Earlier this year, New York metal legends Stray From the Path dropped their album “Clockworked”, and with it announced that 2025 would be the final year of the band being together, being “put to rest” after a series of final shows around the world.

This was my first time seeing Stray, and even prior to the show beginning I felt extremely lucky to be witnessing the final Melbourne show for a band that has been such a stalwart in the metal scene for over 20 years.

Opening up the night were New South Wales metalcore heavyweights Diamond Construct. Frontman Kynan Groundwater commanded attention from the moment he stepped on stage, with his tracksuit sparkling under the pulsing lightshow 170 Russell had going for them. The band had a backing track pumping a stream of electronic noise throughout the set, resulting in the band sounding WAY bigger than a single guitar lineup. Their blend of electronic, rap, and metalcore made for an entertaining and dynamic set that set the stage beautifully for the rest of the night. Diamond Construct had the crowd moving early too, with a dedicated mosh going throughout the whole set, which was a great indicator of the crowd interaction that was going to come from the rest of the night.

After the pure metalcore of Diamond Construct’s opening set, I thought I had a pretty clear grasp on what the rest of the night would entail - expecting Orthodox to be an Australian metalcore band, playing a sick, electronic influenced set before Stray. That was COMPLETELY blown out of the water from the second Orthodox, who are actually here on their first Australian tour from Nashville Tennessee, walked on the stage.

Frontman Adam Easterling looked like a genuine madman on stage, frantically pacing across the space, almost looking as if his body was rejecting the lyrics he was spitting out. The energy of Orthodox was summed up well by a friend who was at the show, describing it as a band who was “genuinely scary” - a style that can very easily become corny, but not this time. The crushing breakdowns, Adam’s switching between guttural screams and shaky, almost spoken word delivery, and the piercing shrieks of guitarist Austin Evan’s backing vocals made for a set that was as intimidating as it was fun.

The crowd turned the energy up from a mosh perspective, responding to some of the best mosh calls I’ve heard in a while - “Become a fucking problem!” being a personal favourite. There were arms flailing, more crowd surfers than I could count, and every two step call was answered in spades.

Orthodox had clearly done their homework on the Australian scene, shouting out Melbourne hardcore heavyweights Terminal Sleep, as well as metal icons 12 Foot Ninja. I’m not sure when Orthodox will be back, but when they are, do yourself a favour and check them out. Unreal stuff.

As the crowd was still reeling from Orthodox’s massive set, the lights dimmed once again, and a monologue from Full Metal Jacket’s Sgt Hartman began playing. The crowd participation had been good throughout the night, but seeing the silhouettes of the headliners walk onto the stage sent them into overdrive, with the loudest reaction of the night happening before a note had been played. The band didn’t keep the crowd waiting for long, ripping into “Kubrick Stare”, the opening track from their new album, and the pit got MOVING. The whole dance floor was either jumping or pushing into each other, which was an awesome sight to see.

The energy in the room was not only matched, but arguably exceeded by frontman Drew Dijorio (Drew York). His movement on stage did the ninja-esque headband he was wearing justice, constantly moving from side to side of the stage, jumping along and keeping the energy in the room cranked to 11.

The rest of the band sounded massive, particularly bassist Anthony Altamura - the bass sounded absolutely huge throughout the whole set, really elevating the sound of the whole band. Drummer Craig Reynolds didn’t miss a beat, and Thomas Williams' guitar switching from crushing rhythm sections to squealing leads made it impossible not to focus on him throughout the show.

Around halfway through the set, Drew gave a speech about the beauty of the metal scene, discussing how “punk, hardore, metal, taught [the band] to welcome every single walk of life”. This speech was everything heavy music should be about - something that looks intimidating and rough on the outside, but everyone in that room was connected through the music, no matter who they were or where they were from.

As the last notes of “First World Problem Child” rang out, Drew took the time to repeatedly thank the audience for their support - the only real acknowledgment that this was the last time we would see Stray throughout their set. He saluted the crowd multiple times, and it was done - the last time Stray From the Path would ever play in Melbourne. It could not have been a more perfect send off.

I mentioned to my Alt Journal boss Tristan after the show that you wouldn’t have known that it was Stray From the Path’s last ever show in Melbourne, which I believed was a huge positive from the night. While there was a bitter sweet sense of “it’s really over” after the show finished, the night itself felt like a fitting celebration and send off for a band that has impacted so many people since the early 2000s. A night I feel very lucky to have been a part of.

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