Pallbearer/Conan Pure Riff Diabolica at Max Watts 12/3/25. Reviewed by Mark Jenkins, awesome photos by Dan Mckay.

March 15, 2025

Pallbearer/Conan Pure Riff Diabolica at Max Watts 12/3/25. Reviewed by Mark Jenkins, awesome photos by Dan Mckay.

Wow, a gig that was as glorious as the epic bands playing. This was a packed house for a Wednesday night, but Melbourne always has an allegiance to all things heavy.

GHOSTSMOKER

Unfortunately due to a combination of weird arse weather and the joke that is Melbourne public transport, I missed most of the set. But one of Melbourne's finest purveyors of proper(take note, as this is the opposite of the mind-numbing dullness of most Aussie doom artists) gritty doom/sludge slaughtered the crowd with their pummeling mix of slow and crushing extreme metal.

This band is ridiculously locked in as a tight unit and never fail to be insanely heavy and yet emotive as fuck. Their new album drops next week, don't be a flog and not buy it; it is guaranteed to be a classic debut album, 100%.

https://ghostsmokerau.bandcamp.com/album/inertia-cult-2

MAMMON'S THRONE

My co-writer for the blog and bandmate, Myles Thomson has been busting my chops to see this band for so long, but the stars never ever lined up. But alas, I finally got to see the might of this gloriously monumental band and they are definitely one of my fave Australian bands now.

They share with the previous band a commitment to adding that special musical and vocal sauce to differentiate themselves from the flock of average bands. Mammon's Throne are quite theatrical, but thankfully not in a fucking symthonic metal bullshit way. They deliver their dark omens in a mood-driven celebration of the riff. This band blows me away as they play as tight as the biggest international band; they fire the crowd up incessantly and drop such bangers.

Their music is so well-written, and despite being as grim as hell, it rocks hard. And that is missing big time in the genre: pure raw doom metal with unrelenting aggression. They are tagged as extreme doom metal, and that is so accurate; they have equal slabs of both old-school death metal and black metal.

A crushing set from one of the best bands around, IMPRESSIVE AS FUCK. Buy their records and see them live.

CONAN

Damn this band never fails to deliver a classic set with their ridiculously epic caveman battle doom. Every one of their releases screams to the top of the mountains(they also have a new album dropping soon, don't fucking miss it), but live they stun you and blow your eardrums.

Conan is always a three-piece band that surprises me with how much of a smothering, yet corrosive sound they pull out every gig. Everything from this band is pure, raw and sensational. Wild, unhinged drums from some warzone, bombastically fuzzy bass and skin-stripping riffs and that dual vocal attack we adore so much.

Bands don't get more perfect than this. To say they had the crowd in their hands the whole set is an understatement. I love the sheer nasty tone of this band, it is utterly doom/sludge but has a solid punky/industrial-like Godflesh aspect to it. Conan are demigods and cannot wait to see them next time, and the time after and again.

Next album dropping in April, you know it will be sensational.

https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/bands/conan.htm

PALLBEARER

Now, this band cops a fair bit of utterly stupid grief because they have evolved and expanded their sound with each release in the best way. But seriously, give their catalogue a solid listen, and the space/atmosphere inherent in all of the albums- like a theme for every band tonight- is that critical point of difference that makes them not generic.

Pallbearer live is a wicked beast; the exceptional mix of the styles soars and is truly magical. I mean, the singer even said there is no way we are as heavy as Conan. But there is immense colour in their broad pallette; you still get the gorgeous Candlemass vibes mixed with proggy doom wigouts as well as mad melodic anthems.

Personally the new tracks slotted in perfectly with the old classics. They play exceptionally well, and as much as I adore the albums, it translates much deeper as a performance. This band delivered and exceeded expectations. The blend of the dark and the light is spot on, balanced by a top-shelf level of playing that thrives on poignant moments of anthematic doom metal.

Truly a phenomenal gig from start to end.