Fresh off of the release of ‘Polaris’, their latest, brilliant addition to their already stellar discography, Tesseract’s current Australian tour marks the first stop on their current world tour.
It also marks their return to our shores since original vocalist Daniel Tompkins returned to the fold. Both of these factors ensured anticipation surrounding this tour was high, and despite some minor quibbles, it more than lived-up to the hype.
Click here for photos from the show.
Adelaide’s own Dyssidia were an appropriate opening act to kick-off the night’s proceedings (17 October), fitting in well with the technical proficiency and progressive tone of the other bands on the bill, though with a trifle more aggression.
Dyssidia’s influences are clear, with complex, long-winded song structures calling other prog acts such as Opeth and Dream Theater to mind. Perhaps the most unique aspect of their sound is the inclusion of keyboardist Nathan Harvey’s clean, piano interludes scattered throughout their songs, oftentimes seeming to duel with Corey Davis’ complex guitar melodies. This gave their sound an additional textural layer that gave many of their songs a spacey feel, but often clashed with the heavy tone some of their songs were trying to cultivate.
Singer Mitch Brackman gave a spirited performance which sparked the latent energy among the crowd. Despite his energy, Brackman struggled to hit some of the higher notes he was aiming for, though the hoarseness of his voice as he engaged the audience between songs perhaps pointed to an illness for the cause of this.
Dyssidia - image © Jordan BirdThe crowd seemed unfazed by this however, with some punters singing along word-for-word with Brackman, surprising considering the relative obscurity of the band.
Opening for Tesseract is clearly a big win for Dyssidia in terms of exposure, and having previously shared the stage with other well-known international acts such as The Ocean and Opeth, it is perhaps a sign that Dyssidia is on the rise.
Brisbane’s Caligula’s Horse has already established a name for themselves in Australia’s prog-rock scene, having delivered three, well-received albums and an EP in their four years as a band. Their tireless work ethic has clearly paid off, as the audience had packed themselves into the band room long before they had even taken the stage.
Caligula’s Horse manage to blend the complexity of progressive metal and the raw power and emotion of rock together, without either of these elements compromising or overshadowing the other.
Caligula's Horse - image © Jordan BirdThis is a band built to play live, and within a few songs singer Jim Grey had the audience eating out of his hand through a combination of astonishing vocal performance, affable stage presence (despite denying requests to play Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’), and humorous banter (did you know Adelaide holds the title of biggest dick per capita?).
Performance-wise, Caligula’s Horse could not be faulted, with their often complex, winding songs pulled-off perfectly and with high energy. A diverse setlist kept the crowd on its toes, alternating between quieter, more melodic meanderings verging on the psychedelic, and stomping, riff-heavy chugging, often within a single song. Even their simpler songs belied subtle intricacies that managed to captivate the crowd.
While each band member shined in their own way, it truly was Grey’s voice that stole the show. While their recordings demonstrate his capabilities, Grey is truly a wonder to see in a live setting, possessing an entrancing voice capable of soaring ethereally to gorgeous heights at one moment before transforming into a commanding shout at the drop of a hat.
To the uninitiated (including myself), Caligula’s Horse more than proved why they are among Australia’s prog-metal heavyweights, and with their European tour imminent, it seems only a matter of time before the rest of the world knows it as well.
Tesseract launched into their set with ‘Dystopia’, 'Polaris’ bouncing, dynamic opening track with enthusiasm and verve, in turn sending the audience into overdrive.
Tesseract - image © Jordan BirdAs was to be expected of a group of this musical calibre, the band was nigh-on flawless, with Acle Kahney and James Monteith’s guitars intertwining with each other in the most gorgeous of ways, as Amos Williams’ unique bass style helped to anchor them to their often incredibly complex rhythms.
It quickly became apparent how Tesseract were so quickly able to establish themselves as one of progressive metal’s elite, eclipsing many other, well-established bands in their meteoric rise since the release of their 2011 debut album, ‘One’.
Their setlist delved into each of their albums, covering all of Altered State’s ‘Of Matter’ section and half of One’s six-song ‘Concealing Fate’ movement. Despite touring their new album, only three songs were played from 'Polaris', which was a shame, as there seemed to be a greater sense of enthusiasm among the band as they played, with Tompkins absolutely nailing the vocal performance.
As a frontman, Dan Tompkins is far superior to previous vocalist Ashe O’Hara, with a vibrant stage presence, which seemed to bolster the vibrancy of the band as a whole by comparison to their 2014 Soundwave performance with O’Hara.
There is a trade-off to this however. O’Hara’s vocal performance on the album ‘Altered State’ was absolutely awe-inspiring, and while Tompkins is a formidable vocalist in his own right, in a live setting Tompkins is not quite able to reach O’Hara’s higher notes.
This was particularly noticeable during the chorus of ‘Nocturne’ in which Tompkins sang an entire octave lower than O’Hara’s recorded version, the result of which I found somewhat jarring. This did not dampen the audience’s reaction to the track however, who faithfully head-banged to its stuttering, angular riffs.
Tesseract - image © Jordan BirdThe evening’s proceedings were closed by crowd favourite ‘Acceptance’, which stirred the biggest reaction from the crowd of the night, the audience erupting in a frenzy as the majority of the bandroom was swallowed by a bounding, grinding moshpit.
Despite the relatively short length of their set (they started five minutes late and finished five early) and occasional vocal discrepancies, Tesseract brilliantly demonstrated how they have managed to earn the respect of their fervent fan-base, as well as their musical contemporaries worldwide.
Click here for photos from the show.
