Live Review: Stratovarius, Eyefear, Darker Half

Sydney locals Darker Half opened up this celebration of all things heavy with their patented brand of no-nonsense speed metal. Think Halloween on steroids and you get some idea of where the boys were coming from. The quartet offered up a solid half hour with the clear stand-out being the poignant (and somewhat epic) Tomb Of The Unknown Solider.

Melbourne's power prog stalwarts Eyefear sounded impressive with a keyboard heavy assault that was both powerful and crystal clear. With energetic frontman Danny Cecati leading the way, the band crafted a varied set taken from across their long career. Eyefear once again proved why they are considered leading lights in Australia's burgeoning metal scene.

Yes, the cheese factor is incredibly high when it comes to power metal veterans Stratovarius. But you know what? Live, there's a whole lot more oomph to the Finnish loons than on their somewhat 'safe' discography. Classics like The Kiss Of Judas and Black Diamond sounded massively heavy and even the poppier offerings like Dragons and Fantasy boasted a nasty bottom end. Not surprisingly (these guys are regulars on the European festival circuit) the band were a tightly wound machine with not a note out of place. From manic drummer Rolf Pilve right through to venerable frontman Timo Kotipelto the entire band looked like they were having an absolute ball. If they were disappointed by the surprisingly small crowd they didn't show it and instead relished their first trip down under with a setlist designed to cover all parts of their career. It should be noted that material from this year's Nemesis (including the stomping Halcyon Days) went down a treat suggesting that the band has a long future ahead of them. Finishing off with the surprise inclusion of Eagleheart and crowd favourite Hunting High And Low, the band left to wild applause and promised to hurry back soon. Here's hoping they do.