Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Venue: Mostovna, Solkan
Concert date: June 13, 2015
Attendance: 300
Ticket price: €22.00 (presale) / €25.00 (day of show)
It’s been a good while since the last proper thrash show around here, and then within fourteen days we got visits from not one but two sets of American thrash veterans. First the cult act Flotsam And Jetsam with a finger-lickin’ setlist (mostly classics from Doomsday For the Deceiver and No Place For Disgrace), and just two weeks after them, Bay Area elders Exodus, once again with the legendary Steve »Zetro« Souza at the helm and the solid studio album released last year, Blood In Blood Out, which is proof that you simply can’t stop the »exocrunch«.
Solkan’s Mostovna got a gorgeous, sunny, hot Saturday, which made the turnout even better, and sweating in the slightly stuffy hall was guaranteed already during Keller. Despite the clear sky and warm weather, which usually leaves the hall empty during the opening acts, a nice crowd answered the call of the Littoral-Carinthia-Carniola alliance Keller, whose gigs in recent years can be counted on the fingers of one hand. With the members scattered around Slovenia and beyond, their shows are rare, but all the sweeter when they happen. Despite the few gigs, Keller won everybody over with excellent tightness that not even somewhat worse sound could spoil, a shockwave of tectonic-tinged thrash, and inexhaustible stage energy. It was great to loosen up those neck vertebrae again after so long to burners like Death Command, Summon the Mortals and Holy Slaughter, and given the warm (heh) reception from the crowd, it would be worth making time for a few more shows, and maybe even a follow-up to the debut Spreading Evil?
And the sweat was already dripping into the beer during Keller’s set.
The next band is also a comeback from the living dead, or you could say a debtor, since after the release of the outstanding Coordinates of Confusion they vanished into the half-dead zone far too quickly. That’s also why Negligence drew almost as many people as Exodus, and during their set the hall became nearly unbearably hot. Despite being almost completely inactive in recent years, Negligence climbed onto the Mostovna stage as if they’d never left, and proved why they have such a reputation in the local (thrash) metal waters. There were a few minor errors and slip-ups (the most obvious during Shark Attack), but they did their thing the way it should be done and, despite the bad sound, reminded everyone of the immortal Places of Dawn, Addicted to Aggression and Mental Central, complete with wild soloing from the Aljo/Jey duo, an earthquake of a rhythm section (which, thanks to the messed-up sound, somewhat stayed in the background), and Alex’s beastly vocals (which got a bit of extra support from the mixing desk on the screams). Negligence spiced up their explosive set with two new tracks and bid farewell with War Machine, leaving the crowd with a smoldering hope that this show wasn’t just a sporadic appearance but a serious comeback.
And the sweat was flowing into the beer like a creek.
Exodus returned to the scene of the crime after exactly three years (they last set Mostovna ablaze on June 13, 2012), but this time with a beefed-up/»weakened« lineup. The beefing up is of course the return of the legendary Steve »Zetro« Souza, who recorded probably their best album and one of thrash’s best moments overall with the band, Tempo of the Damned, so his return was an even bigger reason to celebrate. Zetro replaced Rob Dukes, who had slowly but steadily improved vocally, but as a frontman was irritating and annoying, so from that angle this Exodus show was like night and day compared to the earlier ones. Zetro proved he’s an excellent frontman, with real charisma and proper stage banter, not half-racist idiocy. And why weakened? Well, this time, just like the last one, Exodus played without their boss Gary Holt, who surely brings in more coin with Slayer, but without Holt, Exodus aren’t quite what they are. Even though Kragen Lum (Heathen) did his job confidently and self-assuredly. Still, Exodus torched Mostovna for real, the front rows were moshing from the first few songs, and the atmosphere in the hall was great despite the Saharan heat. The instrumental side is never a question with Exodus anyway, and the performance was top-notch this time too, even though the famous guitar crunch was seriously weakened by the bad sound and mostly the solos came to the surface. Hunting plowed through the drums like a »Shovel Headed Kill Machine«, Gibson’s bass rumble was again nicely audible, and Zetro’s vocals were strong and convincing despite his 51 years, only running out of breath a little at moments. Exodus put together a suitably long show from both old and new material, and given Zetro’s return they could have played a few more from Tempo, since Shroud of Urine or Impaler would have nicely rounded out the hour-and-a-half-long »A Leson In Violence.«
Hats off to the band for lasting a good hour and a half on stage… because in the end the sweat was pouring into the beer like a waterfall.
Setlist
EXODUS:
1. Black 13
2. Blood In, Blood Out
3. Iconoclasm
4. Children of a Worthless God
5. Piranha
6. Salt the Wound
7. Pleasures of the Flesh
8. Body Harvest
9. Metal Command
10. The Last Act of Defiance
11. Blacklist
12. A Lesson In Violence
13. Bonded By Blood
14. War Is My Shepherd
15. The Toxic Waltz
16. Strike of the Beast
Photo Gallery
