What can be said about this band that hasn't been said before? They've been around for some 18 years and only just now decided to grace Australian fans with their presence, which seems to be the going trend for bands to finally realise that we're here and waiting (Iron Maiden finally realised this too). But, alas they came, we saw, then they left, but not before getting pestered by a crowd of fans at their instore signing at Utopia Records in Sydney, which was quite the experience in itself. But, to the gig.
Upon arriving there was already a sizable crowd waiting outside, and once everyone was let it they all went either to the bar, to the front of the stage or to the merch stand, which seems to be the three most interesting spots one can be before the show even starts. Local metallers Ruins were the support for the evening, and despite their lack of stage presence, they kicked arse musically. I had heard some good things about this band, and it was delivered, which is always a bonus. The band boasts members of Psycroptic and The Amenta, which are both becoming local heroes in the metal scene down under. Ruins are yet another tight act in the Australian metal scene, and I'd recommend you check them out if ever given a chance.
Of course, Immortal were up next, and the crowd was giddy with anticipation as their backdrop was revealed, out came the camera phones to get a pic, and as the crew was preparing the stage for their inevitable arrival people were either sucking up to them with hopes of scoring free sh*t, or yelling for them to "hurry f**k up" (jokes, of coarse). After a good half hour or so wait, Immortal finally came out, Horgh arising triumphantly behind the kit, followed by Abbath and Apollyon running out on stage.
They played songs from all over their discography, including Solarfall, At The Heart of Winter, Damned in Black, Sons of Northern Darkness and so on, and played them all perfectly. I didn't think the night could get any better until Abbath came out mid song with a flaming torch and did a bit of fire breathing for all the Sydney fans! From second row I could feel the heat from these massive fireballs licking the ceiling. Abbath was in a comical mood this evening, having fun with the crowd in between songs, when we got too quiet he'd yell at us to make some noise, and at some point did a scat version of a Didgeridoo, which was a pretty good attempt.After a few more songs the show was over and people spilled out onto the streets of Sydney very satisfied and jumping around with glee over the fact that they had just seen Immortal, and after an 18 year wait, you'd bloody well hope so.
The Monday after the show was time for the Immortal signing, so I made my way back into the city just for this, and I can say that it was an experience, as I already mentioned. The lineup of people didn't really start to grow until around 5 mins before the band was due to begin, but as expected it was pushed back half an hour, which wasn't too much of a big deal.
Eventually everyone was lead inside the store to line up and out came the band, Abbath, Horgh, Apollyon and Demonaz were all accompanied by cheers from the crowd. They all seemed quite happy to sit there and sign a few things for everyone, I started to think of things I should have taken with me to get signed, but alas I scored a tour poster from the shop owner and got the band to scribble on that, which was awesome. When I asked Apollyon how their stay in Sydney was, he said "It was great, today we went to the zoo". Sounds like fun!
A great way to end an even better weekend. If you ever get a chance to see Immortal, don't pass it up, they certainly give you your moneys worth. I'll definately be there when they return. I just wish I had a camera with me on the night. Always next time though!
Mat
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