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I’ve never stepped into a heavy metal concert before. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love heavy metal.

The sheer ferocity, the mind-numbing decibels at which it’s played, coupled with utter intensity and pure technical proficiency makes metal a joy to listen to in the comfort of home. A concert is, however, a different thing altogether. Who wants to jostle and mosh and bodysurf with scary looking, heavily tattooed metalheads decked in black band t-shirts and black skinny jeans complete with black combat boots and a head full of long, unkempt hair? Such was the apprehension I felt as I stepped into the Arts House, of all places, for Full Battle Order, a gig featuring local and regional heavy metal acts and presented by independent label MourningSound Records on March 3.

The first thing that’s struck me as odd was the fact that a heavy metal event was held at the Play Den theatre inside the Arts House. Why business does heavy metal have in an establishment built specifically to showcase the fine arts?

Bret Ong, one of the organisers of the gig, was quick to explain that location, facilities and above all, safety were the factors considered in making Arts House the venue for the event.

“We wanted to prove to people that a metal concert is safe to go to,” he quipped.

By the time I got to the Play Den theatre, the first band Truth Be Known from Singapore was already on stage and clearly in full-swing, judging by the racket they were making. The twin guitars churned out heavier-than-hell riffs with deadly precision, providing a solid backdrop for vocalist Subash’s guttural howls. This brutal aural onslaught shook the grounds and walls and threatened to bust my ear drums there and then.

The crowd, however, was still reserved. Sure, they were decked out in customary mourning colours as befitting a heavy metal concert, but they sure felt more like observers than actual participants. Here and there you could see somebody shaking his head with the music, but it could hardly be considered headbanging. And oh, did I mention that in total there were no more than 40 people at the venue that could have comfortably contained no less than 4 times the amount?

Meltgsnow was next up to perform. While they were not as proficient technically as Truth Be Known, they made up for it with much more showmanship. Vocalist Dannie’s alter ego Lord Insanity had incredible stage presence and charisma in addition to his thick layer of black eye shadow to captivate the crowd. All eyes were on him as he drenched himself with water and proceeded to prance and headbang on the stage with his pupils dilated like a man possessed, all the while without missing a note or going off-key.

“This ain’t no f***ing metal crowd!” he screamed, on one of his many attempts to work the crowd up.

My sentiments exactly.

The turnout was truly disappointing. In fact, Bret revealed that they actually had to call off the first day of the event due to poor ticket sales. In addition, the local metal crowd was too reserved, even docile, as compared to the Myanmar visitors who came and headbanged and raised the devil’s horns salute like there was no tomorrow.

Still, the show must go on and I had to give credit to Dannie for working with what he had and inciting the crowd to new levels of energy and excitement, setting the stage for Bhelliom, the third and last local act.

Musically, Bhelliom was the most pleasant to the ears, with their melodic guitar solos backed by solid bass lines and just the right amount of distortion and screaming vocals. However, their performance seemed lacklustre and mild after Meltgsnow’s, mainly because of Meltgsnow’s eclectic and eccentric front man and his crazy antics.

Finally, Truth Corroded, the headlining band from Australia took the stage to thunderous applause and cat calls. We were not disappointed. They rocked hard and fast and heavy all at once, pleasing the crowd with a mix of covers as well as originals. Drummer Sven Hentschel deserves special mention for his boundless energy and his unbridled fury as he pounded out rhythm after rhythm without once losing time. Bassist Damon Shaw played like an avenging angel, going harder, faster and heavier with every song they did. For the first time that night, a mosh pit was formed as people in the crowd savagely pushed and shoved each other before forming a line and headbanging in unison. That very moment captured the essence of what metal is: raw, angry and brutal.

Now that, is truly a f***ing metal crowd.