Live Review: Overview Effect, Alithia, Molloy

Returning from captivating audiences in both western Europe and Russia, genre-defying “astral space rockers” Alithia – the word for truth in Greek – courted Adelaide successfully on this, the last date of their sixth Australian tour.

If the carefully selected line-up of without a doubt world-class progressive rock and post-metal on the Adelaide leg of the tour was anything to go by you can rest assured that Alithia have been leaving a blazing trail of blue-hot, ethereal fire all over the country.

Adelaide instrumental six-piece Molloy opened proceedings delicately and carefully, handling their instruments in a courteous and gentle fashion. Slowly but steadily they built their musical beast into a fully-feasible spectre in a matter of minutes. Boasting three guitars, bass, keys and drums the sound Molloy are channelling is reminiscent of Porcupine Tree and recent Opeth. The musical collective is both seasoned and talented, adept at applying subtle technicality to sooth the senses and guide the imagination on an incendiary journey of discovery. Favouring primarily technicality, progression and melody, when Molloy finally build up to their hard-hitting riffs, the effect on the entire sensory spectrum is immense.

It’s one thing to play astral space rock. It’s another thing to be an astral space rocker. With careful deliberation it can be deduced that all five members of Alithia fill those shoes, tearing the stage to pieces while delivering a warped futurist take on post-metal that seemed to compress Worldsend into a singularity. The energy emitting from each member made it equal parts difficult to tear your focus from one’s sight in order to utilise the sense of hearing. With instruments being thrown across the stage and members clambering over the busy tables of Worldsend, there was a pervasive sense of positive displacement in the mind’s eye of all who bore witness.

Overview Effect took to the stage at midnight to emblazon their conceptual and compositional power on the audience. Those who’ve experienced one of their performances are aware of the feelings they can incite. Thanks to the soft interlacing melodies that accentuate the sensuously powerful voice of front member Felicia Tassone, you can feel emotional reassimilated whilst listening to Overview Effect. With each member an orthodox commander of what it means to be a musician there are no gimmicks here, every note perfectly placed and played with a divine sense of intention.