29 APRIL 2022:
PALE ORIGINS
OLD NIGHT
KOBOLD
Purgatory MUF 7 was a seventh edition of the festival which has traditional set high standards for tons of fun and traditionally a meeting point you must visit in order to see many friendly and familiar faces. For many this is their favorite festival, as it promotes local bands with some additions from the region. Mainly that’s the crucial fact that makes this festival so appealing as we can’t get enough of local bands and it’s been amazing to come to the conclusion that some of the bands have had several concerts within a very short timeframe that has recently opened after the covid restrictions have been revoked.
For some audience members this was the first festival after the long pandemic break and a perfect occasion to celebrate “coming back to life after covid break”. This time the festival was held at Hard Place, Zagreb. The festival was a success as it had all needed to make it an event that exceeded our expectations. Series of special surprises occurred, as every festival night was concluded with a great after-party at the same venue, dance show after the concerts and a special secret free aftershow open air party on Sunday, May 1, where BICIKLIĆ and NEKROINVERTED performed.
Unfortunately, the first day of the festival was partially overshadowed by the other concert that was held on the exact same day in Zagreb: Vader so many of the participants were late for the gigs, but luckily for us: we have managed to arrive at the start of the second band that performed.
PALE ORIGINS were the first band to perform but unfortunately many were late to see the show. They are a modern metal band from Zagreb that has been playing since 2016. They released one long-playing album and one mini-album and did two European tours.
OLD NIGHT is a Doom metal band from Rijeka, founded in 2015, originally as a solo project of a former member of the group Ashes You Leave. They have released two albums so far. I must admit the band exceeded the expectations as their signature sound and live performance has the power to attract new fans into Doom metal. The secret lays in a fact that their appeal offers a gradual introduction into the genre, as some people have prejudice about the genre based on personal preferences. In a conclusion, their sound, the atmosphere and the lyrical journeys the songs take us offer consolation and a safe space to deal with dark and heavy emotions rather than offering only an abyss of hopelessness and despair.
KOBOLD, a Belgrade thrash speed metal band which was formed in 2015 have been working tirelessly and persistently ever since. They started out with an EP “Madman’s Overture” and already released three albums, two live albums and their work so far has been recognized as their reputation of giving their best on stage and delivering memorable concerts is well known.
On the occasion of 5th anniversary the band decided to commemorate the landmark achievement with a new song: “Virus”, for which the audio-visual material was filmed in home studio, due to corona measures which complicated all other options. The result was great and it shows the impact of modern happenings on everyday life and way people change under great pressure, so make sure you check out the video!
Their live performance was great and the venue was packed with candescent energy. The feedback from the audience was great and it was amazing seeing such a great atmosphere with amazing exchange of vibrant energy coming back and forth from the band to the audience.
1 MAY 2022:
SOUNDBRINGER
ARISES
FLESH
SOUNDBRINGER, a Heavy power metal band from Zagreb have been active since 2004. They recorded three demos and played often. Ozren (bass player at the time), Domagoj and Berislav formed Soundbringer after their previous band Jaggernaut broke up. Along with their own material Soundbringer plays cover songs of various heavy, power and thrash bands (Iron Maiden, Manowar, Judas Priest, Metallica, Divlje Jagode, Black Sabbath…). Their performance was solid and they have succesfuly engaged the audience which rewarded the band with very good feedback.
ARISES is a Groove Metal band from Zadar. They represent well-coordinated team with roots in the bands Rising Dream, Porko Dio and Sikasa. The last time we had a chance to see them live: the band has presented a newcomer to the band: Bruno Longfield, as a new Arises singer.lthough it’s not been that long (at least for us;): it already feels like Bruno is the only natural choice for the role in the band. We already can’t imagine anyone else filling his shoes as his interpretations of the well known songs now feel natural and the way band was determined to be direct at. Main advantage of the recent changes is that the band sounds really powerful, energetic and more uplifting than ever before. They sound darker, heavier and present uncompromised sound with ingenious range of styles and moods. Specialty of the band is constant change of pace with a combination of transfers from melodic into brutally heavy segments- which results in very interesting songs which have potential for even more publicity and success. Luckily for us, more concerts of Arises in the near future have been planned out, so don’t ever make a mistake of missing a concert you might go to! At least, that is one of the lessons corona-experience thought us: never miss a chance you should firmly grab.
FLESH is a heavy metal band from Zagreb formed in 2013. They recorded one album named “Flesh” and have held numerous concerts in Croatia and the surrounding area. Lyrical themes the band is concentrated at present a range from science fiction, fantasy, sex, social and other. They have a very good reputation as live performers and some of the audience members came with a sole purpose of seeing Flesh live. Their performance was great, the concert was uplifting and fun and the audience gave an excellent feedback. It was really fun to experience the positive energy and very good feedback from the audience. The perfect conclusion of a very good edition of the festival, as the good vibes the band transmitted will remain in our memory for a very long time!
The trend all over the world is to promote everything local, so be the one that promotes local bands in any way you can! Not because of patriotism, but rather a very rewarding practice of indulging into exploration and search for the smaller, independent bands that are not fully publically visible and promoted in a way as other bands, that have been playing for longer or had more luck from the start. That kind of exploration also brings us to the days of our youth when ways of learning about “new” bands were restricted (time before the Internet appeared;) which always provokes happy feelings. In those days, it was important to know as many people as possible, get their recommendations and be skillful in a search for other bands you might like. With that being said, please do check out some of the links below and follow news about further gigs from the amazing bands that performed at the festival:
PALE ORIGINS
OLD NIGHT
SOUNDBRINGER
FLESH
ARISES
Galleries @
