“You know what to do: destroy this f***ing place!” roared a jubilant Max Cavalera in this satisfyingly heavy show’s most tellingly unsubtle moment.
A not-quite full Concorde 2 remained standing, though this was a bluntly unpretentious mixture of nostalgia and intensity.
An early set from Melbourne sludge five-piece King Parrot perfectly set up all that was to follow. Vocalist Matthew Young, the band’s charismatic, shrieking, beer-gutted dynamo, commanded the stage, and crowd for that matter, from the off.
Veering effortlessly between punk brawls and down-tuned doom crawls, King Parrot’s bruising routine was both tight musically and incredibly raw.
With a moshpit already sweating despite the plummeting temperatures, the night was Soulfly’s for the taking.
These survivors of the nu-metal scene (by now just Brazilian founder member Cavalera), demonstrated perfectly the secret to their longevity.
Having long ditched the sound they’re known for - these days playing thrash and death metal - Soulfly still aired older alternative anthems, from two Sepultura covers (Max and brother Igor’s old band), through to the giant Back To The Primitive and bizarrely danceable Prophecy.
Newer songs from last year’s Archangel LP added density between the big hitters as this almost guilty treat of a show headed to a wonderfully infectious climax.
Four stars
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