Screaming Symphony Benefit Gig
When going to a metal show I tend not to worry about my appearance too much. My main concern is usually whether I've got the right black T-shirt to wear. For the Screaming Symphony Benefit Gig it was a completely different story. I made sure I'd shaved and I joked with my mate that I'd considered wearing a suit. The reason for this was that I'd be seeing Divine Ascension for the first time. I heard varying reports about their music, mostly I'd been told their frontwoman is hot so I thought I better look my best.
Actually this was just an added bonus. In reality, Crimsonfire and LORD were the bands I wanted to see. I'd also be going back to the Corner Hotel, which is my preferred venue when it comes to gigs.
I arrive to find plenty of the usual crowd waiting outside. It looked as if it would be a decent turnout. I get inside and it wasn't long before I felt like I was at home.
Vampora, a band I knew nothing about started the night. They had a glam rock image and a sound reminiscent of Yngwie Malmsteen, which mostly worked well. When they covered Metallica's Hit The Lights they fell away slightly. Towards the end their songs took a darker doomier tone that wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the earlier stuff. Vampora are certainly a versatile band and they did get the night off on a positive note.
Immediately the Steve Turner Project began their set. This was a change of pace as they mostly played instrumentals. A quality band although they weren't the full metal assault I'm used to. I do want to see them again even if I did move before they finished to be in position for the next band.
Then it was time for Divine Ascension. After a slow start vocally due to microphone problems they were phenomenal. My metal brothers and I all agreed they were the discovery of the night. They played epic songs that were surprisingly heavy. The highlight was definitely the guitar solo during their last song, this alone made the night worthwhile. With Enter Twilight on hiatus Divine Ascension have come along at just the right time. I've got no doubt I'll be seeing them as much as I can and for the record their singer was very attractive.
Following on was Mindroom with some metal covers. This didn't match the quality of the other bands, I still give them credit though because they don't play what you'd expect. Sabbath's Children Of The Sea was the standout of their set.
Next up it was Crimsonfire. They were definitely the band of the night. They mostly played new songs which all sounded killer. Having said that I would have liked to hear a couple of older tracks mainly because I haven't seen Crimsonfire many times. Songs that impressed were one that I believe was called Season, which was ultra heavy, and Region of Legends, which never disappoints. Add in the glass shattering scream at the end of their set and you have yourself a performance that can only be described as power metal perfection. I only wish they played longer.
Desperately needing a break I hear what sounds like Dream Theater's Pull Me Under. I thought it couldn't be. Sure enough Mindroom were playing it, which led to some critical remarks from myself as I haven't forgiven Dream Theater for not performing it when they toured here. This set was more pleasing with the crowd being more responsive. Even my mates got into it going crazy for Malmsteen's Rising Force.
Peter and Gary the men behind Screaming Symphony and the organisers of the event then got up on stage to thank people and announce the winners of the raffle. This started off reasonably normal before going right out of control. For a moment I thought I was at a comedy club. The humour though mostly couldn't be repeated.
Sydney's LORD brought the night to a close. It was a pleasure to see them after such a long time. They again delivered even though they didn't play any Dungeon songs. When I heard the crushing Through The Fire I thought that would be the pinnacle of LORD's set. I changed my mind quickly. Same Old Lines and Rain were even better in what was another top performance of power metal from one of Australia's finest bands.
While I had some idea of what was to come, nothing could properly prepare me for it. Lord Tim (LORD frontman) and his bandmates returned to the stage dressed as Vikings. I didn't think I could respect him any more but when he let out "I have a sword" with full power metal scream I was even more impressed. During all the chaos members from the other bands joined them on stage as well as some other vocalists from Melbourne. Eventually order is restored as this all star lineup launches into Manowar's Hail And Kill. Words cannot do this experience justice. Afterwards I told my mate if that was the last song I saw I could live with that. I hope someone filmed this and it gets put on youtube or DVD because it's well worth watching.
After the gig I caught up with some regulars, chatted with Crimsonfire and made some new friends, which was great. Before I know it I'm heading home disappointed it's all over yet extremely satisfied with the night.
This was my first Screaming Symphony Benefit Show and if it's anything to go by I've missed out. It had a top class bill, memorable performances and was a hell of a lot of fun. At this point it's the gig of the year.
