Billboard, Melbourne
Sunday April 21, 2013 :
This was a fabulous night in Melbourne – mild weather, last night of the comedy festival, an hour and twenty in the Melbourne Town Hall with new comic sensation Tommy Little, and then it’s off to Billboard for an evening of stupendous, extravagant Aussie and Euro metal. Plenty of black clad rockers in the city too, as Coheed and Cambria were playing around the corner at The Palace on the same night. These are the nights when I wish there were two of me.
Melbourne power metal act, Eyefear, have been kicking around, doing their own take on the soaring power metal sound, for many, many moons, and when you’ve been doing it that long you’re not going to be anything but consummate pros. And such was the case again tonight. Their set was typically uplifting and powerful, and the female vocalist sharing the limelight with ‘hair to his ankles’ lead singer, Danny Cecati, was a very nice touch. As good a lead in to Epica as a musical city like Melbourne could provide.
The term ‘consumate professionals’ came quickly to mind again when Epica hit the stage. This Dutch sextet fairly blow your mind with their monumental symphonic metal sound. At times they resemble an orchestral death metal band, with blistering riffs, blast beats and guttural vocals. They also cover gothic rock, poppier elements, progressive rock and metal, the whole gamut. And soaring above it all is the magnificent voice of flame haired mezzo-soprano vocalist Simone Simons. She really is a force of nature, her powerful but silky notes pitching perfectly above the sheer mayhem that is happening behind her.
Possibly what was the best thing about it all was the fact that the band, rather than standing and looking and dark and serious as they very easily could have playing music of this kind, all had big smiles on their faces and appeared to be having such fun. It really was a joy to behold, and their enthusiasm was truly infectious.
The band covered the entirety of their now sizable back catalogue, and given that this was their first time in Australia, they were given an uproarious hero’s welcome by the packed crowd at Billboard. Let’s hope it’s the first of many.
Many so called ‘true’ metalheads, in all their narrow minded, self righteous glory, give bands like Epica hell on internet forums and such. But they are seriously deluding themselves and depriving themselves of much pleasure. Epica, and bands of their ilk, are like an electrifying, fully fledged symphony orchestra and a powerhouse metal band all at once. And what could be better than that?
Reviewer: Rob Whitfield
Photogrpaher: Louis Abigail
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