Live Review: Cradle Of Filth, Claim The Throne, Advent Sorrow

It was something of a blockbuster line-up on Sunday night with three bands at the top of their game descending upon the sleepy port city of Fremantle. The deserted streets were flooded with black shirts to see arguably the most successful extreme metal act of a generation. Fresh from their recent international festival debut, symphonic black metallers Advent Sorrow showed why they are the band of the hour, obliterating expectations with their mind-blowing performance. Corpse-paint and fetid attire added to the pungent stench of decay. Haunting melodic lines overlayed all-out war on the guitars. The talent of this relatively new act is incredible and their EP is one the best releases in recent memory. The band's attention to detail is the key indicator that they won't remain unsigned for long. Claim the Throne showcased new material in the second slot, completing a transition from fun-loving metalaholics to a genuine bid for international recognition with a high-calibre performance. The band locked in early and layered string shred with thunderous double kick and trademark cheers erupting throughout. The charisma remained intact with banter between songs, but it was all business from the count-in, with the ultimate drinking anthem Set Sail on Ale, sending fists into the air at set's conclusion. The performance cemented the band's place as one of Australia's finest exports.

It really doesn't get any bigger than Cradle of Filth, and Perth lucked out as the final leg of their international tour promoting the excellent 2012 LP, The Manticore and Other Horrors. The band showed up in form and delivered on a grand scale. Charismatic vocalist Dani Filth's trademark dual register vocals were spat with venom as his hands fluttered uncontrollably from the raw energy generated from within. Lillith Immortal and the classic The Forest Whispers Her Name anchored the main set, Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids was easily the standout track of the night and fan favourites Ghost in the Fog and From the Cradle to Enslave rammed home the point. Perhaps it was a Sunday night in a work-obsessed town, perhaps it was a symptom of an internet generation but the crowd failed to provide the reception and reaction that the band deserved with Filth looking disappointed with the half-assed response to the final gig of the tour. This town needs to lift its game if it's to continue drawing international acts to its remote shores.