Review - Soundwave 2014 Festival

And so it came to pass, the last ever Soundwave festival to be held in Perth. At least that's what's been said. I still hold out hope that we will see Soundwave back again in Perth next year, but the rather unimpressive headline acts for this year aren't a great sign for the festival's longevity in general. Green Day and Avenged Sevenfold are hardly in the same esteem as some of the amazing headliners that have graced previous Soundwaves (Metallica, Iron Maiden, Faith no More) to name but a few. Nevertheless, there were still plenty of quality acts on offer across the seven stages.

The Black Dahlia Murder

One of the overriding themes of this year's festival was fun. So many of the bands looked like they were having a great time, and none epitomized this more than The Black Dahlia Murder. Though they were on early in the day, their enthusiasm was overwhelming, especially from their front man. They drew a healthy crowd and turned out a quality set, albeit with a slightly murky sound.

Testament

The thrash metal legends finally made it to Perth shores, and though they played a short set, they were amazing. Greeted to a rousing reception, I was more than a little taken aback at how much the crowd enjoyed their set and how much respect they got, considering just how long they've been around. Chuck Billy was in fine form, their sound was super heavy and loud, and they belted out quite a few classics. I wish they would have played for much, much longer, these guys deserve so much more.

GWAR

I must admit, this was the absolute highlight of my day. Every year Soundwave has managed to make a dream come true for me, and this year it was seeing the absolute madness that is GWAR. They are more than a band, they are a cult, and they were amazing!.They beheaded the Prime Minister, cut the tits off the Queen, and sprayed enough fake blood to absolutely drench the first 10 rows. This is metal mayhem at it's best! Their sound was a little on the murky side, but their stage show was everything you could hope for. Totally subversive, over the top and 110% amazing.

Satyricon

A close second to GWAR in terms of dreams come true, who would have thought you would see a legendary band such as this grace the shores of Perth? Well it happened, and they were great. Their sound was superb, Satyr was in fine form and giving it his all, as were the rest of the band. Their short set definitely leaned toward newer material, but this being a festival and all, it made sense. Finally hearing the cult Mother North live and in person will be a treasured memory. Apart from a small hiccup at the start of Black Crow on a Tombstone, this was a near flawless set and easily one of the best of the day.

Down

As we headed into the evening, some of the bigger bands, at least in terms of current fan base, began to take the stage, and the crowd really piled in under the covers for Down, or at least for Phil Anselmo. 

Whatever you may think of the man, you can't fault his enthusiasm or performance. He certainly gave it his all. Maybe he did carry on a little too much, and gave off a little too much attitude, but  the set was epic. The band were on fire, fucking heavy and delivering bludgeoning riff after riff. I was surprised at just how well their sound came across live and just how heavy they could get. Phil's vocals were a bit all over the place but good enough and his energy more than made up for it. The epic closing rendition of Bury Me in Smoke with Satyricon and Living Color on stage was a perfect way to end what was an epic, energetic and slightly chaotic set.

Gojira

The final band of the day for me, and you couldn't end things better. This is the second time I've seen Gojira at a Soundwave, and they've exactly the same both times. That is, so fucking heavy, with a perfect sound that just drives you to bang your head. They had a relatively small but very devoted crowd, with a lot of people probably struggling to keep it together after Down, but those that were there were treated to another brilliant Gojira performance. The fact they can be so heavy and tight, and yet have a stuido quality sound is amazing. 

Notable exceptions

As with every festival, there's some tough decisions to be made, and this year was no exception. Some of the bands I would have loved to have seen but didn't due to scheduling included: Clutch, Baroness, Graveyard, Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan and Thy Art is Murder.

Conclusion

And so another Soundwave comes and goes, leaving a trail of rubbish, sore heads and deaf ears. I sincerely hope this isn't the last year in Perth for this great festival, but if it is, at least we can all agree that it's been an amazing ride.