20 March 2024 – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne – words & pictures by Nicole Smith-Walker
Canadian deathcore band Brand of Sacrifice opened for metal giants from Richmond, Virginia in the US- Lamb of God at a sold out show at the Northcote Theatre in Melbourne on the 20th of March, 2024, a side show for Knotfest.
This was my first time hearing this band and I was impressed by vocalist Kyle who said he was unwell but that he was putting in all his energy into his performance. He had intense gutteral vocals the whole set.
They played ‘Ruin’, ‘Eclipse’, ‘Exodus’, ‘Purge’ and more.
Kyle the vocalist several times encouraged the crowd to crowd surf, form circle pits and get hyped up for the headliners Lamb of God. Small circle pits formed and a few people crowd surfed, which was encouraging to see. Especially since this was Brand of Sacrifices first time in Australia.
Brand of Sacrifice – Northcote Theatre – photos by Nicole Smith-Walker
The headliners of the night did not disappoint and they certainly brought ferociousness and chaos. Lamb of God, right from the beginning with ‘Memento Mori’ and ‘Walk With Me In Hell’. Vocalist Randy Blythe moved back and forth continuously and jumped several times. Proving that jet lag and age has not stopped him from giving his all. While photographing their first three songs, myself and the other photographers had to duck and move out of the way for security several times from all the incoming crowd surfers. While back in the crowd after taking photos, I got almost knocked over by fans rushing back into the pit after their surf.
Lamb of God – Northcote Theatre – photos by Nicole Smith-Walker
Randy Blythe, Willie Adler, John Campbell, Mark Morton and Art Cruz were all impressive and confident on stage. The transference of energy from the musicians and the crowd was non stop intensity.
Lamb of God – Northcote Theatre – photos by Nicole Smith-Walker
Songs played during their set included ‘Resurrection Man’, ‘Now You’ve Got Something To Die For’, ‘Laid To Rest’, Vigil and finishing the night off strong with ‘Redneck’.
For any metal fan, their sets at Knotfest in Sydney at 6:30pm and at Brisbane at 6:15pm is not to be missed!
