The Pennsylvanian hard rockers Halestorm made their second trip back to our humble island only 13 months after their successful maiden voyage. Two Australian tours under the umbrella of the same album, Into the Wild Life, is not entirely typical – they must have missed us something fierce!

This time the tour focused heavily on New Zealand dates and only the three mainstays of Australia’s east coast: Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. With the presence across the pond, it seemed entirely fitting they were supported by New Zealand metal band Devilskin (also returning to Australia after a few years’ separation). Amnplify was lucky to witness their final stop at The Triffid in Brisbane last Thursday night.

The night was sweltering and sticky with humidity but nothing could hold back fans from this show, not even unreasonably summer weather. The Triffid was quickly packed out in anticipation and Devilskin took the stage to a dramatic recording before launching into a powerful hour-long opening set.

Headliners in their own right, the band is a family affair boasting a father-son duo in bassist Paul Martin and drummer Nic Martin, with vocalist Jennie Skulander engaged to another Martin and lead guitarist Nail considered as good as a blood relation. The stage presence of this quartet is something to beheld. Paul Martin and Nail both sport shaved heads and red beards, carrying on in rock god shapes, brandishing their instruments and never standing still for even a second.

As for the music Jennie Skulander is a tremendous vocalist, slipping easily between verses and roars with a confidence and power that was singularly captivating. Particularly noteworthy vocal effects in Limbs made that the track of the night. It showcased a range of rhythmic variations from Nic’s drumming while giving Paul plenty of thick rolling bass lines to propel the song forward, culminating in a rippling guitar solo from Nail. Devilskin are welcome back any time. They put on a superb live performance ahead of Halestorm.

Having toured once already on the back Into The Wild Life, Halestorm was anxious to change things up and keep things as interesting for themselves and their dedicated fans, some of whom they made sure to thank for following them across multiple dates from this tour. As such, the set-list was full of misdirects; after the super intro featuring riffs that would have once lead into Sick Individual we were instead treated to Apocalyptic.

Then we revisited the first record with It’s Not You and Lzzy did her usual routine of getting everyone to scream on queue to the beat of the appropriately titled track before throwing us intoMz. Hyde, of the sophomore album The Strange Case of… Truly, they kept us guessing all night, with the best surprise being the White Snake cover from the week-old ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP, Still of the Night.

After the news of frontwoman Lzzy Hale’s bronchitis keeping her from the stage in New Plymouth, fans were understandably concerned about the future of the tour. She was more than willing to admit to her illness but this absolute force of nature held nothing back.

In between tracks she was either speechifying about how lucky she was to have the support of her family when she decided to put the band together as a teenaged girl, or serenading the crowd with thrilling, story-filled riffs that bled beautifully into I Like It Heavy. A personal favourite isLzzy’s solo rendition of Dear Daughter with nothing but her voice and keys on stage.

While each track in the setlist gave lead guitarist Joe Hottinger plenty of time to shine with solos galore, Halestorm is also known for showcasing little brother Arejay Hale’s considerable percussive talents in the form of a drum solo this time interluding I Like It Heavy. To celebrate the end of the tour, Arejay invited Devilskin’s Nic Martin back to the stage and the boys performed the usual solo as a duo, complete with a chair swapping routine that didn’t miss a beat (pun intended). Arejay has also added a new hallmark to his performance: Big Sticks – where he drums with sticks about half the size of him with as much as ease as the usual sort.

Halestorm and Devilskin are both female-fronted rock bands spreading a message about empowering people to spread and enjoy music, give people a chance and make a place for yourself wherever you see it. Rock will always have a place for these inspiring and talented yet humble individuals. Australia will always welcome them back with open arms if they continue to put on such electrifying shows.