Live Review: Russian Circles, Eagle Twin, Lo!

Sydney-siders Lo! start things off tonight, but what would otherwise have been a reasonable, if generically metal, opening act – rolling bass, distorted melodies, growling vocals all competently performed – is spoiled by frontman Jamie-Leigh Smith's poor attitude towards the crowd. Unimpressed by the audience's subdued response to his gestures for applause, Smith spends the next 30 seconds slowly giving the crowd the finger and then questions whether we really deserve the next track. You're the opening band, guys, embrace the disinterest and maybe next time the focus will stay on your music.

The western-style influence in Eagle Twin's version of sludge metal makes for an interesting point of difference, but the two-piece struggles at times to produce a thick enough sound for the room. Guitar problems find drummer Tyler Smith performing an extended and surprisingly interesting drum solo that does an admirable job of keeping the crowd attentive, proving in the process that Smith's drumming is the heart of the band. The set has some great moments, and while it spends a bit too much time drifting in pointless repetition, when that repetition becomes hypnotic, the music comes to life.

By the time Russian Circles take the stage, The Zoo is impressively crowded, much more so than when the band was last in town. On that previous tour, the performance was disappointingly underwhelming, lacking punch and finesse, but this time there's nothing half-hearted about the show: the enthusiasm from the band is high, Brian Cook's bass is menacing, Mike Sullivan's guitar tremolos cut through cleanly and Dave Turncrantz's drumming is fantastically heavy. Early tracks 309 and Harper Lewis showcase Russian Circles' melodic skill, catchy and accessible hooks run across the top of the driving rhythm section, before Geneva's crunching bassline and pounding drums push the intensity even higher until a sudden, complete and satisfying stop – only the droning strings left playing sustain the mood. Carpe, from their debut LP Enter, follows on, rim hits, cymbals and high-pitched guitar giving a lighter feel to the track, which continues on into the largely ambient Schipol, before looping tapped guitars signal the start of a crushingly heavy Youngblood, the standout track of a high quality set. Guitar and bass both drop low in the mix at times, submerged under the other, dominant instruments, but when they kick back in again it's with blinding force and it's hard to imagine how the track had ever managed without them in the first place. It's a neat trick, done subtly enough to avoid overuse. By the end of the night, Russian Circles have covered all four of their albums with great verve and ferocious intensity and, this time around, have more than justified their reception and reputation.