Live Review: I Killed the Prom Queen, Saviour, Reflections of Ruin, Aveira Skies

It looked like a storm front was rolling into Perth on Saturday night, but it didn't stop huge numbers of punters stretching the line down the alley of Amps to see a band who revolutionised metalcore music in Australia. Five-piece hardcore/metal band Aveira Skies, who had just returned from the UK where they'd finished recording their debut full-length album, kicked things off in style. To a growing crowd they delivered an aggressive set and provided a great start to what would be a breakdown marathon of a night. Next up were Reflections Of Ruin, whose style of technical metal offered a strangely unique mix of heavy riffs, death metal-style screams and melodic undertones. Their set began in true metal fashion as one of the guitarists broke a string halfway into the intro, resulting in an unexpected small break.
Hot off the release of their latest album, First Light To My Deathbed, Perth favourites Saviour received a massive ovation as they graced the stage. Having just finished a national tour, the boys looked fucking psyched to be home playing to their hometown fans.
It had almost been a year since I Killed The Prom Queen last played in Perth and many punters were questioning whether they still had any relevance in the scene today. Clearly the huge number of Perth fans hadn't forgotten the cultural impact Prom Queen have had on the metalcore scene in Australia, as guitarist Jona Weinhoffen apologised to the crowd for taking so long to get back over. As soon as they started their set, it seemed all was forgiven, but it was interesting to see the band still relying heavily on songs from 2006's Music For The Recently Deceased. Perhaps this could have been the time to treat the loyal fans to a taste of the new material they finished recording in Sweden recently. But tracks like Columbian Necktie, 666 and Sharks In Your Mouth got the biggest responses from the crowd. Vocalist Jamie Hope's screams are just as brutal as any of the frontmen before him, and he seems to have sparked new life for IKTPQ. Their set was safe and exactly what you'd expect – but they played to their strengths and left punters chanting for more as they finished.