Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Venue: Rdeča ostriga, Škofja Loka
Concert date: 16.03.2013
No, the title doesn’t mean it was a bad gig, or that the bands failed to live up to expectations or anything like that. True, the dreadful sound that dogged all three acts would have earned the name, but first and foremost it’s the title of the debut from Slovenian thrash metal crew Panikk. The guys officially gave birth to Unbearable Conditions via Metal Tank just a few days before the show, and last Saturday the release was followed by the official »release party« at Rdeča ostriga in Škofja Loka.
This time Panikk had Ljubljana black/speed metallers Hellsword and thrashers Eruption helping with the delivery of their firstborn. The first made sure the newborn was evil enough, the second that it was pointed firmly toward thrash metal waters. Hellsword hit the stage first and, in a ritual lasting three-quarters of an hour, performed invocations of the Devil and other dark forces. The Ljubljana trio walks the thorny path of speed/black metal pioneers like Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost and early Destruction, which means thundering »oompa-oompa« drums, Motörhead-style rattling bass, wicked-sounding riffs and a devilish vocal. The demonic mix of black and speed metal that Hellsword play is total »old-school worship,« yet the hellish trio still manage to sound fresh and convincing enough. Unfortunately, this time Hellsword’s devil worship once again fell victim to really bad sound, which dogged Eruption and Panikk too. They should have ritually sacrificed the sound guy to the Devil before the set. Because of the bad sound the vocal came out rather feeble, and ear-raping »feedback« repeatedly smothered the wicked bass and guitar lines. Despite the problems, Hellsword successfully presented material from the EP Blasphemy Unchained, and wrapped up by firing off a great cover of Midnight’s Black Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Eruption haven’t been resting since releasing the excellent album Tenses Collide; they’re promoting it heavily on stages across the country. Interestingly, the album, which is sonically and technically improved over the debut, has also given the band’s live image a serious refresh. Live, they’re far more commanding and self-confident on stage than they were a few years ago, completely polished in execution, and above all aware that getting wasted doesn’t belong on stage. The two newcomers, Ivan Cepanec on drums and Andrej Čuk on second guitar, have brought extra energy and freshness to the lineup and clearly spurred the trio of Buco, Tim and Škof on to even better live performances than before. Eruption launched into a set made up of tracks from the current record and the debut abruptly and with real conviction, but alas, their live power was completely wrecked by sound even worse than what Hellsword had to deal with earlier. I really don’t get how someone can sit behind the mixing desk who is so obviously helplessly lost among the knobs, and on top of that seems to be stone deaf, too. It’s a shame the sound totally ruined an otherwise excellent Eruption show, which was especially convincing with the new tracks and a noticeable step forward. I reckon it’s only a matter of time before the crowd drowns out Buco during the choruses of songs like Celestial God and Empty Shells. Probably mostly thanks to the bad sound, the band didn’t manage to coax the much-wanted mosh pit out of the crowd, and they were visibly unhappy with what was going on sonically on stage, especially Tim, who had quite a few problems with his guitar. It’s a pity Eruption couldn’t shine the way they usually do because of the bad sound, since they’ve proven they’re more than capable of it.
At a pretty late hour the guests of honor took the stage last: Panikk, who haven’t slowed down since coming back from the dead in 2012. A string of well-received gigs was recently followed by the release of the long-awaited debut Unbearable Conditions, which brought some much-needed freshness and variety to Slovenian thrash. Under the unwavering leadership of frontman Gape, Panikk delivered a devastating show and proved they’re the band that has probably made the biggest leap lately, both in the studio and live. Despite more technical troubles, Panikk looked on stage like nothing could touch them. Besides his aggressive and highly convincing vocals, Gape also shone with charming banter between songs, which showed he’s grown into a proper frontman. The guitar duo, flattening everything in front of them with brutal riffs and massive groove sections, showed that Panikk are technically at a very high level. Those grooves are probably the best part of Panikk, since they make it easy to break your neck. But the band goes beyond riffs, because the rhythm section is incredibly well versed too, and the bass lines of Rok Vrčkovnik (ex-Thraw) especially deserve praise. The songs from the album have already caught on pretty well with the small crowd, though sadly Panikk also had the bad luck of dealing with lousy sound and a snapped string. Even so, they proved they’ve got enough self-confidence to rise above stage troubles too, which was surely helped by the serious live mileage the guys have racked up lately. Despite the technical problems, the birth of Unbearable Conditions came off, and the band’s excellent debut is just one more solid proof of the strength of the Slovenian metal scene, which has been richer and better over the last few months than ever before.
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