Five of Melbourne’s best and heaviest death metal bands recently graced the stage of The Evelyn iin Fitzroy, Melbourne, to deliver one of the most memorable and joyful metal performances seen in 2024.

Aeons Abyss Delivers Cosmic Experience

Headline act Aeons Abyss, pictured above, performed a set full of power and poise including tracks from their late 2023 Insidious Truth EP. The group played with absolute commitment and were rewarded with an audience reaction to match.

Formed in 2017, Aeons Abyss showed why they continue to be a much sought-after headline act and drawcard for the devotees of Melbourne’s death metal scene.

It was an absolute delight to watch these experienced metal heads deliver an accomplished performance which delighted a small yet totally loyal following.

Tiger Driver Transcends

Formed in 2021, Tiger Driver has established itself as one of Melbourne’s best death metal acts with a clear influence from sludge metal and hardcore punk. Their performance at The Evelyn was uniquely theatrical and each of the band’s members contributed to creating an atmosphere reminiscent of the second wave of black metal from the 1990s.

The band has released six singles since formation with Eternal and Death Rattle being the most recent releases in 2024. We can only hope Tiger Driver will soon release a full-throttle album capturing their self-described ‘dread and aggression’ witnessed by everyone at The Evelyn.

Thallium Explodes

Thallium, formed in 2019, is one of Melbourne’s most accomplished death-thrash metal bands. Their extraordinary set at The Evelyn demonstrated their technical prowess as they performed a set of heavy, hard-hitting tracks which also showed a genuine appreciation of old-school death metal.

After their stunning set, one audience member described Thallium’s sound as the closest local example of the massively popular and influential US death metal band, Death. Even the guitar of the lead vocalist looked almost identical to that of the late Chuck Schuldiner who is regarded as one of the pioneers of death metal.

Rumour has it, a new album is due out in the latter half of 2024. If you’re a fan of Thallium, keep those bleeding ears peeled.

The Pass Delivers

The Pass delivered a mesmerising performance which blended the passion of punk with the ferocity of the powerviolence genre. The Pass definitely delivered for the audience with a stripped-down set of classic death metal blast beats which complemented the classic anti-establishment punk image.

With a screeching vocal, the passion of the performance was felt throughout the venue with each band member contributing to one of the best modern hardcore punk performances seen in Melbourne.

Born of a Bastard King – say no more.

Let’s NOT say no more! Let’s keep talk and talking about BOABK who debuted at The Evelyn after only releasing their very first song in March 2024. Even though this was their first gig, the three members looked like they were born on the metal stage with an energised physical performance, interacting with the audience with their a dual-vocal attack.

This band has a HUGE future with their next gig Saturday 8 June at The Old Bar in Fitzroy. Make sure you check them out.

Final Comment

Congrats to The Evelyn for hosting these five awesome bands with an incredible sound and stage setup. Great work!