Carcass & The Black Dahlia Murder - Gig Review 7th April @ The Princess Theatre, Bris QLD

Carcass
The Princess Theatre, Meanjin/Brisbane QLD
April 7th, 2024
Support: The Black Dahlia Murder, Freedom of Fear

To an outsider, it might sound completely ludicrous that a band titled ‘Carcass‘ could headline a venue so delicately named The Princess Theatre. Of course, what they’re probably unaware of, is that tonight’s main event are one of the greats of the English extreme metal scene – potentially the finest and most influential UK death metal export ever. The first Australian Carcass tour since 2015, this run of shows marks the legend’s return to Oz/NZ since the dropping of their excellent – though Covid-delayed – release Torn Arteries. As if witnessing the Liverpudlian kings after a near-decade absence isn’t enough for Australian metal freaks, the addition of The Black Dahlia Murder as super special guests – also marking their emotionally triumphant return – makes for a near untouchable doubleheader. Playing healthy-sized venues and selling out shows across the country, there are plenty of punters – and fired-up energy – from the Sunday night crowd here in Brisbane city.

Adelaide’s melodic blackened/tech-death quintet Freedom of Fear gets the honours of opening this extreme metal fiesta, with a good amount of bodies in already in the venue to witness the national supports. The act’s last date with the tour before Carcass and The Black Dahlia Murder head across the ditch, the group focuses heavily on their sophomore full-length Carpathia, with possessed vocals from Jade Monserrat and plenty of neo-classical licks and sweep-picking from both axemen. Freedom of Fear’s influences are pretty obvious – there’s more than a helping of Cradle of Filth to their sound, while the clean/progressive parts have more than a subtle hint of Opeth to it. Despite having most of the faster passages being swallowed up by the mix and The Princess Theatre’s extra-tall ceiling, Freedom of Fear are certainly well-oiled live and gets a strong response for their half an hour slot.

Going solely on the amount of their merch being proudly displayed, you could be forgiven for thinking that The Black Dahlia Murder are headlining this evening. Of course, these shows mark the band’s first Australian tour since the passing of vocalist, founding member, and pillar of the extreme metal community, Trevor Strnad. As the opening strains of ‘Verminous‘ creep through the PA, The Black Dahlia Murder arrive in Brisbane to a true heroes’ welcome. With fellow founding member and now-former rhythm guitarist Brian Eschbach taking the frontman reins, his vocals and overall warm presence make him the perfect – and only logical – new frontman for the group. At times he seems a tad lost on stage without a guitar, but he’s content to waltz/stroll around by himself or harass drumming machine Alan Cassidy during the instrumental breaks. With former lead guitarist Ryan Knight rejoining the fray, the dual lead guitarists of Knight and Brandon Ellis has added a new element to the band, with both tackling the solos in the older material, while the fresh two-part harmonies added at the end of ‘Carbonized in Cruciform‘ is shred-fan’s wet dream. Due to the tragic circumstances of the line-up change, we’re hesitant to say they sound better than ever – but the diversity of Knight and Ellis, plus coupled with the incredible, studio-only rhythm playing of Eschbach – might make The Black Dahlia Murder one of the most untouchable guitar trios in metal.

A quick shoutout from the Eschbach to the late, great Trevor Strnad deservedly gets a big chant from the crowd, with the vocalist noting that Strnad would want us – band and fans alike – to be here having fun and enjoying life and music. With nearly 25 years of experience in the game, the Detroit destroyers know how to put on a great live show, hand-picking some of their most engaging tracks across a proper hour-long set. The endless energy from the crowd – and band – makes up for their near half-decade absence, with the raging circle pits during ‘I Will Return‘, to the muscle-flexing ‘Statutory Ape‘ and bouncing ‘Nightbringers‘. Eschbach gets in the front row for the epic, chant-along Stirring Seas of Salted Blood, while Ellis raises the roof with his screaming solo in Sunless Empire. Unhallowed/Funeral Thirst is exhumed from back to the group’s early days, while Nocturnal classic ‘Deathmask Divine‘ wraps up their night. Occasionally the mix is frustrating, with the occasional lead break being lost beneath the rhythm instruments, but ultimately it is a faultless – and highly positive – performance from The Black Dahlia Murder. It’s no sign of disrespect to say the gauntlet has been thrown down for this evening’s main act. While the greedy Black Dahlia fan may have wished for a headline tour, this is certainly the next best thing for Australian fans – and with the promise of a return after their new album drops at the end of the year, The Black Dahlia Murder’s legacy and future burn equally bright.

With tonight’s Brisbane date marking the last of the Australian shows, and one of the final legs of the extremely lengthy Torn Arteries cycle, The Princess Theatre is rammed-packed and fired-up for Carcass, especially thanks to the two supports. Having a career that extends back 40 years, there’s a real multi-generational crowd in attendance, with some true old-school metal heads amongst the fresh-faced youngsters. Hitting the stage to the Heartwork opener ‘Buried Dreams‘, any mix issues faced by the previous artists are erased as the death metal godfathers sound absolutely massive, with the punters at a fever pitch.  It’s also immediately obvious that Carcass are completely consummate live professionals, delivering what feels like a proper big show vibe – a bonus clever touch having an all-white backdrop that doubles as a projector screen. ‘Buried Dreams‘ moves seamlessly into newer track Kelly’s Meat Emporium, as does ‘Ruptured in Purulence‘ melding the anthem-like ‘Heartwork‘. No one in attendance would be in doubt that Carcass have riffs for days – the nearly title track of the 2019 record ‘316L Grade Surgical Steel‘ is soaked in them. With such a deep back catalogue of albums, EPs, and compilations, Carcass wisely try to give their fans the most bang-for-buck with a couple of medleys, while no essential tunes are missed, with recent LP Torn Arteries expectedly getting plenty of attention; ‘The Scythe’s Remorseless Swing‘ in particular sounds excellent, and will surely hang around the band’s live set for an age to come.

The death n’ roll vibes of Swansong-era material make for easy moshing, while mid-career classic ‘Corporal Jigsaw Quandary‘ is a contender for the hugest reaction of the night. Reflecting his influences – and perhaps (whisper it) age – founding member and bell-bottom-clad Bill Steer brings a real rock n roll edge to the death metal carnage. He, and new-ish member James ‘Nip’ Blackford, sound equally chunky and resonate – Les Paul’s into tube amps will do that! – with the two trading licks and sinking beers. Special note must go to the excellent playing of drummer Dan Wilding, whose groove and feel are a rarity in extreme metal, and he even gets an impromptu solo spot – including a nice ‘Angel of Death‘ quote – as frontman Jeff Walker hydrates the heaving crowd. Vocalist and bassist Walker’s dry sarcasm and good-natured ribbing is quintessentially Scouse and helps fire up a somewhat tiring pit as their set progresses. Admittedly some bodies do leave towards the end of Carcass’ performance – perhaps the downside of a Sunday gig – though the vast majority who stay to the end of the 80-minute slot are treated with the nasty, grinding slabs ‘Exhume to Consume‘ and ‘Reek of Putrefaction‘ – highlighting their transition from a gore-drenched grindcore to genuinely catchy melodic death metal.

What could only be considered a milestone tour, Carcass and The Black Dahlia Murder have delivered – and then some – upon their stellar reputations. With extreme metal fans turning out in droves, the Australian shows for the duo have been a resounding success, painting a great picture of the heavy music scene, and appreciation, in this country. A truly fantastic event in Brisbane for metalheads, The Princess Theatre has witnessed one hell of a show – and those stumbling out into the evening air can only hope for both Carcass’ and The Black Dahlia Murder’s imminent returns.

Gig Review by Andrew Kapper @andrew_kapper

Setlist

Buried Dreams
Kelly’s Meat Emporium
Incarnated Solvent Abuse
Under the Scalpel Blade
This Mortal Coil
Tomorrow Belongs to Nobody
Death Certificate
Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No.1 in B)
Black Star / Keep On Rotting in the Free World
The Scythe’s Remorseless Swing
316L Grade Surgical Steel
Corporal Jigsore Quandary
Ruptured in Purulence / Heartwork
Tools of the Trade

Exhume to Consume
Reek of Putrefaction

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