If theatrical, riff-driven metal is your thing (and if it’s not WTF dude?), you’re in for a treat at World Is a Vampire with Sydney freaks Battlesnake set to get early crowds nodding heads quite ferociously.

The seven-piece honed their chops opening for rock gods KISS last year and followed-up with an East Coast tour where they quickly demonstrated their flair for stagecraft, costumery and *ahem* dick togs with one KISS reviewer saying “I was put off by the fact that they played in their underwear and not much else”

There’s a medieval-cum-fantasy element to Battlesnake’s music which translates over to their live show. With chugging riffs, soaring harmonies, virtuosic solos and wailing vocals, these metal lords sing songs of another time and place – wizards, dragons, kings of old and the underworld – which all come together in a blazing trail of sonic destruction.

Forming in 2018-19 and with two of the band members as brothers (Benny, guitar and Sam, vocals), the rest of the band either studied music at tertiary level together or got to know eachother through the Sydney music scene.

Bassist and ‘band daddy’ Elliott Hitchcock said it’s the kind of band that they all dreamt of playing in as kids.

“It's pretty amazing that we're able to play these kinds of shows together now,” he said.

First opening for KISS and now Smashing Pumpkins and Janes Addiction – all genre-defining artists, it’s easy to see why Elliott and the rest of the band are pinching themselves.

“It’s so wild! Honestly this is the stuff that you dream of when you're learning to play music. I never believed it would happen to me,” he said.

“We're just super grateful that we've been given these opportunities, particularly as an unsigned band - this is quite special. Genre-defining couldn't be more apt in defining those bands and that's the reason they've been able to build careers spanning generations.”

“Pretty inspirational being around them to be honest,” he said, adding that meeting the bands is a “wild moment” but also that “the spectacle that is the NWA (Billy Corgan's Wrestling Association) cannot be overlooked..”

“It's over the top and spectacular so naturally we're big fans,” he said.

The World is a Vampire tour is a prelude to the release of Battlesnake’s self-titled album, due out in May. Elliot reassures me that it’s most definitely a metal record.

“It reeks of classic old school metal with a dash of contemporary production, world flavours and a punk attitude,” he said.

Remarkably, the band records all of their music live in the studio together, so everything you hear on that album - from the guitars, bass, drums and synths is one take. Elliott says the band has found over time that this is the best way of capturing that energy and magic that some particular takes are embedded with.

And if you’re a vinyl tragic, you can snag some limited edition red vinyl featuring the self-produced and mixed album ahead of its launch.

Elliott says they’re taking a gamble playing some of the new songs off the album at World Is a Vampire, having never played them to a live audience.

“We have no idea how people will react or if they'll even resonate with them so fingers crossed they like them!”

He assures us we can expect classic solos and theatrics, though.

“More is more,” he said, in true Battlesnake fashion.

And to that one reviewer who was not a fan of the budgie smugglers? Elliott says quite philosophically, “you can't please all the people all the time.”

“We just put on a show that we think we would enjoy watching. Some people are put off by the costumes and some people love it!”

“In saying that some people may be disappointed to learn that we are ramping up our costume game for the TWIAV tour. The inspiration is 'Golden God' and the costumes were made by our amazingly talented friend Amelia Vivash.”

I guess we’ll have to let our imaginations run wild on that one. Until 30 April that is.

World Is A Vampire Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast QLD
Sunday 30 April.

Set times

• 12.30 – 13.00: The Silencio
• 13.20 – 13.50: Battlesnake
• 13.55 – 14.15: Wrestling
• 14.15 – 15.00: RedHook
• 15.05 – 15.25: Wrestling
• 15.25 – 16.25: Amyl and The Sniffers
• 16.30 – 17.00: Wrestling
• 17.00 – 18.00: Jane’s Addiction
• 18.45 – 20.45: The Smashing Pumpkins