Gig

Void of Vision – Gig Review 24th November @ Beer Deluxe, Albury NSW

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Nov 27, 2022

7 min read

Void of Vision
Beer Deluxe, Albury NSW
November 24, 2022
Supports: Diamond Construct, The Beautiful Monument, and Vermont

Void of Vision have just completed the release of their CHRONICLES EP series with CHRONICLES III: UNDERWORLD featuring single ‘HELL HELL HELL’. What better way to commemorate this release than with a tour package that takes this unique metalcore act around regional Australia. Supporting the headliners on this run are Diamond Construct and The Beautiful Monument, alongside Melbourne emo rockers Vermont on the Albury stop. These bands tore the roof off the 200 cap Cactus Bar in Beer Deluxe, and I’m happy to give an eyes on perspective from the barrier!

Vermont delivered a great opening set to a growing crowd. Vocalist Joshua Swanwick switched between a PA walkie talkie and standard mic to add unique live effects to songs. This is the first time I’ve seen that on stage, and it was very effective and particularly noticeable in emo banger ‘Faceless’. The crowd kicked off during a brand-new cover of classic party track ‘My People’ originally by The Presets. Vermont really put their own spin on this track, with fun screams by Joshua and strong riffs by guitarist Jono Hnatejko. Everything came together during a heavy finale in ‘Headlights’, showcasing the skills of drummer Curtly Lyon. I was also impressed with bassist Nathan Borg, not just by his bass skills but how energetic he was on stage alongside Joshua. Vermont is a band worth keeping your eye on as up and comers in the Melbourne scene.

The Beautiful Monument were next to keep us bopping along. The scene favourites opened up with ‘Manic’, which does an excellent job of showcasing bassist Amy McIntosh’s screams alongside Lizi Blanco’s beautiful melodies. Guitarist Alex Manhire does a fantastic job nailing the catchy strings and riffs throughout the song. Continuing onto ‘Invisible,’ it was clear the entire band were partying on stage. Drummers are quite limited in the space they have, that did not stop drummer Adam Pinzone from having fun while he blasted through the set. Alex and Amy bounced around stage while Lizi danced and sang, it was a joy to see The Beautiful Monument have as much fun as the audience. After some more songs from 2019 release I’m The Reaper (including my favourite song ‘Stay’) we got a taste of new music in the form ‘Hellbound’ which was debuted at CVLTFEST earlier this year. This fun new track plays with some new electronic elements that have become prominent within the scene, alongside the iconic rock sound of The Beautiful Monument. After closing out with singalong ‘Deceiver’, The Beautiful Monument had made a lasting impression with their first Albury show.

When Diamond Construct exploded on stage with ‘Enigma’ the crowd erupted. Vocalist Kynan Groundwater effortlessly switched from harsh vocals to deep cleans as the crowd would sing along with him. The announcing riffs for ‘Hypno’ were delivered perfectly by guitarist Braden Groundwater, infecting the crowd with a berserk energy. This was maintained throughout more tracks from Diamond Construct’s self-titled release, ‘Submerged’, ‘Animus’ and ‘Morphine Eyes’. DJ Callum Nicolls delivered the opening synths to ‘Psychosis’ with high appraise alongside a sizeable circle pit running throughout. Kynan drew attention to Braden’s complicated looking pedal board as he utilised many different switches throughout ‘Psychosis’. Being able to play that well whilst going through so many different pedal uses at once was something else. Djent style riffs and a heavy breakdown come about in the form of ‘Generic’, before one final hurrah in Diamond Construct’s latest release ‘Hit It Back’. You couldn’t help but bounce with the infectious beats from drummer Liam Newman and powerful bass lines from bassist Alex Ford.

Void of Vision kept up the energy of the night nonstop throughout their set, which began with ‘OHNE SICHT’. This heavy dark pop intro brought the crowd right up to the front to fill the venue in preparation. The band’s presence was emanating from stage as they launched into ‘THE LONELY PEOPLE’. Vocalist Jack Bergin delivered his amazing unique vocals, which overlapped between high cleans and screams. When he cried “I know, I know, I know, I know we’re all alone,” it makes the breakdown feel so powerful. Strong and familiar riffs courtesy of guitarists James McKendrick and Mitch Farley kicked in for ‘VAMPYR’, a dark track that infused the audience with the need to bounce.

After Jack showed us his tattoo of ‘Year Of The Rat’, this absolute banger from Hyperdaze was up next. James showcased his co vocal skills here whilst on guitars, to mix things up a bit. During ‘Kill All My Friends’ the final lines were chanted by the crowd, and it was clear Jack had full control. If he wanted us to bounce, we bounced. If he wanted a circle pit, he got one. ‘BERGHAIN’ was another chance to show how well Jack and James could perform cleans. Drummer George Murphy hit hard here too, which fit very well with the backing EDM tracks.

We were treated to riff heavy ‘Decay’ before witnessing the namesake track of the tour ‘HELL HELL HELL’. Void of Vision masterfully combined electronic instrumentals with emotive and professional performances for my personal highlight of the set. In Jack’s words, it was time to get sexy with ‘DOMINATRIX’. The slower instrumentals and backing tracks during the chorus’ were punctuated by the fast beats of verses. This was the closest thing we got to catching our breath. Void of Vision hit us with a throwback using ‘Ghost in the Machine’, and you could hear all the long-time fans singing every word. ‘ALTAR’ was next to keep the show well-paced, which utilised Lizi Blanco as a guest vocalist to perform the lyrics originally by Hannah Greenwood.

Lizi’s vocal style fit in well for this performance. ‘INTO THE DARK’ was a powerful closer to the set. The chorus’ are huge and open, allowing for an overwhelming sense of feeling to touch the crowd. “I don’t wanna feel the way you feel” opened these singalong choruses before getting a final heavy breakdown where we let out all the energy we had left. Despite the low-capacity venue, we had multiple people on shoulders being surfed/carried to the barrier to scream this powerful chorus with Jack. With the band and audience covered in sweat and smiles all around, Void of Vision’s Albury show was over.

I managed to catch this line-up excluding Vermont at the Knight and Day Festival at the end of 2021, and it’s evident that The Beautiful Monument, Diamond Construct, and Void of Vision continue to home in on their stage work and have become tighter performers throughout this year. Vermont seemed right at home as they also delivered a tight performance among these legends of the genre. The complete release of Chronicles has highlighted Void of Vision’s growth as a band, which compliments the constant levelling up of their live shows. Combining this and the tour package of supports created an unforgettable night of Australian music. I’m incredibly keen for Void of Vision’s next big appearance, at KNOTFEST Australia!

Words by Tyler Lubke (@Huntsman42156)

Setlist

OHNE SICHT
THE LONELY PEOPLE
VAMPYR
Year Of The Rat
Kill All My Friends
BERGHAIN
Decay
HELL HELL HELL
DOMINATRIX
Ghost in the Machine
ALTAR
INTO THE DARK