Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Šempeter pri Novi Gorici / Klub AGD / Slovenia
Concert date: 14.05.2016
Attendance: 50
Ticket price: €4.00
Deck Janiels and Kariot are two Slovenian bands that may be younger in terms of tenure, but they live fast. The members of both have a nice bagful of mileage and experience behind them. And Klub AGD? It’s a new gig space in the Goriška area. Lovely, isn’t it? Sure, it was a week of rain, but nobody expected the well-known Littoral district of casinos and football betting to serve up as lazy and ignorant a response as we witnessed this time. Still. Klub AGD needs support, since it’s only taking its first steps. The Deck Janiels and Kariot show was the fourth one the club has put on and, reportedly, the worst attended to date. And this was a gig by two bands with enough original appeal that the local Goriška-Ajdovščina crowd, if even a speck of real metal and hard rock fire still smoldered in it, should have been flushed out of the comfort of their home »armchairs«.
The combination of the two bands is wonderfully well chosen. Deck Janiels are basically a band fervently inspired by the life and work of AC/DC, and their musical cooking shows it shamelessly. They’ve got a second studio album in their pocket, with the telling title »II.«, which came out this March. Kariot, on the other hand, don’t have an album out yet, but the musicians’ backgrounds come with an interesting history. Three members of the band (Rok Barle, Greg Žagar and Žiga Ravšelj) found each other years ago in Tomcat, the bass gap was filled at the beginning of this January by Tilen Sušnik (Classified) from Medvode, and the crew was recently given a major boost by the hugely talented and charismatic vocalist Andrej Jeličič, originally from Krška vas. Kariot were the definite riddle of the evening, since they’re already creating original material, which the author of this report hadn’t heard until that night.
The dreadfully poor turnout simply had to be put out of mind, and somehow you just get up on that stage. There’s no other way. Better late than never. Rok Barle and Greg Žagar have clearly bounced back extremely well in their new band and new musical environment, because together they polished not only the sound of the two guitars, which sang like a smartly tuned pair of nightingales (the sound was dialed in perfectly, the guitars absolutely grab you), but also came up with some seriously predatory riffs that stand behind the original songs. The guitar riffs are memorable, get under your skin fast, and carry a hefty dose of classically aimed metal and heavy rock aggression that follows the revivalist pattern of the old-school NWOBHM, with the parts duly decorated with triple-voice harmonies. As compositions, too, the original songs stand up as thoughtful and highly fluid; the verse-chorus link has real atmospheric build-up culminating in a chorus, so it’s not hard to melt into that kind of energetic expression, even when you face it live. I watched Andrej about five years ago in Krško, when he was performing with Snowblind. In that time he’s progressed incredibly. He’s carved out his stage presence and gotten even better vocally. A seasoned man who previously also performed with the legendary Turbo, as well as with the band Vabe, he enchanted with an outstanding vocal performance, which in the mix of the sound picture was unfortunately a »millimeter« too quiet, but it was precisely his ideas (melody, the right metrics, proper singing in English) that put the real dot on the »i« and convince in a full-blooded concert way. Kariot have grown into a coherent unit, and even though Greg said this was only their third gig together, they’ve clearly clicked phenomenally in the bonds and the chemistry. All they need is a studio debut as soon as possible and, of course, as many gigs as possible. A band you have to experience if you’re a fan of old-school metal. The biggest laugh came from Andrej, who solemnly announced (that is, with a whole story behind it) the same song twice, even though Kariot of course played two different ones. The covers of Perfect Strangers (Deep Purple), The Evil That Man Do (Iron Maiden), Cryin’ in the Rain (Whitesnake) and Comin’ Attcha Live (Tesla) pretty much tell you everything about what kind of sound and style to expect from the band. A retro sonic mix of penetrating rock and metal riffs. A band that definitely radiates fire and drive.
Deck Janiels took over the stage and played almost both albums in full. What really feels good about this band is how they use the stage space. With Žiga Jerič coming in as the permanent bassist, Tine Žnidaršič (vocals), Gregor Vrtnik (guitar), Mitja Groznik (guitar) and the »feverish Gojira fan« Jan Merčon (drums) have become a proper wild gang of rascals, bursting with surplus adrenaline rush. The boundless concert cheer and goofy stage rowdiness of the quintet are kept alive mostly by Mitja and Žiga, constantly running left and right. At one point this activity culminated in a situation where Tine, Mitja, Grega and Žiga jumped off the stage into the crowd and lined up facing Jan on the drums. Like a hockey team defending its goalie. Spectacular. Scandalous riff barrages of the golden-age Angus school and, as I always love to say, the best riffs AC/DC never managed to record. Deck Janiels with head and beard. No more, no less. Somewhere around the middle of the show, Tine switched to pure melodic singing. He usually delivers his vocals with a generous dose of throatiness and screaming, which brings the band’s sound and energy even closer to AC/DC. This time it seemed like the guy wasn’t having quite the optimal day for it, so of course he adjusted his vocal capabilities accordingly. He sang everything very correctly and with the required power, and proved with clean vocals, too, that this very rise in the melodic component sits just fine with the band’s energy and essence. It’s great to realize that, despite the miserably poor turnout, the band doesn’t skimp on fuel and delivers the energy optimum to the max, as if they were playing in front of a jam-packed venue. Deck Janiels seriously delivered yet another gorgeous gig. From start to finish. Relaxed, debauched, tight and played with everything they’ve got. Heartfelt and devoted. Given Kariot’s excellent show, they couldn’t really afford anything less in the end. But that’s not the point of the story; the point is the realization that both Deck Janiels and Kariot are bands that can’t wait for stage challenges so they can pour their heartfelt faith in rock’n’roll over their audience!
Suma sumarum. Despite the sorry turnout, it was a great gig night full of positive, eruptive energy and top-notch guitar riffs forged in the metal and rock trade, which, through the heartfelt playing of the performers, slammed straight into the foreheads of a dazed handful of »lost« but still-living Littoral rockers. And Klub AGD? Nicely done up and well kept. With that, the scene has gained one more important stop for all the bands who desperately need a stage to promote their music and grow and develop. So in that league we’d also have Mink (Tolmin), Baza (Ajdovščina), AGD (Nova Gorica), C.M.A.K. (Cerkno), Swenak (Idrija), Hangar bar (Izola), MC Podlaga (Sežana). The club network in the Littoral is growing again. If the recently and excellently renovated MKC in Koper would just wake up from its programming numbness and hibernation, the Littoral would be almost home free.
An unexpected turn of events soon after the show in Šempeter pri Novi Gorici, however, has it that we’ll get to see Deck Janiels on Slovenian stages once more this May. And nowhere else but at the 10th anniversary of the leading Slovenian rock music portal RockLine! So see you all on 27.05.2016 at Ljubljana’s Orto bar, with Deck Janiels and Eruption, Big Bad Wolf and Septic Order.
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