Live Review: The Amity Affliction, PVRIS, Beartooth, Make Them Suffer

Metalcore faithful once again descend on Brisbane's Riverstage for the final leg of The Amity Affliction's Death To Misery national tour; the band's return to Brisbane is a chance to celebrate This Could Be Heartbreak one more time before heading back to the studio.

Perth metalcore outfit Make Them Suffer open the evening, showcasing a couple of choice tracks from their albums Old Souls (2015) and Neverbloom (2012). The death metal rockers lure the still-arriving crowd towards the mosh with their inescapable energy and fury. They also present to the audience their latest track, Fireworks.

Beartooth let loose in a blaze of gravel and grit with lead vocalist Caleb Shomo bellowing, '"HOLY SHIT, BRISBANE, ARE YOU MOTHERFUCKERS READY FOR THE CRAZIEST SHOW OF YOUR FUCKING LIVES." Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, the band launch straight into the title track from 2016's Aggressive and then Body Bag from Disgusting (2014). Shomo shows off his vocal versatility in the final bars of In Between, wowing the audience with a series of guttural melismas, vocal acrobatics which melt into a purer, cleaner melody. He also makes blatantly clear this performance is a dictatorship, as the mid and inter-song commands bend the primal instincts of the mob to his will. It only takes moments for the sea of devil horns to crack open and give way to a circle pit of what looks like churning, molten bodies.

PVRIS make their way on stage against a backdrop of shimmering white strobes and ethereal keyboard pads. PVRIS' lead vocalist Lynn Gynn is welcomed on stage to a bevvy of screams, particularly as the female contingent of the audience make their elation known. Opening with Smoke, the electro-rockers from Massachusetts treat the audience to hit tracks from their debut album White Noise. Across the whole set, PVRIS themselves perform very well. However, the first half is significantly let down by poor sound mixing. The backing vocals echoing Gunn's lyrics in Fire also move in and out of sync which appears to send the song out of time in sections.

PVRIS pull out non-album track Half which brings some technical stability back to the set. Gunn begins the song working the synthesiser before handing the reins over to bassist, Brian MacDonald. Gunn cascades along the melodic vocal lines to deliver a highly evocative and expressive performance. The mosh no longer thrashes as violently as it did earlier in the evening, however as the main motif of Mirrors echoes through the night air, it continues to swell and sway, soaking in the electro-infused ambience. This proves to be the calm before the storm as the audience's energy surges with a magnetic rendition of fan favourite and ear-worm St. Patrick. The set takes a dark, ghostly turn in You And I and makes way for Gunn to masterfully display her throaty, grungy mid-range and delicate, enticing upper-range.

The hands of the crowd are raised and clapping to the synth-heavy My House which concludes the set. Gunn unleashes her final stores of energy, almost collapsing with the mic stand as she screams the final notes.

The arrival of The Amity Affliction on stage is heralded by ear-shattering screams with fans cramming themselves towards prime viewing positions. True to form, Amity kick straight in with Open Letter, accompanied a vibrant display of pyrotechnics and showers of white confetti. Joel Birch lets fly with his unclean vocals as each lyric he screams is dripping in raw, heart-wrenching emotion. Bassist Ahren Stringer takes over with clean vocals in the chorus, leading the enraptured audience in a hardcore sing-a-long.

The first part of the set is primarily made up of old favourites from Youngbloods, Chasing Ghosts and Let The Ocean Take Me. Following Lost And Fading, Birch takes a moment to thank the devoted Brisbane audience and tell us what a joy it is to finish off the tour "where it all began". The momentum continues to rise with the iconic drum intro to Never Alone. Crowd surfers are somersaulting towards the front, and like Moses and the Red Sea, Birch parts the audience to create an overwhelmingly large circle pit. The performance of I Heart Hartley is met with roars of jubilation from long-time Amity fans. The darkness bathing the stage and pit before Youngbloods is broken by the sudden crack of flares blazing alight. The flares show a haunting image of Birch during Weigh Down, standing as an avenging angel framed against the fire and blackened stage.

From the pits of their stomachs, the audience scream the lyrics to I Bring The Weather With Me in raucous solidarity. A sudden peace washes over the venue during the bridge, as the choral passage echoes through the speakers, strengthening the sea of voices. Birch devotes All Fucked Up to a friend and "anyone else that suffers from really fucked up anxiety like I do". This song makes clear that tonight's performance is a safe space for anyone struggling.

Death's Hand is always a crowd pleaser, particularly in the bridge where everyone raises their middle fingers to the sky and screams, "HEY DEATH, GET FUCKED!!!". For the first time in Brisbane, the band performs Nightmare. An air of unfamiliarity descends as the audience seems unsure of what song is playing, but quickly clues on. Fight My Regret brings the main part of the set to a close, surprisingly, as the energy of the concert was pumping with little indication of slowing down. Clearly skilled at multitasking, Stringer spins and fight-dances around the stage with his wireless bass. They literally went out with a bang as fireworks and flares on stage thundered as the final notes ring out.

The audience are indulged with a three-song encore, including hit singles Pittsburgh and Don't Lean On Me. The crowd, while still energetic, it is clear by this point they are full to the brim from tonight's entertainment and well-satiated. The Amity Affliction said their goodbyes with title track This Could Be Heartbreak. In a funny little oops moment, Stringer starts singing too early which sends smiles all around the venue.

Everything they offer their audience is meaningful - their lyrics give catharsis to the weary heart and apply a soothing balm to healing wounds, their infectious and constant outpour of energy delivers a hugely enjoyable experience whether you are in the thick of the mosh or watching from the flanks.