Tour: Godspeed on the Devil Down Under
The Metro Theatre, Sydney
Friday, 29th May, 2009
Tight fitting corsets, black leather, bat tattoos, eyeliner, piercings seen and unseen and offensive t-shirts galore told the world that ‘the Filth’ had yet again seeped their way down under and judging by the stage set, the legion of the damned were in for a dark treat. Kicking off the bill was Naetu from WA but various dramas meant I arrived just in time for local band Synperium. It was a brutal second support with triggered drums, flying hair and tight, dark riffs. From ‘Parasite’ to ‘Storm Chaser’ their sound ranged from technical death metal to pure thrash. Whilst choppy in parts, they evidently can contain a riff within the ensuing maelstrom.
Viewing a headlining stage set with a rampart of sorts, keyboardist elevation, double kick drum set on a riser and a backdrop to capture still and moving projections, the absence of amplifiers on stage inferred some impending sonic doom. With the subtlety of a sandstone brick, Cradle of Filth appeared and tore off into their latest opus without spilling a drop of claret, aptly blasting out ‘Shat Out of Hell’. The touring six-piece followed with that gilded Nymphetamine track that relishes in obscenity. From this point on, the relentless drumming and tremolo picked black metal inspired riffery set most of the tone for rehearsed carnage.
Songwriting ‘riff wrath’ guitarist Paul Allender was on a fierce mission to demolish. But after the twin guitar attack within ‘The 13th Caesar’ hit, it was the breathing space of ‘Nymphetamine Fix’ that showed their production dynamics. Backed with female soprano vocals, the slower pace heightened the ongoing blood curdling shrieks and growls of frontman Dani Filth. Sadly, his complex lyrics were sometimes unintelligible yet the combination of melody and thrash amongst the dark arrangements reminded me that it is primarily about atmospherics. The galloping power of highlight song ‘Honey and Sulfur’ soon heralded an abrupt several song encore that contained latest album closer ‘Corpseflower’ and the classics ‘Her Ghost In The Fog’ and set closer ‘From The Cradle To Enslave’.
A breakneck pace meant that a seventy minute set flew past, enhanced by their morbid image, precision to detail and a dash of tongue in cheek humour. Operatic, dramatic, bombastic and furious, their stage show and professional delivery of songs sets a new standard for extreme metal. Whilst prone to the odd dummy spit, ‘the Filth’ was fortunately in fine performance mode form on this night, backed up by visually impressive production that even included a swinging pentagram. None more black.