Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Kranj / Transtation Squat / Slovenia
Concert date: 17.02.2012
Attendance: 200
Ticket price: €4.00
Last Saturday, one of the busiest figures on the Slovenian metal scene, Boštjan Zavrl, celebrated a venerable, round-number birthday. And how else would a guy like that celebrate than with a gig by three metal bands? Trainstation Squat hosted Žajblovanje, and with it three representatives of the Slovenian metal scene – death metal youngsters Armaroth, tribute outfit Scepsis and the pioneers of Slovenian thrash, Sarcasm.
The first to knock back the sage shot were Kranj death metal youngsters Armaroth, who returned to the stage after a short absence and a creative break. In a good half hour the guys happily sawed heads off with hellishly sounding death metal, rooted mainly in the American death metal of bands like Obituary and Monstrosity. The hometown boys served up technically more intricate riffing, polka-beat drumming and a deliciously twisted, brutal vocal that worked wonderfully, in a properly Tardy-esque sick way, even on the Obituary classic Slowly We Rot. The band came off a bit weaker in the second half of the set, mostly with the occasional sloppiness between guitar and drums, but a few slip-ups didn’t bother anyone much, and down in front the crowd paid the band back with nonstop headbanging and moshing. The locals still lack some live mileage, but judging by what I saw and heard, there’s no doubt Armaroth are one of the most promising death metal bands we’ve got.
One sage shot later, tribute band Scepsis were already on stage. They’re normally made up of Carinthians from Wartune/Keller/Thraw, but this time they showed up with a rotating lineup, which made for at least a minor surprise. Why minor? You can’t really expect anything bigger from Scepsis, since every time they serve up a carefully picked setlist of metal classics, played with plenty of confidence, feel and respect for the original authors. This time was no different, though the guys kicked things off with a swap of instruments – the band’s main bass rattler Tilen switched from a four-string to a six-string for the opener and nailed it. The band ran like a well-oiled machine, technically superior as they sawed through classics by Sepultura and Death. In the masterfully played crushers Spirit Crusher and The Philosopher, young fourteen-year-old Otmar once again proved his guitar mastery, stepping into Chuck Schuldiner’s shoes just for fun. The excellent sound made sure DiGiorgio’s fantastically played bass lines rattled like the middle of a war, though the poorly mixed vocals and an annoying echo effect got in the way a bit. It was a joy to bang your head along to Scepsis, and the heart just started pounding on its own during the confident run through these iron classics of metal. To finish, Scepsis had one more surprise for the birthday boy and forced him into a stage dive, and Zavrl was piloted by the crowd’s hands all the way to the bar.
The celebration (the concert part of it, at least) was wrapped up by the old guard of Slovenian thrash metal, Sarcasm, who played a great show, just as their status demands. There was no shortage of timeless thrash classics written in gold letters in the history of Slovenian metal, nor of newer songs from the current album Something to Believe In, proof that Sarcasm age like fine wine. The reborn band thrashed on stage like their lives depended on it, picking crushers mostly from their early period. Too bad, because I really missed a few more tracks from the new record, which is more than just great, but then again, darker-toned songs like the phenomenal Ghosts in the River wouldn’t really fit the birthday concept of the night. Sarcasm put the cherry on top of their set with a flawless performance, excellent sound, fantastic soloing from the master Blaznik and the unmistakable stage presence of Mucy, who this time also shone in the role of Hetfield on the classic Whiplash.
It’s truly great to see Trainstation Squat taking back the crown of the Upper Carniola alternative scene with events like this and carrying on the unforgettable history of Kranj’s Bazen. The night, which can boast excellent organization, a gourmet beer selection and free sage shots, ended with a look at photos from Zavrl’s youth, which answered the question of why the clothes and mops of hair of the eighties are still such a strong inspiration for all sorts of parodies today. I wouldn’t mind at all if Žajblovanje became a regular Zavrl-fest, but either way: Happy birthday, Zavrl!
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
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