Sixteen years after they last stood on an Australian stage, Poison The Well return to Sydney’s Metro Theatre with the kind of reverence reserved for genuine architects of a scene. From the release of The Opposite Of December…A Season Of Separation in 1999, Poison The Well helped redraw the blueprint for heavy music, proving that brutality and vulnerability could coexist within the same song. Their fingerprints can be found all over the evolution of metalcore that followed, inspiring countless bands and helping shape a genre that would explode throughout the 2000s.
Melbourne hardcore punk veterans Iron Mind are first to truly ignite the room, delivering a hugely energetic set that reminds everyone why they have long been one of Australia’s most respected names in the genre. Their blend of muscular riffs and relentless intensity sets the tone perfectly for the evening ahead, with the crowd responding in kind.
Boston hardcore outfit Haywire then provide one of the night’s most memorable moments. Making their Australian debut, the band emerge to the strains of The Angels’ immortal ‘Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again’, instantly winning over the Sydney crowd before proceeding to break the place apart with a ferocious, high-energy performance. By the end of their set, promises of a return to Australia are met with thunderous approval from an audience that clearly hopes the wait will be considerably shorter next time.
Fresh from announcing Peace In Place, their first album in sixteen years, Poison The Well arrive not as a band whose creative fire remains very much alive. Recent tours across North America and Europe have underlined that their music still carries the same emotional weight and cathartic force that first made them so compelling. The barriers between the band and audience dissipate and what remains is a shared understanding that some records leave permanent marks. Nearly three decades after their formation, Poison The Well continue to embody the balance of beauty and abrasion that changed heavy music forever. For those packed into the Metro Theatre tonight, the long separation is finally over.
Images Deb Pelser
