Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Jerneja Jerak, Sebastijan Videc
Video: Sebastijan Videc
Location: Sotočje, Tolmin, Slovenia
Concert date: 28.07.2016
The fourth festival day kicked off on the main stage with Luxembourg’s death metallers Scarred, who proved to be probably the best »opening« band of this year’s edition. Sure, the influences of bands like Nevermore and Gojira might be a bit too obvious in their music, but with a performance like this of such excellent original material, we really can’t hold it against them. They were a very pleasant surprise and a band with huge potential for future growth. (t: David)
Right after them, the rainy start to Thursday afternoon continued with local heroes The Canyon Observer. The ambient was perfect for this kind of set, which they delivered in a very professional way. They conjured up their own kind of thunderstorm on stage – with a loudly rumbling soundscape and flashing strobe lights, and Matic’s animalistic vocals added the cherry on top as the band plunged the whole campsite into painful, melancholic hopelessness – in a good way, as a contrast to the two bands that followed. (t: David)
After the Slovenes, Austria’s Serenity took the stage, and sadly they don’t sound anywhere near as good live as on the album. Their set looked contrived, even routine, and when a backing singer in a skin-tight dress with a plunging neckline joined them on stage, the whole thing started to take the shape of a Eurovision performance. With every song there were fewer and fewer people in front of the stage, and by the end practically nobody was left. The band later thanked their phantom crowd on Facebook (with too many hashtags) for sticking with them in the rain, and attached a photo from some bar. Well, we all know the whole point of music is to give the impression of success on social media. (t: David)
The gloom on the main stage was kept going by Immolation. They played without guitarist Bill Taylor, who had to fly home for family reasons, and drummer Steve Shalaty lost his gear and was forced to play on borrowed equipment. They last played in Tolmin on the second stage two years ago and didn’t leave the best impression; despite low expectations, they let me down again this year. The vocals, guitar and bass were solid enough, but the biggest problem was the drummer, who clearly had two left feet. An overly loud, inaccurate trigger totally wrecked the sound and the whole thing came off as truly dismal. He had the same problem two years ago too, and I don’t think borrowed gear was the only culprit – the cause lies somewhere else. The band might be worth catching again if they find a replacement, but for now, good intentions aside, they sound far from ideal. (t: David)
One of the bigger draws, if we can call it that, for fans of gentler rhythms, Delain, hit the main stage a little before 6 p.m. The energetic Dutch five-piece with singer Charlotte Wessels are about to release a new album titled »Moonbathers« on Napalm records, so they treated the crowd to a few teasers from the upcoming record. A well-executed set with no noticeable slip-ups, drawing on their symphonic gothic repertoire, was a pleasant change of pace for the afternoon, with a decent crowd in front of the stage too. The tight riffs and rhythm section make a lovely foundation for the singer’s quality vocals. Definitely one of the better sets of the day. (t: Klemen)
At seven, another about-face followed when Greek symphonic death metallers SepticFlesh took the stage. Despite guitarist Christos’ technical problems dragging on through the whole set, the Greeks were without doubt among the best acts of this year, thanks to an excellent song selection, a confident performance and Spiros’ constant interaction with the crowd. Their set can be summed up with the words »My friends, on the count of three, we will destroy!«, which Seth used fairly regularly (maybe even too much). To everyone the Greeks blew away this year, I’d warmly recommend catching them at a club show, where they’re even a notch better. (t: David)
At the same time as SepticFlesh, it was time on the smaller stage for gothic rock metallers Phantasmagoria. Expectations were higher than what we actually got. The band from neighboring Croatia has been on the scene for quite a while, but judging by what they showed, they need some serious direction. A set you could have skipped without much of a sin, since it didn’t spark any real energy. (t: Klemen)
Before the evening’s biggest attractions, England’s Electric Wizard played the main stage. A good show for all the doom/sludge metal fans, proving that you don’t need warp-speed playing to bring the energy at Metaldays. Definitely one of the better performances in their genre at this year’s festival. There’s quite a bit of psychedelia in the songs too, and the only small gripe you could have with the band is the monotony, as song after song gets a bit too repetitive. Overall, a good set from a tight foursome. (t: Klemen)
Right after them, the festival’s biggest surprise came on the second stage with Nine Treasures, Mongolian folk metallers who packed the venue to the last corner and wowed everyone with their unique presence, sound and simplicity. Nine Treasures are the definition of how a young band should look, because even though they’ve only been active for four years, they can easily compete with the biggest names on the main stage. A flawless performance of excellent material in ideal sound conditions and a lovely energy blew away everyone present, and I sincerely hope the same thing happens to them as with Skinderead last year/this year, and that next year they play as headliners on the main stage. (t: David)
On the big stage, after Electric Wizard’s overdose of electric impulses, came America’s Devildriver. These guys clearly don’t lack ego, though at times there’s maybe a touch too much of it, which showed most with vocalist Dez, who told us at least fifty times during the show that they’re from California and constantly egged on the crowd to drink beer and smoke weed. Despite the slightly pathetic statements from the fifty-year-old, the Americans delivered, and from a musical standpoint there’s nothing to argue with. The whole band’s high-energy, charged-up set got the crowd moving and gave them the drive for the evening’s two closing shows. (t: David)
While one of the most interesting names of this year’s festival, Devildriver, was playing the main stage, there was a show for metalcore fans on the smaller one. Bury Tommorow, whom you could already catch recently at the four-metalcore-band show at Kino Šiška, made a good impression once again. Sadly, the turnout suffered because Devildriver were playing on the other stage, but the British five-piece did a great job regardless. Strict riffs woven together with singer Daniel Winter’s hefty growls and the »clean« vocals of rhythm guitarist Jason Cameron work together seamlessly. Definitely something more appealing for the younger part of the crowd. We hope it’s not the last time. (t: Klemen)
Thursday’s main stage headliners were the legendary Gothenburg melodic death metallers At The Gates. The Swedes played almost the whole of Slaughter of the Soul and a good half of their latest record At War with Reality; I honestly can’t imagine a better song selection. It’s a shame to waste words describing their show, and I think it’s much easier to just go see them the moment you get the chance. (t: David)
After four outstanding sets in a row, it was time for the day’s final show – on the second stage came German technical death metallers Obscura, who recently released one of the best albums of the year, a technical masterpiece titled Akróasis (Review). Well, where to start… Obscura have taken a fair bit of criticism over the last few years, mainly about their live performances, but after what I saw and heard, I can easily conclude that the Germans are among the best bands I’ve ever seen. They played their unfathomably complex material with a smile on their faces and surgical precision, always giving off an impression of ease and total control. Young guitarist Rafael Trujillo shone – he’s the only current member who didn’t take part in recording the new album, yet he even improved the guitar lines a bit and brought them closer to the classic Obscura sound. The only gripe might be that they didn’t play a single song from Omnivium, but I think they’ll make up for it on the upcoming headlining tour, on which they’ll stop in Ljubljana with three other great bands. Attendance is mandatory. (t: David)
text: David Bordon & Klemen Udovč
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