Live Review: Sepultra, Death Angel, Metreya

It's not hard to see why Illawarra boys Metreya scored this plum gig. They churn out a brand of thrash that, quite frankly, never gets old.

The quintet ploughed through a tasty array of cuts from their Machines Of War EP with a controlled menace that was rewarded with the first snapping necks of the night. We look forward to the band's upcoming debut LP.

Let's face it - as much as we love their story, no-one's favourite thrash band is Death Angel. But with performances like this, maybe that should change. In a tightly constructed set the former child prodigies turned thrash OGs delivered classic tunes such as The Ultra-Violence along with the highlights of their surprisingly solid comeback albums - including Father Of Lies and The Moth from their latest effort The Evil Divide. Overall, a great set that left the room wishing they had another half hour or so on stage.

It's been 20 years since Sepultura delivered its 'fuck you Max Cavalera' LP Against and they celebrated this defiance with a brace of tracks from its ranks (Against, Choke and Boycott) which were extremely well-received by the faithful audience. Maybe it's time to reassess that record? Sepultura's latest album Machine Messiah has been hailed as their strongest for years and accordingly the band leaned on it heavily and ripped out (among others) the title track, I Am The Enemy, Phantom Self and the punishing instrumental Iceberg Dances.

Of course, the 'classic' material was also well represented with Desperate Cry, Territory, Refuse/Resist and Roots Bloody Roots causing chaos in the pit. The band sounded superb throughout — Andreas Kisser somehow recreated a two-guitar sound with one axe and drummer Eloy Casagrande was an absolute monster behind the kit, driving each track with a relentless energy. Add to this the commanding stage presence of Derrick Green and um... Paulo Jr's righteous grey beard - and you have a band that continues to forge their own destiny with impeccable style.