suddenly had no downtime.
Every breakdown landed like a trigger, setting off another wave of movement. The band fed off the chaos, pushing harder as the crowd responded louder and more aggressively. This was where the night stopped being controlled and became properly unhinged.
Diesect - image © Joshua Stroud
Diamond Construct brought absolute disorder. From the first song, it was relentless. No gaps, no breathing room, just constant pressure.
Kynan Groundwater's vocals ripped through the Pavilion while the band hammered out a set that felt physically exhausting to witness, let alone survive in the pit.
The barrier was a constant stream of bodies, people being lifted out only for more to take their place seconds later. Sweat, movement, noise everywhere. One of those sets where you look around afterward and everyone is wrecked and smiling.
Justice For The Damned shifted the energy without losing the weight. The lighting dropped, the room darkened, and the sound became thicker and more oppressive. Instead of chaos, the crowd leaned in. People stopped flying and started feeling it.
Jacob Charlton commanded the stage with a presence that held the audience's attention effortlessly. Heads nodded in unison, eyes locked forward, fully absorbed.
Justice For The Damned - image © Joshua Stroud
It was heavy in a different way, suffocating and emotional, giving the night a depth that balanced the violence that came before it.
Yours Truly completely lifted the room. The second Mikaila Delgado hit the stage, the Pavilion exploded into smiles, movement and massive sing-alongs.
Arms went straight up, people climbed onto shoulders, and every chorus came back louder than the band themselves. It felt joyful and emotional at the same time, a shared moment where the entire room moved together.
In the middle of a heavy line-up, Yours Truly brought heart, connection and pure release. One of those sets that reminds you why live music hits the way it does.
Yours Truly - image © Joshua Stroud
Trophy Eyes felt like the emotional core of the entire day. From the second they stepped onstage, the room surged forward as one, like everyone had been waiting for this moment all night.
John Floreani didn't have to say much, the connection was already there. Every lyric was screamed back with everything people had left in them, voices cracking, fists in the air, eyes locked on the stage.
The front barrier became a constant stream of bodies, crowd surfers coming over one after another, faces lit up with a mix of joy, exhaustion and something heavier.
There was a raw honesty to this set that cut through all the noise. It wasn't just loud, it was felt. You could see people holding onto every word, singing like it meant something personal to them.
Trophy Eyes - image © Joshua Stroud
Between songs, there was barely a pause, just this shared understanding between band and crowd. Trophy Eyes didn't just play to Melbourne, they shared something with it, and the Pavilion gave it right back. One of those sets that leaves you drained in the best possible way.
Thornhill closing the night was pure, controlled chaos wrapped in Christmas madness. From the opening moments, the lighting washed over the Pavilion, creating an immersive, almost cinematic atmosphere that pulled everyone in.
The sound was massive, filling every corner of the room, and despite a full day of heavy music, the crowd still had energy to burn. People pushed forward, sang along, moved together, refusing to let the night end quietly.
When Mikaila Delgado from Yours Truly came out onstage to join them, the reaction was instant. The noise level spiked, the crowd erupted, and the moment felt genuinely special, not forced, not planned for social media, just a shared celebration.
Thornhill - image © Joshua Stroud
Then Santa appeared onstage, fully committing to the chaos, turning the whole thing into a surreal Christmas fever dream. Heavy music, hometown heroes, guest vocals and Santa losing his mind onstage all at once.
It was fun, unhinged and deeply Melbourne. Thornhill didn't just close the festival, they owned it. A headline set that felt confident, emotional and self aware enough to let loose. The perfect ending to a night that balanced heaviness, heart and absolute madness.
- written by Joshua Stroud
