Gig

Bolzer - Gig Review 30th May @ The Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane QLD

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

May 31, 2019

7 min read

Bolzer
The Woolly Mammoth, Brisbane QLD
May 30th, 2019
Supports: Eternal Torment & Gravier & Blackhelm

Eternal Torment takes to the stage with little fanfare. But three songs into their setlist, their frontman Gus has this small crowd, eating from the very depths of the abyss as the band weave a spell of pain through the speakers, while Gus sounds like he rolled around in shards of broken glass before proving their band name is nothing but an apt description of their live performance.

Gravier on the other hand just can’t cut it tonight. The band appears on the stage sporting a variety of bandannas, whilst their frontman sports a hoodie and morph suit motif ripped straight out of the pages of BDSM-Weekly. It’s a confusing gimmick purely on the basis of their being no thematic consistency. But I digress. Compacted with a variety of sound issues, the band sounds like a dirge of tones, that is only further exacerbated by their frontman and his face covering, which makes his vocals sound like a series of indecipherable noises. But hey, at least the crowd could find the time to get another beer.

In the words of the late, great, Ariana Grande. Thank you, next.

Don’t worry though. Blackhelm is here to blow away the cobwebs and engulf you in their sweet caress. Taking to the stage, the band waste no time in absolutely decimating the crowd with their intoxicating black metal majesty. Frontman Rob Widowmaker cuts a menacing figure as he drenches the crowd in vocals riding on a wave of beautiful, unending pain. The crowd responds in kind by banging their heads to the brutality spewing forth from the stage.

And finally, it’s time for the one we’ve all been waiting for…

Awash in a series of blue lights, an audio track builds a menacing atmosphere, as candles burn on various parts of the stage. Bolzer walks onto the stage as thunder rumbles through the speakers, before the inevitable explosion of sonic destruction hits your eardrums with the force of a hammer. The band brings out everything they have in their arsenal for their first headlining show in Australia, with everything from their album Hero to their no less devastating EPs getting the live treatment tonight.

Master of the ceremony, KzR is every bit the man we need tonight. Wielding his guitar like a weapon passed down from the gods, he drips sweat with every riff he pushes out from the void, while his vocals coalesce from with the maelstrom he weaves upon all those present, enveloping the crowd in his sickening embrace. The hungry horde responds in kind by banging their heads to the spell being woven before them, as the strobe lights and music combine to beat every single one of your senses into submission. By the time their set ends, there’s not a single disappointed face left in the room, as KzR brings us all to ruin with one final song. Before disappearing into the night they came from.

Seeing Bolzer live is the closest thing you will ever come to a religious experience.

Don’t miss it.

Gig Review by Kaydan Howison@Unicorn_Christ