Location: Kulturni dom / Postojna / Slovenia
Date: Friday, 17.05.2019
Last Friday, all roads led to Postojna, specifically to the local Kulturni dom, where homegrown heavy rock veterans Mary Rose returned to the stage after a long break. But Friday night at Kulturni dom was no ordinary gig. It was a full-on event, because Mary Rose finally released their long-awaited new studio album and unveiled a revamped visual identity, stepping into a new era. But let’s take it from the top.
Mary Rose got going in the second half of the eighties and in 1989 put out their now-cult debut »Rocks Off«. Turbulent years followed: countless lineup changes and a studio burned to the ground, the one where they were recording their second record. In 2006 they came back with their second album »Feniks«, this time with Slovenian lyrics and a more sophisticated, hard rock sound. Around then they opened for the great Whitesnake at Križanke, played a handful of shows with John Lawton (ex-Uriah Heep) and, after more lineup shuffling, started working on a third album. Which just never came… Fate wasn’t kind to the band, and personal tragedies and health problems among the members kept pushing the release further and further into the future. Another thirteen years went by before the night Mary Rose finally launched their third full-length.
Mary Rose planned their entry into a new age, into the »Resničen svet« (Real World), as the new album is called, with great care. The foyer of Kulturni dom was decked out with a refreshed merch stand offering a wide range of items, plus a special package for the band’s biggest supporters. And there were plenty of those – tickets for the night sold out in just a few days, and without any special promotion. A six-year break from the stage and a thirteen-year break from the studio clearly did their thing!
A few minutes past half past eight in the evening, with the seats already nicely filled – only the biggest beer lovers were still missing – it was go time! The five-piece spread out across the stage and kicked off the night with Preteklost, which also opens the album »Resničen svet«. The stage production was lavish! At the back of the stage, a screen showed slick video footage themed around the songs being played, and lighting effects rounded out the visuals. Mary Rose have always been known as sound perfectionists, and that trait was more present than ever in tonight’s live performance.
Mary Rose played the whole of »Resničen svet«, from start to finish. The first half of the set featured Vizija, Resničen svet and Stampedo, all of which had already been released as music videos in recent years, while the second half was completely new to most of the ears in the room. Frontman Žanil Tataj – Žak and guitarist Eki Alilovski, the only remaining original member of the band, passed the mic back and forth between songs. Eki was visibly moved by the crowd’s response, and no wonder, after everything he’s been through in recent years. “I played my first gig on this very spot more than thirty years ago, back when we were listening to Pomaranča and Buldožer…”, went one of those between-song remarks. Žak’s stage delivery remains top-notch! The charismatic guy easily tamed the size of the stage and kept the crowd on its toes. Even the emcee duties don’t faze him – he still hits the highest vocal registers with ease and keeps his place on the throne as one of the best heavy metal frontmen in the wider region.
The new songs are polished in both production and arrangement. The interplay between Eki’s guitar and Sandi’s keyboards keeps the sound full and proves that Mary Rose move deep within the tradition of the classic rock school, and there were even hints of mild prog (Vizija). In the overall sonic picture, Eki’s guitar was underrepresented (at least in the front rows), which was the only downside of Friday night. The dynamic rhythm section, now a long-standing duo of Mitja Kobal (bass) and David Debevec (drums), laid down a reliable skeleton on the right side of the stage for the mostly hard-hitting songs, but of course the softer souls got their share too (Resničen svet, Kje si zdaj), with frontman Žak picking up an acoustic guitar as well. After playing the entire album, still smelling of fresh print, Mary Rose came back on stage with Sam and then Action. The latter, from the aforementioned debut »Rocks Off«, was without a doubt one of the highlights of the night for all the older fans, who made up the bulk of the audience that evening.
The album is out, and the first reactions are good. The foundations of a new era are laid. Now it’s up to Mary Rose to pour as much energy as possible into promoting the album, find their place on the airwaves and concert stages, and claim the spot in the music world that the most carefully guarded secret of Slovenian hard rock should have earned long ago. If only we could write that, like a phoenix from the ashes, they rose into a new, real world!
author: Urban Bolta
photos: Mirsad “Grga” Demirović
Setlist:
1. Preteklost
2. Vizija
3. Ob letu osorej
4. Resničen svet
5. Stampedo
6. Planet
7. Nagon
8. Paranoja
9. Kje si zdaj
10. Ko tako objame
11. Ples
12. Sam II
—encore—
13. Sam
14. Action
