Ballarat’s Blaze Music Festival is finally here
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Ballarat’s Blaze Music Festival is finally here

On Australia Day 2019, Regional Victoria will play host to one of the first ever multiple stage Metal Festivals.

Being held at Ballarat’s iconic venue The Karova, the 17-act line-up will be showcased over a one-day event featuring two stages.

Unfortunately, the recent news has come that Melbourne rock and rollers Dead City Ruins will have to pull out of their slot at the Festival, but, with a line-up as huge as this one, that’s not a worry.

Desecrator will be supplying their unique brand of thrash metal as the weekend’s headliner. After having a bit of time off from touring in 2018, Blaze Fest will be regional Victoria’s first chance to catch the three-piece in quite some time – not to mention the fact that they have some new material to keep fans on the edge of their seat.

Whoretopsy are one of the best death metal acts Australian has on offer. Having recently been banned from their Geelong headliner show due to the Geelong City Council’s censorship, this will be a great chance to see the act that is causing such a fuss. If you’re unfamiliar with Whoretopsy, listen to their most recent album ‘Take My Breath Away.’ Trust me.

Hadal Maw have been gaining a lot of notoriety in the Australian death metal scene due to their technical prowess. The bands release from 2018 ‘Charlatan’ proved to be a crowd favourite upon their recent show in Geelong – and rightfully so. Who can’t get around huge breakdowns and tech riffs? Catch me in the pit for ‘White Elephant.’

Hadal Maw

Encircling Sea recently won The Age Awards’ ‘Best Heavy Album’ category for their debut album ‘Hearken.’ If that isn’t a vote of confidence in itself then I don’t know what is. It’s kind of doomy, its kind of metal, it’s kind of prog, it’s kind of sludgy. Give them a suss and decide for yourself, this is one band I’m definitely interested to catch live.

Dreadnaught is one of Australia’s oldest running metal bands but that doesn’t mean they don’t still shred though. Heavy riffs, prog riffs and vocals for fans of acts like The Butterfly Effect. Come down and watch a piece of Aussie heritage.

Frankenbok are fucking rad, I can’t begin to think of another metal band that could make a shredding song that’s called ‘FuckenKuntz’ and has lyrics that don’t really stray that far from the song title, but Frankenbok do it pretty darn well.

Darker Half, hailing from NSW, are one of the two interstate bands making the trek to Blaze fest and they are definitely one I’d say to keep an eye out for. With a banging cover of Goanna’s ‘Solid Rock’ in their arsenal and a very old school heavy metal vibe-you’ll most likely need a neck brace after their set because I imagine the head banging will be ferocious.

Southeast Desert Metal will also be hitting the stage in support of their most recent album ‘Break The Silence,’ with epic riffs and powerful vocals these guys highlight how huge the old school metal sound can be.

Seedy Jeezus will be the crowd favourite for fans of doom and sludge metal. But let’s be honest- who isn’t a fan of doom and sludge? After being the stand-out hit off their 2015 debut album ‘Wormhole’ is sure to go off.

Fall and Resist are a Victorian death metal act that has been doing the rounds for a few years now. Having recently release their debut album ‘Fading Cinders’, this is one set that’ll be sure to go off. If you’re going along to Blaze Fest to see the likes of Whoretopsy or Hadal Maw make sure you catch these guys as well.

Toxicon play around a lot, there is no denying that they one of the hardest working bands of the region. Their thrash vibes and heavy bass lines will be incredibly welcomed at Blaze Fest. Being a hot minute since they released any new material, hopefully fans might score something special.

One-day in-venue festivals are something that Victorian is privileged to host so many of, with Bendigo Warrnambool and Geelong all having these annual events to a huge success. It’s been a while since Ballarat has hosted anything like this and with a line-up this huge we urge any supporter of live music to head along.

Blaze fest is a no holds barred showcase of heavy tunes and will definitely satisfy any one who wants to rattle their head and raise the horns. It’ll be an unreal day out, and not to mention it’s on Australia day. What’s more Australian than a 17 act all-Aussie line-up?

Blaze Music Festival goes down on Saturday, January 26 at Karova Lounge, Ballarat. Tickets available at Oztix & Karova Lounge.

BLAZE FEST LINE UP

Desecrator
Whoretopsy
Hadal Maw
Encircling Sea
Dreadnaught
Frankenbok
Darker Half (NSW)
Southeast Desert Metal (NT)
Seedy Jeezus
The Eternal
Never
Fall and Resist
Toxicon
Wolfpack
Die in a Dream
Hexreign
ANKL

Written by Alex Callan