Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Venue: Orto bar, Ljubljana
Concert date: 09.05.2015
The year is only slowly tipping into its second half, and it has already spat out a serious contender for the (domestic) metal record of the year. After a decade together, Kranj death metallers Penitenziagite finally dropped their long-awaited studio debut Humanity Galore on On Parole in mid-April, proving the saying that sometimes the best things are worth waiting for. After a long break, the guys were back on Ljubljana stages, with Velenje madmen Carnifliate keeping them company at Orto last Thursday.
The second-to-last gig of this season’s Kadilnica of Death opened its doors around ten. The turnout was already pretty decent for the support act, and Carnifliate were well warmed up for the death metal slaughterhouse. And sure enough, in a good half hour the Velenje crew chopped out a varied, dynamic death metal set that was groovy like Obituary one moment, brutal like Cannibal Corpse the next, and grindcore-depraved like old Carcass after that. The riffs from the Ring/Polovšak duo are as colorful and sharp as a meat grinder, though at times they sound a bit too alike. Lejla rounds them out nicely, pounding the bass properly (even if she could easily have been pushed a bit more to the front of the mix), just like Grega Cestnik pounds the skins. The whole thing is topped off by charismatic, relaxed and fun frontman Tilen Kirbiš, who delivers vocally too, torn between deep growls and grind screaming, with songs like God’s Cock and Rikilejk as the cherry on top. The girl and the guys are currently recording their debut, and we’re waiting for it with bloody hands.
Given the quality of their debut, Penitenziagite definitely deserved a bigger crowd, but the upstairs room at Orto did end up filling with a few more people than expected. The guys thundered in without mercy with Origin of Desolation, and the very first oriental-sounding riffs made it clear that a top-tier death metal show awaited us, with excellent sound on top. Seismic shocks came off the stage in the form of wildly inventive riffs that flatten everything in their path like a tsunami, while beastly drumming and rattling bass shake the floor beneath your feet. Live, the bass comes through far more than on the album and gives Penitenziagite an even more majestic, monstrously Lovecraftian flavor. Especially when Demšy’s fantastic, brutal yet clear and intelligible vocals caress you like the tentacles of the Great Old Ones. Despite the complexity and richness of the songs, the band showed remarkable tightness with only minor slip-ups, and the epic Cleansing, Dictation with its phenomenally played solo (more of those, please!) from the skilled fingers of Žan Kavčič, and the evergreen Path Lain In Shadows sound absolutely insane live. If you care about quality death metal, don’t miss Penitenziagite (in excellent company with Mephistophelian and Paragorie) on 30.5. at Trainstation Squat in Kranj!
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