Live Review: In Hearts Wake, Dream On Dreamer, Being As An Ocean, Endless Heights, Sierra

The Bald Faced Stag housed a solid line-up of metalcore outfits for the unluckiest day of the year. First up were emerging local artists Sierra and Endless Heights. Both bands delivered high-powered sets despite sound issues and an unresponsive crowd whose hands were tightly shoved in pockets rather than belting into the air to match the performers' enthusiasm.

Next up was California's Being As An Ocean, whose blow-your-hair-back intensity fired a cannon ball into the unoiled audience. Revelling in the lack of barriers between the stage and the moshpit, lead vocalist Joel Quartuccio launched into sweaty bodies and leaned the mic to eager members of the crowd. He repeatedly thanked and beckoned everyone 'to come closer' and spouted lyrics with an existential bent, such as, “Now is the time for knowledge” and, “The only problem is us”. Being As An Ocean strike a gnarly harmony between mellow and heavy, and their genuineness connects well with the audience.

Melburnian five-piece Dream On Dreamer opened their set in near darkness with strobing shadowy lighting to build the crowd's anticipation. The pulverising vocals of frontman Marcel Gadacz were softened and complemented by the cleaner croons of Zachary Britt, while heavy breakdowns got the whole crowd jumping and invading the stage for not-so-manly hug-outs and high fives with Gadacz. 

Dream On Dreamer injected an infectious hype into the atmosphere on which built the ultimate crescendo for In Hearts Wake to enter. The Byron Bay crew are one of the most talented and talked-about emerging metalcore bands, and they strode through tracks from their latest release Earthwalker with gusto and professionalism, earning mass applause in the process. The new album is centred on reconnecting man with nature and this was reinforced on stage with microphone stands wrapped in faux ivy and flickering paper lamps featuring tree insignias. Their powerful riffs and classic metalcore breakdowns got everyone jumping on shoulders and winding into a ferocious circle pit. It was a Herculean performance punctuated with aggression and sweat; melodic hardcore seems to be gaining popularity at an exponential rate and tonight's showcase illustrated exactly why.