Live Review: Vespers Descent

It was a fitting and poetic end to one of Perth's best metal bands on Friday night as the ghosts of a legacy filled the room. A night of pure melodic death was to follow resulting in one hell of a send off. First up to the plate were Meridian with their youthful exuberance lighting up the faces in the crowd. An excellent approach to the genre, key, lead riffs and chugging all played their part in creating a massive sound from an impressive young band. Empires Laid Waste are perhaps the most ready of the genre to carry the mantle forwards on the back of solid recordings and hard gigging. The time in the trenches paying off with a tight set held together by a crushing performance from drummer Scott “Spacechimp” Lewry. Devour The Martyr recently dropped a beast of an EP on the world recently resulting in a much anticipated live performance. Though stoic, the boys were eclipsed by brilliance either side. Mushy sound distorted the precision work of the recording. A band with a massive upside, those blistering live performances will be on their way. The moment arrived too soon. Though no night would have been a good night to mourn the departure of local melodic death outfit Vespers Descent. The sombre tone of the night permeated through the crowd that had assembled with dark and musty Rosemount Hotel, though like all good eulogies a raucous celebration ensued. From the get-go jaws dropped and eyes struggled to focus for more than a moment on one member of the band such is the brilliance of each individual. Ben Mazzarol staged a show for the ages, breathing became a distant memory when he kicks into high gear, a frenzied whirlwind of simultaneous detail and chaos. The night though truly belonged to electrifying band architect Grant Burns. His performance reflected his dedication and resilience. Flawless through the Vespers catalogue  Burns clearly relished every blazing note as he closed a monumental chapter of his life, and of Australian metal at large as Vesper was finally laid to rest.