Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)

DIAMOND CONSTRUCT w/ PROMPTS, Deficit & Signals
Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide, South Australia
October 12th 2024

Last Saturday one of the most interesting bands in Australia’s metalcore scene Diamond Construct descended upon Adelaide, bringing their national Angel Killer Zero Album Tour. In what may be one of the most underrated and wild line-ups the city has seen this year so far, there was no doubt that this one was going to be one for the books.

If you are coming to Adelaide and you want to kick things off right, the number one band you should be calling is Signals. This young act is dynamite. There is a reason why some of the biggest names in the Aussie scene endorse the Adelaide lads. Their unrelenting aggression pulsates through any room they play in and on this night at the Lion Arts Factory it wasn’t any different. Curating a vibe that had those experiencing them for the first time in awe, they aren’t for the faint of art. Having the audience two-stepping and spin kicking early into the evening, they ripped through their set, including tracks ‘Effigy’ and ‘Exit Wound’, with staggering ferocity.

As warmed up as I thought I was from Signals set, nothing could have prepared for our first interstate act Deficit. The nu-metalcore outfit from Sydney came to tear the venue apart. Hitting the audience with an energy that makes you want to fight somebody, there is something about their groove drenched aggression that consumes you. With breakdowns that make unsure whether to dance or punch somebody in the face, it is like Limp Bizkit reimagined Kublai Khan Tx and added a little Aussie lad flavour. The punters returned energy in droves and the vibe of the room lifted tenfold. Treating us to their bangers ‘Nothing To Lose’, ‘Trailblazer’, ‘Body Drop’ and a sneak peak of a new one- honestly, if I was the bands playing after I would have been both thankful for the way they hyped up the crowd but at the same time, a little nervous to follow.

Luckily the band that was following was none other than Japanese/Korean metalcore monster PROMPTS. Dripping in Tokyo swagger, they clearly had won over some fans the last time they visited our shores. They launched a brutal assault from the moment the hit the stage, bringing that renowned intensity once again to this lucky Adelaide crowd. Fortunately, I’ve been lucky enough to see this band a few times this year, both in Japan and Australia and I can honestly say, every time I see them, they just get better and better. Stage presence is unmatched, the dual vocal work between frontman PK and bass player Piguri is becoming more seamless and the activity onstage is very hard to match. Giving us some tracks from their 2022 album Fracture such as ‘Mobius’ and ‘Face Me’, as well as their two singles from this year ‘Sun Eater’ and ‘Edgerunner’– it easy clear to see why they are quickly becoming Japan’s hottest export. The Adelaide fans ate every second up, following the commands of the band. Circle pits, headbanging and throwing down, by the time they hit ‘Asphyxiate’ and finished with the crushing ‘Empty Sandglass’– the set went by in a blink of an eye.

Asking the room for any more energy would be a hard task after the absolute carnage that the opening bands had inflicted on them, but when it comes to Diamond Construct, you know the audience will find a way. They always bring such a unique energy to the stage and this night was no exception. Opening with ‘Hashira’, straight away we were dropped into the sheer destruction this band can bring. Unpredictable breakdowns and a whole lot of sonic bedlam, the smashed through ‘Jynx’ with an unyielding tenacity. Just as everybody in the room settled into the chaos, then the band indulged us with their banger ‘Hit It Back’. This is when everything came unglued. There was no going back and the Angel Killer Zero show was hitting with full force. Bringing it back with ‘Neon’, their new music holds up just as well as the classics, if not at times even better. Songs like Switchblade OST’, ‘Hell Inside You’, ‘Clickbait’ and others were delivered with precision and ferocity. Instant classics- both Diamond Construct and their fans went hard for them like they had been playing them for a decade. While the setlist was clearly curated around the new album, they did dip into some older tracks too like ‘Attitude’. ‘’- and finished up the set with ‘Psychosis’.

The night did not end here though. A rowdy Adelaide constituent petitioned for the band to give them one last track and true testament to humbleness of the band, they had no expectation or intention for an encore. They offered the crowd to play one last track, the choice between another song or a reprisal of ‘Hit It Back’. Crowd vote won and in their best ode to Limp Bizkit, they ripped into their second playing of ‘Hit It Back’. If the crowd was unhinged before, this is where it got feral- but in a way that was so incredibly wholesome. Nobody was standing still. The Deficit lads were dancing on the edge of the audience, the crew behind the merch desk were getting into it and those in the pit threw down with everything inside of them.

All in all, this show was a true testament to the state of Australian metalcore. Adelaide crowds may not be the biggest, but when they show up and are met with some incredible talent, the love cannot be denied. There was no escaping the great vibes.

If you didn’t wake up sore Sunday, then I’m not sure you were actually at the show.

Diamond Construct‘s Angel Killer Zero Tour continues this week.
Tickets are still available here.