Author: Urban Bolta
Venue: Roll Bar / Ljubljana
Concert date: 07.04.2011
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: free entry
It hasn’t even been a year since the last (well, the first) Lene Kosti show at Roll Bar in BTC, and the second one is already here. A good year after launching the debut “Do or Die” and playing a ton of gigs, Lene Kosti have started looking toward a new album and decided to open a new chapter in their story. That made this spring show more than tempting for anyone in the band’s corner, a chance to check out live what the godfathers of Slovenian heavy metal are up to in a seriously turbulent time for them.
Last fall, Aaron Cernatič (Mit, Lady’s First) filled the bass spot left open by Gregor Brenk’s departure, and together with drummer Rok “W.U.K.O.” Večerin he now forms a completely revamped rhythm section. The band debuted in this lineup in December at Orto Bar, and with the start of the new year they’ve been marching toward new successes with young, fresh blood in the ranks. The Lene kosti camp hinted that this spring show would bring two completely new songs to the set, so the question of where to go on a quiet April Friday was almost pointless for me. To Lene kosti, of course!
The Roll Bar, hardly the most rock’n’roll-friendly spot, was swarming with bikers that evening, since the owners of the iron steeds were holding their internal Friday moto meetup, which fit a night of heavier rhythms perfectly. Right at the entrance you nearly crashed into the Lene kosti merch stand, and a quick look inside revealed a slightly comical mix of people. Heavy rock fans were in the majority, but there were also plenty of regulars who’d rather pull on a skin-tight pink shirt on an ordinary Friday night than a Judas Priest tee. No matter, though: the opening song, Uninvited Guest, pulled those of us who came for the band right to the front of the stage. Frontman Milan “Dr. Evil” Krušič left his colorful collection of costumes (the evil doctor, the old lady with a scythe and other more or less sinister characters) at home in the cold this time and devoted himself one hundred percent to vocal duties, which he handled with great confidence and conviction despite the hellish tempo. He kept his vocals razor-sharp throughout the whole set and had no trouble with even the toughest lines, like in Warrior or Diamonds and Rust, where the slow acoustic backing from the Kavaš brothers puts the vocals on the front line with an even bigger role, and any slip-ups would be that much more audible. After Diamonds and Rust came the first peak of the night: The Cage! It’s a completely new song with a raw, express-train speed metal rhythm engine and the punchy chorus Lene kosti are known for, which just poured more fuel on the fire in an already sweltering club.
The guitar duo of brothers Giovanni and Marco Kavaš always does a great job thanks to how well they know each other, laying down a reliable guitar foundation backed by the aforementioned new rhythm engine: W.U.K.O. on drums and Aaron on bass. Aaron was a frequent target of glances this time, and after half a year of seasoning as the band’s bassist, and despite this being only his third show, it’s clear the chemistry between the members has finally clicked, making the performance smooth and relaxed. On that foundation of mutual trust, Lene kosti can calmly plan their long-awaited second album in the coming period. The onslaught ended with Nightmare, before it was time for a break of about 20 minutes, which was good for gathering strength ahead of the second half of the evening.
Since we were deprived of Krušič’s usual theater show, the band could afford to shuffle the set, as the performance wasn’t built on a central concept that would demand a strict running order. The second half served up some of the hardest-hitting tracks from the debut “Do or Die”, like Warrior, Russian Girl and Rock Power, while the peak came with Penetrator, another song getting its live premiere, a fresh creation from the Kavaš brothers and Krušič. First impressions of the two newest tracks are extremely positive: the band charges into even more extreme waters at a killer tempo, with no time even to catch your breath, and the hidden blues crumbs, otherwise the trademark of the boogie metal debut, have evaporated from the guitar lines. These are, of course, just my first impressions, and a more precise verdict will have to wait until I catch one of the band’s next shows. As the cherry on top after a successful reunion, the metal warriors on stage treated us to The Cage once more before the final goodbye, reminding us that work on the new record is the band’s top priority right now.
With Friday’s show, Lene kosti successfully sailed into a new era, the post-“Do or Die” era, which officially wraps up the promotion of the debut, and the band now faces the future head-on, one that will surely bring new successes. Charismatic presence led by frontman Krušič, a reliable performance, and chemistry that works. Those are the hallmarks of the only real (and active) traditional heavy metal outfit in the land of Carniola, which, as I’ve noticed from the very beginning, doesn’t get proper support from the younger metal generation. Why that is, sadly, I have no answer.
Photos: Martin Prezelj
Setlist
First set: 1. Uninvited Guest 2. I Got The… 3. Diamonds and Rust 4. The Cage 5. Stones of Death 6. Iron Dragon 7. Time for Love 8. Tube Snake Boogie 9. Nightmare ————– Second set: 10. The Sting 11. Play With Fire 12. Sunrise 13. Warrior 14. Russian Girl 15. Penetrator 16. Rock Power 17. Do or Die 18. The Cage
Photo gallery
