It’s been nearly a month since the concert marathon marking the 18th birthday of Slovenia’s by far most active concert promoters, Dirty Skunks. Matej and Črt have brought countless bands to our stages that we’d probably never have seen here without them. Their contribution to the scene is simply priceless — not just for organizing shows, but in a broader sense. They’ve been nurturing the next generation through Fundamentum, they’re “guilty” of putting together by far the most cream-of-the-crop lineups at Metaldays, and they’ve even stepped into management, taking the synth wave band Neuromancer under their wing.
The Skunks earned the right to party (to paraphrase the Beastie Boys) a long time ago — except they don’t party alone, they invite everyone along. For their 18th birthday they cracked open a Matryoshka at Orto bar with no fewer than 18 layers: 18 Slovenian bands that made it crystal clear just how strong our metal/punk/HC scene really is. And true to what’s become tradition, the Dirty Skunks fest took over all three of Orto’s stages — this year selling out roughly halfway through the evening. The coming-of-age celebration kicked off in Orto’s main hall at half past six, with the marathon running all the way through to one in the morning when the last doll was finally opened.
The honour of warming up the crowd and getting the bones moving — welcome, given the long night ahead — went to Ljubljana’s melodic death metal outfit March of War. Despite the early hour, a decent crowd had already gathered in the main hall, so the war march played out in front of a nearly packed room. The Ljubljana crew brought an interesting take on death metal, mostly leaning heavily melodic, with the two guitars occasionally delivering some technically complex transitions. The vocals thundered exactly as the genre demands, though the overly long and pointless between-song speeches were a distraction, as was a genuinely unnecessary Amon Amarth cover.
For the last time that evening we stayed put between sets in front of the same stage, this time to welcome the coastal Guattari, who delivered a genre shift from straight-up death metal into the sludgy grease of seven-string guitars and massive beatdown. The coastal crew, fronted on vocals and guitar by Jan from Shiv, focused mainly on last year’s EP Demiurg, and its tracks did a thorough job rattling eardrums and bones with low tunings and raw vocals. Guattari quickly brought NOLA heavyweights Crowbar to mind, but surprised with enough of their own identity to make the wait for a full-length debut genuinely exciting.
Then came the first trip upstairs to a stage that had just been claimed by the Styrian deathcore crew Taste of Plague. The name and logo would lead you to expect something far blacker, but that’s not what you get. Which makes it all the more baffling when the instrumental part of the band walks out dressed exactly right for the genre they play, while the vocalist shows up in full black metal uniform, corpse paint and all. If the look suggests the music might be equally schizophrenic, the sound is firmly locked into deathcore, with the vocalist occasionally tossing in a scream that hints faintly of black metal. Taste of Plague did their job confidently enough — the image question, though, deserves a serious rethink.
Far more coherent was the destruction delivered downstairs by Ljubljana’s Maskardh, who put on a masterclass in progressive/technical death metal packed with broken rhythms, a busy rhythm section, and the crushing approach of Gojira’s heavier moments. With Maskardh — partly thanks to their intensely energetic performance and a wild frontman — you couldn’t help but give your neck a proper workout. The band made it clear they’re one of the most promising names on the domestic metal scene (while we wait far too long for Paragorie’s second album), and I’m hoping they put out a studio debut sooner rather than later.
Anyone wanting to catch The Canyon Observer on Orto’s smallest stage, in the cult bar, had to stake out a spot a good hour in advance. The bar had genuinely become the definition of a sardine can — people were practically climbing on the bar itself. Through the open door you could only catch a glimpse of the sonic chaos TCO were generating, and at one point I had to lend a hand to a fellow journalist just so he could squeeze his way out of the packed room.
Then it was back upstairs, draped in black by Tolmin’s melodic black metallers Agan, who delivered a serious dose of epic metal. The guys ran through tracks from the EP De Profundis (2018), and their infectious approach had the front rows headbanging like their lives depended on it. Despite the considerable length of the songs, they don’t drag live — their dynamics and range make sure things never get dull. Although the EP versions are enriched with keyboards and additional vocals, Agan actually convinced even more with their rawer, more primal live approach, and alongside Valuk, Srd, Dekadent, and Grob, they’re living proof that the Slovenian language works brilliantly in black metal.
Something completely different and far more straightforward came from downstairs, courtesy of Maribor’s melodic skate punkers Alo!Stari, who packed out Orto bar’s main hall completely (around that same time, Chop and Simona had already posted the notice that Orto bar was sold out to the last corner!). Alo!Stari quickly got under everyone’s skin with their breezy, take-the-piss attitude, an energetic performance, and infectiously simple three-chord punk (à la Millencolin, Satanic Surfers), winning the crowd over with tracks like Star, Maček Muri, Nea mi govori, Alo!Stari, and others. As a born and bred Ljubljančan, the only thing that stung a little were the lyrics delivered in a distinctly Maribor accent, hehe.
A second attempt to get into Orto bar paid off, and so did the set from the coastal black metallers Grob, who burst onto the Slovenian black metal scene with the excellent debut Metanoia (2018). The venue they played added an even stronger aura to their performance — the kind of grimy room where this most depraved genre of extreme metal was born. Grob recently added a second guitarist and the band sounds even more powerful for it, though — probably partly because the band couldn’t hear themselves on “stage” the way they should have — there were a few slip-ups, most noticeable during the epic Razkol. Even so, Grob’s set once again left that unique feeling of witnessing a black ritual, and its perfect soundtrack is exactly Metanoia.
For fans of lower, heavier tunings, Morywa were the right prescription — their take on djent death metal packed out the hall and kicked off more than a few mosh pits. Morywa dedicated most of their set to the still-relevant album Vamana Ira, but thankfully also unveiled some new material that will find its home on the debut’s follow-up. This was my first time catching the band since Gašper Podbregar stepped in as vocalist, and I’m happy to report he’s doing the job brilliantly — including working the crowd, who were eating out of the band’s hand.
In front of a packed house once again, SkyEye — currently flying high as de facto flag-bearers of domestic heavy metal on the wings of their successful debut Digital God — took the stage. The guys have played a solid number of shows since it dropped, and it shows in their ever-tighter chemistry; vocalist Jan is developing into one of the best frontmen we have. SkyEye dedicated most of their set to the first-rate heavy metal bangers from the debut, proving they’re not resting on their laurels with a new track that genuinely promises good things to come.
The evening in the main hall closed in fine style courtesy of Istrian black metallers Malorshiga, who uncorked a bottle of olive oil and wine at Orto with their debut Kvlt ov Vitis et Olea. Malorshiga treated themselves to a polished stage setup — microphone stands wrapped in olive branches — but it was the unhinged vocalist who stole the show, hoisting an enormous set of horns into the air and toasting with red wine. The Istrians played their debut in full and added a new track that reads as its natural continuation.
Thanks to the unbearable crowds, the socializing, and everything that goes with it, I only caught brief glimpses of the remaining acts: upstairs was mostly punk-flavoured, with melodic Diareja Eksploziv, HBWC a.k.a. Hillbilly With the Chainsaw, metal-tinged Prekmurje hardcore crew Reach, and closing death ‘n’ roll trio Britof. The smallest stage was stormed by stoners Dust Collector, doom duo Chains — who just dropped their debut Sonic Sabbath on On Parole — and finally Harry, who closed the night.
Bottom line — an unforgettable, marathon night, and here’s to many, many more years of Dirty Skunks!
author: Rok Klemše
photos: Nina Grad
