Live Review: High On Fire, Summonus

Of all the acts who would likely have sold their souls to the stoner metal gods to play such a show, you'd have struggled to find a more befitting pick than Sydney's seasoned sludge lords Summonus. Channelling the unforgiving spirit of Eyehategod and Iron Monkey, frontman Rod Hunt purposefully, repeatedly stalked the stage, his caustic tones the ideal foil for Iommi-an riffage and leads. They didn't exactly have the room in raptures – polite nodding between sips of beer being the general consensus, bar a few exuberant disciples up front. A strong display though and a welcome profile boost, given the rapidly filling venue during their 40 minutes.

Packing a sound thicker than the cloud of weed smoke at a Phish concert, High On Fire continue to redefine the term “power trio”. More focused in the wake of perennially shirtless frontman Matt Pike's newfound sobriety, he quickly proved that you can give up the booze and still crank out riffs that could level buildings. Further fuelled by the formidable rhythm section of Jeff Matz and Des Kensel, anyone who showed up without earplugs would have been scrambling for a pair within nanoseconds of the Californian metallers kicking off. They would likely have returned swiftly even if said search proved fruitless though, for fear of missing something special. Hipsters, crust punks, Slayer fans and numerous punters sporting the headliners' hilarious new Richard Pryor-themed shirts all banged their heads in unison to their primal attack.

The one-two opening punch of recent cuts Serums Of Liao and Frost Hammer laid the foundations, resonating with bowel-loosening force. A monumental 10,000 Years (from debut LP The Art Of Self Defense), crushing Speedwolf and Devilution delved further into their back catalogue, while latest effort De Vermis Mysteriis was also explored again. The band's appropriately bare bones delivery – a complete absence of expansive light shows or Pink Floyd-esque production values – was complemented by the minimal stage banter, Pike only having to announce the name of the next song before savagely ploughing into it. This no-frills ethos extended to the encore, the band forgoing the usual cliché and remaining on-stage for a phenomenal Snakes For The Divine to wrap up a well-paced 75 minutes that didn't outstay its welcome. Judging by the widespread approval of their first headlining foray into these parts, the power of the riff continues to compel thee.