Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Venue: Kino Šiška, Ljubljana
Concert date: 06.11.2015
By some strange coincidence, Norwegian forces completely took over Kino Šiška this weekend. No, we weren’t invaded by trolls, moose, reindeer and fishermen, not by black metallers (this time), and, thankfully, not by sky-high prices either. No, the Norwegian owl Kvelertak a year and a half later paid us another visit, and just one day after them, the Norwegian blackjazz oddballs Shining played the same room. But first, Kvelertak ruthlessly choked us with their dirty, infectious rock ‘n’ roll.
There isn’t really a band around here that’s a clear genre match for Kvelertak, but the choice of openers was still pretty damn satisfying, since the first act on stage, the hardcore brawlers TriFor60 from Železniki, already delivered a proper warm-up. In a good half hour, the guys pulled raw, gnarly HC out of their sleeves, spiced with punk, crust and some metal elements, plus original, biting lyrics in Slovenian. They erupted from Jani’s throat like a volcano set on burning down everything that’s wrong with the country: vampiric bankers, rotten politicians, incompetent people in positions of power, repressive authorities and the obsession with social media. TriFor60 deliver their message through angry vocals, fast, charging guitars and tearing, sharp drums, and thanks to the great sound, this ultra-pissed-off set with a F.O.A.D. attitude toward everything wrong with modern society came across even better than usual.
After the sharp, politically charged social critique, the Ljubljana stoner trio Jegulja took care of the more laid-back part of the night, and they brought the greasiest sound of the evening. It felt like sticking your head in a bucket of electric eels: your ears were flooded by a dynamic, varied weave of guitar lines, fat riffs and loud, colorful drumming. The instrumental trio skillfully interrupts and complements the classic stoner riffing with Kozel’s solos, which are psychedelic one moment, shredder-style wild the next, or classic rock ‘n’ roll. The guys have no bass player, but you don’t miss it at all, since the two guitars create more than enough depth, and the band’s onstage spontaneity, which often leads to unplanned jams, was impressive too.
At half past ten, to the delight of a crowd not quite as big as last year at Gala hala, Ljubljana was greeted once again by the epic riffs of the anthemic Åpenbaring and the wild frontman Erland Hjelvik, once more with an owl, the band’s symbol, on his head. Hjelvik was again the central icon, winning everyone over with a raw performance and plenty of »Ugh!« shouts. Kvelertak stopped in Ljubljana on a day off from their tour with Slayer and Anthrax, and the band once again confirmed their top-tier live form and the fact that they’re simply one of the best live bands around right now. The Norwegians are famous for their potent mix of hard rock, heavy metal, punk and the occasional black metal element, and this time too that mix caught fire like a bonfire doused in gasoline. And just as flammable as their songs are the band members onstage, who don’t stand still for a second. Erland owns the stage the whole time, a mop of hair practically covering his face at every moment, and the guitar trio, bassist and drummer go wild every single minute of the show. Even though Erland sings exclusively in Norwegian and it’s mostly completely unintelligible to our ears, the whole thing is so infectious and so convincing live that you end up mumbling the Norwegian lyrics the whole time, if nothing else. In a good hour and a half, Kvelertak torched both albums almost in full, with crushing hits like Bruane Brenn, Mjød and Kvelertak reigning supreme, and they also played a few new songs. A bomb, and we can hardly wait for the new album coming next year. And since I started with Norwegian stereotypes, let me finish with a Norwegian joke. What do you call a Norwegian prostitute? Fjord Escort.
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