Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Jerneja Jerak, Sebastijan Videc
Video: Sebastijan Videc
Location: Sotočje, Tolmin, Slovenia
Concert date: July 26, 2016
The main stage on day two was opened by seasoned Slovenian thrash metal veterans Eruption. This five-piece, with serious mileage behind them, knew exactly what they were doing, showed up in great form and deserve nothing but praise. Despite the early slot, and the rain that started coming down right as they kicked off, they still pulled a nice crowd in front of the stage. Singer Klemen’s proven top-notch vocals meshed perfectly with the rest of the band. There wasn’t a single weak spot in the set, and they brought great energy to start the second day. No doubt about it, Eruption belong at the very top of Slovenian metal. (text: Klemen)
After Eruption, the Slovenian run continued with the predominantly female five-piece Mist. Solid doom metal with a good vocal performance from singer Nina Spruk, though a few technical problems got in the way. The band apologized for them, and you could tell it rattled guitarist Blaž Tanšek most, the only guy in the group. A good set, though without any big standout moments, except for the singer, who clearly feels at home on a stage, since there wasn’t a hint of stage fright. If the band keeps going in this vein, they’ve got nothing to worry about when it comes to getting noticed. (text: Klemen)
For me, Tuesday started much like Monday. After a warm, sunny morning, dark clouds slowly began to pile up over the mountains, and the air got colder and darker by the minute. Umbrella in hand, I made my way to the main stage, where Scottish symphonic power metallers Gloryhammer were about to start. I first saw them at Metaldays back in 2013 and they totally blew me away. The band is a parody of power metal, singing about medieval battles, magic, dragons and unicorns; with their latest album »Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards« they crank all of that up even further, since the story now unfolds in outer space. Musically, Gloryhammer are flawless and always a blast to watch live, but this year a storm cut their set pretty short. That of course didn’t stop the most hyped-up fans, hungry for mighty battles and adventures, who spent the next half hour in the mud, fighting inflatable unicorns with plastic hammers and shouting war cries at the god of rain. (text: David)
The small stage hosted Swiss melodic power metallers Elferya, whom we’d already caught around noon at the press parking lot, where they put on a pretty charming acoustic jam. The heavy downpour spoiled their set a bit, and was apparently also to blame for some sound problems. The singer especially stands out, showing off a good range between high notes and growls. The violinist is a nice touch too, complementing the songs well. They’re one of the few bands that actually enjoy working with photographers, posing for us in a fun way during the set, and they also deserve credit for their generosity, being among the few who tossed some shirts, CDs and other goodies into the crowd mid-show. Props for the positive attitude and good stage energy. (text: Klemen)
In the rain, Elferya swapped the smaller stage with German progressive rockers Cryptex, who don’t really have much to do with metal. Still, they were a welcome change of pace on the small stage. Their genres swing around quite a bit, with the set bouncing between prog, classic rock and at times even hints of good old Lynard Skynard, backed by singer Simon Moskon on piano. A set worth praising, since despite the weather they didn’t lack energy and managed to lure quite a few curious folks away from the beach and in front of the stage. (text: Klemen)
Next up were Icelandic Vikings Skálmöld, who provided the ideal soundtrack to the natural phenomena over the venue, since their Icelandic war hymns fit the clash of Thor and Freyr up in the clouds beautifully. The band shines in multi-part harmonies, which the drummer joins in on too, and their mix of Viking and folk metal sounds really refreshing. In the end the crowd rewarded them with the clap famous from Iceland’s fans at the recent European football championship, and Skálmöld, visibly happy and grinning, thanked everyone who stuck it out in front of the stage despite the rain – and there were quite a few of us. (text: David)
The battle hymns of Gloryhammer and Skálmöld clearly worked, because the sun came out again just before Cattle Decapitation. The Americans last wowed Tolmin on the second stage in 2012, and the last two years they were forced to cancel. The band, which belongs to the extreme end of technical metal, is really well drilled, which is most obvious in the short silences between transitions, timed to the hundredth of a second. Sadly the sound gave them a bit of trouble this time and the whole thing came out a little muddy. Travis Ryan’s slow vocals came through great, but technical death metal is unfortunately the most sensitive to imperfect sound conditions. That of course didn’t bother their fans in front of the stage, who passed around a severed head, moshed and roared with everything they had. (text: David)
Between Cattle Decapitation and Insomnium, we hopped over to the smaller stage for Kranj-area death metallers Penitenziagite. A fairly solid set, but the four-piece didn’t leave a big impression. Most people were already in front of the main stage, but still a considerable number of folks checked out the Slovenians. (text: Klemen)
As a contrast to extreme death metal, the main stage then got a gentler, more melodic take from Finland’s Insomnium, who gained a huge amount of recognition after releasing their masterpiece Shadows of the Dying Sun. The band was supposed to play Ljubljana last year, but had to cancel the whole tour, and they’re currently working on the concept album Winter’s Gate, out September 23, which consists of just one long song. That was probably also why they didn’t serve up even a minute of new material. Instead they played their biggest hits, and all of us there were completely captivated. Insomnium keep growing year after year, and we can only hope to see the melancholic Finns again as soon as possible. (text: David)
Between Insomnium and Arkona on the main stage, we caught doom/gothic metallers Weeping silence on the smaller stage. The seven-piece, which at moments recalls Within Temptation, didn’t serve up any standout moments. They clearly bank the most on their singer Diane Camenzuli, who pleasantly surprises with her operatic vocals. Second vocalist Dario Pace Taliana unfortunately didn’t leave any special impression. Neither did the backing band. Maybe drummer Angelo Zammit stands out a bit, but otherwise there’s not much else to say about the set. They did, however, bring quite a few fans all the way from faraway Malta, who proudly showed off their nationality, flag front and center.
The stage was then taken over by Russian pagans Arkona, who are hugely popular here, which was obvious already at the entrance to the main stage, where the crowd was seriously massive. The venue was packed to the brim and the huge mass of people happily danced along to Slavic rhythms and melodies. I heard from friends that the sound wasn’t exactly the best, but to me everything seemed fine, since where you stood probably had a big effect on what kind of sound you got. Masha, with her incredibly charismatic performance, kept the energy rising constantly, and all of us there felt like one giant Slavic family. An exceptionally high-quality set that flew by in a blink, and I’ll gladly see Arkona again sometime. (text: David)
After Russia’s Arkona, the stage was taken over by the really interesting reggae/punk/metal outfit Skindred. They played last year and apparently wowed the crowd so much that the organizers gave them a slot among the night’s highlights on the main stage. You could call it an extremely interesting combo of everything under the sun, as they truly range from rock and metal to reggae and punk. On top of that, they blend it all together nicely with electronics, which their DJ Dan Sturgges mixes in between the songs. They spice up their set with stage energy where no single member stands out. The lead role clearly goes to singer Benji Webbe, who has crowd communication down cold. By the time they played, the main venue was already seriously full. And the crowd was well served. They absolutely earned their spot among the evening’s highlights, and we hope this isn’t the last time we see them. Even if they maybe don’t fit the description of metal all that well. Really, all the praise. (text: Klemen)
Before heading to the small stage, I managed to stay for a good half of the show by reggae metallers Skindred, who played a bit earlier in the afternoon last year. Thanks to the great reception, they earned the first headliner slot on the main stage, and to be honest, it was really hard to tear myself away, since it was one of the best sets up to that point. I hoped I wouldn’t regret my decision, and when I made it through to the second stage, the grin on my face got even bigger. Melechesh blew us away once again with their unique mix of thrash, black and death metal with a strong Sumerian-culture influence. Also impressive was session drummer Simon Škrlec, a Slovenian, who played the material flawlessly and can easily hold his own against the drumming monsters who’ve sat on that stool before him. Melechesh are consistently at a very high level live, and I expect the band to keep growing and getting more recognition – and I wish the same for Simon. (text: David)
Meanwhile, on the main stage, it was time for war. Marduk occupied the main stage with their blitzkrieg and turned the venue into one giant battlefield. The Swedes use black metal as a foundation for showing what war looks like in its rawest and most brutal aspects. The drums turned into machine guns, the guitars into bomber planes, and the bass dragged us down into narrow, muddy trenches. Mortuus is in great form and his vocals are simply terrifying. The invasion ended with them abandoning the main stage. They definitely left a good impression, since the venue was packed and they got a really long round of applause, and their take on black metal is extremely fascinating, one I warmly recommend to everyone. (text: David)
The second day was closed out on the small stage by Serbian black metallers The Stone. Because of the late hour and most black metal fans being wiped out after Marduk’s devastation, the venue was a touch less full than the Serbs deserved, since they delivered at a very high level. The sound wasn’t perfect, but the excessive volume somehow only amplified the sense of pain that the musicians and the masked vocalist conveyed on stage. A dark and painful finish to the second day – black metal ravaged Tolmin, the night took us into its cold, dark embrace, and we all returned to our safe havens, awaiting the dawn and the optimism of a new day. (text: David)
words: David Bordon & Klemen Udovč
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