Live Review: Cradle Of Filth, The Amenta, Psynonemous

Apparently chosen by the headliner's frontman from a fan-voted shortlist, Canberra's Psynonemous confidently acquitted themselves. Their metalcore and prog-flecked sound had a few heads politely nodding approval, but it all felt somewhat derivative.

Sydney/Perth noise collective The Amenta's new album, Flesh Is Heir, had listeners squirming as if they were watching the flick Eraserhead on a never-ending cycle. Lead singer Cain Cressall's harrowing vocals punctuated his off-kilter presence. Also, barely visible behind seizure-inducing strobe-lights – and more smoke than a Cheech & Chong marathon – was returning drummer Dave Haley. Selected punters seemed wary of Ego Ergo Sum's apocalyptic soundscapes and it proved a punishing, all-too-brief display.

For the faithful who stayed loyal even though the Englishmen's drawing power has waned, Cradle Of Filth hitting town isn't just a show, it's an event. One where fans can don corpse-paint without fear of ridicule and wear corsets so tight they threaten to cut themselves in half. Fans adored singer Dani Filth's distinctive shrieks, grunts and screeches. They also cheered loudly when the vocalist proclaimed, “You'll have to excuse us; we're jet-lagged to fuck”. Irrespective of ill-effects, Filth bounded about and keyboardist Lindsay Schoolcraft's backing vocals replicated the popular Beauty-and-the-Beast dynamic on Nymphetamine (Fix).

Although having little in common with black metal in 2013, two songs from their 1994 debut LP The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh was crowd-pleasing. It was disappointing there were less production values and actual performance sensibility than their previous visit. Focusing only briefly on new material enabled most releases to be touched upon; Her Ghost In The Fog, Funeral In Carpathia and closer From The Cradle To Enslave included. The majority likely left satisfied, but the slightly truncated 75-minute set and at-times sluggish passages left this reviewer's soul feeling a little, well… cold.