Live Review: Twelve Foot Ninja, Acolyte

Openers Acolyte did a great job of winning over the crowd and proving their worth. The Melbourne band, fronted by Morgan-Leigh Brown, merge elements of contemporary hard rock with some progressive fusion, and even leant into a few heavier moments throughout their 45-minute set. Guitarist Pete Borzeta typically opened a song with some playful noodling, building those notes into a passage over which bass, drums and some hearty keyboard chords developed, giving way for Brown's vocals to pervade through the mix with obvious influences of soul music and opera that blended well thanks to her powerful voice. Chris Cameron also stood out on the drums using unique patterns and fills while chopping and changing quickly between different styles and varied beats. 

Twelve Foot Ninja are kind of the Nickelodeon of heavy metal. There's parts that you love, and are really proud to love, as a grown-ass adult, but it's also kitsch as all hell. Primarily playing songs from their just-released record Outlier, Twelve Foot Ninja gave the audience a taste of what to expect. For the positives, each member is a talented musician and can play their instrument very well, crafting pleasing breakdowns and playing live with energy and cohesion. But, unfortunately, for every grin-inducing chug there is also something a little cringeworthy. The band fall into formulaic writing throes. Every song pretty much opens with some crunchy hook and divulges into a culturally appropriated verse style (Reggae, Latin, Mariachi — you name it, they'll take it). This drops the band into cahoots with Tenacious D in terms of tone, and Limp Bizkit or Five Finger Death Punch in terms of execution. Gimmicks detract from your music. To be quite frank, it appears that Acolyte have far more artistic longevity.