It’s Friday night at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, and the medical team has its work cut out. From my vantage point near the medical post, usually a relatively quiet place to observe proceedings, there’s a constant stream of casualties requiring attention. Circle pits are opening, walls of death are forming, and the medics barely get a moment to catch their breath. Tonight’s triple bill of Bleed From Within, Trivium and Lamb of God is clearly taking its toll.
First up are Glasgow’s Bleed From Within, who arrive under difficult circumstances. Lead guitarist Craig Gowans has been forced to return home due to a family issue, leaving the band to tackle the Australian dates without him. It’s a significant absence, but the remaining members aren’t about to let it derail their performance.
Two decades into their career, Bleed From Within have evolved from their deathcore beginnings into one of Britain’s most formidable modern metal outfits. Their seventh album, 2025’s Zenith, pushes their blend of metalcore, crushing breakdowns and groove-heavy riffs further, with occasional nods to their Scottish roots. Tonight, they’re determined to make their reduced line-up count, delivering a set that wastes little time getting the crowd moving.
By the time Florida’s Trivium take the stage, the temperature inside the Hordern is climbing and the medical post is getting busier. The crowd responds to the band’s precision-engineered assault with another round of circle pits, while the barriers separating the audience from the stage are taking a serious workout.
Formed in 1999, Trivium have spent more than two decades refusing to remain confined to metalcore, incorporating thrash, progressive metal and traditional heavy metal into an increasingly expansive sound. Frontman Matt Heafy leads a band whose technical ability is matched by their command of the stage, with tightly executed riffs, rapid-fire drumming and soaring melodic passages cutting through the chaos.
Their evolution has earned them a Grammy nomination for Betrayer, multiple Billboard chart successes and a devoted international following. Tonight, the music is muscular and precise, but there’s nothing particularly orderly about the response from the floor.
Then comes Lamb of God.
The Richmond, Virginia veterans arrive carrying the weight of more than three decades at the forefront of American metal. Emerging from basement shows and DIY venues in the mid-1990s, they’ve become one of the defining bands of the new wave of American heavy metal, with five Grammy nominations and a catalogue built on punishing grooves, politically charged lyrics and uncompromising intensity.
Frontman Randy Blythe is a commanding presence, prowling the stage as the band unleashes the tightly wound rhythmic attack that has become its trademark. Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler trade serrated riffs over John Campbell’s bass and Art Cruz’s relentless drumming, creating a sound that is as disciplined as it is ferocious.
There’s something fitting about Lamb of God closing a night that begins with Bleed From Within and moves through Trivium. Each band represents a different chapter in the evolution of modern metal, from the Scottish outfit’s contemporary metalcore to Trivium’s genre-crossing technicality and Lamb of God’s groove-driven American metal.
By the end of the night, the Hordern Pavilion has taken a battering, the medical team has earned its keep, and Sydney’s metal faithful have had plenty of opportunities to throw themselves into the action. It’s loud, physical and occasionally chaotic, but the musicianship holding it all together is razor-sharp.
The tour moves to Brisbane next, tickets HERE.
Images Deb Pelser
