Gig

Mountain Wizard Death Cult - Gig Review 20th May @ The House of Music and Booze, St Peters, NSW

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Heavy Metal Wordsmith

May 28, 2023

7 min read

Mountain Wizard Death Cult
The House of Music and Booze, St Peters, NSW
May 20th, 2023
Supports: Flaming Wrekage, Burden Man, Iron Blanket

They could change the name of this venue to The House of Stuff All Parking and it wouldn’t be far from the mark. Lucky for myself and the rest of the crew from Higher Ground Tattoos and Records we only brought two cars between the five of us and getting a nearby park is our superpower.

We roll inside to order drinks and find that they’re also the House of No Cash Accepted, so despite being armed with a handful of pineapples, I’m shit out of luck when it comes to getting myself a drink. After a bit of online wrangling, I eye off a beer tap with a drawing of Merlin on it called Iron Wizard. It’s a dark beer, not my usual drink of choice, but it’s easy enough to drink and before you know it, Alakazam… it’s gone.

Overall it’s a cool venue that creates a good social atmosphere. It’s very tidy and clean and if they threw some music memorabilia up on the walls, a few posters and such, maybe sticker the bathroom up a bit, then this place would be unreal.

I bowl past the impressive merch desk, into the front room and it’s like walking into a tomb. The joint is custom-built for noise and it perfectly suits Iron Blanket who kickstart proceedings by blasting the living christ out of my ear drums. These five blokes have quickly garnered a reputation as a must-see band and it’s easy to see why. This is straight-up Sabbath Worship and in the same vein as Motörhead, Sabbath and Maiden, Iron Blanket open with their song ‘Iron Blanket’ off of their EP Iron Blanket. I can feel the floor struggling to hold its shit together under the weight of their sound. They sing about aliens at one point and it’s not even weird. All they need is more cowbell and this would be perfect.

My hearing is already cactus as we head off to the outside bar so the kids from Higher Ground can have a cheeky smoke. Sitting at the bar is some high falutin young lass that may have had a space bickie or two. She’s not rude at all as she feels the need to school my uncouth mouth on how to say ‘darling’. I ask the bartender for two beers and she fucking laughs at me. My bogan drawl has drilled a hole in her sensitive ears. She’s drinking a daiquiri like it's high class, but we all know someone is going to be holding her hair out of her face later tonight.

Burden Man are a late addition to tonight's lineup after Kvll pulled the pin and they’ve brought a few of their faithful fans with them. Included in the rabble is the single tallest bloke I’ve ever seen and despite being able to see the stage from anywhere in Australia, I bet the house that he stands up at the front of the pit. The band starts out low and slow and by about five minutes in I know that this band isn’t for me. It’s doomy as hell and their instruments sound amazing but to me, it’s like watching a funeral in slow motion. The drummer is great to watch when the tempo picks up a bit. There’s one bit though where I’m not entirely sure if it’s a song being played or if they’re just tuning their instruments. It’s definitely not my bag, but the die-hards love it. After the set, the tearful congregation follow the band out to the beer garden to wallow in their burdened excellence.

Flaming Wrekage on the other hand are entirely my cup of tea. This thrash/death mob from Sydney are quickly emerging as one of Australia’s premier metal bands. Twelve seconds of their sound check and I already know these guys are going to slay. It’s fast, chunky and the young bloke playing the Jackson is so good it’s unfair. There are a few welcomed Cheshire grins amongst the punters on hand and there’s definitely no time to duck off to the loo. This is high energy, high paced and none of the band members are taking a back seat. Everyone on stage is all in. I see a few necks get a workout when they rip into ’Cathedral of Bones’ and I dare say they’ve earned themselves a few new fans tonight. Well done lads.

I first got to see Mountain Wizard Death Cult when they opened for Black Rheno a few months back at The Baroque Room at Katoomba. Fair to say that I was blown away because when they announced that they were putting on a series of headlining shows up and down the east coast, I wasn’t missing it. Their performance in Katoomba was a powerful, doom-riddled voyage that saw singer JJ Brady perform in a more reserved fashion, often stepping offstage to allow the rest of the band to flesh out the music sans vocals. It made for a brooding and hypnotising set that was eloquent, yet measured in it’s delivery.

Not tonight though. Tonight the performance feels more visceral, dangerous and more lethal. They’re a different animal than even a few months ago. They come out charged and the crowd on hand are absolutely up for it. Despite the doom and gloom on show, there’s a lot of devilish grins on the punter's faces.

If you’re looking for the poster children for ADHD, look no further than bassist Anthony Langton and guitarist Chris Chaplin. These two throw themselves around like they’re in a two-man moshpit as they launch into ‘Initiation’ and ‘Wretch’. This pair are great to watch as they bookend the stage and they sound incredible as they tear through these meticulously crafted songs. Drummer Lachlan Livingston Wink has the single greatest beard and head of hair on show tonight, but don’t let it distract you from the fact that he absolutely slays on drums. Despite the inherent emotion during a MWDC performance, it’s still a highly technical venture. Wink has well and truly got them covered and his impassioned performance only adds weight to the music.

Vocalist JJ Brady is a rare beast. An imposing figure decked out in a black cowboy hat, that when he steps to the mic, it's like his throat is a portal to the lowest level of hell. There are acres of pain riddled in his voice, yet he’s somehow given this atmospheric sludge and doom band a sound that makes this a somewhat uplifting experience. One that’s not so much of one rising up, but more like the sweet relief from the depths of agony. Individually these guys deliver, but collectively they’re crafting some of the most moving music in Sydney’s underground. Usually, a new song is buried in the middle of a set, but these lads close out the night with new banger ‘Orbital’ and with good reason. Judging by the action taking place in the pit it’s like this was the song that the rabble on hand had been hanging out for all night. JJ joins the crowd towards the end of the song as the rest of the band closes out this amazing set.

Overall a truly great night alongside the Higher Ground crew as we watched the Whizzies more than earn their headlining spot. With the imminent release of debut album Liminal on the horizon, it’s only upwards from here. I walk out of here better dressed as well. Might have snagged myself a schmik-looking Flaming Wrekage shirt on the way out.

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Review by Duane James @duanejamestattoo