Brendan Crabb, Journalist

The American bruisers vent ahead of their Aus tour

"I come from the old school, where there was a lot of different bands experimenting and trying different stuff, and you didn’t necessarily call it this or that."

For the converted that would be an enticing prospect – and they’ll likely bring a few more friends along next time around.

Was this the extreme metal show of the year? Quite possibly.

"I think the vibe will be in the air. Australia seems to be the most rabid, crazy place for my fans right now."

"I don’t see myself as a guitar hero, but I do understand what somebody means by that, because I know what that [means] for me, for the people that I admire."

“We didn't go away for maybe a long time in terms of actual time, but in the music world nowadays, where everything really relies on the fifteen minutes and then refresh your blog kind of timeframe, three-and-a-half, four years is kind of a long while."

"These days, bands think that when they put all the pieces of the puzzle together, they become extreme. But they hardly ever fucking do anything."

No frills, no fireworks and no banner – but whether one of the already converted or just attending out of curiosity on a Saturday night, few left without a grin that you would have required a sandblaster to remove.