Concerts: AllegaeonÂ kick off their Australian tour at The Rosemount Hotel, Perth - Sea of Tranquility - The Web Destination for Progressive Music!

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Concerts:

AllegaeonÂ kick off their Australian tour at The Rosemount Hotel, Perth

Posted on Monday, March 30 2026 @ 13:55:56 CDT by Steven Reid

AllegaeonÂ kicked off their Australian tour in Perth recently at the Rosemount Hotel. The melodic technical death metal act that hail from Colorado USA were supported by local acts Ashen and Neomantra.

SoT's Chris Reid was there to witness a world class band who deliver in spades.

Neomantra opened up proceedings with their brand of cerebral doom/sludge/post metal. Led by front man Royce Zanetic, Neomantra delivered a commanding set. I like what this band deliver ï¿½" there is a subtle complexity in a lot of their music, but there are also plenty of straight forward heavy sections, which is a nice mix. Neomantra should have a pretty broad appeal - on one hand their music will appeal to fans of bands like Tool and Karnivool, yet fans of Neurosis and Crowbar will find plenty to like too. This band seem to get better each time I see them play, and it must be said the sound man mixed them particularly well last night. Giving a shout out to the late Denis Commetti was a nice touch too given the news of the day.Â Â

Ashen were up next. This was my first time seeing the band since the departure of original front man Richard Clements, and whilst itâ€™ll take some time for me to not miss Richâ€™s on-stage banter and windmills, it must be said that Drew Griffiths is a damn good replacement. Drew delivered the vocals in a very polished and â€˜true to the originalâ€™ manner. If you closed your eyes during the set youâ€™d never know theyâ€™d had such a significant line up change. Ashenâ€™s set focussed on material from the bandâ€™s 2025 album Leave the Flesh Behind. Tracks like Devourer, Blood Offering and Leave the Flesh Behind were highlights. Ashen donâ€™t have an overly complicated set up or sound so it was a little baffling to me that the sound guy let them down a little, especially early on. All in all though Ashen delivered though (as they always do).

Allegaeon are a bit of a stylistic enigma - Melodic technical death metal is what they go with, and I think thatâ€™s about right. Iâ€™ll be the first to admit Iâ€™m not a die hard fan, however the band completely won me over after delivering a flawless, high energy live show. Their set showcased tracks from their latest album The Ossuary Lens, and damn these songs go down great in the live setting.

Allegaeon opened up with balls to the wall shredding (Refraction, followed by Chaos Theory) and from that point onwards there was no letting up. Personal highlights of the set included Wake Circling Above, Driftwood, The Swarm, and the closing track 1.618. Ezra Haynes is a top class front man and he had the crowd eating out of his hands throughout the evening. There was a sincerity in the way he delivered thanks to the fans, and he was on the move constantly. The guitar work from and Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel was as good as youâ€™ll see, both holding down complex rhythm parts and pulling off jaw dropping leads with their own style and swagger. Brandon Michael and Jeff Saltzman are a classy rhythm section too. Jeff is an absolute powerhouse behind the kit anchoring the band throughout a set that was unrelenting in its speed and precision.

I think the multifarious nature of Allegaeonâ€™s sound and catalogue is both a blessing and a curse for them. One hand the diversity in their sound should offer lots to all sorts of fans. However on the flip side Iâ€™d suggest that some die hard death metal fans might think theyâ€™re too melodic or â€˜coreâ€™ leaning for their taste. Fans of Metalcore might find them too techy or shreddy too. I have been guilty of not really knowing how to pigeonhole them, and therefore overlooking them to some extent. Now that Iâ€™ve seen them live I wonâ€™t make that mistake again.

The Turnout in Perth was decent enough for a Wednesday night, but I canâ€™t help but think Allegaeon deserved to play in front of even more punters, such was the calibre of the set. They had the speed and virtuosity of a band like Archspire. The sweep picking on display would have made Jeff Loomis proud. The energy from the front man was not dissimilar to watching The Ocean. If youâ€™re sitting on the fence about Allegaeon like I was, get out and see them live if you can. You will not be disappointed.