Tonight marked a significant moment for Melbourne’s black metal scene as giants Harakiri For The Sky and Austere made their debut performances in Melbourne at Richmond’s Corner Hotel.
Joining them for the night were local death/thrash act Munitions and the blackened folk stylings of Suldusk.
Suldusk
Suldusk was a natural choice as an opener for this show, especially considering they were sharing the stage with Austere and Harakiri For The Sky. The band has been blending black metal, post-rock, and folk for Melbourne audiences for years now, and they’ve built a solid following—particularly with their recent release, Anthesis.
In terms of performance, they were rock solid. I’ll admit, I’m not personally drawn to Suldusk’s folkier elements, but their black metal side was spot on. As a live act, they’re honestly very impressive. They captured the audience early, with the mix of elegant violin, soaring vocals, and pummeling drums resonating through the Corner Hotel. Great stuff. To my knowledge, they’re heading to Europe next year for their overseas debut, so European readers should keep an eye out for that.
Austere
Then the moment finally arrived—after decades in the making, Melburnians were able to see Austere perform their songs live. Not to sound overly sentimental, but it was honestly pretty humbling to witness a band like that finally take the stage.
For those who are unaware, Austere has been around since the early 2000s, when they released what is easily one of the best Australian black metal records ever, To Lay Like Old Ashes. The album slowly developed a massive cult following over the last 15+ years. Despite members of the band playing in a slew of other projects, it wasn’t until 2022 that Austere played their first live shows in Europe.
Seeing them perform for the first time in Melbourne was surreal, especially after hearing those songs a thousand times.
Despite a couple of technical issues, it was 100% worth the wait. Closing my eyes and letting the band’s bleak sound wash over the audience was incredible, and the vocal duties being shared between all three vocalists fit perfectly. Shoutout to Tim Yatras for being able to drum and sing that well at the same time.
Harakiri For The Sky
As if Austere making their debut wasn’t insane enough, we then had post-black metal royalty Harakiri For The Sky make their Melbourne debut—and, fuck, it was 100% some of the tightest shit I’ve ever seen. Honestly, it’s hard to explain just how dope Harakiri is. The band played a mix of older and newer material (including several tracks from their breakthrough release, Mӕre), and for the entire hour they played, they absolutely crushed it.
Every song is breakneck fast and full of wild changes. Their sound is this unreal blend of vibes, but it always stays firmly rooted in what black metal is truly about. The band members throw themselves around like a hardcore act, making them a wild experience to watch.
Having the good fortune to chat with them in an interview earlier this year, prior to seeing them live, was crazy. I have no idea how dudes who are that down-to-earth can simultaneously be one of the best live bands in their field, with zero ego about it.
As an aside, getting to hear “Sing for the Damage We’ve Done” live was just fucking insane. I can’t explain how sick it was. Honestly, one of my favorite live bands I’ve seen in a long time.
Nights like this are truly mind-blowing to be a part of. Melbourne has hosted the likes of:
Ulcerate with Pestilential Shadows
The Ocean 10-year anniversary show with LLNN and Cave In making their Aus debut
Triumph of Death
Thou / Full of Hell
Austere with Harakiri For The Sky
…all in the same year.
I’m calling it now: as annoying as it is that shows have gotten so expensive post-COVID, we’re truly in a golden era of live music. I can’t wait to see what 2025 brings. (I know Mayhem and Melbourne Deathfest next year are going to be ones to look out for.)
As it is, this show was an unreal way to cap off the year of live shows for 2024, and I’m genuinely grateful to have witnessed it.
Apologies to Munitions—the train was running late, so I missed their set, but I heard it was great.
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