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. SEBASTIAN BACH / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . SEBASTIAN BACH / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . SEBASTIAN BACH / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . SEBASTIAN BACH / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . SEBASTIAN BACH / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . SEBASTIAN BACH / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . DEAD CITY RUINS / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . DEAD CITY RUINS / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . SEBASTIAN BACH / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . SEBASTIAN BACH / Photo – @jeanathomasphotography . . CLICK THE PIC TO VIEW THE NEWS
SEBASTIAN BACH –
SLAVE TO THE GRIND
@ Forum, Melbourne,
24th November 2025
(Live Review)Review and Photos by Jeana Thomas (@jeanathomasphotography)
Energy, Precision and Legacy: Sebastian Bach Captivates Melbourne Crowd
A lot of places you go on tour, bands will shout “This is the capital of rock and roll!” But on November 24th, Sebastian Bach didn’t just say it – he meant it.“Guess what? I think Melbourne might just be the capital of rock and roll,”he roared, instantly lighting up The Forum before a single note had even been played and from the way the crowd reacted, Melbourne was more than ready to claim that crown.
Before diving into the wild energy of the night, it’s worth remembering who Bach is beyond the screams and swagger. As the electrifying front-man of Skid Row in the late ’80s and early ’90s, he helped rewrite what hard rock could be – edgy, melodic, emotional and aggressive all at once. Skid Row’s debut and Slave to the Grind weren’t just successful albums; they shifted the entire genre. Bach’s voice wasn’t just high – it was alive and it still is.
I went to The Forum expecting nostalgia. Instead, I got a punch of adrenaline straight from the past – one of those nights that leaves your throat wrecked, your heart pounding and your soul recharged.
Doors opened early, bodies poured in and the venue buzzed with the kind of electricity only Melbourne crowds seem to have. Bach came out with no warm-up talk, no easing in – just bang, straight into “Slave to the Grind.” The place detonated.
And goddamn, his voice. At 57, Bach’s scream still cuts through a room like steel. He joked about it later – “People ask how you sing this stuff at 57. I’ve had my whole life to practice screaming, but I can’t read the setlist because my eyes are shot!”
But you wouldn’t know it from the sound coming off that stage.
Bach’s introductions were a show of their own, part comedy, part chaos, fully rock ’n’ roll.
On guitar, “all the way from Las Vegas, Nevada!”, was Brodie DeRozie—introduced after Bach shared a playful jab with a fan in the front row, joking about whether he was someone’s dad and tossing out a classic Bach-style quip about the old Calder Park with Gun N’ Roses show and how they looked too young to be around then. It was bold, funny and somehow – only in his hands – completely endearing and cheeky.
Then came bassist Fede Delfino from Uruguay – The only guy I’ve ever been in a band with who can sing like Sebastian Bach.
Then – pure gold – he introduced his drummer: his own son, Paris Bach. He made a joke about Paris not even being around when he first came to Australia and that you never know what you will find here (like the whole rhythm section). The crowd lost it. Bach threatened to make Paris mow the lawn if he screwed up the next song, or raise his allowance to $7.50 a week if he nailed it. An absolutely perfect father-son rock ’n’ roll moment.
One of the most refreshing things about the night was Bach’s proud refusal to use backing tracks. “We don’t have background vocals coming in like – who the **** is singing that? Pavarotti? This is just us four up here… and you people.”
The crowd became the click track, the choir, the fifth band member. It made everything feel raw, alive, unpredictable – in the best possible way.
Hearing Slave to the Grind front to back was more than a nostalgic experience – it was like seeing the record rebuilt in real time. “Monkey Business” shook the floor, crowd jumping as if the song had dropped yesterday. “The Threat” slithered in dark and heavy, Bach leaning into every word. “Riot Act” and “Mudkicker” tore through the room with punkish fury. “Quicksand Jesus” was a sermon delivered in screams and soaring notes.
But the highlight? “In a Darkened Room.” Dimebag Darrell’s favourite Skid Row song and also Bach’s. With his eyes closed, arms open, pouring everything into every note, the room went still, almost reverent.
He reminded us with a grin that yes – despite what the internet claims – he wrote “Mudkicker” and that the riff for one of the later tracks lived rent-free in his head for 20 years.
In true rock fashion, Bach tore the roof off – then stopped to salute the late Ace Frehley, a legend whose spirit still fuels nights like this.
Bach is as funny as he is loud. He roasted MTV –“Hey MTV, why don’t you play a rock video? Play THIS rock video—18 and Life!” He teased fans, shouted out his dad’s painting hanging behind him (the backdrop) and joked about needing either another coffee or his first glass of wine to survive a 57-year-old’s workload on stage.
There were moments where he stopped to catch his breath – “Hang on… when you’re 57 and rock this hard, you need a ******* breath!” – but it only made the night feel more human, more real.
The encore hit the big classics – “Youth Gone Wild” had every voice raised, “We Can’t Be Beaten and GTFO” turned the room into a choir and the full Slave to the Grind set had zero filler, zero shortcuts, zero fear.
Bach isn’t coasting on old fame. He’s proving night after night why his voice became legendary. Why he is rock and roll.
Real rock ’n’ roll doesn’t fade, it just waits for someone crazy enough, loud enough and passionate enough to bring it roaring back to life. Sebastian Bach is still that guy.
Support Act: DEAD CITY RUINS
Dead City Ruins, one of Melbourne’s hardest-working and most road-tested rock bands, were on stage with the kind of intent that doesn’t need theatrics or introductions. They walked out as if plugged directly into the venue’s power grid – focused, tight and ready to ignite the room long before Sebastian Bach appeared. Known for their high-energy, old-school hard rock approach and relentless touring across Australia, Europe and the UK, the band brought a level of polish and power that comes only from years of playing like their lives depend on it.
Their set opened with “Til’ Deth,” a track that instantly underlined what makes Dead City Ruins so compelling: heavy, locomotive riffs and vocals delivered with grit rather than gloss. The song’s driving pulse set the tone – aggressive but controlled, loud but never messy. From there, they launched into “Broken Bones,” a crowd favourite built around a hook-laden chorus and a rhythm section that felt like it was hammering steel into shape. The precision between drums and bass was razor-tight, a foundation sturdy enough for the guitars to blaze across.
“Vision” showcased the band’s ability to weave melody into heaviness without sacrificing bite. There’s a reflective, almost cinematic quality to the track on record, but live it surged forward with doubled intensity, bigger crescendos, sharper edges and a vocal performance that pushed into emotional territory without ever losing its rawness.
By the time “We Are One” hit, the band had the crowd fully engaged. It’s an anthem built for rooms like The Forum – unity, defiance, uplift, but Dead City Ruins delivered it without cliché or forced sentiment. Instead, their chemistry did the work. Each player hit their mark with professional precision, yet the performance still felt loose, human, alive.
They closed out with the ferocious “Dog on a Leash,” a track that snapped at the room with snarling riffs and a tempo that felt just on the edge of breaking loose. It’s a song that thrives in the live setting – lean, unrelenting and built to leave a bruise and the band tore through it with an intensity that left no doubt they were holding nothing back.
What made their set especially compelling wasn’t just the power of the songs, it was the band’s rapport with the audience. Dead City Ruins didn’t rely on crowd-commands or bravado; they didn’t need to. Their presence had an effortless pull, drawing fans forward with each track. The guitars carved out jagged, gleaming lines; the vocals carried a rough sincerity and the entire band moved with the kind of synchronicity that only comes from relentless touring.
Dead City Ruins had done exactly what a great opener should do and more. They didn’t overshadow the headliner, but they absolutely elevated the room. They sharpened the crowd’s anticipation, not by playing safe or small, but by delivering a set that stood entirely on its own merit: energetic, precise, unapologetically heavy and stamped with a clear, unmistakable identity.
It is a reminder that Melbourne continues to produce rock bands built not on imitation but on conviction, grit and the kind of live energy that can rattle a venue to life.
Check out Jeana Thomas’ (@jeanathomasphotography) full gallery of this event HERE
Check out Lucas Packett’s (@lucas.packett.photography) full gallery of the Melbourne event (Forum 27th November 2025) HERE
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