Human history is riddled with dark prophecies about the end of the world — and its eventual rebirth — whether you’re talking Norse Ragnarök, the Mayan apocalypse, or the biblical end times. The new studio record from Slovenia’s thrash veterans Eruption, Tellurian Rupture, tackles that same territory: a great flood, the destruction of a humanity that has lost all respect for nature, wrapped in a sci-fi veil. The last evening of September was practically made for a new album launch — it was bucketing down in Ljubljana — but thankfully that wasn’t enough to keep the crowd away from supporting one of the hardest-working metal acts in the local scene.
First up were Trieste heavy/speed metallers Tytus, whom we last caught in October 2016 at Mostovna opening for Pentagram, where they made a strong impression with their energy and their take on NWOTHM. This time around the guys weren’t exactly playing in their own backyard, and were unfortunately greeted by a pretty grim sight — an almost completely empty room. But the band, led by charismatic vocalist and guitarist Ilija, didn’t flinch for a second, and within the first few moments had filled Orto’s floor with upbeat, high-octane heavy metal that sits closest to bands like Enforcer, occasionally Iron Maiden, and on stage they bring an explosive energy that also calls Evil Invaders to mind. Despite the tough gig of warming up a near-empty hall, Tytus were more than up to the task — tracks drawn mainly from their second album Rain After Drought flew around Orto like shrapnel. Eruption knew exactly who to invite to their celebration, and Tytus delivered the goods in style.
Things shifted into somewhat more classic thrash territory next, courtesy of local metal scene veterans and cult institution Sarcasm, who’ve been stomping stages almost without a break for thirty years. Sarcasm have been operating in a changed/reduced lineup for a while now — after Mucy departed the vocalist spot, guitarist Aleš Blaznik stepped up to front the band, and it’s proving to be an increasingly smart move. Sarcasm came across in a much better light than at those first few gigs in this lineup, when they still felt a little anaemic. This time everything clicked: the sound, the energy on stage, and above all a killer performance, crowned by a choice selection of tracks. With Aleš delivering an excellent vocal showing (with solid backup from the equally impressive Klemen Renk), Sarcasm packed the floor in front of the stage without much trouble, and the crowd was visibly and audibly loving every second of the classics — Slovenski genocid, Dej mi/Sarcasm, Crematory, and The Krüger Story.
After Sarcasm said their goodbyes, the time had finally come for the cosmic thrash deluge that is Eruption’s fourth studio record, Tellurian Rupture. It got its world premiere performed in full, front to back, and that turned out to be a brilliant call — the new tracks, thanks to their complexity, strong choruses, and the outstanding instrumental interplay and chemistry between the members, simply sound phenomenal. Tellurian Rupture opens in the somewhat slower, atypical rhythms of The Awakening, which live came across as genuinely intriguing, and above all set up an intense escalation into what is without doubt Eruption’s finest work to date. Vocalist Klemen “Buco” Kalin was convincing from the very first moment, equally at home in the lower registers and in high falsetto screams — though the first few tracks were plagued by a pretty rough mix that muddied the instrumental side of things and kept the band from fully hitting their stride. Thankfully the sound sorted itself out after a few songs to the point where listening to the new record became a real pleasure, laying out before the crowd a rich palette of thrash infused with touches of American thrash/power metal à la Sanctuary, Nevermore, Heathen, and Forbidden. The whole band genuinely outdid themselves this time around, which was more than audible in the sheer destructive force of complex, considered tracks like Worms, Coffin Bred, and Maternal Foundry — the counterpoint to which was the central, slower and more “ballad-like” Praise the Serpent Queen and the epic closing title track, both of which were particularly compelling live. Once the sound had finally got its act together, you could really hear the masterful guitar work of the Kamenšek/Lavtar duo (with newcomer Lavtar impressing especially), the steady rumble of Niki’s bass, and Ivan’s torpedo drumming. Tellurian Rupture wrapped up all too soon, but Eruption put the finishing touch on the evening with a short trip back through their back catalogue, capping off the release of one of the finest records the Slovenian heavy metal scene has produced.
Photos: Nina Grad
