Performers: Valuk, Sarcom, Panikk, KAOZ, Paragoria, Noctiferia, Interceptor, Decapitated
Location: Laško / Graščinsko dvorišče / Slovenia
Date: Friday, 06.07.2018
What comes to mind when you hear Laško? Beer, for sure, the Pivo in cvetje festival, maybe spa tourism too, and then you start running out of ideas — and Laško definitely isn’t something you’d link with metal. Well, that’s about to change. For the past few years, the Šmocla crew has been diligently putting on metal events under the name Metaljot raspaljot, and this time it got its first “open air” edition at the gorgeous castle courtyard in the very heart of Laško. On top of that, the festival in Laško also hosted a big foreign name in (extreme) metal for the first time, none other than Poland’s Decapitated. And right as you walked into the venue, it surprised you with how tidy and homey it was, reminiscent of the best years of Metal Mania in Komen.
With as many as eight acts on the bill, the festival kicked off early in the afternoon. At five p.m., in front of a half-empty venue, Idrija pagan/black metallers Valuk were the first to step onto the stage. They released their full-length debut Kri gotove smrti last year. The Idrija lads marched on stage hooded and draped in monk’s cowls, and for a good half hour a wind of plague, death and destruction blew through Laško. Valuk dished out some really infectious guitar melodies that lodged in your ears fast, and the lyrics in Slovenian are a plus for the boys too. After Srd, Valuk are another proof that Slovenian can sound fantastic in black metal. On the minus side, the Idrija five-piece were a bit too static, with everyone on stage nailed to the spot, though to be fair, you don’t really expect dance moves in black metal. Still, Valuk delivered exactly what was expected of them: a solid dose of raw, pagan-tinged black metal.
From Idrija to Metlika, from black metal to groove metal and Sarcom. The veterans from Bela krajina marked twenty years of existence last year (minus a few inactive years in between), and I caught them live for the first time, so I went in with no expectations at all. The only original member left in the band today is growler Dejan “Crni” Mihajlović, who gathered seasoned veterans of the Dolenjska metal scene around him after the 2015 reunion, mainly from the bands Mordenom, Mephistophelian and Necrotik. In a good half hour, the guys played a chaotic, angry set of groove metal mixed with hardcore influences, plus some death metal, mostly showing in the guitar riffing. Sarcom blended the aggression of bands à la Pantera, Sepultura and even some Pro-Pain, got necks properly moving, and only toward the end did the somewhat repetitive song structures and Crni’s slightly monotonous barking get in the way a bit. It’s a shame, though, that Sarcom don’t have any proper non-demo recording under their belt, and I hope they make up for that soon.
Ljubljana thrashers Panikk were already a much better-known name, so you knew exactly what to expect from them, and that’s what they delivered. A tornado of thrash metal that, despite the weaker sound, laid waste to everything in its path and was the first to really get the crowd moving. The guys greeted Laško with the saw-like intro of Instigator of War, which flattens you like a multi-ton freight train, then presented the wreckers from their debut Unbearable Conditions and its follow-up Discarded Existence in a very good light. In a good half hour, Panikk thoroughly bulldozed their way through their Vio-Lence-meets-Forbidden-meets-Power Trip-meets-Demolition Hammer thrash metal, marked above all by the Flere/Črešnar guitar duo, who saw away with their axes like a horde of Canadian lumberjacks, a killer rhythm section and Gapa’s one-of-a-kind vocal barking. A great late-afternoon warm-up!
Velenje legends Kaoz kept it going even more uncompromisingly, and after Sarcom served up another dose of massive groove, enough to make even the grease of the burgers from the trailer in the left corner of the square hide. Kaoz have been tearing up stages again for just under four years after a multi-year break, and from what I’ve seen so far, they play every show like it’s their last. This time, too, they delivered a perfect, uncompromising F.O.A.D. blast of brutal groove and Đoko’s raw vocals, which leave nothing but corpses in the mosh. The Sepultura-esque charge of modern-sounding thrash on steroids paid off especially well this time, since the band’s supporters had already nicely filled the venue and gave the band at least as much energy as the band gave off on stage. The guys proved they’re in top form, and I hope that stage energy carries over to a new studio release, which would be the first in a full fifteen years.
Rijeka metallers Paragoria continued in similarly modern sounds, but far more complex and technically demanding. After a (way too) long break, they finally returned to concert stages this year, and they’re also announcing a new album. Considering the pretty long live hiatus, the guys showed it doesn’t show at all, because their tightness was at a very high level. Songs from the debut Decomposition of Mind once again slid wonderfully into the ears, and the new songs promise another excellent release too. In their strictly allotted time, the guys once again delivered a hurricane of varied, dynamic and complex riffs, a merciless double vocal attack and an earth-shaking rhythm section. So we’re waiting impatiently, with open arms, for the new album!
After the triumphant celebration of their cult debut Baptism At Savica Fall, Noctiferia returned to their old tracks of roaring eight-string guitars and the mechanical industrial sound of the albums from Slovenska morbida onward. By the time Noctiferia hit the stage, the audience had already filled up quite nicely, so the crowd numbered some three, four hundred heads, which is an enviable number for the festival’s premiere edition. The band had great support from the crowd, which they repaid with an equally great performance, which, with by far the most experienced local metal act, is not in question anyway. This time the guys mostly stayed in the waters of the current album Pax and raged so hard that the power cut out during one of the songs. It’s a shame, though, that given their recent concert the guys didn’t peek a little further into their past and offer at least the cult Fond of Lies. But never mind, I’m curious to hear how Laibach will sound in Noctiferia’s guise!
A good two months ago in Šešče, the cult Žalec band Interceptor marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Fuck Off Commercial festival, which was supposed to be their very last show too. Luckily, they changed their minds after the organizer of Metaljot raspaljot talked them into it and stepped onto a concert stage once more, supposedly for the final time this time (if you can believe that, of course). Interceptor greeted Laško with (so far) their newest song, Homo Stupidus, then moved on with a very tasty setlist that touched mostly on their first two albums, The Beginning and Fade. The guys had more than obviously prepared very well for the comeback show in Šešče, because they were extremely tight in Laško too. Interceptor ran like a well-oiled machine, like a Mad Max road warrior’s ride, so I rightly doubt that Interceptor, especially given the warm reception and confident stage energy, truly said their last word.
After Interceptor, it was time for the crowd to squeeze out the last atoms of their strength and welcome the festival’s big, long-awaited headliners, Polish giants of technical death metal Decapitated. What this band has already been through in their twenty years! First the tragic death of original drummer Vitek, who lost his life in a serious traffic accident at only twenty-three. That same accident left serious consequences on vocalist Covan too. Guitarist Vogg, despite the death of his brother, found enough strength to carry on with the band, was even involved with them in a passenger plane accident, and a few months ago Decapitated spent several weeks in American jails over rape accusations. They were ultimately cleared of all charges. I admit, given the latest events I seriously doubted they’d pick themselves up and had already announced the band’s end, but they proved the opposite and came back as strong as before. That’s exactly what their show in Laško was like. Angry, mighty, yet passionate, and the Poles radiated their desire to play metal from afar. Despite somewhat weaker sound and a not exactly talkative vocalist Rafał, they played their set brilliantly and destructively, causing real mosh chaos below the stage that seemed to have no end, and the next morning quite a few necks surely felt the consequences of the stormy set. Decapitated clearly drew the biggest cheers with the iron classic of technical death metal Spheres of Madness, but they also convinced with songs from the current album Anticult, especially the catchy Kill the Cult. Decapitated deserve all the praise for continuing their mission of playing devilishly good death metal with unshakable faith after all those obstacles!
So, to draw the line under it all: the first open air edition of Metaljot raspaljot will go down as a very warm memory. The festival’s organization was top-notch and there were really no major shortcomings to speak of. The lineup was picked brilliantly, the venue is superb, and food and drink were taken care of too. The only remarks are the somewhat weaker sound, which is simply the price of a venue that’s hard to mic up optimally, and at least one or two portable toilets too few. Either way, the crew deserves praise for an excellent job, and I definitely hope they keep the success story going in the future.
author: Rok Klemše
photos: Nina Grad
