Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Jerneja Jerak, Sebastijan Videc
Video: Sebastijan Videc
Location: Sotočje, Tolmin, Slovenia
Concert date: July 25, 2016
For the fourteenth year in a row, black has flooded Tolmin and dark clouds have blotted out the sky, because it’s Metaldays time again.
Those of us who’d been at the campsite since Friday got to watch the confluence being colonized. The sun was blazing and daytime temperatures were pushing the limits of bearable. This year’s edition saw the biggest early rush yet: the forest camping areas looked full by Saturday, and by Sunday evening the forest looked like a giant game of Tetris, with tents crammed into every possible nook.
For the past two years, the Saturday before the festival belonged to Tmin Rock on the second stage, the official »warm up« gig featuring up-and-coming bands and cover bands. The even longer, six-year tradition lived at pr’Črvu, where the weekend was all about hanging out outdoors to the sounds of local bands. These days, Gostilna Pri Noni stands on that very spot, and sadly, grandma hasn’t hosted a single gig. I hope that next year, the sentence »Let’s go to the Metaldays warm-up at Nona’s!« turns out to be more than a joke.
The program on the main stage of this year’s Metaldays kicked off with Zix, from Beirut (Lebanon), who got the first crowd crawling out of their tents, and the most »diligent« ones straight off the beach. Under the hot sun, the five-piece warmed up a not-exactly-huge crowd decently. Singer Maya’s vocals were pretty good, but the rest of the band on their instruments didn’t deliver anything that stood out. Nothing too remarkable for an opener, and they might have done better on the smaller stage, where more people heading back from the beach would have noticed them. (text: Klemen)
They were followed by Catalan folk metallers Drakum, who camped at the festival all week. Their baptism was anything but symbolic, since the sky baptized us with the first rainstorm during their show. The octet didn’t care about the rain one bit and calmly carried on, while the crowd happily raged in the downpour, despite the early afternoon hour. Drakum delivered a great party and everyone there was visibly thrilled. (text: David)
On the smaller stage, after two pretty wild bands, came Irish folk metallers with the intriguing name Na Cruithne. The band had clearly lured a few followers to Tolmin, as their female fans happily painted the fired-up metalheads, and passersby, with blue paint. The folk touches obviously went down extremely well with the crowd, since a surprisingly big gathering showed up despite the early hour. The show itself was quality, with a clearly audible Irish folk sound paired with solid, hard-edged vocals from the lead singer. As Irish folk music demands, they added a flute and a violin to the classic metal instruments, and it was the violinist who softened the tempo a song before the end with a gentle solo vocal. A likable band worth checking out. (text: Klemen)
On the main stage, they were followed by German death metallers Deserted Fear. The band stays faithful to the tried-and-true recipes of its idols and offers nothing innovative, but what they play, they play confidently and uncompromisingly. During their set the rain eased off while the sky stayed overcast, which allowed for effective use of the stage lights, and combined with excellent sound they added something extra to the show. At four in the afternoon, the singer confusedly wished us goodnight, which tells you just how dark it really was outside. (text: David)
Slovenian acts at this year’s Metaldays were opened by gothic doom metallers Sabaium, who were playing Tolmin for the third time. The six-piece from Styria has quite a few years of experience behind them, and they made more than solid use of their time at Metaldays. The tight riffs of both guitarists meshed nicely with the vocals of Milko, who moved to the mic from behind the drum kit. That may explain a somewhat insecure-looking performance, and the band could have shown a touch more energy on stage. Still, the overall verdict isn’t bad. We hope to see them at Metaldays again in the future. (text: Klemen)
Next up were Hackneyed, who are closing out their career after ten years with a European festival tour. In Tolmin they played without their original drummer and guitarist, replaced by two new members who learned the whole set in just one week. Given the circumstances, they pulled off the show surprisingly solidly. You could of course hear a few mistakes, and the quality wavered from song to song. Hackneyed suffer from the same problem as the band before them: they’re not exactly innovative, and because of the shakier set, the reactions were more lukewarm. (text: David)
Next in line were Israeli oriental progressive metallers Orphaned Land, who drew a seriously big crowd in front of the stage. Their message was crystal clear and direct: »All is one«. We’re all one family, national and religious differences shouldn’t breed intolerance, and we should all embrace the diversity of the people around us and exist as one whole. The sound was excellent, the melodic backing took us to the Middle East, and the energy was running hot as everybody spent most of the show jumping around or belly dancing. During the choruses the whole band joined their excellent vocalist in singing, belting out anthems of brotherhood and unity with the crowd. A pleasant change of pace, packed with optimism, that gave all of us an extra boost at the start of the festival. (text: David)
Shortly after 6 p.m., before the bigger names hit the main stage, American sludge metallers North played the smaller stage. The dead-serious set from the three-piece, with hefty vocals from bassist Evan, didn’t pull a big crowd to the smaller stage. Still, North did well. Nothing too remarkable, though. The show ran at practically the same tempo from start to finish, with no unnecessary thank-yous or similar interludes between songs. Even without solos, guitarist Matthew Mutterperl stood out in particular. A fitting time slot for the band before the bigger names arrived on the main stage. (text: Klemen)
A little before seven, things got a bit more serious on the main stage, as it was time for our neighbors, the Italians Fleshgod Apocalypse, also known as »Septic Flesh on steroids«. The band needs no introduction, having been among the leading forces of the death metal scene for a few years now, and this year the Italians put out a new album, King. First onto the stage came the accompanying soprano vocalist, pounding the stage with a huge staff and shaking the entire campsite. Then the rest of the band appeared in their trademark decaying noble garb, and the theatrical show began. They played selected songs from their last three albums, and we were all pretty thrilled with what we saw and heard. The sound was maybe a bit indistinct at times because of overload and the soprano slightly too shrill, but the show itself is something I’d urgently recommend to everyone, since it’s a unique mix of symphonic death metal, theatrics and Italian culture. (text: David)
After the Italians, I headed to the second stage for the first time this year, where American post-metallers Rosetta were playing. They’ve been on a European tour with North and played the second-to-last show at Metaldays. I was thrilled the moment I stepped up to the stage, because the sound was much better than last year, which promised excellent conditions for the second stage’s headliners. The band did their job with flying colors: everything from the sound and lights to the stage presence and the polished transitions between aggressive and ambient parts was just as it should be. They clearly know exactly what they’re doing, because the end product is really worth watching. (text: David)
After Fleshgod Apocalypse’s excellent show, the biggest names of Metaldays 2016’s first day were taken over on the main stage by American veterans Sacred Reich. A loud band that’s clearly well known among the crowd. A mix of heavy and thrash metal with a three-decade pedigree, they obviously know more than well how to get a crowd going, and the crowd didn’t let up even during a short downpour. A generally quality show, with lead guitarist Wiley Arnett and singer/bassist Phil Rind standing out in particular. The old school gave the crowd exactly what it came for. The band, who recently explained that they have no plans to release new material for a while, can keep »riding« on their old hits just as well. A hefty moshpit and plenty of stage diving were proof of a great show. (text: Klemen)
Between Sacred Reich and Dark Funeral on the main stage, the smaller stage was taken just after 9 p.m. by Americans Battlecross. The extreme metallers, who call their sound »blue collar thrash metal«, were a real energy bomb for the crowd. The five-piece’s show was a quality dose of singer Kyle’s solid range, an excellent rhythm section with a standout drummer, and strict guitar riffs. They packaged it all up and served the crowd a dynamic show that many a band on this day could envy. The result showed in the crowd, which the band filled with energy ahead of the next performers. Battlecross could easily earn a spot on the main stage too, since they’d have no trouble winning over a crowd with their show. Definitely one of the better surprises of the day, and we hope to see Battlecross in Tolmin again. (text: Klemen)
Night fell over Metaldays and Dark Funeral rose from the depths of hell onto the stage. This year the Swedes released an album with a new vocalist titled Where Shadows Forever Reign, which is without doubt among the best releases of the year. A good chunk of the setlist, just under half, came from that album, and the rest was material from all their earlier records. The harsh, loud instrument sound, which was simply too much for many, was a great foundation for Heljarmadr’s demonic vocals, and Dark Funeral took us down to the extreme depths of hell and dark black metal. They absolutely didn’t hold back on blast beats, screams in praise of Lucifer and unbelievably fast riffs. The crowd’s reactions were extremely positive, and the festival kicked off on an even better note than we could have expected. (text: David)
Monday’s main stage headliners were American Testament. The band is already very well known to everyone. They last played Tolmin at the final Metalcamp in 2012, but this time, with a very similar choice of songs, they sounded much better, mainly because the vocals were far more distinct in the overall mix. The show went off without a hitch, Chuck kept urging on the crowd, and the band truly shone with their technical flawlessness. The day before, you could spot an almost unrecognizably slim Gene Hoglan calmly strolling around the confluence and chatting with fans, which only goes to show how down-to-earth and humble these old cats still are despite their long, successful careers. Testament are still in outstanding form, and we can eagerly await their new album titled »The Brotherhood Of The Snake«, due out on October 28 this year. (text: David)
The first day on the small stage was closed out by France’s Monolithe. The band deals with the theme of the origin of human existence and comes across as very mysterious. In the last six months they’ve released two albums, each 45 minutes long and made up of three quarter-hour tracks. Live, they presented reworked, i.e. shortened, versions of their material, which mostly consists of conceptual albums with just a single track. A special quirk of the group is that they have three guitarists and don’t sound anything like Maiden. Joking aside, Monolithe delivered an excellent finish to the first day of the festival and, with their unique soundscape, carried us beyond the observable universe, among the endless stars and planetary nebulae of the Soča river. (text: David)
text: David Bordon & Klemen Udovč
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