Live Review: Live Review: Within Destruction

The return of live shows and international acts this year has complimented the rising popularity of the deathcore scene in Australia. Slovenian deathcore legends Within Destruction embarked on their mammoth ‘Yōkai’ Australian and New Zealand tour this year, marking their first live shows on Australian shores. Attending venues across the country and accompanied by Sydney metalcore act Teeth and American Deathcore artists in Signs of the Swarm, this tour is hopefully a sign of things to come for international deathcore in Australia. I caught the Albury gig and joining for this show as local supports were Wagga Wagga based prog metal band Artifact. 

Artifact started to play through their EP Unravel to begin the night. The chuggy riffs showcase the prominent djent influences this local act had to offer. Both vocalists Michael Veneris and Bec Horseman complimented each other well, and the entire band were up to the task of covering Spiritbox’s Holy Roller. Artifact’s newest track Mass Psychosis was next up to get the crowd moving and headbanging. The crowd could catch an early breath, with the slow and emotional playthrough of Persevere. The song’s message of coping with grief resonated strongly and the poignant performance was a great way to end the local support set.

Teeth brought the energy and Albury was not ready for it. 30 minutes of filthy and fast paced breakdowns ensued to hype up the crowd for the night. Vocalist Blake Curby made continuous pit calls to the crowd and the mosh began in earnest. Each track was hard and fast, which made it impossible to keep still. Guitarist Ryan Godfrey delivered catchy riffs which ensured Teeth’s most recent single Die Young, Die Fast was a joy to behold live. The breakdown in Drowning in Black was a highlight for me, as well as the final breakdown in Splinter. The crowd thought they were ready for what came next.

Signs of the Swarm delivered a tough set. It felt as if drummer Bobby Crow was beating my chest with every cymbal crash, and bassist Michael Cassese was strumming my soul. The bass was heavy in the air, which complimented David Simonich’s incredibly low gutturals. Revelations of a Silent King had the circle pits going, and the mosh kicked off with a blistering breakdown. It was almost as if I was beaten by the music, and I did not recover until after the final track. Signs of the Swarm delivered a slow and complete beat down of an ending to their set when they performed Death Whistle.

At this point Albury were ready for headliners Within Destruction to blow the roof off, and that’s what they did. This is the Yōkai tour, so opening with the electronic instrumental Yomi followed by the title track Yōkai set the scene for what was to come. From the second the band started playing, the crowd fell under Within Destruction’s spell. The Japanese influence on this album was prevalent in the backing tracks for this live performance, which empowered a stunning combination of electronic sounds with the slamming deathcore that the Slovenian legends are known for. B4NGB4NG!! demonstrated some variety throughout the set when vocalist Rok Rupnik screamed almost a quieter sound throughout the verses before launching into scorching choruses. Drummer Luka Vessozi and guitarist Howard Fang had the entire venue shaking when playing throwback track Plague of Immortality. Luka played some huge blast beats and Howard performed an awesome solo too. Between Rok’s pig squeals and slamming gutturals he had the crowd under his finger, performing calls for circle pits and walls of death effortlessly. Newer track Nightmare caught my attention with the groovy chorus inducing a sing along from the crowd during the clean “This is my darkest nightmare, pierce my anxious heart and you’ll forever set me free”. No Way Out would not complete without the anime girl “Sugoi” in the backing tracks, that was further emphasised when the crowd screamed it out in unison. Brand new track Survivor won’t be released until June 17^th; however, it was played live and features a meaty two phase breakdown. The throwbacks for long term fans concluded the set in the tracks D E A T H W I S H, and Void. One final wall of death took place, and I couldn’t help but smile at the insane show I just witnessed.

This gig surpassed any kind of anticipation I had entering the venue doors. Artifact brought their A-game with the best performance yet, Teeth initiated the energy with their breakneck speed, Signs of the Swarm laid down the heavy beatdowns, and Within Destruction conducted an assault on the senses that left me wanting more, keen for their new material and wondering when they’ll be back in Australia to do it all again.