Live Review: Download Festival

After a successful Melbourne-only debut last year, the Australian edition of the UK's annual hard rock juggernaut expanded to Sydney, and was greeted with glee by heavy music devotees starved of such events in recent years.

Voyager have long projected a personality and demeanour larger than the pub and club venues they've frequented. Kicking off the Red Stage, the Perth crew didn't squander the opportunity to broaden their fanbase. A standout was new single Brightstar, which segued from '80s pop glory to a prog-metal workout.

Voyager. Photo by Hayden Nixon. 

The crowd numbers – many seemingly curious onlookers - noticeably increased for Māori teens Alien Weaponry. The Kiwi groove-thrash trio packed in plenty of enthusiasm despite a few technical snafus, and songs like Holding My Breath incited, what was for many, the first circle-pit of the day. A second live guitarist might beef up their live sound in future though.

Alien Weaponry. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Perhaps the buzz band of Australia's heavy music landscape during the past 18 months, Polaris' rise has been rapid, even scooping them an ARIA nomination. This was apparent both in the size of the choruses and rabid exchange of energy between the Sydney metalcore crew and their enormous faithful. On record, the beefy grooves and technical flourishes of The Mortal Coil didn't entirely win this scribe over. Live, the impact was enhanced, even if by set's end their Architects-style fare felt a tad played out.

Polaris. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Over on the Avalanche Stage, co-ed feminist hardcore-punkers War On Women garnered a decidedly smaller, but motivated crowd. Within minutes of The Music's arrival, the Baltimore act apologised for their president, launched a, “Fuck Trump!” chant and requested those present “do a dance for trans rights today”, before later urging the crowd to vote in upcoming elections. Defiant, in-your-face and pissed off, they certainly got their message across.

War On Women. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

As the drizzle arrived, The Beautiful Monument were far less confrontational, positioned over at the festival's smallest setting, the Ascension Stage. Clearly thrilled to be there, the Melbourne band possessed a likeable stage presence, and cuts like Manic endeared their brand of alt-rock/melodic metal further to the respectable turnout. Some songs didn't quite register, but they're ones to watch.

The Beautiful Monument. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Are FEVER 333 the heirs to Rage Against The Machine's socio-political rap-metal throne? That remains to be seen, but livewire, heavily inked frontman Jason Aalon Butler remained a sight to behold as they tore through punk-infused cuts such as Made An America. The collective sporting of band uniforms didn't last long as a sweat-drenched Butler and bandmates ventured into the crowd and urged punters to make festivals a safe space for female fans. A triumphant inaugural Sydney performance.

Fever 333. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Back at the main stages were late additions to the bill Airbourne. They may be an easy target for more trendy rock fans, however they're veteran festival party-starters by this point in the game and sheer, unadulterated fun. There were no pretensions about their earnest delivery; Ready To Rock was less an opening track than a mission statement. Frontman Joel O'Keeffe's trademark moves, from riding atop a crew member's shoulders during Girls In Black to smashing VB cans against his head, proved crowd-pleasing moments, even for the uninitiated.

Airbourne. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

The hype surrounding Code Orange has been considerable since 2017's Forever announced them as a fresh, genuine force in heavy music. According to a pre-set tweet from the band, their airline “lost half of our stuff”, which perhaps only fired up the already aggressive Pittsburgh act even further. Ably spurred on by drummer/vocalist Jami Morgan, they leaned heavily on the ambient hardcore/metal/punk amalgam of the aforementioned latest record including the bruising title track, capped off by guitarist Reba Meyers stepping up to the mic for the memorable Bleeding In The Blur.

Code Orange. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Over on the neighbouring Dogtooth Stage, the new(ish) kids on the hardcore block transitioned to a group of veterans whose vein-popping intensity continued to belie their age and longevity. Even with fill-in drummer in tow (Urian Hackney of Rough Francis substituted with impressive skill) Massachusetts heavy hitters Converge delivered one of the sets of the day. Newer cuts like Reptilian, which bridged their frenetic, metallic hardcore attack with doom-laden overtones, meshed with fan favourites a la Death King, before Concubine's inevitable fury closed proceedings with a brief, but serious sonic gut punch.

Converge. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

The Amity Affliction packed as many hits as your local pub's jukebox; This Could Be Heartbreak, Shine On, Don't Lean On Me, Pittsburgh, et al were all melodic metalcore anthems to the many who turned out to see them, and unsurprisingly elicited some of the day's most passionate singalongs. It was difficult to escape the feeling though that this was a band going through the motions. There was little chemistry apparent between certain members, and touches like flamethrowers and CO2 cannons seemed like mere window dressing.

Although they were up against some considerable competition in other sections of the venue, New Zealand alt-metal crew Devilskin approached the task of playing the Ascension Stage with vigour. Their experience playing larger stages certainly showed during a 45-minute display. Singer Jennie Skulander led her charges through their paces on catchy Start A Revolution, and a healthy crop of Kiwis were on hand to lend vocal support.

Devilskin. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Thy Art Is Murder are old hands at playing major events by now, even with only half an hour at their disposal. There were few surprises for anyone who had caught the road-hardened crew during the past couple of years, vocalist CJ McMahon egging on the diehards at their pseudo-hometown show while berating those sitting down at the back. That said, hefty slabs of deathcore like The Purest Strain Of Hate and Slaves Beyond Death (complete with McMahon's request for a circle-pit around the mixing desk being heeded) were executed with efficiency.

Thy Art Is Murder. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Lzzy Hale is a bona fide star. The Halestorm leader's charisma meant she was able to command the gathering to do her bidding at will, her formidable voice unwavering. Brother Arejay was also a quality showman behind the kit. The Pennsylvanian hard-rockers had a slew of songs too; Love Bites (So Do I) and I Am The Fire encouraged plenty of audience participation. Many pundits have pondered who will top major festival bills when the current crop of heavyweight headliners eventually retire. Performances of this ilk loudly indicated that Halestorm should be a main stage prospect soon enough.

Leaving that set early, it was a dash back to the main Red Stage, and just in time to catch a volley of stone-cold classics from Seattle heavy rock titans Alice In Chains. Pitch-perfect harmonies and riff-meister Jerry Cantrell's distinctive tone on Down In A Hole, No Excuses, We Die Young, Angry Chair and Man In The Box in succession was a festival-friendly manoeuvre that few other bands could have delivered, and ultimately became one of the highlights of the day. New cut The One You Know certainly isn't on that level yet, but didn't seem out of place sonically. A couple more fan favourites to wrap up sent all and sundry walking away with grins you'd have required a sandblaster to remove.

Alice In Chains. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Judas Priest are a couple of mainstay members down these days, but 45 years on from their debut, they justifiably have more cache with true heavy metallers than almost anyone else. It helps that their latest Firepower is probably their best and heaviest full-length in eons, and young(er) guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap have injected new life into their live shows, trading leads with aplomb. There were a few puzzling setlist decisions (only one song from 1980's British Steel?), and it was apparent age has understandably wearied screamer Rob Halford, who did struggle at times. Excellent sound quality helped, and new offerings such as Firepower and Lightning Strike slotted neatly alongside the early material. The positive reception afforded Turbo Lover – much-maligned at the time – indicated that eventually, fans do come around. Motorcycles, outlandlish jackets, lightsabers and tunes like Hell Bent For Leather and Painkiller – this was an old-fashioned, celebratory metal show in all respects.

Judas Priest. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

It was the clash that perhaps most frustrated the Download public, so this scribe opted to catch some of each act. Satan's house band, Slayer, are calling it a day after a final world jaunt. One of the beneficiaries of Ozzy Osbourne's unfortunate withdrawal from the line-up was the thrash heroes being afforded an extended 90-minute headline slot, perhaps a more fitting assignment for their last go-around in these parts.

Slayer. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Latter day Slayer sets have veered between great and sub-par. Thankfully, this was far more a case of the former. Backed by more flames than a season of Chicago Fire, ringleaders Kerry King and Tom Araya were well versed in this festival caper by now. Special mention also to guitarist Gary Holt, whose tireless presence has been invaluable to the band in recent times. Opening with Repentless, there were a couple of setlist surprises (Payback), but overall it was a case of, name a definitive Slayer track, they played it. The expected Angel Of Death finale – banner tribute to late guitarist Jeff Hanneman included – stirred up the mosh one more time and ensured the evening ended in a hail of blood and broken limbs.

Slayer. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

Engaging main man Tobias Forge, aka Cardinal Copia, of blasphemous Swedish collective Ghost, was in his element during a tongue-in-cheek black mass not short of theatrics, catchy songs and the odd confused glance from audience members not enamoured by their '70s-influenced hard-rock. There was provocative banter, saxophone solos, odes to the devil and wickedly infectious songs like Dance Macabre and Cirice. Job done, then.

Ghost. Photo by Hayden Nixon.

For all the negative headlines, online debate and protests surrounding the future of music festivals in NSW, this event was a timely reminder of the community feel that is the lifeblood of these events. Hopefully this won't be the last instalment of Download in Sydney.

Download crowd. Photo by Hayden Nixon.