Gig Review: Obituary + Psycroptic + Black Lava at the Manning Bar, Sydney

Live review: Obituary, Psycroptic and Black Lava at Manning Bar, Sydney, Monday, January 13 2024

By BRIAN GIFFIN

ON a humid Sydney evening that was spoiled for choice of live music action, it was still hardly surprising that Florida greats Obituary would attract a capacity crowd. The line for the merch desk was snaking down the stairs and still growing when Melbourne old schoolers Black Lava stepped up on a stage crowded with backline and drums.

It took a little while for the mix to sort itself out, with Dan Presland’s booming drums drowning out the buzzing guitar. The vocals were also a bit too loud at first but by the fourth song everything had pretty much evened out and the crowd warmed to their barebones and raw blackened death metal. Black Lava’s unadorned approach was the perfect opener for what was to come and a decent set-length gave them time to get a few bodies moving on the floor before they had to concede the stage to the mighty Psycroptic.

I have seen Psycroptic dozens of times over the years and they have never let me down. This evening they were on fire from the moment they stormed the stage, the intro build-up to “Cold” giving way to a blitz of technical death metal precision. Out front, Jason Peppiatt is thoroughly engaging, stirring the crowd into a frenzy as the set unfolds, Todd Stern stepping up now and then to add his own exhortations. Stage right, Joe Haley unleashes his constant stream of catchy, fretboard-sweeping riffs seemingly without any effort, sounding like he’s playing two guitars at once somehow. By “The Watcher of All”, Pepp’s calls for movement at the front caused the entire lower section of the Manning’s floor to be engulfed by a huge, fast-moving circle pit; “Rend Asunder” churned it even more and between songs a chant for the band was going up. By midway through the set I realised that this band whom I’d followed almost from their very beginning were no longer “mine” but belonged to everyone now. Psycroptic have become heroes and even with a stand-in drummer – Robin Stone for Dave Haley who’s on paternity leave – they crush all before them. Not just Australia’s best metal band, but one of the best of any kind.

With the Manning’s stifling humidity getting to the point of oppressive, Obituary opened with the lurching march of “Redneck Stomp” building the tension for the entrance of John Tardy to rip into it for “Sentence Day”. Psycroptic made it hard for anyone to follow them but the grand old masters of death metal took it all in their plodding stride, wading into “Lesson In Vengeance” and “Visions in My Head”, Tardy stalking the stage, grinning wildly between growls into the mic.

Obituary’s relationship with Australia hasn’t always been rosy – the 2006 tour was a small disaster – but any old wounds have long been healed and the crowd swelled and surged to their thunderous tones as they showcased Dying of Everything and an array of others from across the catalogue. “The Wrong Time” and “Barely Alive” were the first new tracks to arise, midway into the main set. Kenny Andrews’ extended soloing added an element to the crushing barrage that the two previous bands did not employ and while Tardy didn’t stir the crowd up the same way Peppo had done, there was no end to the wave of bodies crashing over the barrier, a heavy, sweaty mass of heads banging to Obituary’s dark grooves.

Ten songs was barely enough of course and the encore opened with the enormous trudge of “War”, the band and crowd still feeding off each other’s energy into the final shriek of “Slowly We Rot” four songs later. A consummate display of death metal mastery from the band that’s still at the top of their game.