Ne Obliviscaris, Metal Tower, Set On End – King’s Arms February 21, 2018

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Rising prog-metal stars Ne Obliviscaris gave the King’s Arms a fittingly epic send off last night. It wasn’t the last show the storied venue is putting on before it closes, but it was the last metal show, and to Auckland’s metal fandom and musicians that was a swansong in itself.

As well as putting on some of the biggest international names in extreme metal across the years, you could hardly find a local metal musician who hasn’t crossed the King’s Arms stage. So I was keen to witness the last night of that tradition by catching our two opening acts.

Metal Tower were up first. I liked them. A lot. Their progressive blend of extreme genres moved about a lot, through breakneck technical death metal riffs, skating across some black metal motifs, even featuring some slower melodic picked sections reminiscent of early Metallica. Despite this they managed to retain a cohesive sound and structure throughout, and never sacrificed brutality for prog flourishes. Some parts managed to be so dense and dissonant they put me in mind of mid-era Gorguts, which from me is high praise indeed.

I was less in love with Set On End, though they still put on a confident and energetic show. Their style was a prog-tinged groove metal that wasn’t quite djent, but definitely edged up close to that genre and gave it a flirtatious wink. The riffs were often bouncy and conducive to satisfying headbanging, and I certainly can’t argue that the rhythm section did well in settling into some unorthodox patterns. They’d often settle a little too well for my liking, though, staying in one groove for so long it started to feel more like a rut. The sense of dynamism would fade as the specific pattern became over-familiar, and the riffs weren’t so catchy they could hold my attention for as long as the band wanted them to. My favourite parts of Set On End were when they eased back into full-on prog atmosphere, offering up some spacey melodic passages and tension-inducing builds. That’s when they really shone for me, and counter-intuitively where I felt they fully showed off the tightness the complex grooves hinted at.

Then for the first time on our shores our Australian neighbours Ne Obliviscaris took the stage. Steadily gathering international attention since the release of their debut LP Portal of I, and having last year toured the USA, it was probably about time. Much talked about for their lengthy songs and the prominent use of a violin, Ne Obliviscaris have occasionally provoked derision in the snobbier corners of extreme metal fandom. Those who want anything with harsh vocals to be nothing but darkness and aggression would certainly not find that here, but there’s no way you could walk away from last night’s excellent performance accusing these musicians of empty gimmicks.

Proving that the progressive rock tenets need not be empty wankery, Ne Obliviscaris showed the dense crowd the power epic songwriting can summon in a live setting. They blend pretty melodies and extremity in a way that is in principle much like the best of early Opeth, but in style sounds nothing alike. The songs don’t just statically move from one stanza to the next until they are done, they build and morph and cascade in a most musically satisfying manner. It’s hard music to pinpoint in detail, because everything is more than the sum of its parts.

Simple pounding riffs that otherwise would bookend a by-the-numbers three minute headbanger were elevated by being built to over three minutes of minute melodic progressions. Soaring melodic black passages run through by that famous violin felt fraught with possibility, as they might at any second fall away into a breakdown or strip right back to ambience and brushed cymbals.

The vocals, too, worked best in tandem. Tim Charles‘ power ballad melodies and Xenoyr‘s blackened growls and screams are both perfectly good renditions, but nothing head and shoulders above similar vocalists. Taken together though, especially when they harmonised, the impact heightened dramatically into a sound unique among live metal vocalists I’ve heard. Bassist Benjamin Baret was another clear highlight, almost serving as a third frontman the way he courted the front row while playing crystal clear, undulating patterns. I don’t know what it is about prog-metal bands having an infatuation with virtuoso bass playing, but I wasn’t complaining.

The crowd clearly felt they were seeing a special performance, the cheers, chant alongs and moshing only getting more intense as the night went on. Charles seemed happily surprised by the enthusiastic reception, repeatedly thanking the audience for their efforts. “We didn’t think anyone would show up!”

I’d expected Ne Obliviscaris to be a good show. They exceeded my expectations and gave me a great one. While this was their first New Zealand performance, they promised it wouldn’t be their last. If you missed this one, put the next one on your list, and I’ll see you there.

Cameron Miller

 

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