Bands: Agalloch, Suldusk, John Haughm
Venue: Max Watt’s, Melbourne, Australia (Naarm, Boonwurrung Country)
Date: 8th September, 2024
Review by: Ziggy Thunders
Photos by: Ben Eldström
John Haughm
John Haughm (vocalist and guitarist of Agalloch) appeared on stage solo, a lone ranger dressed in a leather duster jacket and cowboy hat with his guitar slung over his shoulder and delivered a instrumental, experimental cinematic experience of a set.
Projections of mid-western American scenes played behind him, ranging from trains, horns, barren lands and portraits of people from another time, all adding up to create this silent film styled visual feast set to the soundscapes Haughm was weaving. The visuals fell into place with the music, the chugging of a train was replicated by repeated drums, a slow churning guitar riff somehow created the mood of a desolate wasteland, layered lead guitar melodies added a feeling of nostalgic longing to visuals of vast landscapes and at one point Haughm’s vocalisations echoed from another world. Throughout the set silent film text cards would appear, and because I’m short and had a slightly obscured view I didn’t get to read all of them, but the one I did manage to catch has stayed with me – ‘Life is but a memory…’ I’m a day dreaming enthusiast and Haughm’s set was a dream to experience, and one that I won’t forget anytime soon, along with the rest of this incredible night of music.
Suldusk
When this gig was announced the first band I hoped would be named as a support act was Suldusk and I’m so bloody happy they got it.
Suldusk’s hauntingly beautiful tunes drift between the raw aggression of black metal to gentle dreamy folk stylings, clearly showing how influential Agalloch have been for them, with vocalist Emily Highfield acknowledging that and stating how much of an honour it was to support them during their set.
Starting with the atmospheric slow build of Eleos, the opening track of 2019’s Lunar Falls and then slamming into the barrage of black metal inspired riffs, blasts and screeches of Verdalet, the second track off 2024’s Anthesis immediately gripped the room.
Suldusk ventured through highs and lows as they played songs from Lunar Falls and Anthesis, showcasing breathtaking vocal harmonies, mesmerizing violin movements that brought another level of emotion to their sound, truly gorgeous acoustic guitar moments, hypnotic bass lines that rumble along underneath and intricate drum parts that tie everything together and totally boggle my mind. A personal highlight for me has to be the commanding presence of Highfield’s vocals, effortlessly changing from wonderfully ethereal cleans to terrifyingly powerful shrieks that clearly wowed people in the audience, with one person near me uttering a mesmerized ‘holy shit’ during the final song of their set, Anthesis.
If anyone in the audience tonight didn’t have Suldusk on their radar, they sure as hell do now.
Agalloch
The most uttered phrase in the crowd tonight had to be ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’ After twenty-five years a band that’s cemented themselves as legends in the heavy music scene have finally come to Australia, and every single fan in the room tonight was still in total disbelief that Agalloch were going to take the stage at Max Watts.
You could tell just how keen this crowd was, because within minutes of doors opening the merch line weaved around the band room and back out to the entrance and remained steady throughout the supports. Out of all the gigs I’ve been to I have never seen anything like it, and from this alone I knew tonight was going to be something special.
Setting the stage with incense and a lone candle, Agalloch appeared on stage to a rapturous applause, starting their set with the eerie single note introduction of Limbs from Ashes Against The Grain and the air in the room changed. When the main riff kicked in the crowd lost their fucking minds for lack of better words to describe this moment, horns and hair were in the air, ecstatic screaming and cheers filled the room – this is the release of what years of anticipation had built coming undone.
Playing a stellar two-hour set which spanned their career that I’m sure pleased everyone in the room, Agalloch more than made up for their absence, and they all seemed genuinely stoked to finally be here with us. They took the energy they received from the crowd and gave it back tenfold, with guitarist Don Andersson jumping and running around the stage throughout the set and sharing some joyful moments with bassist Jason Walton, along with John Haughm providing some top tier banter between songs.
Performing songs such as In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion from the highly regarded The Mantle, to Falling Snow from Ashes Against The Grain and Into The Painted Grey from Marrow of the Spirit, it felt like they covered all bases with their song choices. No matter what they played, there was someone in the audience losing their mind over it. Their set was a joy to watch with a wonderfully raw sensitivity coming through in their compositions. Haughm’s chilling vocals are just otherworldly, the lead guitars from Haughm and Andersson were drenched with feeling and hope whirring over moody riffs and grim bass lines from Walton, anchored by powerful drums that bring traces of black metal and even moments of joy with almost dance like rhythms from Hunter Ginn. I’ve never experienced this amount of pure fucking joy at a gig before, and I hope I do again one day because this was nothing short of magical. If you get the chance to see Agalloch, just drop everything and go, make it happen.
Gig Gallery
THE BIGGEST, OUTRAGEOUS, OVERJOYED THANK YOU to Birds Robe for making this bucket list of a show happen. Thanks to Agalloch for finally getting over here, Max Watts, the staff, the merch team and everyone behind the scenes. This was a dream come true for us at HR&B to review, we won’t ever forget it.