Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Venue: Orto bar, Ljubljana
Concert date: 12/27/2012
Attendance: 220
Ticket price: €4.00
The last Thursday of the year went to the last skunky Kadilnica of Death of 2012. Santa didn’t fly into Orto with his reindeer (because Metal Grandpa Frost kept him tied up at home, playing a compilation of Slovenian Christmas songs on »repeat«, and the reindeer ended up in the goulash pot), but unicorns did ride into Orto on a rainbow. Flaming unicorns. From space. Space Unicorn on Fire is a brand-new lineup on the local metal scene, one you could even call a supergroup, since it’s made up of tried-and-tested names – Rok »Tavta« Tavčar (vocals; ex-Use Less), Jurij »Egzi« Čotar (bass, backing vocals; Shutdown, Requiem), Matej Osredkar (guitar; ex-Use Less, Reflecto), Matjaž Ličar (keyboards; ex-Zvier) and Janez Spruk (drums; Ex-The Stroj, Reflecto).
It was hard to believe that a completely new and relatively unknown band pulled off something much bigger names haven’t. The Orto bar hall was packed to the last corner, it was honestly hard to breathe in there, and unicorn sweat was running down the walls. Apparently 192 tickets were sold, and if you add the guest list, journalists and photographers, the number lands well over two hundred. If that was a total surprise, the bigger mystery was what Space Unicorn on Fire would actually serve up. The previously released demo recording Let’s Go To Space, thanks to its poor quality, didn’t offer a more concrete answer, but it at least hinted at the direction the unicorn’s horn is pointing. Space Unicorn On Fire play pure-blooded power metal. Power metal in the vein of the Scandinavian and Italian scenes, in particular. That means plenty of playing around with long instrumental passages, full of guitar-and-keyboard solo showdowns. That’s exactly what the band gave us, but quietly I’d been expecting a lot more. Technically, the show was executed excellently, especially considering it was the band’s premiere gig, and you can tell the group is made up of old stage cats. The lineup got through a good hour of show without any major trouble, and did it confidently, energetically and with swagger. Largely thanks to the frontmen, or rather, two of them – Tavta and Egzi entertained the crowd with their back-and-forth banter and did great vocally in the two-part choruses. But as I said, the music itself came across a bit bland, and I’m really sorry that a band with this much potential obviously wants to stick with the kind of clowning around that reminds me of Tobias Sammet from Edguy, only much worse and a lot less fun. Maybe someone is rolling on the floor laughing at songs like Medzvezdna mačkica, Sunny Hawaii and Sperm Song, but I (sadly) am not. From that angle, the Steel Panther »classic« Asian Hooker was a totally expected pick. The standout »bluesy« ballad August Blues worked a lot better, with Matej in particular showing off some colorful bluesy »licks« and breaking away from the cookie-cutter »Petrucci« soloing.
Despite a few minor slip-ups, Space Unicorn On Fire passed their debut with flying colors, and it’ll be interesting to hear what the band offers in the future. It’s up to each individual whether they’ll become a die-hard fan and go to shows wearing their favorite band’s shirt with a horn on their forehead, or toss the unicorn on the barbecue in their backyard and put on something more brutal. In my opinion, there’s no middle ground with Space Unicorn On Fire. In any case, I wish the band that the obvious buzz doesn’t die down any time soon.
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