The members of Sydney’s Our Last Enemy have compiled a list of their top 5 bands from Australia. Check out the list below, and enter to win a signed copy of their upcoming album Pariah (out March 11th via Eclipse Records) and a signed poster here.
Top 5 Bands From Australia
JERK – A band I have seen and played with many times; they were unique and different at the time and helped put Sydney music on the world map. world class sounding compared to what was around at the time. (Zot)
Viral Millenium – An industrial band with killer beats and down tuned groove riffs that will melt your face, mixed with string ensembles/synth. Not to mention an awesome theatrical live show. What’s not to love? (Jeff)
Silverchair – Their first 3 albums were un-missable while growing up in Australia. There was a rawness and sheer talent that hadn’t been seen in a long time, and could have been a much bigger band, had they wanted it. Freakshow is still my favourite album of theirs. (Matt)
In my opinion Daniel Johns is the greatest guitarist/musician to come out of Australia. I’ll never forget when I saw them live for their “Neon Ballroom” tour. He put on one hell of an energetic show and it wasn’t just him throwing his guitar and body around stage all night whilst playing intricate guitar riffs and singing (in tune all night) at the same time. It was also the constant vocal/guitar improvisations. The best I’ve ever seen an artist do to their own songs. (Jeff)
Regurgitator – One of my favourite bands growing up as a teenager. Eclectic and daring, I don’t think a band like this would exist in today’s climate. The first EPs and the first album where on my stereo non-stop. I played one of their songs for my high school music performance and let’s say it was an interesting experience for all involved! (Oliver)
INXS – This was a band that we all grew up listening to, even from an early age their songs would get stuck in your head. They also proved that an Australian band could at one point in time be one of the biggest bands in the world. (Matt)
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About Our Last Enemy:
It would be almost too easy to classify Australia’s Our Last Enemy as an “industrial metal band.” While that’s an accurate description of the band, it’s oversimplified, since Our Last Enemy are so much more than the sum of their base parts. Our Last Enemy make music that’s akin to a soundtrack or mix tape designed for surviving and navigating an apocalyptic wasteland.
Our Last Enemy steps into the spotlight and offers their brand new album Pariah as the aforementioned element, scheduled to hit stores on March 11, 2014 via Eclipse Records (Mushroomhead, Bobaflex, A Breach of Silence). For this album, Our Last Enemy relocated to Los Angeles, CA to record with Christian Olde Wolbers, formerly of Fear Factory, a like-minded, kindred spirit. Pariah was recorded at Temple studios, once owned by members of Fleetwood Mac and currently co-owned by Cypress Hill’s B-Real and Raymond Herrera of Fear Factory fame.
You can pre-order Pariah now via this link: http://smarturl.it/qnsf9c. More pre-order options are coming soon.
Check out the impressive new music video for the band’s first single, ’10,000 Headless Horses’, below. The video was directed by The Blackley Brothers (Her Name is Murder Productions) and was filmed in Sydney, Australia.
Thematically, Pariah has a loose concept threaded throughout. “The Pariah” is this unlucky person who seems to be continually reborn at the center of times crisis or upheaval, whether they are there as witness or catalyst. “The Pariah” appears multiple times throughout the record and some of the tracks are penned from his point of view or from the perspective of those around him.
Although beginning in 2006, the band has evolved to their current line-up of Oliver (vocals), Jeff (keys/samples), Matt (bass), Bizz (guitars) and Zot (drums). Bizz was once a member of Genitorturers, a visual metal band that also featured Morbid Angel’s David Vincent; he relocated Down Under to join Our Last Enemy.
Our Last Enemy’s name itself is apocalyptic in nature, its origin rooted in a Biblical quote: “Until the day when we meet our last enemy, death itself…” But as is the case with all elements of the band, there is a deeper, more complex meaning beyond that which you see on the surface, since the pulling of the death card in tarot symbolizes rebirth. “It represents the duality of life and death,” the band said about its name. “It can mean death itself, which can be a negative thing, and also the symbolism of rebirth, which is positive. It also represents the inevitability of life –that it will end– which reminds you to make the most of it before you face your last enemy.”
The connective tissue of Our Last Enemy is the desire to create balls-to-the-floor metal cross-pollinated with harsh, electronic sounds, held together by good songwriting. There is no “metal for the sake of being metal” on the record. “For Our Last Enemy, it’s not just about writing heavy riffs, horror-like synths, mad samples, technical drum parts and dark lyrics, although these elements are a big part of our sound,” the band said. “We spend a lot of time arranging the music. We pay close attention to detail when we write, because we want to write music that could convey a message or vibe accurately, even if we didn’t include lyrics or vocals. So by the time vocals are added to the equation, the music will transport you to a different world, sort of like a movie does with it’s background music and dialogue. But the world we’ll take you to is a world in ruins.” The band furthered, “We have, in some way, tried to meld together the harsh, dark elements of industrial music with the hard hitting slam of metal. We often try to incorporate soundscapes or cinematic elements as well to add atmosphere… while still remaining super heavy.”
Through the years, Our Last Enemy has enjoyed their last album Fallen Empires going # 1 on the iTunes Metal Chart in their native country, while their song ‘10,000 Headless Horses’ was featured in the Rock Band video game. They’ve played support gigs for the likes of Static-X, Dope, Fozzy, Mnemic, Hanzeul Und Gretyl and more.
As stated previously, it would be convenient to call Our Last Enemy “industrially-influenced metal,” but Our Last Enemy stands out, thanks to complex songwriting. They don’t simply put one or two riffs under a drum loop. That would be too easy. And nothing about Our Last Enemy is easy or simple. They carefully craft the type of hard rock that can cause tectonic plates to shift, while maintaining an artful bend. They also like to rip your head clean off your neck.
That’s not easy to do, but nothing worth creating or listening to in life is easy.
