Photos: Rok Klemše
Venue: Orto bar, Ljubljana
Concert date: 13.04.2008
Attendance: 120
Ticket price: €6.00
It’s not often that all the elder statesmen of Slovenian thrash metal end up under one roof and fill the room, too. Monday’s show at Orto bar, put together by Dirty skunks, was one of those rare celebrations. The turnout was great and so was the atmosphere, and it’ll probably be damn hard to repeat. So anyone who stayed home and skipped paying their respects to the pioneers of the metal subculture can only kick themselves. That scene got going back in another country, Yugoslavia, which didn’t see metal as an art form but as a bunch of long-haired hooligans harming the state. The only attention these bands got from the authorities was probably the constant attention of the police.
The first band to properly warm up the crowd, and then some, was Železobeton from Prekmurje, formed way back in 1988, split up in 1993 and revived in 2006. After some years away from the stage they got back together, and ever since they’ve been thrilling Slovenian audiences with their energetic live shows and quality thrash metal that easily stands up to the international scene.
In their varied set they managed to play the whole album I don’t know, which came out last year, and they threw in a couple of songs that will probably make it onto record down the line. When they started, Orto was still pretty empty, but as the guitars got heavier people finally filtered into the room and caught a great, truly energy-charged performance from Železobeton. The gig ran at a fast, furious pace, and Tadej’s solo spots got the crowd more and more fired up from song to song. Železobeton proved once again that they’re only getting tougher and better with age. Looks like that old saying about old wine holds up after all.
After a short changeover, the oldest active Slovenian thrash metal band, Sarcasm, took the stage. Apart from a short break, they’ve been going since 1987! Over the years they’ve gone through quite a few members and recorded 4 albums. Through it all they’ve stayed loyal to the music, thrash metal to be exact.
In a set that ran over an hour, they served up a proper cocktail of songs from all four albums. The crowd got into it pretty solidly, especially for the songs from the first album, Crematory, which is their toughest release. The band played their set decently enough, but at times they didn’t seem to be in top form. The energy that’s usually there at their shows was missing, and frontman Mucy didn’t deliver anything special either. For a change he seemed a little reserved and didn’t connect with the crowd the way he normally does.
Last up, taking the stage behind a veil of artificial fog, was the renowned Graveyard metal outfit from Žalec, Interceptor. The band wears the crown of local legends, since they date back to 1991, and their trademark is the superb guitarist Marjan Pader and Gregor Čulk Jr., a hugely charismatic, striking singer who’s also a Stage Crusher. During their set we got hard core, wild thrash metal and cult heavy metal (Goba zla!), and on top of all that the crowd was well stoked by some seriously great and provocative inserts, authored by none other than the Master of Disaster (Gregor Čulk Jr.). This time the band’s main goal was to present their new single Homo Stupidus, which every attendee got as a gift from the organizers, Dirty skunks, which really deserves praise. The CD is the officially released single Homo Stupidus, with two more tracks on it, by Železobeton and Sarcasm.
Interceptor’s performance was flawless: they served up energy and excellent sound, and we also got an interactive show with the crowd. Musically, we again heard a great, proven rhythm section that really shines on the songs Paparazzo and Blato, plus a precise, punchy guitarist whose sense of rhythm and solo work create an electrified atmosphere. And we can’t forget the vocal chops Čulk shows off with some truly gut-deep grind / death metal growls that have no competition here in Slovenia. Above all, he brings that familiar Interceptor energy to the whole band, and it thrills show after show. I recommend catching one of their gigs to anyone, because despite the years they sound special, one of a kind and different.
Text: Matevž Ftičar
Photos: Rok Klemše
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