Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Venue: MC Jedro, Medvode
Concert date: 02.10.2015
The autumn concert season is in full swing, and the Jedro club in Medvode has picked up the baton too, kicking off its season with the traditional Metal med vodami night. Last year Jedro was wrecked exclusively by locals (Metalsteel, Street Creeps and Classified), but this time around forces from the coast occupied Medvode – the young thrash crew Black Reaper, heavy metallers Underground and Cowboy From Hell, a coastal lineup (with one Gorenjska guy thrown in) that (for now) plays covers of metal classics.
Only a few dozen people in the early evening hours suggested that something was going on at Jedro, but by half past nine, when Black Reaper took the stage, the space in front of it thankfully filled up quite a bit. The guys probably didn’t feel like they were at rehearsal up there, quickly shook off their initial shyness and hit like old hands with old-school thrash, with obvious but not excessive influences from bands like early Exodus, Sepultura, Kreator and Sodom. Despite their tender age (if I’m not mistaken, the members add up to no more than 15 years each!), the foursome from Morsko proved that age is no measure of a band’s abilities – the only things pointing to the band’s teenage years were the cheeks that don’t even sprout peach fuzz yet. Black Reaper launched into their set at breakneck speed, with raw, aggressive, exclusively original material (very commendable!), marked by the well-crafted vocal lines of the growling Rok, interesting and memorable riffs that cut as reliably as a freshly sharpened circular saw, and thundering, dynamic drumming. Rok has an exceptionally commanding voice, occasionally helped out with backing vocals by Jure (there could have been even more of those vocal interjections), and if the band’s youth shows anywhere, it’s only in the cliché lyrics full of words like war and blood, but Rok sings them so sincerely and convincingly that you can’t hold it against them. The guys fittingly wrapped up with Blood Moon Rising, right after the recent lunar eclipse, and confirmed that the world stands on the young. An absolutely positive surprise, and may Black Reaper keep going in this direction!
The Nova Gorica heavy metal revivalists Underground already have a bit more mileage. They act as a Slovenian underground tribute to the forefathers of heavy metal, with Iron Maiden, King Diamond and Judas Priest at the helm. Underground threw themselves into their allotted time with everything they had and ripped off one banger after another. Instrumentally the performance was exceptionally convincing, ruled by elaborate riffing, lovely solo excursions and a strong rhythmic foundation (the aggressive drumming is already bordering on thrash metal), but this time it was overshadowed by Mario Murgič’s vocals. He had no major trouble screaming even in the »Halford-meets-King« high lines, but the frontman role suffered quite a bit – at least it looked like Mario had peered a little too deep into the glass. Despite a confident and assured performance, Underground didn’t show themselves in their best light this time, which was also reflected in the rather thinned-out crowd.
The night’s headliners, Cowboys From Hell, were definitely the most seasoned band at Metal med vodami 2015, since these hellish cowboys are all battle-hardened veterans of the scene. The band brings together vocalist Igor Zonta (ex-Revolver), bassist Edi »Ejaq« Udovič (ex-Almost Rage), guitarists Miha »Buco« Oman (ex-Lady’s First, Mit) and Vasilij Sušanj (Su-Shine) and drummer David Bordon (Morana). They took their name from the cult track and album by the legendary Pantera and sank their teeth honestly into the goal of playing classic (heavy) metal songs. Over a good hour the guys strung together damn well-known but not worn-out anthems (which is always the Achilles’ heel of cover bands, and here CFH earn a big plus) by Pantera, Machine Head, Metallica and Alice In Chains. Instrumentally the band holds up fantastically live, this time also thanks to excellent, almost slightly too loud sound. The guitars crunched the way they should, especially right when it was needed (I’m Broken, 5 Minutes Alone, Walk), the deeply felt solos cut like a scalpel, the drums cracked like the rulers of evil nuns on the backsides of naughty girls, and Ejaq’s bass dug like an excavator. Igor did great in all the chameleon-like vocal assaults; you can hear he’s most at home in the waters of the screamier Pantera classics, but he surprised even more when he stepped faithfully and confidently into Layne Staley’s big shoes with a fantastic rendition of Would? and Man in the Box. In Medvode, Cowboys From Hell proved they’re a lovely addition to and enrichment of the local scene, a band that truly comes alive on stage (where else, of course!), where each of the players adds the icing on the cake to the music with their charisma and infectious energy. Excellent, though I’d personally still like to see original material join their beautifully played covers as soon as possible.
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