Written by:	Abattoir
Published:	August 18, 2024

EPICA – Ljetna Pozornica, Opatija, Croatia (13.07.2024)

It was not so long ago that I last saw Epica, in the time of Covid in 2021 when, if vaccinated, you were able to attend certain events. This time, as part of our vacation time, I took my family to the open-air concert in Opatija, a well-known tourist destination and seaside resort in Croatia. The Dutch symphonic-oriented metal masters are performing just a small set of shows this summer, mostly festival appearances, and this one in Croatia was actually the sole one in July. From such a well-established group in the scene with experienced and talented musicians, I expected nothing less than a high-level performance. Simone leading the way with her impeccable and strong voice, Epica presented themselves with a very diverse setlist, consisting of songs from every record they have produced so far. With a couple of props and pyro effects on the stage, the overall appearance lent some additional positive vibes. In last the 15 years I’ve seen Epica several times and it never gets old, despite the fact that symphonic metal is not a preferable genre for me. I can probably already plan for their return to the stages next year, where they will be performing in support of their upcoming tenth full-length effort that is currently in the making.




UADA – Klub Močvara, Zagreb, Croatia (25.07.2024)

What would a summer be without some proper black metal, right? American four-piece Uada are touring through Europe this summer, performing at multiple festivals in addition to several club dates. This time, the band also visited a couple of less common countries (in terms of touring), such as Georgia and Kazakhstan. As I’m familiar with Uada’s quality album production across their “only” 10-year-long career, putting them on the map as one of the most consistent and highest-profile black metal bands throughout this period, I was anxious about what I would hear/see from them regarding this live performance. From their covered-up appearance on the stage and the very first beat, the mysterious Uada unleashed their relentless strength in the already very noisy atmosphere that this club usually provides. It’s interesting how, despite all the many gigs I’ve seen in all sorts of cities and places, a simple set-up - meaning a small and kind of fusty venue, hot temperatures, not a particularly big crowd – can still provide a pleasurable and successful evening if the band does its thing right. Uada made it clear that my attending their concert most certainly was not in vain, with an instant effect divulged by the overflowing black metal riffs and monstrous drumming. By the way, Uada are coming back to Europe already this October and November for another batch of shows: attendance highly recommended.




TOLMINATOR FESTIVAL (Day 4) – Tolmin, Slovenia (27.07.2024)

Back at the “crime” scene after many years, Tolminator Festival is a newly formed event (actually, this year’s edition is the second one) replacing the MetalDays (ex-Metal Camp) festival that had been held at this location for several years until 2023. The biggest difference is that Tolminator is basically “cut in half” with regards to limitations of audience attendance (around 5000 – 6000) and everything that comes along with that. Consequentially, the quantity of the bands appearing was reduced as well. All in all, I’m glad that the new organizers decided to continue this 20-year long tradition at this beautiful location that is well-known in Europe, especially with the green-coloured and cold Soča river in its closeness for the anytime-you-want refreshment and getting sober. As has been my habit in recent years, I do not attend festival events for more than one day. So, on this occasion, I had chosen the last day, featuring Tankard, Asphyx, and headliners Exodus, among others: a fair dose of thrash and death metal live with many veterans appearing on the stage.

STILLBIRTH

Stillbirth was the first band I had planned to see this day, following a cold “bath” in the river (actually I only soaked up to my knees, otherwise my balls could have shrunk to a dangerously small size). This was the second show at this festival by the German extreme metal unit, as they were subsequently replacing their fellow countrymen Milking The Goatmachine. Well, it might be too harsh to say that this was a good switch, but Stillbirth put on one crazy-ass hell of a show: a death metal surf party all the way, with constant mosh pits in front of the stage, walls of death, a full dose of energy. It was a quite unexpected yet positive overture into the late afternoon/early evening.




TOXIC HOLOCAUST

It might sound odd but Toxic Holocaust, as the following act on the stage, were up for quite a challenge to live up to Stillbirth’s high-energy performance and continue in this manner. Well, simply put, they did not succeed, but it’s not always about that, of course. A sovereign execution, decent/fine-tuned overall sound (open air festivals can often have severe issues with the sound; now less than in the past, but still), and a proper setlist can lead to a positive outcome in the end. To sum up, I was not exceedingly convinced at the end of this one. Maybe my expectations were too high, or perhaps Toxic Holocaust just couldn’t deliver that high-level, memorable performance.




ASPHYX

The experienced death metal masters from the Netherlands were up next on the schedule. Asphyx are undoubtedly certified as one of the most prominent old-school death metal bands in Europe or maybe even globally. I think that, unfortunately, many do not realize this. Nonetheless, this was my first time seeing them live and I was elated. They had a tight and thick sound, quite an upgrade from their predecessors. Although their latest album, Necroceros, is not that fresh anymore, they still played a fair share of tracks from it. They also included a couple of songs from the first two records, The Rack and Last One On Earth, as well as Deathhammer. So yeah, despite having only 50 minutes available, their setlist was strong enough, alongside a straightforward approach regarding the performance.




TANKARD

The long-running German formation Tankard were prepared to make their attack on the stage with their beer-driven thrash metal. A 40-plus-year-long career span and 20 studio albums under their belt is not something many can brag about, and even though Tankard may look like (and are often portrayed as) lunatic/crazy-like party metal bringers not sparing on beer consumption, they still produced some solid stuff in their own style. Personally, I’m not much into their music. However, having a chance to see them live, which I had presumed could be an upgrade from their studio work, was something I was excited for. Might not be on the level of Stillbirth or Asphyx, but still it was far from being a bad show. Managing and engaging the crowd is something that they are very successful at. Cool show.




EXODUS

The headliners and highlight of the day, and ultimately the very last performers of this second edition of Tolminator festival, were the legendary Bay Area thrashers Exodus. I’ve been “chasing” to see them live in vain for the last couple of years, so when the line-up and schedule for this day was disclosed, I did not hesitate much and chose this day to attend. I might be exaggerating a bit, but it’s mainly because I still have in my head, strongly engraved, their performance back in 2010 when I saw them for the first time as part of the ‘Thrashfest Tour’ alongside Kreator, Death Angel, and Suicidal Angels: what a night that was. In that period, the Exodus vocalist was Robert Dukes, who did a very solid job to say the least at that time. However, despite many average-to-low opinions on Steve Souza’s vocal execution these (and in past) days, I don’t really share the same sentiments to be honest, and it kind of proved me right at this show, as he seemed to be very focus-driven and pumped up. Together with Gary Holt and Tom Hunting, they hold this pack together pretty damn tight on stage. It definitely helped that almost half of the set was represented by the songs off their 1985 debut record, Bonded By Blood. I think that Exodus did meet my expectations, which surely were not low, and made a proper conclusion to this festival with a massive sound that ended things on a high note.