Illud Divinum Insanus
Arriving at the Hifi Bar a good hour before headliners Morbid Angel were to hit the stage, I noticed a couple of things almost immediately. One, the venue was absolutely packed to the rafters and two, the light show bathing openers The Amenta looked fucking phenomenal. I turned to my fellow photog Anwar and said, “Dude, check out the lights tonight! I think we’re in for a ripper!”
Now I say this because for the most part, I really hate shooting at the Hifi Bar. Reason being, the lighting is mostly woeful on the many occasions I have had to photograph here and subsequently, that makes it darn hard work to get a decent shot.
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Written by JRPosted in Gigs,PhotographyTags: 2009, Australia, Concert, Death Metal, Fredrik Åkesson, Ghost Reveries, Gig, Heavy Metal, Live, Live Music, Martin "Axe" Axenrot, Martin Mendez, Melbourne, Mikael Åkerfeldt, November, Opeth, Per Wiberg, Photos By John Raptis, Prog, Prog Metal, Sweden, Swedish, The Palace, Victoria, Visceral Industry, WatershedNovember 26, 2009
Damnation And Deliverance
I had never shot at the Palace before so it was to be a night of firsts. I made my way to the front of the stage 20 minutes before Opeth were to kick off their set. I wanted to familiarise myself with the front of the venue and get a feel for the place – as you do.
With 10 minutes to show time, I made my way into the designated photo-pit and sternly checked my gear again and waited for the band. Several other photogs made their way to the pit.
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Written by JRPosted in Gigs,PhotographyTags: 2009, Angela Gossow, Anthems Of Rebellion, Arch Enemy, Australia, Christopher Amott, Concert, Daniiel Erlandsson, Death Metal, Flinders Street, German, Germany, Gig, Heavy Metal, Live, Live Music, Loud, Melbourne, Metal, Michael Amott, November, Performance, Photos By John Raptis, Russell Street, Sharlee D'Angelo, Skeleton Dance, Sweden, Swedish, The Forum, The Root Of All Evil, Thrash, Victoria, Visceral IndustryNovember 6, 2009
Anthems Of Rebellion
I heard about Arch Enemy’s tour of Australia back in June. I’ve been a fan of the band for a while and last saw them at Festival Hall a few years ago in support of Megadeth. I definitely wanted the opportunity to photograph them so I decided to email the band via their website. When the promoter all but ignores you – cut out the middle man and go straight to the source.
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Written by JRPosted in Gigs,PhotographyTags: 2009, Australia, Billboard, Concert, David Vincent, Death Metal, Destructhor, Extreme Music, Gig, Heavy Metal, June, Melbourne, Metal, Morbid Angel, Music, Performance, Pete Sandoval, Thrash, Trey Azagthoth, VictoriaJune 1, 2009
No, I’m Not With The Band
With a stench of marijuana and beer in the air, I met up with my contact at Billboard as I had been requested to shoot some shots of Death Metal legends Morbid Angel half an hour before they were to hit the stage. Wow! I was so excited about that I can assure you.
I waited at the foot of a stairwell which led to the band’s dressing-room and took in the sights, sounds and smells around me. A scantily clad young lass tugged at my ‘Media’ pass around my neck and with my camera hanging over my shoulder, I was mistaken for someone in the band’s entourage several times.
“No, I’m not with the band…”
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