World domination is a lofty goal few musicians achieve. But it surely seems to be on the horizon for Australian pop metal outfit Melrose Avenue. If you haven’t heard their hard-hitting ragers like “Body Bag” or “Reflections,” you’ve likely seen the band members’ viral TikToks pop up across your feed. Following their signing with Hopeless Records last year, the band has made serious headway in the metalcore scene early on in their career. Through their strategic social media marketing, Melrose Avenue have earned themselves a devoted fanbase and sold-out tours across Australia and Europe this November.
Composed of vocalist Vlado Saric, lead guitarist Mitch Black, guitarist Shawn Mayer and drummer Jed McIntosh, Melrose Avenue are known for their unrelenting sonic identity — one that combines infectious pop vocals with heavy breakdowns and melodic solos. When combining Saric’s signature screams with the band’s catchy sonic edge, the result is a perfect musical balance of punchy pop and high-octane energy.
Earlier this year, the band embarked on their debut U.S. tour, supporting horror rock trailblazers Ice Nine Kills and melodic-metalcore group The Word Alive. After steadily releasing singles this year, Melrose Avenue have only grown in popularity and are now set to hit the road for a completely sold-out headlining tour of Australia, Europe and the U.K. in November. (Not bad for their inaugural European run.)
“It’s funny because we did one show in Australia, which was our first show, and then the next day we left for a tour in the U.S. So that was overwhelming enough,” Black says over a Zoom call ahead of the band’s sold-out dates. “But with the Australia and Europe shows, we couldn’t be more excited. If you play a sold-out show — it doesn’t matter if it’s 1,000 people or if it’s 300 people — the atmosphere in the room is completely different when you sell it out.”
Following these performances, Melrose Avenue will hit the road for an additional run of Australian dates in March supporting Rain City Drive alongside TX2. Then they will make their much-anticipated return to the States in April and May, where they will play a run of headlining shows with support from Autumn Kings and Stray View.
“It’s becoming like a second home for us now,” Black says of the U.S. “We’ve had so much overseas support from the label, producers, fans, just everyone. It’s really a collective effort. It isn’t just four guys playing music. There are so many people supporting this and backing this. I think what makes it work and makes it special is [that] since day one, there have been a lot of people who’ve been backing this and had faith in it.”
Although making a name for themselves on an international scale, it’s Sydney and Melbourne that the band members call home. Growing up in Australia’s thriving rock and metal scene, the band credits the country’s many metalcore bands with playing an influential role in crafting their own approach to the genre.
“I think some of these Australian bands like Parkway Drive and Polaris have just had such a big impact on myself, and I know our guitarist Shawn is a big fan of them,” Black says. “I think that influence kind of creeps in…”
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