Live Reports

On the first Saturday of October, Kamnik's Kotlovnica threw open its doors again for a double bill of Space Unicorn On Fire and Hellcats - the perfect reason for Rockline to make the trip to the foot of the Kamnik Alps too!

The agency »Križarjenja - b2b« has blown out its first birthday candle, and Druga pomoč has adopted Red District as its regular in-house act and entertainment service. From now on, "rocker-friendly" nights happen at Druga pomoč too!

A big day for Hellcats! And a big day for Slovenian heavy metal and hard rock! Ladies, good luck on your wild road!

The Kadilnica of Death opened its doors for the fall gig season, and Teleport, Nephrolith and Mephistophelian shook the place with thrash, death and black metal!

»Driving Towards The Dalyight« is Bonamassa's new studio album, and it brought him back to the Croatian capital three years after his first show in Zagreb. Back then Bonamassa sold out the Boogaloo club; this time he sold out the small hall…

"Lukna was really going off that night. The night was long, and the buzz about El Kachon's great new live show didn't fade for ages after the gig. "

Dead Dildo Drome, Paragoria, GMB!!! Sometimes you find yourself smack in the middle of the most godless metal meat grinder in the universe. Welcome to the metal baptism of yet another Down Town festival!

"A true rocker's heart is impossible to crush. And both Pretty Maids and Pink Cream 69 proved it with a vengeance, in the rawest, most honest light. Exactly the way the magic of the European hard rock Bible knows it."

Lukna, the famous club in the famous little village of Prečna near Novo mesto, is up and running again, and El Kachon were the first to play it! A crew with a killer retro sound that blends blues, R&B and rock daring, dressed up with a…

Gigs come, tours come. Must-sees. Pretty Maids and Pink Cream 69 together in Salzburg! Close? Far? It doesn't get any closer to Slovenia. We've always gone abroad for our "hard rock" fix, and once again we had zero regrets!

Last Thursday, Grablovičeva shook under the mighty riffs of Ljubljana's freshly minted doom ladies Mist and fellow Ljubljana heavy metal beasts Dr. Evil.

An evening of progressive metal in Trieste, with Circus Maximus, DGM, Appearance f Nthing and local heroes Blue Rose, was a must for anyone who loves the compositional mastery of Norway's Circus Maximus, a band that has found an exceptional…

September doesn't just mean the start of school and the autumn doldrums in Ljubljana, when the tourists vanish, the students aren't back yet, and you keep waking up to foggy mornings. It also means the start, and revival, of club shows.

If anyone can pull it off, Greg Koch can. »Cunning guitar genius,« »eclectic virtuoso.« Superlatives fly at every turn. The man has »earned a doctorate in the physics of the instrument« called the guitar.…

The big comeback of sevdah's standard-bearers for the 21st century, the extraordinary Mostar Sevdah Reunion, wrapped Zlati Zob in a haze of sentiment and heartfelt warmth.

Once again, seeing Demolition Group live floored us, shook us, swept us away and cast a spell. Over twenty songs in an hour and a half. No mask. Squarely in the paradigm of the uncompromising, homegrown art legacy of this excellent band.

Kudos to the organizers, who proved that unity really is strength and that you can pull off way more than just a decent festival on short notice. We're already looking forward to Paranoid Mania 2014.

So the lineup offered a nicely colorful genre merry-go-round on stage! From youngsters Imset, through the clearly original world :: within, then Roundsquare, followed by Solnce, up to the night's headliners Ana Pupedan, and D'Plagiators…

A chance visit to Gromki revealed that three is a mighty number, and that the Ljubljana underground is hiding some seriously good thunder-rock material.

This time the steam boiler got fired up in a famous club in the Austrian Carinthian resort town of Velden, courtesy of the trio Doug Aldrich (guitar), Michael Devin (vocals, bass), Matt Starr (drums)! Anyone recognize the names yet?

Location: Zagradec / Park "Loka" / SloveniaDate: Saturday, 07.09.2013 This time it went off in Lower Carniola! Between Žužemberk and the Krka! Near Zagradec. A stone's throw from one of the most beautiful rivers in Slovenia. I'm…

Location: Faak Am See (Faaker See) / Harley Davidson Bikers Week / AustriaConcert date: Friday, September 6, 2013 This year's edition of the bikers' week at Faaker See, by the village of Faak Am See near Villach, kicked off the…

Location: Postojna / Kulturni dom / SloveniaDate: Sunday, 01.09.2013 Katalena closing out Postojna's "Zmaj ma mlade" festival delivered the high point of this year's lineup. This is a top-notch band with a long track record and a…

From a distance, the venue looked like we'd gone back to the 18th century, when they were making charcoal. Up close, though, you'd be hard pressed to find a better setting for a rock 'n' roll orgy!

Even though Asia no longer churn out hits that shake the tops of the world charts, they remain a first-rate live attraction, holding onto enviable stamina for their age and superb stage form in delivering their famous classics of musical…

Katalena brought the Postojna festival "Zmaj ma mlade" to a close with the high point of this year's lineup.

Remember the bands Kameleoni, Halo, Bazar, Labirint, Boomerang and...? Prizma, of course. The unforgettable evergreens born from the pen and mind of their ultimate father and creator Danilo Kocjančič live on. In every one of us.

At long last, the author of this piece found a bit of free space in a jam-packed everyday life to knock back a round of Czech beer in the middle of a famous Kamnik pub, to the sounds of the renowned experimental jazz rock fusion trio…

The warm-up to the new punk holidays was an American-European bash this time, crowned by the incorrigible party animals NOFX.

Location: Postojna / Glavni trg / SloveniaConcert date: August 24, 2013 This August's Zmaj ma mlade festival in Postojna also served up a gorgeous evening of proper rock. You could say it got more melodic and refined with every act…

Križanke has been conquered once again, as the great Vlado Kreslin shared the stage for the first time in ages with Mali bogovi, Beltinška banda and some outstanding musical guests.

The last Trnfest also gets an excellent Slovenian take on indie rock, a couple of steps ahead of the homegrown competition.

This August's Zmaj ma mlade festival in Postojna also served up a gorgeous evening that rocked properly. You could say that, from act to act, the roar got ever more melodious and refined. Hard rockers Pelhan, incorrigible Pivka-region rock…

“Unbelievable – but true!” is about all you could say when Bluesiana owner Gudrun Kofler announced an Eric Sardinas show for the third time this year – just a month after his last gig at the club.

The great awakener Jello Biafra, former frontman of the cult band Dead Kennedys, came back to Ljubljana with his The Guantanamo School Of Medicine after three years and served up a fresh helping of punk rock, radiating the authentic…

Nothing more, nothing less. Independent musical fascination in the middle of a "windswept" Postojna, staged as cabaret theater by the one-of-a-kind Kirsty Alemida and her backing crew "The Troubadours".

Day two of the festival boiled over when Sweden's naughty all-girl rock 'n' roll crew Crucified Barbara and the superb British progressive metallers Threshold hit the stage, with Threshold getting the honor of closing out the night and the…

All good things must come to an end, or as the Czechs would say: "Vaše hovna, naše radost."

Friday's hellish downpour soured the festival's second day, which was ruled by British giants Carcass as headliners, along with Swedish acts Meshuggah and In Flames.

"I can conclude that, energy-saving aside, King Diamond's show lived up to expectations as one of the highlights of MetalDays 2013."

"Anyone who wants an evening of pure sonic perfection, shamelessly infectious melodies and boundless virtuosity, delivered through some of the biggest rock classics of the seventies and eighties, "

Czech Republic. The land of beer, sausages and our former comrades behind the Iron Curtain. But the Czech Republic is also home to one of Europe's biggest extreme metal festivals, Brutal Assault, which this year hit its eighteenth edition.

Location: Tolmin / Sotočje / SloveniaDate: 25.07.2013 Day four of the festival kicked off with Italian folk metallers from Venice, Vallorch. The seven-piece don't bring any musical revolution to the table and instead tread…

If you want a perfect evening of pure sonic perfection, shamelessly infectious melodies and boundless virtuosity, with some of the biggest rock classics of the seventies and eighties on the menu, you absolutely cannot miss a show by Alan…

"By now night had fallen over the grounds, and Accept used the backdrop to serve up their iron-clad repertoire, which of course included Fast as a Shark, Metal Heart and Balls to the Wall. Experiencing the Accept march in front of a…

Bizarre and brilliant all at once: those are the big trump cards of the Ljubljana trio of dandelion kids, who thoroughly shook up what's supposedly the last-ever Trnfest.

Performing: Saxon, Lordi, Pretty Maids, Stratovarius, Masterplan, Entombed, Lake of Tears, H.E.A.T., Die Apokalyptischen Reiter (hall), Onslaught (hall), Artillery, Dream Evil, Fleshcrawl (hall), Exumed (hall), Crazy Lixx, Wanted Inc.…

Location: Tolmin / Sotočje / SloveniaDate: July 23, 2013 On day two, Calling of Lorme! kicked things off on the second stage. The band cultivates a kind of alternative metal spiked with industrial, and their "cyber" pecking made it clear…

With the Maiden England tour, Iron Maiden prove that over the years they've grown into the best-organized heavy metal outfit on the planet in every department. The polished stage design, the tightness and the heart in the right place only…

The sensual Nika Solce, the fiery duo Aritmija and a handpicked set of guest artists completely enchanted Celica.

"Pentagram are nowhere near ready for retirement. A phenomenal close to the first day, its peak, and one of the best moments of this year's festival!"

Location: Majano / Festival Concert Area / Italy Date: Wednesday, 24.07.2013 These days, Deep Purple are, alongside Black Sabbath, the only 'old school' heavy rock band with roots in the sixties that can still fill big concert…

King Diamond, Primordial, and Metal Church on the main stage, plus Candlemass, Unleashed, and Aura Noir on the second stage! The sweetest possible way to close out the first-ever MetalDays festival!

With another visit to Ljubljana and a three-hour odyssey of lighter folk / rock tunes, the old Canadian gent had no trouble winning over a well-heeled Slovenian crowd.

The fourth day of the festival brought the best lineup yet, with bands practically competing over who could be better.

In great spirits and backed by top-notch sound in the middle of Majano, Deep Purple proved once again that they deserve everlasting respect and admiration from lovers of good music, because even after 45 years they remain one of the biggest…

Hugh Laurie proves in style that sometimes dentists can fly planes, and actors can switch careers and wade into the waters of professional music.

By Wednesday morning the sky was already crying too, as if it sensed this would be the day of the festival's dullest and least convincing headliner.

"The band played an outstanding two-hour show. The crowd ate out of razor-edged Skin's hand. The singer put a spell on everyone there with her incredible vocal characteristics."

HISTeRIA 2013 blew past every expectation, and the fairy-tale village of Cantalone served up one of the best festivals in Slovenia – despite the absence of big names.

"Rock'n'roll was kind of the guiding spirit of the night, even though we neither played nor heard any rock'n'roll. 13-year-old boys were headbanging, grannies in headscarves were headbanging, I was headbanging. In those magical-fantasy…

Day two of the festival served up a genre-hopping lineup that wowed crowds on both the main stage and the small one.

New name, same location, even better vibe and an unforgettable musical experience! All that and more was this year's MetalDays, which carries on down the road of MetalCamp, only now that road is no longer just gravel but paved and lit!

And then Skunk Anansie finally land on our turf. Well, almost our turf. Cividale del Friuli, just across the border in Italy, the day before Metaldays kicks off. A welcome overture to this year's Schengenfest!

It doesn't happen very often that Wishbone Ash, the legendary British art rockers best known for their cult album "Argus" (1972) and as pioneers of multi-part guitar harmonies that shaped generations of hard rock and metal musicians, pay a…

Location: Grado, Italy Date: 16.07.2013 Guitar legend and respected astrophysicist Brian May, who rose to fame as a member of one of the best rock bands of all time, the unforgettable Queen, stopped by Grado with 34-year-old singer and…

A gorgeous evening of musical brilliance under the direction of the great Zucchero, with an incredible atmosphere kept alive for two hours by the musicians' strictly routine professionalism, nursing the temperament of a loud, uninhibited…

"When a band hammers out one hit after another and the crowd is heated up so much that an incredible energy bond is flowing between them and the stage, a gig like that flies by at breakneck speed"

Foreigner, one of the biggest hit machines in rock history, kicked off their new German tour in style with a first stop in Rosenheim! The first half hour was pure shock therapy, with no Mick Jones on stage, but from there on they rolled as…

"Still, we can safely say that the handful of Slovenes who caught Vicious Rumors at Balingen with Tilen Hudrap in the lineup witnessed a whole new baptism by fire for Slovenian heavy metal"

Hanging out with May and Ellis at a gig on the Grado seafront was one more lovely proof of how much more genuine and intimate a concert can feel on a small stage in front of a smaller crowd than at many a megalomaniac stadium show, where…

This time we didn't have to wait long for another Bluesiana visit – apparently, besides Richie Kotzen, even an old Bluesiana regular, Eric Sardinas, couldn't resist the summer charm of this beautiful town.

Accept, the unbreakable standard-bearers of the most traditional heavy metal heritage, delivered the grand finale of the seventeenth Bang Your Head.

In the spot Saxon found themselves in that night - a band with tremendous mileage, experience and a battle-tested game plan that lets them hold their own on any stage in the world - victory was there for the taking.

This year's warm-up show was called »Milestones Of Rock 'N' Roll History«. It served up five bands from different eras in the evolution of rock, or more precisely, metal.

The extraordinary and only true torchbearers of 21st-century sevdah, Mostar Sevdah Reunion, rocked Menza pri koritu and wrapped it in pure sentiment.

The third edition of Punk Rock Holiday served up an infectious, high-voltage alt-rock mix of the festival's biggest names, including Anti-Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, Millencolin, The Mahones, Your Demise, H2O, The Casualties, The Propagandhi

when it comes to music, Richie Kotzen doesn't joke around. His refinement and warm, affectionate lyricism came through even more in the acoustic setting, and so did his vocal leanings.

33 years of music, now as a solo artist, before that in bands, some with big names: Bijelo Dugme, Divlje Jagode, Vatreni poljubac….. a new album after 13 years…… it all pointed to a glorious night in his Sarajevo.

"One of the biggest surprises was a superb rendition of Hammill's solo masterpiece »Flight«, which comes from the album »A Black Box«. Along with »Meurglys III« and »A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers«, it was one of the epic suites of the…

Kreslin and Pojezije chased away the storm clouds, then used laughter and song to get even the lords and ladies of Tuštanj Castle on their feet.

Uriah Heep in Maribor? On the "river raft"? Dreamlike. Uriah Heep are holding strong. The show was excellent, no wobbles. Solid, coherent, well-oiled. All within the context of the band's singular, unmistakable, ultimate stature and voice.

Despite a slew of technical complications, Van Der Graaf Generator still came out of their Udine show as winners.

Australians Parkway Drive lived up to their name and kicked off Gala's summer stage with a bang, Chicago math-metallers Veil Of Maya served up extravagant rhythms, and New Zealand openers Antagonist A.D. brought the real deal in vegan…

"After what we saw in Padua, KoЯn remain one of the mightiest stage institutions out there, keeping their music artistically relevant and creatively fresh. Stage firepower is something they have no shortage of."

A transfusion of new blood is doing the Brežice crew Demolition Group a world of good. Younger and louder than ever, they won over the hearts of the crowd at this year's Bežigradfest too.

A two-hour-and-forty-minute stroll through the career of the most successful musical act of the twentieth century felt like a moment in eternity, one you wished would never end.

After what we saw in Padua, KoЯn remain one of the mightiest stage institutions out there, staying musically relevant and creatively fresh. They've got no shortage of stage firepower. And they're a five-piece again! Let's hope they stay…

Down flooded Zagreb's Tvornica with the waters of the Mississippi, wrapped it in the aroma of Cajun cooking and sent it up in a cloud of smoke!

The third Beach Party on the Metelkova forecourt belonged entirely to British metalcore aces Asking Alexandria, who ruled the night.

"Toto built their career on perfection and creative brilliance, and those were the guiding lights at Saturday's show in Padua."

For every Slayer fan, the Zagreb show came less than two months after the news of Jeff Hanneman's death shocked us, so it was first and foremost a memorial.

The spectacular finish to day one of See Rock festival 2013 was followed by a pale sequel....

Toto built their career on foundations of perfection and creative strengths, which were the guiding principles at their Saturday show in Padua too, a set that ran well over two hours.

Res Nullius' one-of-a-kind rock'n'roll came alive in Cvetličarna in its rawest form, and thanks to their no-frills approach and seemingly laid-back attitude, they proved why, among their fans, they're one of those bands that deserve a…

Iron Maiden and their Maiden England show prove once again that they're simply in a league of their own. This time they delivered a killer gig near Graz, Austria, right by the idyllic Schwarzl lake.

Seeing the HeaveniX quartet live confirmed what we saw this year at Orto bar, where they played as part of April's Ortofest: huge stage brilliance and songwriting chops.

"“The White Snake” proved itself a well-oiled machine in Zagreb, putting on a show a notch more alive than the one we recently saw in Ljubljana. "

Kiss stay true to their prestigious style, serving up a visual feast for concertgoers on top of the music.

"Steve Vai in the best possible shape, this time on the stage of Trieste's Politeama Rossetti theater. Unforgettable! Where the limits of musical expression lie, only he knows. And that's exactly what always draws us to Vai the most. A…