How many bands can you see for $35 (+ booking fee)?
Well, if you attended ‘The Congregation’ at the Hamilton Station Hotel on Saturday night, February 3rd, you would have seen seven bands. Yes, seven bands for that low price. And no, these were not your uncle and his mates playing together; these were some of the hardest, heaviest, riffiest, and growliest bands on offer in the local music scene right now.\
This was our first time visiting the Hamilton Station Hotel, and it was surprising how big it is and how large the band room was. It's very reminiscent of the Crow Bar in St Peters, Sydney. We walked in and were immediately spotted by Tim from Robot God. It's no secret I am a big fan of Robot God, I was wearing my T-shirt and was internally fangirling the whole time. After introducing ourselves, we had a quick chat, bought a drink, and got ready to see the first band: Rails. Unfortunately, we only got to see two songs played by Rails (damn Saturday traffic), but what we did see was very good. They don't seem to have much in the way of social media presence, so they appear to be a very new band, but they were a tight group and played damn well. Hopefully, we get to see more of them in the future to get a good idea of what they are about, as I would definitely like to subscribe to their newsletter.
Iron Blanket followed Rails as the second band of the night, and I was quite keen to see them play and hear more songs by them. Before the show, I gave them a listen and was instantly hooked on these riff wizards from the few songs they have on the usual streaming services. Now having seen them live (and bought the shirt), it has only cemented my desire to hear more of their work. Iron Blanket is a 70s-styled five-piece, bringing all the riffs and stoner metal vibes. They have a sound that echoes Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, Greenleaf, and Freedom Hawk with big, fat, fuzzy riffs and licks, along with howling vocals. Get onto these and give them a listen; they're unbelievably rad, and I wish to see them go far!
And after all that riffage from Iron Blanket, the audience was treated to an extra double helping courtesy of Robot God. It's no secret here at Ready Mag that we are massive fans of Robot God, and since the gig with Witchskull back in September last year, they have been busy hitting up all the venues in and around Sydney and further afield. Iron Blanket brought the riffs, and Robot God brought the heavy. I don't know how they do it, but they just seem to have everything turned up to 13! Fat bass riffs from Matt, with Raff coming in over the top with all the power chords, and Tim smashing the drums, keeping everything together. Am I still fangirling? Sure, but if they keep doing what they are doing, I will continue, and strongly encourage everyone else, to listen to what they offer.
The third act, Boudicca, comes in, smashes your window, and kicks you over the passenger seat for a massive adrenaline-filled ride into hardcore punk town. With screaming maiden Maddie up front, a lead guitarist who looks like he has just come from any number of massive power metal bands, a second guitarist who looks like a mild-mannered accountant by day but is an absolute face melter on the guitar by night, and a bass player who looks like she could take me in a fight any day. Boudicca has been in and around the Newcastle scene for several years. They released their new EP late last year and played a number of tracks off that album. The album consists of songs based around historical events and happenings, with songs like ‘Witch of Kings Cross’ and ‘She Turned Me into a Newt!’ There may also be a touch of tongue-in-cheek.
After a brief chat after their set, they know what they are about and where they are headed, so buckle up and get ready for the ride!
After stepping out to get some food, we came back to Flaming Wreckage. These guys were probably the only ones I didn't check out before the gig, and kind of annoyed I didn't. If Slayer were 30 years younger, Aussie, and without the Kerry King fuckwittery, you'd have Flaming Wreckage. Walking back into this aural assault to the senses from this forceful sound was a massive surprise! The Sydney quartet has been around for a good number of years, playing gigs not just in Sydney but internationally, supporting much bigger touring metal acts, and having three full albums to their name. They are nothing if not workaholics. Flaming Wreckage says they fall under the Thrash metal umbrella. With guttural growls into the mic, super slick guitar work, and pounding drums, it's hard to deny this claim. It was a colossal force of sound for the audience. It's safe to say Flaming Wreckage has been in high rotation since ‘The Congregation’ and will continue to be in the future.
Mountain Wizard Death Cult was the penultimate band for the night and very much picked up where Flaming Wreckage left off. Bringing the tempo down a bit and adding a truckload of sludge, Mountain Wizard Death Cult is proper old-school doom metal. Slower, heavier chords and powerful vocals from new lead singer Elliot MWDC are a band that needs to be seen live. No studio could capture the rawness and brutal moody anguish emanating from their stage presence. Listen to their latest song ‘Orbital’. With such a slow, meandering build-up and such a thunderous change at 2 minutes in, it's a song that MUST be experienced live. The sheer savagery of seeing that drop live was insane! I have seen MWDC previously back in early 2022 when they were fronted by JJ Brady and supporting Witchskull (also with Astrodeath), and I was mighty impressed with them then. And I was damn well impressed again with MWDC and everything they gave the audience. With a stack of upcoming gigs for the new lineup, I do hope new lead singer Elliot settles into his role because at ‘The Congregation,’ he bloody well nailed it. Seriously, for someone being thrown in the deep end at the last minute, I can't heap enough praise on Elliot for handling the pressure so well.
And finally, just when you thought your brain couldn't take anymore, Astrodeath!
The Sydney duo hit the stage hard and fast, bringing with them pounding riffs, blasting drums, and immense reverb. Astrodeath effortlessly blurs the lines between doom/stoner metal, hardcore punk, and thrash metal to deliver such an amazing sound. This was my second time seeing Astrodeath live, and I don't know what it is, but their live gigs are bloody exceptional and vastly different from their recorded sound. That is not to say their albums are bad; in fact, they're extremely far from it. Their albums are incredible and have been on repeat for the last week or so. However, their live performance is so damn unreal that it elevates Astrodeath into the stratosphere. If their albums are 9 or 10/10, their live performance is a full 13/10; it's just that good.
Astrodeath's latest album, ‘Vol II,’ featured heavily in the setlist, and they played my favorite, ‘Ceremonial Blood.’ If you want a song that you can scream into the void, this is the one.
Another thing Astrodeath likes to do is bring up people from the audience to sing along to a Black Sabbath cover, and at ‘The Congregation,’ it was no different. Blasting out ‘Children of the Grave’ with some 20-odd people on stage just rocking out and headbanging is a sight to behold.
And it seems as though Astrodeath is now getting some notable recognition for their hard work by appearing on quite several ‘Album of the Year’ lists. Not just in Australia, but around the world too. Check out the Doom Charts albums of the year here.
So, we are at the end of another off-the-wall blasting gig and a brilliant way to start 2024. I hope this event becomes a regular thing at The Hamilton Station Hotel because it's such an awesome event to be a part of, and if they bring more killer local and unknown bands to the fore for people to discover, I'm sure they will turn up in droves.
And really, for $35 (+booking fee or $40 on the night), where else are you going to get a bargain like that?
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