Gallery, ReviewDitch This MagazineJuly 14, 2026gallery, live, melbourne, Odin Imaging, Nathan Goldsworthy, odin imaging, Destroy All Lines, Gwar, Dregg, Max Watts

Deafheaven + SPY + Peace RitualAnthrax @ The Forum 09-07-26

Gallery, ReviewDitch This MagazineJuly 14, 2026gallery, live, melbourne, Odin Imaging, Nathan Goldsworthy, odin imaging, Destroy All Lines, Gwar, Dregg, Max Watts

photos: Nathan Goldsworthy @odin.imaging

Some tours are built around genre. Others are built around contrast.

Deafheaven's return to Melbourne proved to be the latter, with three bands delivering vastly different interpretations of what "heavy" can sound and feel like. From Peace Ritual's slow-burning atmosphere, through SPY's explosive hardcore punk assault, to Deafheaven's breathtaking collision of black metal, shoegaze and post-rock, the evening unfolded as a carefully paced emotional crescendo rather than simply another night of loud music.

Originally scheduled to feature American shoegaze outfit Nothing, the Australian run underwent a late lineup change after visa processing delays prevented the band from making the trip. Melbourne's own Peace Ritual stepped into the opening slot, while San Jose hardcore outfit SPY were elevated to direct support.. Far from feeling like a compromise, the revised lineup proved to be one of the night's greatest strengths.

While a steady stream of fans continued filtering into the Forum, Peace Ritual quietly began weaving together shimmering guitar textures, crushing low-end and expansive post-metal soundscapes. Their set wasn't about immediate impact—it was about building tension. Every crescendo landed with purpose, filling the Forum's ornate theatre with an atmosphere that demanded patience rather than chaos. It was a fitting opener, inviting the audience into the night's emotional landscape before things became considerably more volatile.

SPY had other ideas.

The San Jose hardcore outfit erupted onto the stage with unrelenting intensity, instantly transforming the mood inside the packed Forum. Where Peace Ritual encouraged reflection, SPY demanded movement. Their blistering hardcore punk, razor-sharp riffs and relentless pace sparked the night's first pit within moments.

Frontman Peter Pawlak was impossible to ignore. Stomping relentlessly from one side of the stage to the other, he commanded every inch of the Forum with infectious energy, urging the crowd into a frenzy without ever needing elaborate theatrics. Every movement mirrored the urgency of the music itself, while the band behind him delivered a ferocious performance that felt simultaneously chaotic and incredibly tight. Their set was short, violent and utterly exhilarating.

By the time Deafheaven took the stage, the Forum was packed wall-to-wall. The anticipation that had steadily built throughout the evening finally gave way as the San Francisco five-piece emerged beneath moody lighting and launched headfirst into material from Lonely People With Power.

If Peace Ritual represented atmosphere, and SPY embodied aggression, Deafheaven existed in the space where those worlds collided.

Few bands can transition so effortlessly between ethereal beauty and overwhelming violence. Delicate guitar passages blossomed into towering walls of distortion before dissolving once again into moments of shimmering restraint. Blast beats crashed beneath soaring melodies, while George Clarke's unmistakable screams carried an emotional weight that transcended the genre labels so often attached to the band.

Clarke remains one of heavy music's most captivating frontmen. Constantly moving across the stage, he performed with a sense of urgency that felt deeply personal rather than rehearsed. One of the evening's defining moments came when he climbed down onto the front barrier, leaning into the audience to deliver vocals face-to-face with the fans packed against the rail. It blurred the line between performer and audience, creating an intensely human moment amid Deafheaven's immense sonic landscape.

Behind him, guitarists Kerry McCoy and Shiv Mehra effortlessly balanced shimmering clean passages with blistering black metal ferocity, while Daniel Tracy's drumming remained astonishingly precise throughout the set. Christopher Johnson's bass anchored every dynamic shift, allowing the band's enormous sound to remain both crushing and remarkably clear.

The Forum once again proved why it remains one of Melbourne's premier live venues. Its grand architecture and warm acoustics elevated every dynamic shift, allowing Deafheaven's music to breathe during its quietest moments before exploding into overwhelming crescendos. The room itself became part of the performance.

Drawing from across their celebrated catalogue alongside highlights from Lonely People With Power, Deafheaven demonstrated why they continue to occupy a space entirely their own within modern heavy music. The newer material sat naturally beside fan favourites, reinforcing that the band's evolution has never been about abandoning their roots, but expanding them.

What made this show memorable wasn't simply the quality of each individual performance—it was the way the lineup had been curated. Peace Ritual laid the emotional foundation through atmosphere and restraint. SPY ignited the room with uncompromising hardcore punk aggression. Deafheaven gathered those opposing forces together, fusing blistering black metal, shimmering shoegaze and cinematic post-rock into something both devastatingly heavy and profoundly beautiful.

In the hands of a lesser band, those contradictions might feel irreconcilable. For Deafheaven, they've become their defining strength.

On a packed Thursday night at the Forum, Melbourne didn't just witness three great performances—it experienced three completely different philosophies of heaviness, culminating in a headline set that reminded everyone why Deafheaven remain one of the most compelling live bands in contemporary music.