Live Review: Deafheaven, High Tension, Sanzu

On a stormy night, death-orientated five-piece Sanzu seemed liked the perfect fit for the apocalyptic weather. They battered the amassing crowd with a clutch of classic riffs and a thick, physical sound. Given this promising set, and the quality of new songs like Tailor we may be hearing a lot more from Sanzu in the future.

Once we'd overcome the confrontational WTF factor of such guttural death-shrieks emanating from their diminutive vocalist, the talent and resourcefulness of furious Melbourne hardcore quartet High Tension shone through. Besides a deep arsenal of hooks, they impressed with their ability to create atmospheric breathing spaces and Karina Utomo's sheer resourcefulness in using her voice as an instrument. Utomo wandered through the crowd during Bully before finishing with an infectiously agitated High Risk High Rewards.

It always seems to be a sign of bulletproof confidence when a band chooses ridiculously good background music before hitting the stage. With Slayer's Reign In Blood tearing away, you'd have been forgiven for thinking Deafheaven had set themselves an impossibly high bar. As preposterous as it sounds, the San Franciscan black metal visionaries were up to the task, ripping through New Bermuda beginning to end "classic album" style, effectively demonstrating their scope and ambition, incorporating ambient drones, post-rock-esque passages and of course pure, primal urgency.

Unlike a number of other revered frontmen, George Clarke stayed front and centre even when he wasn't singing. Lost in the intensity, he dramatically waved his arms as if conducting an invisible orchestra, hands twitching like little birds. When he did vocalise, one foot on the centre monitor so as to lean over the front row, he was a magnetic presence with a stare that burned like a laser beam. By contrast, the rest of the band were undemonstrative, each of them a picture of calm concentration — even drummer Daniel Tracy as he reeled off lightning speed fills during Come Back.

Instead of shuffling off before the encore, the band stayed on stage as Clarke dedicated the tour to High Tension, before launching into a finger- and throat-blistering Sunbather. Finally, summoning the will to end their Australian tour, Deafheaven closed with the euphoric Dream House, a pinnacle of breathless excitement that confirmed them as the complete package.