Heavy Metal: Head east, young man

By ERWIN CHLANDA
 
Age group, mmh, similar. Music lovers? Too right. Location – same, Ross River.
 
But there will be no comparison in the decibels this long weekend: The heavy metal fest Blacken will make the East MacDonnell Ranges tremble while the more flowers-in-your-hair mob of the Wide Open Space is taking a year off.
 
“We’re all mates. Family,” says organiser Pirate.
 
“It’s the culmination of six years of work” to have the gig out bush this year, after Blacken grew bigger and bigger in the beer garden of the Gapview Hotel in Alice and the RSL.
 
This year there will be more than 30 bands with names that would give mere mortals nightmares.
 
Cosmic Psychos (pictured), a legendary Australian punk rock act, have been around for more than 30 years: “Genuine fellas, upbeat Aussie rock. Heaps of fun,” says Pirate.
 
“Disentomb is one of our most heavy and extreme death metal bands in Australia, just back from touring around the world pretty well for 10 years,” says Pirate.
 
Their massive following is hanging out for their third album: “They’re going to be playing songs at Blacken that haven’t been heard before anywhere else.”
 
Boris the Blade, a Melbourne group, with a drummer from Alice, Karl Stellar, will do their final show, “calling it quits at the top of heir game.”
 
For the first time Blacken will have a Japanese band, “from the underground, yet super high energy.”
 
Undisputed stars will be Southeast Desert Metal from Santa Teresa, just back from a highly successful national tour, and heading off on a fresh one soon after Blacken.