Location: Maribor / MC Pekarna / Slovenia
Date: 12.08.2014
You barely get a breather from the festivals before the road is calling again, this time to Maribor, where Dihurčka brought in the renowned Converge and Misery Index. Expectations for the show were undoubtedly high. Misery Index are old acquaintances here in Slovenia, and their gigs are known for authentic, no-compromise brutality. Converge built up a pretty decent following here after playing the Metalcamp festival in 2007. A good chunk of the Slovenian crowd also made the trip to see them in Zagreb in 2012, when the band was promoting All We Love We Leave Behind.
Of course, there were openers this time too. First up on stage were Norway’s Okkultokrati, who served up a rather unfortunate mix of black metal, sludge and hardcore punk. You could say they drew inspiration from the famous Darkthrone, and you could also put them alongside Kvelertak, but sadly they were pretty soulless. Already during Okkultokrati, though, it became clear that the crowd was in for brutal heat between the sets.
Sweden’s Martyrdöd did show some potential, combining bits of crust, hardcore and black metal bands. Here and there a more stoner-ish riff slipped out. The music itself was easy enough to digest, but the rhythm section was boring, and the vocals were even worse, downright unbearable. In this case it would have been better to just listen to the band without the vocals.
After the dismal Martyrdöd, the stage was reserved for old friends Misery Index, who have played for the Slovenian crowd several times already and still left a good impression. This year, after four years, the band released a new album called Killing Gods, which they promoted at the show. In their short set, Misery Index focused only on material from the last three albums. Sadly, some of the older fans were left a bit short-changed. During the set, which was pretty short, the band proved they haven’t lost their form. Drummer Adam Jarvis stood out in particular, mercilessly pounding his drums. The speed Jarvis reached was bordering on the supernatural. And amazingly, he stayed tight without any noticeable mistakes. Besides catchy death metal riffs with a soft spot for grind metal, Misery Index are also marked by dual vocals from guitarist Mark Kloeppel and bassist Jason Netherton. Mark has taken over most of the vocals in recent years, while Jason increasingly leaves it to just playing bass. Jason in particular seemed tired, and his performance no longer showed the energy he had at previous shows. Either way, Misery Index wowed the crowd again. Plenty of people probably missed their favorite song, but with a festival setlist you can’t expect miracles. Judging by the chaos in the front rows, the return of Misery Index was more than welcome.
After the brutality came a genre switch-up with Converge, who drew in plenty of fans of today’s hardcore. The hall at Maribor’s Pekarna was packed to the last corner. The front rows exploded at the very first beats. The band definitely showed itself in a good light. At first it seemed the music wouldn’t be all that complex and that simpler hardcore moves would dominate, but very quickly Converge showed they’re not to be messed with. The chaos was indescribable, with rhythms breaking apart much like The Dillinger Escape Plan do. Vocalist Jacob Bannon naturally grabbed a lot of attention, going completely nuts. But Converge wouldn’t stand out so much without a good drummer. On a set half the size of Adam Jarvis’s, Ben Koller showed countless crazy rhythms and a sense of control over the chaos. Despite all the chaos, it would have been better if Converge’s set had lasted only about half an hour. The vocals simply get annoying, and it seems the whole time that Bannon is relying on the same few lines. Even guitarist Kurt Ballou, who is renowned as an exceptional producer, somehow doesn’t quite shine with his atonal riffs. Maybe it was just the heat…
Plenty of people called Misery Index the winners of the night, but anyone who swears by hardcore in the broad sense definitely got their fix with Converge. And the locals confirmed that a show like this hadn’t happened at Pekarna in a good long while.
author: Primož Novak
video: Primož Novak
photos: Anja Ivanovič
