Live Review: Soundwave

Sydneysiders Northlane have established a tonne of momentum during the past 18 months and after extended touring seemed road-hardened. Punters appreciated their technically proficient metal/hardcore and bouncy energy. Memphis May Fire's beatdown-ridden metalcore was well-received, but its utterly generic form was exacerbated by truly cringe-inducing stage banter, with shouter Matty Mullins regaling us with his high school ambition of being “the voice of a generation”. Good luck with that.

Two decades of pro wrestling means Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho can work a live crowd, but the best efforts of the vocalist and livewire guitarist Rich Ward were hampered by a terrible mix. Despite this, their charisma and energy still had loyalists embracing Sandpaper and God Pounds His Nails. Over on the main stage, despite only three-fifths of their recent line-up present, thrash/heavy metal veterans Anthrax were taut, efficient and aggressive, offering great singalong and circle pit value. Recent tracks such as Fight 'Em Til You Can't slotted neatly alongside usual classics (Caught In A Mosh, Antisocial, Indians). Finishing with AC/DC's T.N.T (guitarist Scott Ian referencing seeing the band play in this very venue in 2010) won them many new admirers, if only for a few moments.

Off-kilter hard rock all-stars Tomahawk were not ideally suited to the cavernous main stage, but vocal contortionist Mike Patton wasn't bothered, making dry jokes and John Stanier remains one of the most versatile drummers around. A dedicated throng revelled in it and there was something oh-so Patton-esque about the heavens opening during their set, as if to infuriate those not enamoured by them further. One band not appearing out of place on such a platform was Bullet For My Valentine. The Welsh metallers are not always an entirely convincing prospect on disc, but put them in front of a huge crowd and it makes far more sense. Personable frontman Matt Tuck led his charges through Temper Temper, Riot and Scream Aim Fire. Has the next generation of stadium metal acts arrived?

Stage three running late meant a chance to catch some of hereto only billed as “special guests”, Puscifer. While also not festival fare – and undoubtedly a more intriguing proposition within a theatre – a fair chunk of Maynard James Keenan disciples enjoyed his experimental rock alter-ego performing a rare show outside of the US. Back inside ANZ Stadium, even in searing heat Absolute Zero and Unfinished had Stone Sour fans in raptures. Vocalist Corey Taylor's claim that their melodic hard rock would “rip your head off” was somewhat odd, especially given which band would follow, but devotees weren't concerned. Serviceable enough, but lacking the usual punch.

Only addressing their long-time drummer's absence briefly (“Dave's not here”, frontman Tom Araya quipped to a heckler) and with only half of their classic incarnation intact, thrash legends Slayer were still intense, ruthless and more enjoyable than most could have realistically expected. Fill-in sticksman Jon Dette (aka the busiest man at Soundwave after drumming for Anthrax earlier) was up to the task. An hour of the staples ensued, but that was exactly what was required to repay the faithful after their infamous 2011 Sydney no-show.

Reports of song selection based heavily around mediocre (primarily covers) collection eMOTIVe in Brisbane had many folks hesitating over atmospheric rockers A Perfect Circle. Opening with Crucifix and John Lennon covers had some scattering, but Weak And Powerless, The Hollow and excellent closer The Outsider were highlights of a truncated set that perhaps didn't quite ignite the anticipated excitement. Vocalist Maynard James Keenan's (the other hardest-working man at the festival) tongue-in-cheek reminder of Tool's upcoming visit whetted a few appetites, though.

Returning vocalist Jesse Leach and wise-cracking, crowd-baiting guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz are metalcore's odd couple. Massachusetts' Killswitch Engage have been absent from these shores for a while, but quickly made up for it. Enormous singalongs and pits were the order of the day, Leach sounding inspired on both his own material (Fixation On The Darkness and songs from upcoming new album Disarm The Descent) and otherwise (Rose Of Sharyn, My Curse).

A small crowd turned out for Canada's Danko Jones, but their sweat-dripping, raucous rock hit the mark. First Date and Just A Beautiful Day are more infectious than an STD in a cheap brothel. The frontman openly wished they were on a larger stage; if there is any justice they will be eventually. To the main stage again and boasting expansive production values, pop/rock megastars Linkin Park drew massive numbers. Slicker than whale shit on an iceberg, Mike Shinoda still can't rap and the songs are formulaic to a tee. However, if performances were adjudged solely on giving audiences what they want, then the Americans completely succeeded, although their music is as sanitised as ever and carefully honed performances leave zero room for spontaneity. A fan injury temporarily halted matters, but In The End, Numb, What I've Done and venue-shaking One Step Closer (which even had grizzled metallers guiltily singing along) were the definition of crowd-pleasers.

They certainly kept us waiting, but when the one-two punch of Hit The Lights and Master Of Puppets kicked proceedings off, the Metallica family swiftly forgave all. Sure, both drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist Kirk Hammett had sloppy moments (the former is as much of a project manager/cheerleader as he is a drummer these days), but when it comes to grabbing, then maintaining the attention of a stadium audience, few do it with such aplomb. A slew of timeless songs helps too, as does frontman James Hetfield, whose charisma can effortlessly command tens of thousands with even the simplest remark or gesture.

A heavy emphasis on their second album, 1984's Ride The Lightning, during their two-hour display was always going to be a winner and Holier Than Thou and Broken, Beat And Scarred freshened matters up amidst the expected older favourites. Other highlights were a monumental Harvester Of Sorrow and blistering Blackened, Orion and acknowledgement of bassist Rob Trujillo's ten-year tenure, before a hail of beach balls accompanying Seek And Destroy capped things off brilliantly. One wonders given the enormous scope of this year's event how Soundwave 2014 can possibly top it, but they will no doubt give it a fair crack.

Brendan Crabb

Red Fang may have been an opening act, but they were nothing short of a revelation. In a mere 40 minutes they produced arguably the set of the day – powerful and unrelenting they capped it all off with the rifftastic Prehistoric Dog. In comparison, Dragonforce's patented brand of 'guitarherocore' was perfunctory at best – although newish singer Marc Hudson was impressive. The crowd was small for Kingdom Of Sorrow, but Kirk Windstein's riffs were huge. Dull on wax, the likes of Enlightened To Extinction and Free The Fallen were crushingly good live and the band seemed sort of proud that their set blew power to the stage. Well played gentlemen.

Anticipation was high for Orange Goblin's first ever Australian performance and the stoner OGs didn't disappoint. Rocking out as if their lives depended on it, the Goblin blasted through a tight 'best of' set that included The Fog, Red Tide Rising, Some You Win, Some You Lose and the old school classic Blue Snow. Hopefully these guys come back soon for a headlining tour. Deaf Havana weren't particularly impressive, although their relatively gentle brand of alt-rock made for a welcome distraction from the endless parade of generic metalcore acts that plagued that particular stage. Talking of generic, The Sword's set had its moments, but when put next to similar outfits like Red Fang and Orange Goblin, the riffs just weren't there. Local stalwarts Confession pulled a surprisingly large crowd for their brand of chugga chugga hardcore and, to their credit, the pit they induced was one of the more violent of the day.

Sum 41 looked like a punk rock band, acted like a punk rock band and sounded like a pop band. This band was a triumph of style over substance, but to be fair they pulled a huge crowd who lapped up every last one of their many hits. There's no accounting for taste. Cypress Hill have always managed to bridge the hip hop/metal divide and their dark brand of death and weed obsessed beats and rhymes had heads nodding and feet jumping for a solid hour. Insane in the membrane indeed.

Madball were as always impressive. Vocalist Freddy Cricien bounced around the stage, while man mountain Hoya Roc anchored things down with a massive groove on the bass. Once the likes of Infiltrate The System, Pride and Heavenhell were unleashed, the pit resembled a karate tournament and Madball had fulfilled their mission brief. Sadly, Sick Of It All never got out of first gear. It wasn't their energy to blame, but sound glitches that crippled even Clobberin' Time and Take The Night Off. No doubt their Sidewave will really allow the band to shine.

The mysterious Ghost hit the stage around dusk (one wonders why they weren't on much later at night?) and once the annoying sound gremlins were banished, Papa Emeritus and his nameless Ghouls delivered their satanic mass with flair. Apart from a good chunk of their debut LP, they also aired a new track in the organ driven Secular Haze. Rounding off with Ritual, Ghost managed the impossible – they lived up to the hype.

With Garbage's set cancelled thanks to their gear being stranded on the flood ravaged North Coast, the timetable for Stage 2 was quickly rearranged with Paramore the new headliners. The T-shirts worn on the day told the tale – next to Metallica, Blink-182 was the most popular band of the day. And you can't fault these guys – they played hit after hit (you know the songs) stopping only to engage in juvenile banter. Replacement drummer Brooks Wackerman (Bad Religion) was superb and some were heard to argue that he made the band sound all the more impressive. Conversely, The Offspring were something of a disappointment. While there's no doubt that Come Out And Play, Self Esteem and Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) have withstood the test of time, the band seemed somehow small in a stadium setting. Poor sound didn't help, but maybe The Offspring really are a band that thrive in smaller venues? Poppy Paramore deserve full credit for stepping up and changing their set time to embrace the mantle of headliners. Their devoted fans lapped up every track and their performance was energetic and a fitting end to a great day.

Despite some of the dramas you'll read about, Soundwave was well run. Waiting times to get in were short, the stages were great and the food and booze stalls plentiful. Soundwave has become something special and the organisers deserve full credit.

Mark Hebblewhite

Why not read our thoughts on Soundwave in other cities?

Brisbane
Melbourne
Perth