Orto Bar Gets Penetrated! (2012)

Arhiv Arhiv Last updated 11 June 2026

Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad

Venue: Orto Bar Ljubljana
Concert date: 06.10.2012
Attendance: 120
Ticket price: 5€

They say criminals return to the scene of the crime, most often to relive it, admire their handiwork or fix their mistakes. Bands go back to the scenes of their »crimes« too, and Lene kosti are one of them. They last played Orto in December 2010, and this time the revamped lineup, now without founding members the Kavaš brothers, stepped onto the stage of this cult Ljubljana venue once again, inviting the young hopefuls of Slovenian heavy metal, Rising Steel from the coast, to open.

Before the headliners, a slightly younger set of bones hit the Orto Bar stage: Koper heavy metallers Rising Steel, whom, I admit, I was hearing for the first time. Judging by what they showed, I definitely hope it won’t be the last. A quick glance at the setlist shows Rising Steel are still taking their first postnatal steps, but big things are in store for them regardless. The lineup of Jan Bratovš (vocals), Danijel Malkoč (guitar, backing vocals), Jure Vidmar (guitar), Erik Filipčič (bass) and Tomaž Veljak (drums) strung together a run of confidently played covers in just under an hour, and, even more importantly, they did great with their own songs Journey of Souls and Black Pirates. You can tell the band still lacks stage mileage, as a few flubs and slip-ups proved, but given most of the covers they picked, the youngsters deserve credit for guts. Rising Steel surprised with the Grave Digger classic Rebellion (The Clans Are Marching) and, even more boldly, the NWOBHM classic Angel Witch! The Metallica hits, which Rising Steel play really well, point strongly to a search for identity, yet they prove the band is capable of more than the worn-out Sandman that every high-school band plays. Just let Dio rest in peace – Holy Diver was played confidently and correctly on the instrumental side, but vocally, not so much. Jan’s vocal cords are made for Hetfield, and it’d be right for the guys to keep stepping up their own material, built on somewhat thrashy heavy metal, and gradually replace the covers entirely with originals. With this gig they showed they don’t lack drive, technical chops, heart or energy.

Lene kosti’s return to Orto Bar had been in the works for a good while, and last Saturday the revamped lineup properly shook those bones loose. After riff-master Marco Kavaš left, Jan Prosen took his place, so Lene kosti now include no less than two-fifths of Dawn Patrol. The band strode onto the stage triumphantly, without any reservations or fears, and showed how to serve up heavy metal. The new guitar duo of Edo Sabljaković/Jan Prosen carries on the Kavaš brothers’ rich riff legacy while sounding and performing even fierier and feistier. Prosen especially proves he’s one of the better Slovenian guitarists of the younger generation – he delivers his guitar lines with a high level of technical polish, his facial grimaces show he’s playing first and foremost for the sheer joy of it and, even more importantly, with a ton of heart. On top of that, he confidently learned the entire Lene kosti catalogue to date in very short order. With Penetrator, Lene kosti sailed into even more orthodox heavy metal waters and, if anything, the band sounds earth-shattering, like an earthquake, largely thanks to the excellent drumming of Rok »WUKOt« Večerin. The songs from the debut Do Or Die and the penetrations from Penetrator have already settled in firmly with the Slovenian crowd, and stage beast Milan »Dr.Evil« Krušič has no hard task getting the audience to pitch in generously from below the stage. He kept the crowd in his fist even when he handed the stage to the rest of the band for an instrumental shot of adrenaline, The Sting, with a perfect duel between Jan and Edo, while Dr. Evil took on the role of the devil in disguise. He announced Devil in Disguise draped in a black hood with a scythe at his side, though it makes me wonder whether all this »gimmickry« is really necessary. Lene kosti deliver just as they should even without many of Milan’s characters. The excellent setlist, which covered both records, left room for another vocally outstanding take on the Joan Baez/Judas Priest classic Diamonds and Rust, and to the end the guys shot and bombed us for fun with songs that peaked in the closing trio of 13th Warrior, Heavy Artillery and Refuse to Die. After the personnel shake-up, Lene kosti remain strong and convincing, and it’ll be interesting to hear what the new lineup can offer in terms of new original material.