Author: Rok Klemše
Venue: Orto bar, Ljubljana
Concert date: 11.10.2015
Our country is tiny and our alternative/metal scene is even tinier, but we’ve still had the privilege plenty of times to host cult names who left a big mark on the scene in the eighties, only for something to go wrong and leave them as underground cults to this day. One of those, British veterans Raven, finally paid us a visit last Sunday, for the first time in their forty-year career. The guys could be grandfathers to a fair chunk of the crowd, but despite being pushing sixty (and then some), they showed they can kick the ass of a band a third their age.
Around nine in the evening, the thrash of Grosuplje’s Sober Assault was already blasting from the upper floor. They’ve been steadily racking up gig mileage, and it shows big time. If a few months ago at Gromka they signaled that they’re more than just an average thrash band, this time they proved they’re one of the most promising bands on the home turf right now. Sober Assault are defined first and foremost by an exceptionally well-versed guitar duo that serves up a real meat grinder of constantly sharp, convincing and anything but monotonous riffs, and the fast solos from David Vodopivec’s incredibly pissed-off and precise fingers are just as convincing. Death metal elements enrich the seriously potent mix of thrash speed and classic cupa-cupa drumming, hiding mostly in the guitar work and in Enej’s deep, convincing growl. Sober Assault recently released their first EP, The First Assault, and with their rapidly rising live form they’re showing that they’re a band worth keeping an eye on.
Sending the crowd into interstellar space after the more down-to-earth Sober Assault were Ljubljana’s sci-fi black/thrashers Teleport (who jumped in at short notice to replace Hellsword, who dropped out because of an accident) and who, after recent lineup reinforcements, are steadily returning to the stage. Teleport attacked Orto mercilessly like Space Invaders, and the guys showed that the band has a bright future with its new members. Or, in the band’s own style, rather – the endless nothingness of a black hole. New guitarist Matija Dolinar (The Pattern) already forms a dynamic guitar duo with Jan, as his more tech-death riffs nicely build on Jan’s rawer moves, and Jan himself showed off an even more polished vocal approach, whose harsh barking is reminiscent of the late Jon Nödtveidt. New drummer Darjan Kocmur perfected the rhythmic twists and turns, and thanks in part to his contribution Teleport are steadily moving away from the obvious influences of Voivod and Vektor (at least early in the band’s career). The progressive madness of those two is still well audible, but Teleport add colorful and well-thought-out elements from other genres to the mix (Dissection melodies, Gorguts schizophrenia, …). With open arms Cthulhu-style tentacles, we await the new Teleport lineup’s material!
The hall finally filled up nicely at half past ten, when NWOBHM institution Raven, founded way back in 1974 (which means their career has now spanned four decades!), took the stage to loud cheers from the crowd. They’re led by the unstoppable brother duo of John Gallagher (vocals, bass) and Mark Gallagher (guitar), joined on drums since 1988 by Joe Hasselvander. In the early and mid-eighties, under the wing of the legendary Jon Zazula and his label Megaforce, Raven enjoyed a relative commercial success, but then, like numerous similar bands (Anvil, …), they fell into the category of obscure cults. Still, the Gallagher brothers never let the Raven engine die, and this year they put out their thirteenth studio album, ExtermiNation, which also brought them to us for the first time in their long career. The immortal trio greeted Orto with the opening banger from that album, Destroy All Monsters, and with ultra-high volume made sure Monday morning would be marked by ringing ears. Despite the loudness, the sound was clear and distinct: John’s high-pitched screams and Mark’s guitar acrobatics nicely tore at the eardrums, while the dynamic bass shook the guts, along with Hasselvander’s somewhat less dynamic but reliable drumming. Raven lived up to their (self-)proclaimed genre of »athletic rock«, as there wasn’t a moment of standing still on stage, with Mark, despite being past sixty, taking the lead. His playing at times looks like a mix of a marathon, kickboxing, sumo and some kind of Scottish Highland games. Raven deserve nothing less than plain old massive respect, especially after the sprint of fantastically played classics we witnessed, led by All From One, Mind Over Metal and probably their biggest hit, On And On. And live, Raven are nothing less than the title of one of their own tracks – Rock Until You Drop!
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