Author: Rok Klemše
Venue: Channel Zero (Metelkova) / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 26.03.2008
Attendance: 90
Ticket price: 7,00€
A month has passed since the last Thursday metal night at Channel Zero, and it was high time for its walls to shake again with guitar riffs and the pounding shockwaves of rhythm sections. This time, Nataša and Matevž breathed new life into every thrasher out there and brought four excellent local bands to Channel Zero – thrash metal strikes back! All the way from the coast to Styria! The coastal colors were represented by the revamped Almost Rage and the thrash/death storm that is Hiram, Velenje’s flag was proudly waved by Inmate, and fantastic technical thrash was blown in from all directions by Crossbreed.
The hurricane blew in at nine, when Almost Rage, formerly The Fifth Season, took the stage first, with just a new name and logo. Name or no name, Almost Rage are still a truly devastating thrash force from the coast. Although Almost Rage remain a trio, the small lineup doesn’t hurt the quality of the music one bit. Quite the opposite: Iztok Bajc on guitar easily manages to fill the space of two guitars, which are almost a must in thrash, while the real strength of Almost Rage lies in the punchy rhythm section, made up of Edi Udovič’s dynamic, “groovy” bass lines and Igor Marasovič’s lively drumming. On top of his effective bass playing, Edi also delivers quality thrasher vocals, which in the cleaner registers recall the young James Hetfield, while in the rawer “semi-growl” parts they bring to mind a more brutal Chuck Billy. Thrash metal inspired by bands like Testament, Metallica or Pantera works especially well live thanks to the great interplay of guitar riffs and bass lines, so it’s no wonder the space in front of the stage filled up pretty quickly, and Almost Rage definitely got the support they deserve. In a good half hour, the coastal trio lined up a few songs from the The Fifth Season era, a few brand-new Almost Rage wreckers, and, on top of it all, a superbly played Pantera classic, Drag the Waters. Almost Rage’s unforgettable premiere in the capital made for a great warm-up to the evening and the first neck-stretching exercises. Let’s hope we get to hear the first studio recordings soon!
ALMOST RAGE:
1. A Denied Dream
2. Circle Of Life
3. Total Madness
4. Immortal Thoughts
5. Drag The Waters
6. Scars
7. Desert
There was just enough time for a break to let the beer supply recover, because the revamped Crossbreed were already taking the stage. The guys have finally managed to find a well-deserved and long-awaited vocalist, and they’re busily racking up gig miles with him. It’s almost pointless to waste words on Crossbreed’s instrumental side, since their technical perfection is proverbial, led by murderously good riffs and breathtaking solos from the duo of Gregor Kamenšek and Nejc Zupan. The rhythm section is no less impressive, with Simon Kampuš’s grooving bass and Boštjan’s drums. Let me say it again: Grega is a guitar madman and the creator of probably the most virtuosic, offbeat guitar lines in the country! An ever-tighter crew makes sure every new gig is better than the last, and the biggest progress since the last time I saw Crossbreed has no doubt been made by the freshly baked Crossbreed member Klemen Kalin – Buco. He’s found the right vocal style, which fits Crossbreed like a glove, the nerves are mostly gone, and he’s already singing on almost every song. The formerly instrumental tracks get a whole new look with Buco’s raw thrasher vocals and high screams, and the fresh Images sounds fantastic too. Of course, this time again there was no escaping the obligatory trio of covers – Painkiller, Alison Hell and Curse the Gods, on which Simon takes over the vocals brilliantly. Even though all three covers sound fantastic every single time and set the crowd on fire, maybe it’s time for a new surprise, which Crossbreed are more than capable of, and I definitely wouldn’t mind gradually swapping the covers for their own wreckers. After the closing Manipulated, which in my book is one of the brightest moments of Slovenian metal, the encore demanded by the crowd naturally followed. Ave Crossbreed!
CROSSBREED:
1. Gra Gra 2
2. Removed
3. Painkiller
4. The 5 of Life
5. Images
6. Alison Hell
7. Demon’s Seed
8. Curse the Gods
9. Manipulated
And Almost Rage weren’t the only ones proving on Thursday that a strong metal scene is waking up on the coast, because Hiram from Koper played third. Hiram brought somewhat more brutal sounds, as their music is caught in thrash with a touch of death metal. The latter comes mostly from Jan’s aggressive, raw growls, which blend with the cleaner sung parts into a dynamic and varied whole. Live, they were excellently complemented by the lines of the guitar duo Damir/Savo, who never run out of good, fresh ideas, as Hiram are full of dynamic passages, great death/thrash riffs and melodic solos that occasionally draw on the influence of the Swedish death metal school. On top of that, there are occasional harmonized thirds, like in the murderous Prvi brat. Quite a few people from the coast came to back Hiram, headbanging fervently up front, and Hiram really managed to fire up a nicely packed Channel Zero. Live, the guys from the coast are damn lively, so your neck just starts moving on its own to the double bass drum hits. It’s commendable that the lyrics are in Slovenian, and Hiram are living proof that even our dear mother tongue can sound intense and melodic in metal. Hiram, we’re waiting for the record.
HIRAM:
1. V.D.K.
2. Prvi brat
3. Davidova prisega
4. Anon
5. Vdihni zver
6. Crni
7. Potnik
8. Generacija V.
9. Hidra II.
10. 23
Last to take the stage were Inmate from Velenje. The guys had almost as much trouble finding a vocalist as Crossbreed, but they finally solved it in February 2006 with the arrival of Miha Oblišar. Last summer he was replaced as vocalist by Matjaž Parfant, and Inmate began an unstoppable march across Slovenian stages, which has also brought them to Channel Zero. Inmate burned through an hour-long set of outstanding thrash metal grafted with Swedish-school influences. Matjaž slotted into the band perfectly, and with him Inmate sound better than ever, boasting a strong vocalist with a lively, versatile voice that recalls James Hetfield in the clean registers but handles growls just as well. There was a bit of a lack of banter with the crowd, but the destructive rhythm section did the talking instead, along with yet another spectacular guitar duo of the night. Andrej Bezjak and Aleš Kroflič, who only joined the guys last year, complement each other extremely well and toss solos and melodic parts back and forth for fun. There’s no point singling out individual songs, since each is better than the last, but the excellent Fire, Walk With Me really stuck in my ear (a borrowed title from the Twin Peaks film?). Inmate were a fantastic finish to an incredible night, and here we have surely one of the most energetic and best bands in the country. The guys are currently recording their debut, and I hope it gets finished fast, because my ears are already impatiently waiting for Inmate captured on disc, even if only in my living room.
INMATE:
1. Lost in Words
2. Inexorable Path
3. Stength&Honor
4. Inner Fear
5. Just For Today
6. Burn Down Blaze
7. Fire, Walk With Me
8. WithoutWarning
Last Thursday was probably one of the best metal nights at Channel Zero, both from the bands’ side and the crowd’s (and definitely the best of those I attended myself). The organizers put together a fantastic lineup of bands that rank among the best of an already good Slovenian metal scene. All four bands did excellently, and a slightly bigger crowd than usual conjured up a proper thrasher atmosphere. May visits to Channel like this happen as often as possible!
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Text: Rok Klemše
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