Live Reports

Babymetal proved at their sold-out Gasometer show that they're no one-hit wonder. Their popularity is growing fast. And with multiple generations in the crowd, the next visit could be even bigger.

Alcest delivered a performance and setlist that more than lived up to the hype — their show can simply be described as nothing short of magical.

"Riverside remain true masters of their craft and prog rock diamonds of the first order. Abroad — especially in the Benelux countries, Germany, and Scandinavia — they've already broken through to genuine big-league status, filling large…

"Despite the fact that the trio must stay locked in at all times, Gorilla Mask keep teasing the listener with the shock element of 'expect the unexpected.' The band deftly rolls between calm, almost subtle passages, then suddenly erupts…

"If John Zorn were looking for raw sonic ethno-eclecticism, with experimentation brilliantly grafted onto its native purism of relentless bold provocation, he'd call on Širom."

"Everyone in the venue had a blast in that spectacular power metal carousel that evening. The energy was excellent once again, and it's truly remarkable how HammerFall, despite the declining interest in power metal, keep drawing the crowds…

As far as Mondays go, Garfield is absolutely right: they suck. But a concert evening like the one that went down last week at Ort makes starting a new week a whole lot easier. German technical death metal heavyweights Obscura returned to…

Despite a far-from-cheerful setlist, Leprous managed to conjure up a genuinely special atmosphere at Graz's Explosiv club, keeping the crowd on their feet right to the end. And credit where it's due — support acts Klone and Maraton were…

This past Monday evening at Kino Šiška was a packed affair full of brutality, hard-hitting riffs, and technical chops — courtesy of Thy Art Is Murder, Carnifex, Fit For An Autopsy, Rivers of Nihil, and I AM.

"Bottom line — an unforgettable, marathon night, and here's to many, many more years of Dirty Skunks!"

"Damir Avdić – when the devil takes the joke, or: a concert 'murder' of capitalism in Cerkno!"

Venue: Vienna / Gasometer / AustriaWhen: Friday, 24 Jan 2020 Sum 41 are one of the bigger, more recognizable bands of the last few decades in their genre, and like many of their peers, they've been making their way back to the surface…

Performers: Septic Order, Constrictor, Challenger Location: Ljubljana / Orto bar / SloveniaDate: Thursday, 16 January 2020 2019 is already history and 2020 is already in full swing. Sadly, the first week of the new year wrapped up…

To say that the musicians on stage delivered anything less than a competent performance would be an insult to Apocalyptica; to say that the atmosphere at Monday's concert was great would be an insult to the audience.

"The 25th international festival of (good music) known as Keltika invited the Scandinavian — more precisely Norwegian — jazz outfit Cortex to Cerkno as its opening concert of the year."

For those of us who just don't enjoy getting force-fed Christmas hits, a concert by Canadian veterans Voivod and American monsters GWAR was the perfect antidote for the pre-holiday season. Especially the latter, who deliver a heap of…

"The band played. Played with a capital P. A full two and a half hours. No breaks. No pauses. They threw the crowd headlong into the legendary 'Orlek theater.'"

An already packed December concert calendar got one final, unexpected Krampus surprise for all the naughty ones — Swedish doom merchants Tribulation. They're currently touring Europe with the megalomaniac Ghost, and it's great to see a…

Location: Wien Arena / Vienna / AustriaDate: November 21, 2019 The Never Say Die tour remains to this day one of those landmark tours that has featured a sea of bands swimming in the waters of metalcore, deathcore, hardcore,…

Archspire, Beneath The Massacre, Vulvodynia, and Inferi made sure the year went out with one final concert packed with brutality, technicality, punch, and melody.

Location: Vienna (Wien) / Simm City / AustriaDate: Monday, 02.12.2019 This December isn't just packed with the seizure-inducing, vomit-triggering strains of Last Christmas, Silent Night, and New Year's Kiss — thankfully, it's also full…

"U.D.O. remain, with their performance power, legacy, and energy, the defining front-line entity of the classic heavy metal era — the era shaped long ago by the one and only, the mighty voice of metal himself, Mr. Udo Dirkschneider."

Venue: Kino Šiška / Ljubljana / SloveniaDate: Thursday, 5 December 2019 Swiss folk metallers Eluveitie have been making regular pilgrimages back to Slovenia over the past decade. The band has gone through a whole string of lineup…

Thursday, 28 November 2019 Winter Days of Metal keeps growing in stature year after year. On top of the evening concerts, there's a whole range of other activities on offer — though this year's weather wasn't exactly playing along for…

"Deep Purple ride on, then. Into infinity, into eternity! The iconic group crossed into myth and legend long ago. Given the form on display, the farewell is going to last a good while yet. And that's a good thing!"

Location: Roncade (Treviso) / New Age Club / ItalyDate: Tuesday, 26 November 2019 Sepultura! We all get there in the end. Every single one of us. Even those of you who don't know them. Even to the band that brothers Max and Igor…

Concert venue: Graz / Stadthalle / AustriaConcert date: Saturday, 12 October 2019 David Hasselhoff aka The Hoff, the legendary actor who shot to fame with Knight Rider and Baywatch, decided in 2019 to step back onto the stage as a…

"The Frictions, led by the iconic Chris Eckman, and Martin Ramoveš with his backing band. An evening well worth spending heart and soul in Cerkno — a place we always find ourselves coming back to, time and again."

The Rotting Christ and Moonspell concert package, warmed up by a razor-sharp Silver Dust, proved that evening to be a sinfully worthwhile visit to Graz's Dom Im Berg.

"On another occasion, Mattias invited the locals to help him sing the verses of 'Freak of the Week.' He suggested they make it easier on themselves and replace the tricky English words in the chorus with the names of some Italian pizzas."

Venue: Ljubljana / Orto bar / SloveniaDate: Saturday, 16 November 2019 A rainy Saturday is the perfect excuse to lounge around and binge something good — and there's no shortage of options these days — but not last Saturday! Last…

You simply can't talk about Swedish death metal without mentioning Entombed, who in 1990 unleashed their monstrous debut Left Hand Path — arguably the most important Swedish death metal album ever made. It gave the Swedish scene its own…

Location: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / SloveniaDate: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 When the concert was announced — P.O.D. and Alien Ant Farm coming to Ljubljana — plenty of people thought: wait, are those bands even still around?…

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" is the famous Hamlet quote that has become synonymous with describing a corrupt, rotten society. To paraphrase it, something rotten was also born over thirty years ago in Denmark's northern…

"Annihilator remain a utterly insane old-school thrash metal live institution! Jeff Waters proved once again in Graz, alongside his crew, that he is still a sensational guitar genius and sorcerer! A show for the crazy by the crazy — exactly…

On a rainy Friday evening, a nicely packed Orto welcomed the trio that likes it slow — Oceanwake, October Tide, and Swallow the Sun.

Where: Vienna / Gasometer / AustriaWhen: Sunday, 06. 10. 2019 A few years ago it was hard to imagine that one of the biggest metalcore bands could ever come back. Let alone that they'd manage to convince fans to give them a second…

Location: Gasometer, Vienna, AustriaWhen: Wednesday, 16 October 2019 2018 was a rough year for Machine Head. Robb Flynn was left almost on his own when long-standing members Phil Demmel and Dave McClain walked out. Sure, neither was an…

Location: Cormons / Teatro Comunale di Cormons / ItalyDate: Thursday, 24.10.2019 A live appearance by the legendary guitar wizard John McLaughlin near our western border was something no jazz fusion devotee could afford to miss —…

"A concert of exceptional qualities, as one might quietly have expected. A concert that leaves you with powerful, intense feelings — and one that, even after it ends, holds you in a state of rapt absorption, caught in the creation of a…

Venue: Ljubljana / Orto Bar / SloveniaDate: Sunday, 13 Oct 2019 Finnish melodic death metallers Omnium Gatherum have always seemed to get less attention than they deserve, overshadowed by some of their more established compatriots. They…

"In other words, you got a sense of what Jethro Tull would sound like without the flute — or even what some of the originals from the late sixties and early seventies sounded like without it."

Location: Ljubljana / Orto Bar / SloveniaDate: Thursday, 10.10.2019 Crashdiet coming to Slovenia has always seemed like a complete pipe dream. Seriously. For once in my life I didn't have to drive abroad for a change — even if that…

With a setlist running over two hours, Between The Buried And Me delivered an excellent cross-section of their entire career while showcasing incredible tightness and extreme stamina.

Venue: Ljubljana / Orto bar / SloveniaDate: Monday, 07.10.2019 Paul Gilbert is back at Orto bar. Over ten years ago he played the smaller (upper) stage of this beloved club — about 100 people packed in. Back then, the Mr. Big reunion…

Revolver Club hosted a true death metal feast with a show featuring Nile, Hate Eternal, Vitriol, and Omophagia. The solid turnout made one thing clear: death metal, in any shape or form, is still very much worth your time.

Location: Ljubljana / Kino Šiška / SloveniaDate: Tue, 17 Sep 2019 Summer is over, and so are the festivals. Time to head back to the clubs. September is packed with shows, and Kino Šiška especially so — the venue is hitting its 10-year…

"The revelry, the positive vibes, and energy thick enough to cut with a knife — the essential ingredients of any Vlado set — were all present and accounted for, making this another show soaked in intense feeling and emotion."

Location: Kranj / Transtation SubArt / SloveniaDate: Saturday, 07.09.2019 Swedish progressive metal outfit Soen grows more popular with every passing year. The band first caught attention largely through drummer Martin Lopez, who…

"Alongside original compositions that Frank Zappa himself would surely have listened to on endless repeat, the real highlights were the rock classics that Chadbourne and Schröder turned completely on their heads."

"With this concert, Same Babe confirmed every quality of their rapacious stage acuity, punch, and intellectual rebel pose — all commanded by exceptional, singular, brilliant artistry of clear expressive character, repeatedly jabbing…

Location: Vienna / club Flex / Austria Date: Saturday, 10 August 2019 American progressive rockers Coheed And Cambria are pushing hard to promote their latest album Vaxis I (review HERE). The focus is mostly on the US leg of the…

Venue: Graz / Schloßbergbühne Kasematten / Austria Date: Monday, 05.08.2019 Graz proved once again that metalcore can sell in Austria. Even on a Monday, foreign license plates kept rolling in and crowds of bewildered visitors…

"Two soggy thirds of Bang Your Head 2019 are in the books, and now comes the last one. Day three! And this one was finally dry. The program that day was carved out mostly in the old-school metal mold, with a few welcome detours courtesy of…

Rothery's show with his "Italian crew" was split into four parts, and as expected, it was the closing stretch that made the Marillion faithful happiest.

And on the very last day, instead of a souvenir shirt, the organizers could've just printed "I Survived the Hell of Metaldays 2019" tees, because weather-wise this year's festival was without a doubt one of the hottest ever. But we scraped…

"If you're a true fan of 80s glam metal, the kind that grew up around the Sunset Strip, then you know nothing but pure bliss at a Steel Panther show"

Thursday in Tolmin promised hellish heat again, and the organizers warned festival-goers about it too. In weather like this, the nearby river and the free drinking water all over the festival grounds come in really handy. Thursday was also…

The golden mean turned out to be a hellish one this time, because Tolmin got probably one of the worst heat waves of the summer. But the most beautiful festival site in the world has the Soča to cool down overheated heads, loads of side…

"Day one's headliner at Bang Your Head, Michael Schenker, and his musical rondo that took us from the very beginning right through to the end of his career. Hands down the highlight of the day!"

On Tuesday it wasn't just the air temperature that was climbing (which made the daughter of the mountains look all the more gorgeous). The temperature at the venue was rising too, as the number of good gigs we caught kept going up. Hand on…

"The band never hid their great mood and sunny spirits, which kept the show alive in the middle of a storm and warmed soaked hearts!"

Metaldays has been offering a so-called "early arrival" for a while now, meaning you can show up at the festival ahead of time. In the past that only meant camping early (and grabbing the best shady spots), but a few years ago the…

"The two-hour blast with Skunk Anansie at Kino Šiška will probably go down in the annals as one of the best concerts to happen on Slovenian soil this year, among club-level and indoor venue shows (comparisons with gigs at Arena Stožice,…

Your mandatory Sunday metal communion with Queensryche, Firewind and Mirror Plain at CUK Kino Šiška

Location: Majano (Udine) / Area Concerti Festival / ItalyDate: Sunday, 21.07.2019 It almost never happens, or at best extremely rarely, that The Darkness come this close to the Slovenian border. Well, OK. Last year the stars…

PFM's stellar show, packed with evergreens from the golden era of Italian progressive rock, flew by way too fast in the gorgeous atmosphere of Carpacciov trg. We could be more than happy with what we heard and saw over a good two hours.…

Location: Kobarid / Trg svobode / SloveniaDate: Saturday, 20.07.2019 Summer is hot. Finally. Ahh, too hot. After July's concert onslaught, when we got drenched at gigs in Zagreb for Whitesnake, then at Križanke (Marcus Miller,…

Location: Ljubljana / Plečnik Pub / SloveniaDate: Thursday, 18.07.2019 Help! are a Slovenian, or more precisely American-Slovenian, team-up of a musical ensemble and a quartet, devoted to playing the legacy of the great Liverpool…

"At 68, Stanley Clarke and his crew proved once again in Ljubljana that he's one of a kind, an unrepeatable, elusive original in his craft, and that his shows are a magnificent, spectacular musical experience."

"Plenty of people were moved to tears that night by the sheer intensity of it all, as Steve Hackett used his magic to stir up, in the corners of their souls, the days when they were teenagers listening to prog rock led by Genesis and…

Location: Ljubljana / Ljubljana Castle / SloveniaDate: Saturday, 29.06.2019 The third and final day of the first-ever Bluesland festival at Ljubljana Castle was kicked off by Shuffle Truffle! They're an Austrian blues rock trio made…

Location: Ljubljana / Ljubljanski grad / SloveniaDate: Friday, 28.06.2019 The last Friday of June 2019 is finally here. Another scorcher of a day, but also the centerpiece of this year's first edition of Bluesland, the festival that…

Even though the unpredictable summer weather played a nasty trick on them this time, King Crimson didn't leave their loyal followers in the middle of Palmanova out to dry, pulling off the shortened show just as it should be done and just as…

"Day one of Bluesland featured Bad Notion, Manu Lenvin and Mike Sponza, and the night was crowned by the arrival of the slender queen of modern blues rock, the superb Ana Popovič, who gave everyone a proper little guitar lesson in how to…

" In relentless rain, then, the crowd pulled off a real act of heroism, born of a deep, sincere love of music, and Marcus Milller and his crew simply had to reward it with an outstanding show. "

Location: Zagreb / ŠRC Šalata / CroatiaDate: Wednesday, 03.07.2019 Whitesnake. New album, new tour. These hard rock legends, who we figured more than ten years ago were probably on a farewell tour, or at least one of their last, are…

"So Adi remains part of the rich, vivid and powerful Slovenian singer-songwriter family: a total one-off, a one-of-a-kind gem, and an extraordinary shepherd of souls and awakener of the people!"

Knopfler's third solo visit to Ljubljana served up a superb mix of songs from his career, and Dire Straits fans got their fill too. Location: Stožice hall/Ljubljana/SloveniaDate: Saturday, June 29, 2019 It was 1977 when the…

When Death Angel are anywhere nearby, it's a "you know the drill" situation. And when they're playing Ljubljana, on a Friday no less, showing up is mandatory. For at least the last decade, Death Angel have been synonymous with how thrash…

Snarky Puppy's gig was a huge success despite the rain. The crowd made it clear that a return visit is more than welcome, because watching musicians play with this much perfectionism is a real treat.

"Fire!" the Swedish-Norwegian outfit, a proper "Scandi approach" to a potent fusion of rock and contemporary jazz mischief, dropped right into the heart of avant-eclecticism, sounds like a truly specific conglomerate of the rich…

"A bizarre enthronement of Zorn's explorative spirit, with a creative mission of playing church organs. This time the handy ones were simply those adorning the balcony of Gallus Hall in our Cankarjev dom."

"Paal Nilssen – Love: New Brazilian Funk play Ljubljana's Metelkova as the overture to the 60th Jazz Festival Ljubljana!"

Tampa, Florida is synonymous with death metal, since that's where the genre was spawned by Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary and Cannibal Corpse (the latter moved to Florida from Buffalo a bit later). Sadly, in the shadow of the bigger and…

Phil Collins showed off at Vienna's Ernst Happel stadium exactly why he's one of the biggest music stars of our time, and why it'll be a terribly sad day for the music world when he finally says goodbye.

"An hour and three quarters flew by in a heartbeat! Sting's presence is strong enough to win over the crowd and fill it with energy, easily and routinely, riding on a string of hits. The years just don't seem to touch him - may it stay that…

"A thoroughly devout "Prekmurje evening" on the second day of this year's GodiBodi festival, headlined by Edna and Ethnotrip."

"Day one of this year's GodiBodi festival of contemporary original and ethno music was all about Jernej Zoran & Ministrstvo Resnice and Fed Horses!

"Nothing left to add except that this year, in its 24th edition, the Jazz Cerkno festival once again blew everyone away, delivering a bunch of exclusive performances and brilliant live sensations"

"The second day of this year's 24th edition of Jazz Cerkno festival brought Koromač, Amirtha Kidambi Elder Ones and Luc Ex' Assemblée to the stages."

"Right out of the gate, day one of Jazz Cerkno 2019 served up an incredibly colorful cross-genre melting pot of three acts, and it flew by in a flash!"

"Die Ärzte - the legendary German punk rock trio, playing an exclusive club show in the heart of the Slovenian capital, threw a perfect party-theater extravaganza for their German-speaking crowd, who snapped up the tickets and sold the show…

"The foundations of a new era are laid. Now it's up to Mary Rose to pour as much energy as possible into promoting the album, find their place on the airwaves and concert stages, and claim the spot in the music world that the most carefully…

Location: Ljubljana / Cankarjev dom / SloveniaDate: Wednesday, 15.05.2019 Laibach remain an unstoppable fortress of Slovenian musical art. Last year they released a new album reworking the musical from the film "The Sound of Music"…

Location: Roncade (Treviso), New Age Club, ItalyDate: Friday, May 10, 2019 New Age Club in Roncade, a stone's throw from Treviso in Italy, has always been one of the handiest concert destinations: you can reach it by car from…

Tribute bands of all stripes have become a proper hit on our concert stages in recent years. You could probably write a sociological study on why, but the fact is that gigs by this kind of band are always very well attended here. So we get…

The second part of the fifth Metal Weekend at Kranj's Trainstation club delivered a night with Belphegor, Suffocation, God Dethroned, Nordjevel and Darkrise that was the perfect blend of black and death metal.

Location: Vienna / Wiener Stadthalle (Halle D) / AustriaDate: Wednesday, 01.05.2019 The yellow brick road doesn't just lead to Oz. In a career stretching all the way back to 1962, the one and only Sir Elton John has walked it too.…

Location: Ljubljana / Dvorana Stožice / SloveniaDate: Saturday, 27.04.2019 As Slovenia's biggest arena, Dvorana Stožice is usually reserved for the biggest names on the world music scene. Lenny Kravitz, who last played in Slovenia…