Invent Animate – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 3rd September @ Stay Gold, Melb VIC

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Ricky Aarons

Invent Animate
Stay Gold, Melbourne VIC
September 3, 2023
Supports: The Gloom In The Corner, Heavensgate & Vatic

Due to a family emergency, our Wall of Sound reviewer was unable to review the supports. We believe in keeping local music alive and getting down to events early is the best way to help newcomers thrive.

Invent Animate gave Melburnians something to scream with excitement about. They held their first ever Australian headline show during their debut run of the country with We Came As Romans. After catching the two international bands in Sydney earlier in the week, we knew we couldn’t miss this very special display.

With some of the best progressive metalcore production (in the world) under their belt, Invent Animate brought their exceptional delivery all the way from Texas to the (arguably) music capital of Australia. Heard of a little album called Heavener? Released earlier this year, the group are peaking in every sense of the word.

The headliner’s performance was preceded by Alpha Wolf‘s Sabian Lynch walking on stage and demanding Melbourne turn it on for the band tonight. With an obvious camaraderie developed over the years, the rhythm guitarist warned Stay Gold they better be prepared for a not-so-quiet-place-to-die.

Invent Animate hit the stage and catapulted into a trio of Heavener wonder, opening with ‘Shade Astray‘ then seamlessly transitioning to ‘False Meridian‘ and ‘Labyrinthine‘. By the end of this trifecta, fans were shellshocked at the ferocity that this mega-talented band had just delivered in front of us. Every hook, every crescendo and every last breakdown-beat were felt – translated live with absolute precision.

The wall-to-wall packed-like-sardine fans were just getting warmed up at the Brunswick nightclub; and it’s at an exclusive headliner like this where you know you’re going to get a little bit more. The Texans rolled into 2020’s ‘Cloud Cascade‘ off Greyview and back-to-back into ‘As If It Never Was‘ off 2021 three-track single. The live performance was nothing short of remarkable, with vocalist Marcus Vik warming his vocals more and more each song and interchanging his unmatched singing and descending metalcore uncleans.

Sandwiched in a stream of more mesmerising Heavener jams, Invent Animate dabbled in Greyview once again with ‘Monarch‘ before entering the closing stages of this show. Alpha Wolf‘s Lochie Keogh joined the band on stage after his bandmate Lynch crowdsurfed multiple times, showing the crowd what being a fan really looks like. Keogh brought the ‘chill’ factor as he effortlessly delivered ‘Without a Whisper‘ with the rest of the band welcoming him on stage in open arms.

Closing with banger ‘Immolation of Night‘, Melbourne bore witness one last time to Invent Animate‘s impeccable abilities. With soaring riffs and obliterating breakdowns, this band proved that they are it; this is top-tier metalcore.

Review by Ricky Aarons (@rickysaul90)

Photo Gallery by Clinton Hatfield. Follow Clinton on Instagram.
Please credit Wall of Sound and Clinton Hatfield if you repost.

Heavensgate