LUMENS w/ SEEK MISERY, dreameater., Sorrowstate
TIA LIVE, Adelaide, South Australia
September 4th 2026

_{Review by Kayla Hamilton @kaylazomboid}

The scene has ebbs and flows, but every now and then a show comes along to remind you why South Australia has been on the map for metalcore.

Not just locally. Not just nationally.
But globally.

Every big band has to start somewhere, and last Friday at TIA LIVE, Damned Productions put on a show that proved that the future in this often overlooked city looks bright.

Opening up proceedings was promising new act SORROWSTATE with their debut set. Starting a band looks a little different than it did in the past in many ways. You are able to put out music and get more notice even before you step on the stage. Many punters had an idea what to expect and where waiting in anticipation to see how they would translate live. It’s one thing to be able to put out a banger of a single, but it’s a whole new ball game to play it live.

Luckily, they did not just meet expectations; they smashed them. SORROWSTATE hit the stage with the cleanliness of a band that has been kicking around for a while. Heavy on the riffage. Heavy on the aggression. Dynamic, emotional and just fuelled by emotion. Many came out to support them and that roar from the audience lifted the room up even higher. While there was some hesitation and possibly a little shyness from their frontman, it was clearly some first time jitters. That was only between songs, because as a vocalist, he smashed it. The future is bright for this band and I can’t wait to see where they go with it.

Following the debut act was dreameater. This nu-metalcore band has been kicking it around the city for a while now, and every time I see them, they have levelled up their sound. Opening with their latest single, ‘Regicide’, that techy breakdown just rips straight through you. They are one band that has this unique knack of delivering some killer, aggressive tracks but still feeling like they are having so much fun. Channelling that bouncy beefiness of nu-metal with a more modern metalcore twist, there is a reason they have been capturing the eye of local punters. This show was probably the best vocal performance from frontman Chris Gill I’ve seen so far as well.

While all the breakdowns we heard from the first two bands were heavy, the nastiest on the lineup can be credited to local deathcore mainstays SEEK MISERY. This band is so intense that it borders on ridiculous. I can feel it at a cellular level, like the water content in my blood is vibrating. The vocals are visceral, like you feel like you personally pissed the band off. Permanent stank face was employed for the whole 30 minutes and I couldn’t ask for anything more. When people ask about the calibre of deathcore in the Australian scene, I hold up this band for example and after their set at this show I feel very validated in this decision.

Headlining the night was one of the state’s best-kept secrets, LUMENS. While I’ve seen their name plastered across many show flyers, they have been one of those elusive acts for me. Finally, I was able to catch them in the flesh, and I do believe it may be love at first sight. Everybody in this band is just wicked talented. Modern metalcore meets post-hardcore, infused with prog and classic metal. It was one of the those sets where you start at the back and slowly start making your way forward and before you know it, you are sitting transfixed on the barrier. Atmospheric and hypnotic, there are plenty of artists I could say they are “kind of like” but that wouldn’t tell the whole picture. The hype around this band is absolutely forreal and I urge you to listen to them as soon as you finish this review (I know I have been since Friday).

LUMENS was truly the icing on top of a cake that I feel like doesn’t get the love it deserves. From a monstrous debut set from SORROWSTATE and the fun but furious display from dreameater. to the gut-wrenchingly heaviness of SEEK MISERY and spell-bounding aura of LUMENS…it is clear to me that Adelaide metalcore is in one of the best places it’s been in for awhile.

I think it is very much time to head to your local shows.

You never know what gems you will find.