It’s not often that you get treated to a mid-winter concert where nearly every metal genre is being performed. But that’s exactly what happened at The Stomach in Palmerston North last Saturday night where four bands gave it their all in a rip-roaring all-ages show that will undoubtedly leave the hundred or so people who attended with lasting impressions.

First up was three-piece student band Ruul 34, whose friendly banter and relaxed attitude put the audience at ease. Their intro was pretty laid-back as well and it wasn't until the more punk-oriented second song Overwhelming that a marked degree of severity worked its way into their set.

Incorporating elements of thrash, death and 90's metal, Ruul 34 were a great opening act that had numerous musical components throughout their set to keep the audience fully engaged. A tongue-in-cheek rendition of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme song and calling out the government about youth mental health in the aptly named They Don't Care elicited a raucous crowd response.

There’s an early Nirvana-esque edge to this band's sound, particularly in the way the vocals are delivered. Full of youthful exuberance, guitarist Jamie and bass player Ash shared vocal duties, but it wasn't until their powers were combined during the last song, I'm A Disease, that their singing styles became truly compelling.

Next up on stage was the five-piece deathcore band Lucid, who didn't let a false start at the beginning of their set dampen what was a spirited and awe-inspiring show. A combination of gloriously drop tuned guitars and precise blast beats soon had the audience headbanging, but a few technical issues detracted slightly from their overall performance. Singer Ben Burton was right about Bella Riddle's guitar not being loud enough, which caused the mid-range to drop out during Corban James' guitar solos.

The technicalities aside, Lucid is one of the heaviest bands around, which is pretty amazing considering they’re just starting out on their journey to musical greatness. Song titles such as Teeth On The Pavement, Suffocate, Bleak and Anger give you an idea of their creative direction, which reminded me slightly of Australian deathcore band Thy Art Is Murder. With an open chord low end that even Black Tongue would be proud of, Lucid made sure they weren’t just heard but also felt with a PA that was thankfully up to the task. If you’re into metal music, Lucid are definitely a band to watch out for.

Third on the bill was another three-piece student band called Epidemic, who were unfortunately missing a bass player. The lack of a defined bottom end didn’t contrast well with Lucid’s bass heavy sound, but it wasn’t long before the crowd was enjoying Epidemic’s old-school metal approach.

Mainly incorporating styles similar to Metallica and Slayer, Epidemic built in strength further into their set, but like the opening acts were somewhat rushing in their performance. At times singing outside of his comfort zone, lead guitarist and vocalist Edward was most captivating while channeling Dave Mustaine, a vocal style he should definitely continue to emulate.

Epidemic’s set flowed nicely and after encouraging the audience into a pre-emptive circle mosh for Children of War, the two guitarist’s tuned down just before their standout song, Hell Freezes Over. Epidemic closed their set with the high-energy New World Order, which left the audience amped and imminently ready for the headline act.

The Rising Tide soon brought back the boom and despite an extended hiatus and reformation in 2021, with a number of line-up changes along the way, have lost none of their musical acuity. Being down one guitarist for the Inferno show didn’t seem to matter much in the smaller venue as event organizer and lead guitarist Cody Lee luckily had a few extra strings to fill out the sound.

Retaining many of their previous stage theatrics that work so well to create crowd participation, The Rising Tide are evidently back with a vengeance. They’ve recently been touring the North Island to promote their favourably reviewed EP, The Hope We Die For, of which the title track was perfectly performed on the night.

Not your average metal band, The Rising Tide have mastered elements of deathcore and sludge, as well as the often-misunderstood djent genre, combining them with metalcore breakdowns and a good amount of notoriously difficult progressive metal polyrhythms. It was understandable that a few of the more complex blast beats during Into the Abyss strayed ever so slightly from the path, given that Ryan Burton had already stood in for Lucid's drummer earlier in the night.

Although their sound is more suited to large arenas, The Rising Tide’s live show at The Stomach included many of the mixing techniques and samples from their studio recordings, which along with Matthew Colledge's vocal precision, created a very polished performance.

Make sure you catch The Rising Tide at a good music venue near you.

Photo Credit: Amanda Hodge / It's The Little Things Amanda Hodge Photography

Ruul 34 Photo Gallery
Lucid Photo Gallery
Epidemic Photo Gallery
The Rising Tide Photo Gallery

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