Melbourne Grind Maniacs Destroy Albury

Written by: Tom Wilson @thetomwilsonexperiment - Sense Music Media | Monday 23 May 2022

It’s a beanies and jumpers vibe tonight at Beer Deluxe for the Albury stop of the Regional Rampage tour. It’s not a fashion statement, it’s just Albury in May and fucking freezing. AS FLESH DECAYS kick things off with a slow, almost CROWBAR vibe, before lurching into death metal. They are men of few words tonight, letting the scything riffs and thundering double-kick do the talking for them. Bassist/vocalist Lacca is an imposing presence, with tumbling dreadlocks and a throaty roar, and the band is tight as a snare drum as they rip through Mater Suspiriorum, which is unfortunately dogged by speaker trouble coming from side stage. The gremlins are ejected from the sound board, and they are free to put forward a classy set of old-school death metal, boasting eerie horror movie samples and some impressive drumming from the appropriately nicknamed Tazzie Blizzard.

AS FLESH DECAYS guitarist Ryan Clissold stays put during the changeover, because he’s pulling double duty tonight with DREAD THE WINTER. It’s a good thing too, because otherwise it would just be vocalist Jack McIntyre and drummer Michael Mills onstage as they rip into Retribution. The absence of a bass player puts Clissold’s playing front and centre, and he doesn’t disappoint. DREAD THE WINTER have riffs for days, weaving back and forth between prog and melodic death metal. Jack is in fine form tonight, dividing his attention between the mic in his left hand and the schooner in his right. The sprawling Fallen from Grace closes their set in style, and as they leave the stage you can’t help but be impressed.

Melbourne grind veterans KING PARROT take to the stage with a singalong to PRIVATE FUNCTION’s Albury Wodonga, and you know it’s cold because guitarist Squiz is wearing long pants, and bassist Wayne Slattery even has a shirt on. It’s a smaller crowd than KING PARROT are probably used to, with the super-fans on the barricade and the rest hovering some distance back. Frontman Matthew Young is having none of it, and as they tear into the berserk riffage of Silly Ol’ Mate, he is instantly up on the barrier, shrieking and glaring, grabbing fistfuls of collars and hurling torrents of bottled water. There are no places to hide when PARROT are onstage, and every soul in the room is drawn into their grind vortex. The scorching riffs and fist-pumping vocals of Ten Pounds of Shit in a Five Pound Bag and Disgrace Yourself follow, before disaster strikes. Guitarist Ari White has run out of beer. This absolutely cannot stand, so a slab of VB cans is quickly ferried to the stage, and the madness continues.

Drummer Todd Hansen is a dreadlocked windmill behind the kit, and Squiz is probably having a great time but you can’t tell because of his hair. Slatts is definitely having a good time, and between songs he brings up the election, and the fans decide that he should run for office. Fuck it, I’ll vote for him. Dead End is a berserk maelstrom of rapid-fire snare, gang vocals and Youngy’s unmistakable shrieking, and it wouldn’t be a good day without Shit on the Liver. Perching himself back up on the barricade, Youngy holds out a can of VB to those in the back, and as they move forward to claim their prize, he moves it just out of reach of every outstretched hand. He moves it up and down, side to side, and by the time it is finally snatched out of his grasp, he’s got what he wants. All the punters are up the front. Clever bastard.

Whether they’re playing for fifty people or five thousand, KING PARROT’s mission statement remains the same. They are a force of nature onstage, and as the Regional Rampage tour rolls on, miss them at your peril.