They have released a wide array of music since their inception in 2007, most recently King in early 2016. This latest tour marked Fleshgod’s first visit to Australia since the release of the album, and it was evident that their fans were bursting with excitement and anticipation at the opportunity to witness their live performance.
Melbourne’s Hollow World opened the night with their brand of melodic death metal. This was followed by Earth Rot, bringing blackened death metal tunes and unbridled energy all the way from the west coast. Playing on their home turf, black metal outfit Hybrid Nightmares were visually spectacular, with UV corpsepaint and some sweet red armour pieces producing a striking image.
The energy was palpable as Fleshgod Apocalypse took over. The atmosphere was first built by a sample of Francesco Paoli’s drumming prowess in the sound check, then by an epic backing track which lead to a procession of the band members onto the stage. It’s difficult to talk about Fleshgod Apocalypse without mentioning their attire. Phenomenal costumes and corpsepaint sustained and built upon the atmosphere, bringing fans into their world. With that, the entire crowd was in their grips.
In addition to the five staple band members, Fleshgod’s sound was bolstered by their session/live operatic vocalist, Veronica Bordacchini. Her vocals worked beautifully in combination with the keys of Francesco Ferrini to produce a symphonic backing to the technical precision of the other band members.
Fleshgod Apocalypse had all of the hallmarks of a professional touring band. They expertly built and manipulated the atmosphere, their playing was almost uncannily perfect and they looked very much at home on the stage. They also managed to retain one element that serial tourers sometimes lose – energy and passion in their performance.
Highlight: Hybrid Nightmares’ bassist making a paper plane out of the setlist was pretty sweet.
Lowlight: My miscalculation that the edge of the moshpit was a safe place to stand with a full beer. My sincere apologies to the nice man who was on the receiving end of my beer splashes.
Crowd Favourite: The Fool.
