For most people, tonight’s was largely just any other Tuesday, but for those gathered tonight it was a congress of metal heads, and extreme progressive death metal ones at that – a niche within a niche – it was something special. For me, it’s that combined the end of a weeks holiday, and a crossroads of potential changes – needless to say a night of metal is something the doctor ordered for everyone.

Local openers Conspyre rip straight into a blistering fury of thrash laden licks, melodic hooks, and convey a sound far exceeding what their youth leads you to believe. Packed with dual harmonies and interplaying solos I’m spotting elements of neoclassical power prog mixed with old school thrash – definitely an act to keep an eye on.

Wellington’s Fvkvshima are next up in the firing lines… sounding somewhere between early Fear Factory, with elements of Beastwars, skull crusher era Mastodon and hints of headliners Obscura and you’d be somewhere north of what Fvkvshima actually sound like, suffice to say stomachs were rearranged from their bass alone.

After a short change over, including the removal of foldbacks, the stage was earlier empty bar a mic stand, drum kick, and Whammy’s ever present central pillar.

Opening their set with a devastatingly clean bass line, Germany’s Obscura swept the stage like an oncoming tsunami – the ocean parted with said bass line, lulling us into a false sense of security only to be caught up in the following wave of metal crashing all around us.

It took me a longer than normal to break out of my heads thoughts and fully engage myself with tonight’s show, but once I crossed that threshold; the combination of technical prowess and raw energy reminded me why I love live music: riffs, melody and harmonies, perfections and impurfections – everything in the moment, you’re issues are just a speck in an ever expanding universe where everything is possible.

All words and images by Mark Derricutt / Chalice of Blood Photography

Obscura

Fukushima

Conspyre