Performers: Kataklysm, Vader, Blood Red Throne
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026
Location: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / Slovenia
This kind of lineup doesn’t come to Slovenia every day. Sure, Kataklysm have practically been granted honorary citizenship here — or at least the status of a national concert institution. And Vader, for whom this was their seventeenth show in Slovenia, have more or less erected a monument to themselves among us. All bundled together with the cult Norwegian death metal representatives Blood Red Throne. Criminal to miss — especially for lovers of extreme metal.
Fifteen minutes past seven, and in their half-hour slot the Norwegian death metal legends spent the bulk of their setlist on their most recent output. The quintet is still fronted by the steadfast guitarist Daniel “Død” Olaisen — today the only original member of the current lineup. The band delivered a compact, half-hour missile of merciless punishment, with guitarist Ivan Gujić also fuelling the fire with his comments in Serbo-Croatian, which quickly won the band the crowd’s favour. They focused predominantly on their recent era — the last three studio albums — though they opened and closed with classics from their early period. Unleashing Hell tore things open right from the start, while the “Altered Genesis” classic Smite was saved for the finale. The sound was also very solid, meaning Sindre Wathne Johnsen’s devastating growl came through hard and clear.
Vader hit the stage just past eight! The indestructible Poles, who have been tearing up stages since 1983, have well surpassed 40 years in the game! At the center stands the now-legendary band boss, growler and guitarist Piotr Wiwczarek. The quartet — with Piotr backed brilliantly by the supremely reliable guitarist Marek Pajak and bassist Tomasz Halicki, and since 2022 Michał Andrzejczyk on drums — once again confirmed their bulletproof stage presence. An old-school beast still rampaging in the most gloriously old-fashioned way, yet remaining the absolute personification of conviction on stage. A ferocious 45 minutes, though Vader did need a fair while to get the crowd going — meaning going enough to generate at least some serious moshing. Even as they opened with the classic Sothis from the second album “De Profundis” (1995), followed by Fractal Light from the third “Black To the Blind” (1997) and then Wings from the fourth “Litany” (2000), the crowd was noticeably reserved at first. Most people that evening had clearly come to Ljubljana for Kataklysm. But once the crowd finally woke up, the moshing and madness didn’t let up — all the way to the end of the legendary Polish metal extremists’ set.
The band put together a fantastic set that leaned heavily on their earlier era! They also worked in three tracks from the EPs “Reign Forever World” (2000, title track) and The Art Of War (2005, Lead Us!!! and This is War), then wrapped things up with two more classics: Dark Age (from the debut “The Ultimate Incantation”) and Carnal (“Black To The Blind”). The closing slot went to Helleluyah!!! (God Is Dead), with Piotr holding the crowd right there with him at the very end, getting them to join in the “God is Dead!!!” chants. Bottom line: with Vader you get exactly what the name promises. Even after more than 40 years they remain incredibly tight and utterly convincing on stage. The sound was excellent, and the show more than satisfied any true fan of this genuinely legendary outfit!
Kataklysm took the stage just before half past nine. The stage wrapped itself in a thick fog through which infrared goat eyes pierced from the backdrop screen. The band delivered with full professionalism exactly what you expect from a group of this caliber. But this time they didn’t conjure that complete blasphemous euphoria we’ve witnessed at some of their previous shows — whether here at CUK Kino Šiška or at Metaldays.
The band played flat out. Full tilt. Yet the eternally charismatic vocalist Maurizio Iacono — who again showed off excellent growling form — came across as a touch reserved at moments. The band drew a somewhat smaller crowd than expected based on past experience. And even when the man urged the audience to pull the kind of rituals you expect at an extreme metal show, the response wasn’t exactly overwhelming. Crowd surfing? Yes — but only in the second half of the show, and even then it was hard to compare with what the crowd managed at their previous encounters with the band. There was a time when people crowd surfed in waves. One after another they flew over the hands! In multiple parallel rows at once. Almost non-stop.
Still, the concert energy absolutely worked at more than a satisfactory level. And the band definitely delivered — just as much as they had to. Professional, well-drilled. Flawless in execution, not a single slip. In an hour and fifteen minutes! All well and good, but without that expected finishing touch.
Text: Edita Klemen & Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Blood Red Throne – setlist
1. Unleashing Hell
2. Beneath the Means
3. Every Silent Plea
4. Itika
5. Vermicular Heritage
6. Smite
Vader – setlist:
1. In Vaders – taped Intro
2. Sothis
3. Fractal Light
4. Wings
5. The One Made of Dreams
6. Reign Forever World
7. The Book
8. Cold Demons
9. This Is the War
10. Lead Us!!!
11. Triumph of Death
12. Dark Age
13. Carnal
14. Helleluyah!!! (God Is Dead)
15. The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme) – taped outro
Kataklysm – setlist:
1. Push the Venom
2. Thy Serpents Tongue
3. Goliath
4. Die as a King
5. Prevail
6. Soul Destroyer
7. The Rabbit Hole
8. Drum Solo
9. The Resurrected
10. In Shadows & Dust
11. As I Slither
12. Bringer of Vengeance
13. Crippled & Broken
14. At the Edge of the World
15. Narcissist
16. The Black Sheep
