Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Venue: Orto bar, Ljubljana
Concert date: January 19, 2018
Every year, and by now it’s been a few in a row, Dirty Skunks Fest chases away the post-New Year depression. It’s not just a party for the busiest gig-organizing duo in Slovenia, but a celebration of the Slovenian alternative or, if you prefer, underground scene. Dirty Skunks Fest is where Slovenian bands from metal, punk, hardcore and all their offshoots always get their shot, and plenty of them are bands still racking up their first live miles. Unlike last year, this time the fest ran on only two of Orto’s three stages, which turned out to be a logistically very welcome change, since there was a lot less running back and forth between stages. And once again, Orto was bursting at the seams.
The honor of kicking off the stinky machinery this year went to Ljubljana heavy metallers Pyroxene, who put out their debut EP last year and also presented it on Orto’s stage. The start sounded promising, as the slow intro Helium 3 set up a nicely ominous atmosphere, thanks in part to vocalist Jan, wrapped in a black robe and hooded. Unfortunately, it all went a bit downhill from there. The theatrics, with all the dropping to their knees, were overdone, and the performance probably suffered because of it, especially the guitar lines, which were pretty obviously botched more than once. I hope it was just a one-off bad night, because Pyroxene, mostly thanks to Jan’s excellent vocals, are definitely not to be written off.
Black metallers Kholn from Velenje led us into darker waters, and they won me over with a raw performance of old-school-sounding black metal that the likes of Darkthrone and good old Mayhem wouldn’t say no to. The guys were superbly tight, their take on black metal sounds just wicked enough, and it was great to hear some seriously solid blast beating, while melodic bits here and there liven up the whole thing and recall the legendary Dissection. On the plus side I can also count the top-notch vocals and the absence of corpse paint, which gave it an even more old-school vibe.
Next up on the bigger of this year’s two stages, another pleasant surprise. Amalgam are made up of seasoned members of bands like Armaroth, Raggalution, Didge and Mutism, and that’s more or less how they sound. Each member brought their own influences over from their home bands, and they managed to forge them into a chaotic, schizophrenic and progressive whole that works surprisingly well. You can hear echoes of bands like Mastodon, Tomahawk, Mr. Bungle and The Dillinger Escape Plan in Amalgam, and the experimental core of the band works great. Filip’s vocals are chameleon-like, nicely complementing guitars that are sometimes floating and sometimes monolithically scorching, while the crushing rhythm section adds the cherry on top. I can’t wait for a studio release.
Sadly, Kreshesh Nepitash canceled their set, but USiŁ stepped in as replacements. The duo, drums plus an eight-string axe, put your eardrums through sonic torture upstairs at high volume, and the massive wall of sound thoroughly rattled your guts.
Next to shake things up were the legendary groove metallers Kaoz from Velenje, who tore through the set with no compromises, as if it were their last gig ever. The mix of Sepultura, Soulfly, Pantera and modern American metal sounded downright crushing, and Kaoz were superbly tight, which the crowd noticed too, filling up the downstairs hall. Đoko’s vocals could maybe have been a bit less screamy for this kind of music, but that’s a matter of taste. Either way, the band being active again is something to celebrate, and I hope the guys surprise us with a follow-up to their legendary 2003 debut.
Virus took care of the dose of punk, folk metallers Avven wrapped up the live part of Friday night in the downstairs hall, and I paid more attention to the black metal trio Ater Era, who just released their third studio album Clades and opened with its first track, March to Abysmal Void. Despite somewhat worse sound, with their rather unique approach, which includes psychedelic passages, long songs and complex-sounding black metal, Ater Era proved they’re among the best local black metal bands and rounded off yet another Dirty Skunks Fest in style!
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