Avatar and Pyrefly Review
Fans gathered at the Manning Bar in Sydney last night for a huge night of heavy music, with Pyrefly opening the show, followed by Swedish metal powerhouse Avatar.
Opening the night was Pyrefly, and they came out with plenty of energy and immediately got the crowd's attention. The set opened with "Foreword (Intro track)", and then Pyrefly kicked into “Lost and Imhotep”, the guitars came through loud and heavy, with the bass sitting underneath the riffs while the drums drove the song forward. The vocals added another layer of power, and it was clear from the beginning that the band had come ready to make an impression.
As Pyrefly continued their set with “Blind”, the energy inside Manning Bar continued to build. The set kicked into a cover of "Madonna's song "Like A Prayer", and their version was filled with intricate guitars, and head banging riffs. The crowd was singing every lyric back to the band, and the drummer kept everything moving with powerful fills and hard-hitting beats. The crowd was getting more involved with every song.
Another highlight from Pyrefly's set came as they played "The Void", and it gave the band another chance to show off their musicianship and stage presence. There was a great balance between the guitars, bass, drums and vocals, and by the end of their set, Pyrefly had successfully warmed the crowd up for what was still to come.
The lights dropped, and it was time for Avatar. The Swedish metal band immediately transformed Manning Bar into their own theatrical metal playground. As Avatar played “Captain Goat, Let It Burn and The Eagle Has Landed”, the venue erupted, and the crowd was singing along, headbanging and throwing their fists into the air.
Frontman Johannes Eckerström was impossible to miss. From the moment he stepped onto the stage, he commanded everyone's attention, and he delivered his vocals with a mixture of power, character and theatrical performance.
As Avatar played “In the Airwaves, Bloody Angel, Death and Glitz and Get in Line”, the guitars filled the room with huge riffs while the bass added plenty of weight underneath. Behind them, the relentless drums, provided the perfect backbone for Avatar's massive sound. The band continued with “Crying Fire, Silence in the Age of Apes, Colossus and Torn Apart”, and the crowd responded with even more energy. There was something happening everywhere you looked, from people headbanging in the audience to fans singing every word back towards the stage.
As the set continued with “Howling at the Waves, The Dirt I'm Buried In and Tonight We Must Be Warriors”, Avatar showed why they have developed such a dedicated following. The songs were performed with precision, and there was a, larger-than-life quality to the show that kept the audience rocking to every song.
The guitar work throughout the night was impressive, as they moved between crushing riffs and more melodic sections, while the bass provided a huge low-end presence. The drums were equally impressive, as they switched between pounding rhythms and intricate fills, while Eckerström continued to dominate the stage, and the entire Manning Bar was once again bouncing, and wanted more hits.
As the final song, “Don’t Go in the Forest, Smells Like a Freakshow and Hail the Apocalypse” played, Avatar had delivered exactly what the crowd had come for, loud guitars, powerful drums, massive vocals and theatrical metal moments.
Pyrefly started the night strongly and successfully warmed up the Manning Bar crowd, while Avatar followed with a performance that was energetic, theatrical and seriously heavy.
Last night's show was a reminder of just how much fun a great metal show can be when the bands on stage give the audience everything they have. If you were standing inside Manning Bar last night, this was one night of metal that won't be forgotten anytime soon.