Broken Earth - Gig Review 19th July @ Backdock Arts, Brisbane QLD

Broken Earth
BackDock Arts, Brisbane QLD
July 19th, 2025
Supports: NTH RD, Grizzly Shark and Torizon

BackDock Arts is one of those venues that have a palpable community spirit. When entering, I felt almost out-of-place, like I was intruding on an intimate gathering of close friends. It’s the perfect place to host the upcoming metalcore quartet Broken Earth, and supports NTH RD, Grizzly Shark and Torizon in a chaotic yet welcoming night of metal and hardcore goodness.

Being an all-ages show, there was a wide range of attendees. Next too bearded men with neck tattoos ran children as young as seven, donning giant over-ear headphones to protect their hearing from the jarring drums. 

Lead vocalist of Torizon, Mish Sharma, noted the number of youngsters during her set.

‍“I love this, this is how we got into metal.” She said, before breaking into their next song. 

Mish’s vocals did not disappoint, her powerful belt is well-suited to the metalcore genre, bringing a smooth finish to an otherwise rough sound. All members proved themselves as talented musicians on stage, particularly the guitarist, Luke Kleinschmidt, who shredded a collection of intricate solos. The sound engineering was off at times as Mish’s vocals were occasionally overpowered by the instruments, but such is expected at smaller local shows, and it did not take from the performance.

‍Grizzly Shark then hit the stage with plenty of breakdowns and slamming riffs. The emo-tinged hardcore five-piece seemed excited to be performing, particularly the vocalist, Andy Taylor, who revelled in the limelight. Andy offered plenty of crowd work, running onto the floor and even into the seating area to relax and kick his feet up while serenading the room with his screams. Despite Andy’s consistent engagement, the crowd unfortunately remained quite stiff for the remainder of the set.

This stiffness began to ease however when NTH RD took to the stage. The Melbourne-based metalcore quartet opened their set with ‘Remember’ – a fresh track from their newest EP Endlessly - which had the audience bopping their heads, punching the air and belting the lyrics. I’d place this shift of energy not only on the bands rising popularity, but their energetically contagious stage presence. The four members move like a unit, flowing with a joint charisma that the audience adored. Fill-in drummer, Dan Long (of Revoid), brought an aggressive spin to the set with a particular power and speed that was prevalent in the song ‘Pushing Away’. This aggressiveness was both matched and complimented by Dan Charlton’s vocals, who serenaded the room with his powerful yet suave voice. He was sure to throw in a little “BLEGH” every now and then, which the crowd responded to with respectful headbanging. To close, NTH RD offered ‘Endlessly’. Despite the track only being out for a month there were plenty of fans singing every single lyric, bringing the most energy from the night thus far.

Finally, it was headliners Broken Earth’s turn to stir chaos. 

“We didn’t come all this way to watch you guys stand still!” Ordered lead vocalist, Raphael Smith, before plummeting into ‘BLACK SKIES’.

The track acted as a prime opener for the set and caused many audience members to flood the floor and begin jumping, eager to engage in the furore. On stage, Raph moves with a palpable anger that infests the room with a pleasant rage – his stage presence is as cathartic as it is demanding. It was a similar case for the guitarist, Benjamin Robinson, who worked along the stage with an upbeat and excited energy. This was especially so for the bouncy riff of ‘Dance in the Dark', which instigated a mandatory circlepit on the floor. The entire band seemed to feed off the pit, with bassist, Brad Stokes, also grinning at people slamming into one another. The energy continued into a cover of ‘Savin’ Me’ by Nickleback. It was a surprising choice, but the switch up was enjoyable to watch and had me giggling.

After 'Ghost', drummer Sebastian Weir, shined in a combative drum solo that left audience members in awe. 

Earlier in the night, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two mothers who took their children to the show. One explained to the other that her son is learning drums, and she wanted him to experience seeing them live. 

During Sebastian’s solo, I watched the boy stare at the stage fully immersed – a core memory was formed that night.

To close, the band performed their newest track ‘RAINMAKER’ which only left the crowd wanting more. 

Broken Earth made their mark on Brisbane on Saturday, delivering and energetic and aggressive set filled with harrowing screams and badass solos. The openers similarly brought the heat, proving themselves as bands to look out for. While stiff at times, the pit and the artists did not disappoint in the end, and I left feeling part of the community.

Review by Grace Cameron @gracicxo

Setlist

Black Skies
Covenant
Dance In The Dark
Savin Me (Nickelback cover)
The Distance
Shiver (unreleased)
Ghost
Drum Solo
Breathe
Rainmaker

Photos supplied by Sebastian Belvedere @seabass.snaps