Eighteen years after it last fell silent, Metal for the Brain was given a special award at the ACT Music Awards on Tuesday evening.
Australia’s first major metal-focused annual festival, Metal for the Brain was instituted in 1991 as a fund-raising show for brain injury victim Alec Hurley and continued every year until 2006 (except 2004). Originally conceived by Armoured Angel drummer Joel Green, the first event hosted six bands on 16 November 1991; the final festival featured 40 bands across three stages on 4 November 2006. Green and the members of Alchemist, who curated the festival after him, were all in attendance as the festival was admitted to the ACT Music Hall of Fame for its contribution to the territory’s musical culture.
Alchemist is the only band to have played every MFTB; fellow Canberrans Pod People were also presented with an award for having the second highest number of appearances, with eight.
