Author: Primož Novak
Video: Primož Novak
Venue: Gala Hala / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 03.07.2014
Ticket price: 20 €
Summer brings heat, festivals and Ferragosto. And every summer the Dihurčka duo surprise us with a club show or two, featuring bands filling the gaps in their off-festival schedules. This time it was the turn of fans of heavy riffs. Ljubljana was visited by American sensation Kylesa, who first played in Slovenia in 2011 at Metalcamp. This time around, we got the chance for a more intimate show.
First on stage were local lads Omega Sun, whose original material made it clear that interest in stoner rock is waking up more and more in Slovenia lately. Omega Sun aren’t exactly reinventing the wheel with their music, they just stick to the tried-and-true guidelines laid down by Kyuss and all the similar bands that followed. The band played more than solidly, and above all showed the potential for a breath of fresh air for the Slovenian metal scene, which at times seems pretty withered.
With Lazer/Wulf, the picture was completely different. The band didn’t really fit with the headliner. They didn’t match it genre-wise even a little bit. You could say Lazer/Wulf were the odd ones out that night, because their music is complex and demanding. The crazy trio kept switching up rhythms and tempos the whole time. Some parts definitely flirted with jazz, while some of the harder-hitting sections recalled the rhythms of djent bands. Lazer/Wulf showed the crowd no mercy. Every now and then a »jumpdafuckup« groove would pop up, which let people happily bang their heads along, but the emphasis was mostly on complexity. All three members were unbelievably in sync, and of course the guitarist got the most attention, bursting at the seams with energy. Now and then he let out a noise or sang a verse, but throughout the show Lazer/Wulf made it clear that vocals are only an occasional garnish for them. Lazer/Wulf are one of those bands that prove it’s still possible to hear something new these days.
Expectations for Kylesa were undoubtedly high. Sadly, they didn’t live up to them. The band played on autopilot and at times looked pretty bored up there on stage. Even though sludge and stoner metal have become a little overchewed over the years, Kylesa deserve praise for their excellent blend of stoner, sludge and even some psychedelic rock. The band also impressed with outstanding visuals, the kind Gala Hala’s hall hasn’t seen in a long time. The songs were, fittingly for the visuals, dynamic and varied. That was helped by the trade-off in vocals between guitarist Phillip Cole and charismatic guitarist Laura Pleasants, who is also the main reason for the band’s popularity today. Laura has influenced many of the female vocalists in sludge metal today; Windhand are a good example. Back to Kylesa, though: the problem was mainly the band’s performance, which at times was just too slow. The band’s energy was also like that of a hotel lounge act that has to entertain guests for some miserable pay. The two drummers have always stirred up a lot of debate, since they play most of the set identically, so the point of having two drummers gets lost quickly. The sound probably added to the bad aftertaste, too. You could hear the band fine, but the whole thing was noticeably too quiet.
Sadly, Kylesa said their goodbyes after just an hour, which gave Gala Hala what was basically a festival set. That left plenty of people without their personal favorite. While the two support acts impressed, Kylesa’s short, low-energy show didn’t live up to expectations. If Kylesa ever come back, we can only hope they’ll play with more confidence next time.
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