Entombed A.D. – Gig Review 9th May @ Crowbar, Brisbane QLD

Posted on May 10, 2017 by KaydanHowison

Entombed A.D.
Crowbar, Brisbane QLD
May 9th, 2017
Supported by: Laceration Mantra & Eternal Rest

Sometimes you have some mental nights out.

You know… the kind where you wake up with a pineapple in your bed and have NO IDEA how it got there. Probably. So while I most certainly can’t assure your night will be that crazy – I can promise if you go to an Entombed A.D. show you may just find out what a bottle of whole egg mayo, endlessly fist bumping and a thirst for Mountain Goat beer have to do with a legendary death metal band’s live show.

But before we can get into all the fun, we have some local content coming our way in the shape of local Brisbane act Laceration Mantra.

From the very first note their music exudes a level of aggression that’s positively soul crushing, the drums reverberate throughout your entire body beating you like a blunt axe as the astronomically heavy guitar work strips the flesh from your bones. Vocalist Rob Rieff ominously stands at the front of the stage – whipping the crowd into a frenzy – attacking his five-string bass like a weapon and bellowing screams from the depths of whatever hell you want to believe in.

This band will have you picking yourself up off the floor in no time.

Subsequently, follow up act Eternal Rest don’t really hit the ground running, their brand of technical death metal just really doesn’t resonate with the small crowd. However this may be because lead singer Shanon Davern is channelling his inner drunk white girl – dancing about the stage as if they just dropped the bass in your favourite nightclub. That’s not to say the band is bad, their music is heavy and devastating with melodic touches that add some much needed musical depth and if it was a younger crowd, maybe someone would care. But for whatever reason, it’s just not happening for them tonight.

Local acts aside, they’re forgotten the moment legendary Swedish act Entombed A.D. take to the stage.

Opening with ‘Midas in Revenge’ from their latest opus. It’s one of the very few newer songs played tonight with a heavy reliance on their older more classic material. Which is definitely sure to please their most ardent fans. Beginning with a short intro, the legendary act waste little time in barraging the punters with classic after classic of meaty, heavy fucking riffs and in the process showing the kids half their age how it’s done.

Lead singer Lars-Göran Petrov adds a sense of lightness to the heavy music resonating onstage. This is exemplified by his obsession with a bottle of whole egg mayo (seemingly appearing out of thin air) which he proceeded to explain he would “save for later”. The humour in his actions and words, comes across as increasingly likeable, whether it’s giving a beer to share amongst the punters or asking for a shot of whiskey from the bar (sorry about our shitty alcohol laws) he’s nothing more than a consummate, yet slightly drunk professional. Basically the drunk uncle you wish you had.

If this scares you a little, rest assured, the band are here for nothing more than the sole mission of partying your dicks off! Coming to the stage tonight with fan favourites like ‘Wolverine Blues’ and the blistering ‘Eyemaster’ they blow the dust off your aging bones within seconds. Hammering you with riff after riff of scorching guitar grooves, this band are the aural equivalent of being smashed in the face and put in a coma for the rest of your life.

Simply put Entombed A.D are exactly the kind of live experience you need in your life, whether it’s from being bombarded from the guitar work of Nico Elgstrand or coalescing in a pit of bodies as Olle Dahlstedt’s drums chew through the depths of your existence. Entombed A.D. are an unstoppable force – please don’t miss them.

Review by Kaydan Howison

Revisit our interview with frontman Lars-Göran Petrov here