Live Reports

Acts: Blind Guardian / support: Dawn of ExtinctionVenue: Vienna / Gasometer / AustriaDate: Wednesday, 18 October 2023 After eight years (if my grasp of Hansi's blunt German is anything to go by), Blind Guardian have finally graced…

Acts: Vader / Vomitory / Skaphos / AetherianVenue: San Dona Di Piave (Treviso) / Revolver Club / ItalyDate: Saturday, 14 October 2023 Round-number anniversaries have a way of coming around! Including 40th ones. And not even the…

The day kicked off in lively and interesting fashion. Who would have thought the first ones on stage would be Frenchmen with an identity crisis — Frenchmen who swap champagne, baguettes, and stinky cheese for tequila, tortillas, and…

Dire Straits LegacyWednesday, 30 August 2023Ljubljana / L56 / Slovenia Dire Straits Legacy is a band that performs — as the name already hints — strictly Dire Straits material at their shows. Dire Straits? They've been off the scene…

Blue Öyster CultLjubljana / Media Center / SloveniaMonday, 28 August 2023 Not that long ago, anyone who dared suggest that legendary American hard rockers Blue Öyster Cult would be playing Ljubljana — one of only three dates on the…

Robert Plant & Saving Grace (ft. Suzi Dian)Thursday, 24 August 2023Portorož / Avditorij / Slovenia Robert Plant is one of the essential voices in the story of rock music. His colossal vocal stamp on that story is impossible to…

On day three the weather finally took full pity on us, the festival atmosphere lifted noticeably as a result, and the bands of the third day delivered some of the best performances of this year's Tolminator. The musical breakfast was…

Riot V (support: Diamond Dust)Zagreb / Hard Place / CroatiaThursday, 10 August 2023 Riot V's show in the middle of this August at a club gig in Zagreb's Hard Place definitely belonged in the category of exclusive concerts. A treat…

Day two kicked off with the less extreme sounds of Belgian speed/heavy metallers Speed Queen, who made the trip to Tolminator all the way from Belgium and — like the true road warriors they are (both their EPs have a road theme: King of…

Metal is back in Tolmin! Well, to be honest, it never really left — Tolminator just had one hell of a hangover and had to sleep it off under Kozlov Rob, King Matjaž-style, before it could wake up again. And wake up it did, refreshed and…

Nick Mason's Saucerful Of SecretsPalmanova / Piazza Grande / ItalyThursday, 20 July 2023 Nick Mason needs no introduction. Pink Floyd and? Drums. The rest is history. Back in 2018, the stately gentleman decided it was time for a…

Depeche Mode (support: Hælos)Zagreb / Arena Zagreb / CroatiaSunday, 23 July 2023 This year, Depeche Mode came back with a new studio album — their fifteenth. It's called Memento Mori. A strong achievement! Packed with musical…

Incantation (support: Cryptic Terror)Ilirska Bistrica / MKNŽ (Mladinski klub Nade Žagar) / SloveniaMonday, 17 July 2023 Incantation are today considered legends of death metal. They are, practically speaking, one of the pioneering…

Steve HackettPalmanova / Piazza Grande / ItalyThursday, 13 July 2023 Steve Hackett is, when it comes to rock music in 2023, something of a phenomenon. The man who turned a handsome 73 this year carries himself, unlike his…

Michael BoltonOpatija / Ljetna pozornica / CroatiaThursday, 6 July 2023 Michael Bolton. Who hasn't heard of him? The legendary American singer-songwriter and heartbreaker, who has sold over 75 million albums worldwide, racked up…

The Cult (support: TV Eye)Friday, 30 June 2023Zagreb / ŠRC Šalata / Croatia The Cult! Literally. A cult. These dark shamans of the eighties — with their singular, eclectic blend of post-punk, gothic rock and hard rock that has few…

Robbie Williams (support act: Lufthaus)Thursday, June 27, 2023Pula / Arena Pula / Croatia At the end of June this year, Robbie Williams headed out on the summer leg of his tour celebrating his first 25 years in the business. For…

Simply RedWednesday, 21 June 2023Pula / Arena / Croatia Simply Red, the British soul-pop giants, stopped by the ancient Roman amphitheatre — specifically Pula's Arena — as part of their promotional tour behind the latest studio…

SUM 41 (support: The Lunar Year)Venue: Opatija / Ljetna pozornica / CroatiaDate: 11. 6. 2023 SUM 41 again, just one day after the concert in Jesolo, Italy (review available here), this time at the Ljetna pozornica in Opatija.…

Performing: SUM 41 (support: Lizi and the kids)Date: Saturday, 10. 6. 2023Location: Jesolo / Palazzo Del Turismo / Italy SUM 41 is one of those bands that introduced the millennial generation — especially those who didn't have older…

Iron Maiden (support: The Raven Age)Wednesday, 31 May 2023Prague / O2 Arena / Czech Republic The third concert of The Future Past tour — or rather the European leg of the new world tour by the one and only Iron Maiden. It was…

Iron Maiden (support: The Raven Age)Tuesday, 30 May 2023Prague / O2 Arena / Czech Republic Iron Maiden on a new tour! Catching at least one show is practically a moral obligation. One of the most important bands in the history of…

Performing: Šank RockDate: Friday, 16 June 2023Venue: Velenje / Velenje Lake (Vista park) / Slovenia ...at the concert of concerts, one we'll never forget! Šank Rock! The combination of those two words stirs something deep. It…

Finally, a Friday night show! And not just any show — the return of American thrash veterans Testament, accompanied by Canadian thrash weirdos Voivod! The show had sold out well before the event itself, though once again things didn't…

Jethro TullLjubljana / Hala Tivoli / SloveniaSunday, 3 June 2023, 8:00 PM The traditionally overcast prog-rock skies above Slovenia have, after a long string of dry years in terms of genre heavyweights showing up at our local venues…

Several months had already passed since Iron Maiden announced they would be kicking off their colossal new The Future Past tour right here in Slovenia, and after the whooping celebrations that followed, Arena Stožice sold out in record…

Iron MaidenLjubljana / Arena Stožice / SloveniaSunday, 28 May 2023, 8:00 PM Many fans of the English heavy metal institution Iron Maiden have long wondered why this legendary band, whose best songs were written in the eighties, has…

W.A.S.P.Sunday, May 14th, 2023Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / Slovenia Some days just hit different. Days you can only call mandatory metal communion. This was one of those events that triggered a full-on pilgrimage of metal fans…

The Mission (supp. Wires & Lights)Friday, May 5, 2023Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / Slovenia The Mission, the cult British gothic and post-punk rock outfit, who, with their musical vision upon arriving on the scene in the…

Marillion'Marillion Weekends Convention XXI.' (day two)Saturday, 29 April 2023Padua / Gran Teatro Geox / Italy The second day of the 21st Marillion Weekend Convention at the end of this past April in Padua didn't deviate much from…

King DudeSaturday, 29 April 2023Ljubljana / Menza p. k. / Slovenia Dirty Skunks have clearly passed on their sharp nose for the concert scene — and for the acts they've brought to Slovenian stages over their long years in the game —…

Marillion 'Marillion Weekends Convention XXI.' (Day One)Friday, 28 April 2023Padua / Gran Teatro Geox / Italy Marillion, those prog and art rock luminaries who released their latest studio album "An Hour Before It's Dark" just over…

Chris JaggerSunday, 23 Apr. 2023, from 8 p.m. onwardsIzola / Hangar bar / Slovenia Chris Jagger, the younger brother of the musician known to at least the entire solar galaxy, is his famous sibling's polar opposite. He's a living…

Steve VaiZagreb / Dom sportova (small hall) / CroatiaThursday, 13 April 2023, 8:30 PM Steve Vai is back in Europe. With the album "Inviolate" (2022, RockLine review) and the second leg of the "Inviolate" tour. Last summer we caught…

Joe SatrianiVienna (Wien) / Wiener Stadthalle – Halle F / AustriaSaturday, 8 April 2023, at 8:00 pm (please scroll down the bar for an English version) Joe Satriani has finally made it to Europe. On his third attempt. No need to…

"Jon Lord – Concerto for Group and Orchestra"Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) and the Zagreb Philharmonic with the music of Deep PurpleLjubljana / Cankarjev dom / SloveniaSaturday, 25 March 2023 Every once in a while, a special kind of…

Performers: Serpentyne, Temperance, Tarja TurunenLocation: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / SloveniaDate: Friday, 3 March 2023 Tarja Turunen, one of the most impressive and genuinely standout heavy metal vocalists of our time — a…

Performers: Leprous / Monuments / KalandraVenue: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / SloveniaDate: Tuesday, February 28, 2023 Leprous, those brilliant prog-metal oddballs, returned to Ljubljana on the last day of February this year to play…

Kino Šiška hadn't hosted a proper metal package of big-name acts for quite a while — until last Friday, when the Wilderun/Soilwork/Kataklysm trio rolled through and wrapped up the working week in fine style. First up was arguably the…

Performers: Atreyu, Jinjer, Bullet For My ValentineVenue: Zagreb / Tvornica kulture / CroatiaDate: Saturday, 11 February 2023 Four years ago — April 1st, 2019, believe it or not, when nobody had a clue what the world's lifestyle…

After last month's celebrations and shenanigans at the Dirty Skunks' birthday party, the first weekend of February saw label On Parole reach American legal drinking age. They should have celebrated the round 20th anniversary, but like so…

The annual, traditional celebration of the stink — that is, the birthday of our most active concert organizers, Dirty Skunks — has somehow become synonymous with the first major post-New Year's event. The Dirty Skunks mini-festival turned…

Aaah, December — the month of predictably awful Christmas music blaring from every other speaker, and the month of hyper-consumerism, all while the world crumbles right before our eyes. I couldn't have imagined a more fitting time to catch…

Location: Prosecco near Trieste / Kulturni dom Prosek Kontovel (Cassa Delle Culture Prosecco) / ItalyConcert date: Thursday, 15 December 2022 Reb Beach is an American guitar virtuoso, composer, and producer. He is widely regarded as…

Location: Prague / Forum Karlin / Czech RepublicDate: Saturday, 10 December 2022 Everything was going according to plan. The October one. Right up until Uriah Heep started their 'experimenting' and 'rethinking', cutting short the…

Location: Ljubljana / Arena Stožice / SloveniaDate: Sunday, 4 December 2022 Bryan Adams, the legendary Canadian rock singer-songwriter, finally made it back to Slovenia. After the repeated postponements of the tour on which he was…

Acts: Alter Bridge (plus support: Halestorm & Mammoth WVH)Venue: Zagreb / Dom sportova / CroatiaDate: Saturday, 26 November 2022 Some tours come along where you don't think twice about catching at least one show. A combination…

Acts: Clutch (support: Green Lung, Tigercub)Venue: Zagreb / Tvornica kulture / CroatiaDate: Friday, 25 November 2022 It's more than clear that Clutch have been granted full citizenship in Croatia in recent years. Their new and…

Venue: Padova / Gran Treatro Geox / ItalyDate: Friday, 18. 11. 2022 Steve Hackett is very likely the last of his kind today. With his take on the world of guitar playing and his unexpected inventiveness, the former Genesis guitarist…

Last Friday, most of Slovenia was probably busy gorging on duck, mlinci and red cabbage washed down with young wine, while those hungry for a dose of brutality poured into Orto bar for a deathcore package the likes of which we probably…

Performers: The Shameless, Estriver, Seventh WonderDate: Friday, 4 November 2022Location: Prosecco near Trieste / Kulturni dom Prosek Kontovel (Cassa Delle Culture Prosecco) / Italy Seventh Wonder are today considered a highly…

Acts: Victor Smolski's Almanac / LordiVenue: San Dona Di Piave / Revolver Club / ItalyDate: Saturday, 29 October 2022 Lordi need no lengthy introduction. During the pandemic, they pulled off a remarkable feat — releasing no fewer…

Location: Vienna / Gasometer / AustriaDate: Sunday, 23 Oct. 2022 The Gasometer concert hall in Vienna was bursting at the seams on the second-to-last Sunday in October, packed with fans of the iconic English progressive rock band…

Performers: Evergrey, Fractal Universe, Virtual SymmetryLocation: Ljubljana, Orto bar, SloveniaDate: Sunday, October 9, 2022 Evergrey have finally made it to Ljubljana. These Swedish melodic progressive metallers — with a firmly…

Location: San Dona Di Piave, Revolver Club, ItalyDate: Thursday, 29 September 2022 We spiced up the tail end of this September with a string of back-to-back gigs. The will was there and so was the time. In the town of San Dona Di…

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…

Location: Postojna / Kulturni dom Postojna / SloveniaDate: Friday, September 30, 2022 That day finally came. Ever since the rock and metal world in Slovenia got its hands on the reissue of the cult debut album "Rocks Off" by the…

Location: Ljubljana / Orto Bar / SloveniaDate: Wednesday, 28 September 2022 This year's autumn concert season is undeniably packed. Besides plenty of local shows, many American bands are touring Europe. The Elder and Pallbearer concert…

After a strange period when a flood of concert tours suddenly swept across Europe — all announced left and right, only to be followed by one cancellation after another, especially from American bands (the calculated reasons behind that…

Location: San Dona Di Piave / Revolver klub / ItalyDate: Friday, 16 September 2022 'Turbo glam metal revival riders' — Finland's Reckless Love, hailing from the city of Kuopio, are with over two decades in the game one of the…

Performers: Soen / Lizzard / OceanhoarseDate: Friday, 9 September 2022Location: San Dona Di Piave / Revolver Club / Italy Soen are finally back on tour. One of those tours that came close enough to Slovenia geographically that a…

Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland — the second-largest island in Europe — is the northernmost capital city in the world. It is also the economic, political, and cultural hub of Iceland, a country of only around 370,000 people, nearly half…

Location: Postojna / Parking lot in front of the municipal building / SloveniaDate: Sunday, September 4, 2022 It was just over nine years ago — August 24, 2013, to be precise — that Avtomobili first performed as part of the annual…

Location: Postojna / Car park behind the Municipal Building / SloveniaDate: Friday, 2 September 2022 In early September this year, right alongside the grand finale of Postojna's annual festival Zmaj 'ma mlade, Croatian parodic sonic…

Performing: Rumproof, Visions Of Atlantis, AlestormVenue: Barba Negra / Budapest / HungaryDate: Sunday, 3 July 2022 A day of pirate metal in Budapest. Wonder what Running Wild would have to say about that? The sun was still…

Location: Opatija / Ljetna pozornica / CroatiaDate: Friday, 19 August 2022 The question I'm going to open with is a hard one to ask out loud. Is war good for anything? No. Well — almost nothing. Because for Sabaton, the Swedish…

Location: Palmanova / Piazza Grande / ItalyDate: Tuesday, 2 August 2022 Early August 2022, and Ben Harper is coming to Palmanova — just two weeks after dropping his fifteenth studio album, Bloodline Maintenance, with his loyal The…

Venue: Ljubljana / Media Center (Open Air) / SloveniaDate: Tuesday, 9 August 2022 Festival season is in full swing, but there's always room for a standalone show. This one — featuring metal giants Lamb of God, German thrash veterans…

Location: Zagreb / Dom Sportova / Croatia Date: Saturday, 30 July 2022 "Finally!" — that's what plenty of people thought when the French sensation Gojira finally came within striking distance of Slovenia. The band still hasn't…

Location: Graz / Messe Open Air / AustriaDate: Friday, July 29, 2022 Steve Lukather, exceptional musician and composer, that wonderful man of undecayed heart who has at least as many lives as the legendary art-rock sensation Toto —…

Venue: Udine / Castello di Udine (Piazzale del Castello) / ItalyDate: Tuesday, 26 July 2022 English guitar virtuoso and innovator Steve Hackett rolled through Italian Udine with his band on his current tour — the closest concert…

Performers: Overlaps, The Amazons, The DarknessVenue: Pordenone / Parco San Valentino / ItalyDate: Saturday, 23 July 2022 The final day of this year's Pordenone Blues Festival brought the 'rough-and-ready' British rock rascals and…

Venue: Pordenone / Parco San Valentino / ItalyConcert date: Wednesday, 20 July 2022 Unbelievable, but true. Jeff Beck, the ace of aces — the man many generously crown as the rock guitarist's rock guitarist — sharing a stage with…

Yeah, it's been two "fucking" years since it was announced that metal deity Judas Priest would return to Ljubljana for the first time since 1991. Then, for reasons we all know, one cancellation hit, then another — and it wasn't hard to…

Venue: Zagreb / Arena / CroatiaConcert date: Saturday, July 9, 2022 Kiss are a phenomenon unlike anything else in the rock 'n' roll universe. In fact, it's fair to say they occupy a completely unique spot on the vast rock map of the…

Venue: Zagreb / ŠRC Šalata / CroatiaConcert date: Thursday, 30 June 2022 Simple Minds! The greatest Scottish band of all time. Out on a hits tour. Celebrating 40 years in the game. A band born in the second half of the seventies,…

Location: Udine / Castello Di Udine / ItalyDate: Friday, July 1, 2022 Steve Vai! What else is there left to say about this guitar deity? Steve Vai is one of those phenomena of a truly brilliant musician. He's an absolute…

Performers: Steel Panther / Florence Black (support act)Concert date: Saturday, 2 July 2022Venue: Tvornica Kulture / Zagreb / Croatia Steel Panther hardly need a detailed introduction anymore. They're a band that cleverly carved out…

Performers: Arthur Falcone' Stargazer / The Dead DaisiesVenue: Castello Di San Giusto / Trieste / ItalyDate: Sunday, July 3, 2022 The Dead Daisies — a thunderous hard rock outfit with a relatively short history but a mountain of…

Performing: Victorius, Elvenking, GloryhammerVenue: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / SloveniaConcert date: Wednesday, 22 June 2022 Concerts have finally come back in full force. Bands are racing like mad to make up for everything they…

Performers: Heathen / ToxikVenue: Ljubljana / Orto Bar / SloveniaDate: 5 June 2022 Summer is usually a dead zone for concerts — or at least the action shifts to outdoor stages and festival grounds. This year, for reasons everyone knows,…

Performing: My Chemical Romance, Barns CourtneyVenue: Budapest / Budapest Park / HungaryDate: Tuesday, 7 June 2022 My Chemical Romance, the defining band of the emo era for so many people in the early 2000s, reclaimed Budapest Park…

Performing: Dan DVenue: Cerknica / Parkirišče Trikotnik / SloveniaDate: Friday, 10 June 2022 Dan D on a Friday in Cerknica! Even there, paths cross eventually — and a visit to Cerknica doesn't have to mean a Lordi concert, even…

Just over ten days ago, Ljubljana was hot not only because of the summer weather, but also because, under the wing of Dirty Skunks, the hellish duo of Night Demon and Midnight came thundering into town. Despite their genre differences, the…

Performers: Devin Townsend, Dream TheaterVenue: Zagreb / Mala dvorana Doma sportova / CroatiaDate: Friday, 27 May 2022 The concert pulse finally surged back to life through this May. Bands are rushing. Everyone's on the road. Across…

where: Zagreb / Arena / Croatiawhen: Sunday, 22 May 2022 Finally. After two postponements of the final leg of the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour, and with the intervening release of the new studio album "Senjutsu" (2021, RockLine…

Venue: Ljubljana / Orto bar / SloveniaDate: Saturday, April 30, 2022 Pero Defformero, the ever-irresistible parodic crew of four pranksters from Novi Sad, made their way back to Slovenia at the end of this April. After playing to a…

Performing: One Morning Left, Blind Channel, Electric CallboyConcert date: Sunday, 1 May 2022Venue: Graz / Orpheum Teater / Austria In a sold-out Orpheum Teater in Graz, on what happened to be a public holiday, Electric Callboy…

After last year's string of cancelled shows, the scene has finally come fully back to life and is picking up some international flavor again. This past Sunday, organized by Earsplitter/Dirty Skunks, Danish death metallers Baest paid a…

It was almost surreal, a couple of weeks back, to walk into Orto bar again after months away — for reasons we all know — and it felt almost as strange writing these lines, which is why this review is running a little late. And not just any…

Location: San Francisco / Chase Center / United States of AmericaDate: Friday, December 17, 2021 and Sunday, December 19, 2021 The year was 1981. Hard rock fans were being treated to albums like AC/DC - For Those About to…

Performing: Terra Toma, Throwback, Street To The Ocean, Kill The LycanWhere: Vienna / Szene / AustriaWhen: 6 Nov 2021Published: 11.11.2021Upcoming events: Metalnight Outbreak Szene Vienna Vol.8 For its sixth edition — right in the…

Location: Ljubljana / Orto bar / SloveniaDate: Friday, 5 November 2021 And so came that magical day — the second of this year for your humble correspondent — when some miracle had him heading out to an actual metal show. As it…

If there's a silver lining to be found anywhere in the last two shitty years, it's at least this: bands haven't let their creative energy die out despite the complete live music blackout, and new album releases have been coming thick and…

Artists: Feinstaub, April Art, Kiss Forever Band, Mono Inc. Venue: Leoben / VAZ - Schladnitz / AustriaDate: 15 July 2021 Leoben, Austria. Summer. July 2021. After a year off, Area 53 festival is back. Yeah, for real. There are…

Location: internetDate: Saturday, September 5, 2020 At a time when even the average music fan is starting to get a serious craving for quality live experiences, and music obsessives are banging their heads against the wall with…

We're lucky that the live music scene is at least barely alive right now, even if it's just scraps of what a normal gig calendar looks like. The damage that the coronavirus pandemic (and the complete inaction of those in charge) has left —…

Location: Cerkno / Star plac / SloveniaDate: Friday, July 17, 2020 Yet another seriously fresh evening that we had the privilege of spending in Cerkno brought us there on the wings of an exciting concert announcement — another…

Location: Cerkno / Star plac / SloveniaDate: Saturday, 11 July 2020 After a blunt dose of that brave new world reality — the one we sink deeper into day by day, with no salvation in sight until the final catharsis (that is, the…

"It looks like that evening in Graz, the fun factor won with Warkings, who delivered the ultimate peak of power metal thrills."