In this world you have to live for something- or you gonna die for nothing!
A beautiful trend of minimum 3 bands performing during one night continued. In some cases, it feels like a mini-festival and is always a treat as we get a chance to see many bands over the years and fall in love with some new ones. Definitely a very positive trend opposed to previous practice to promote one band with one supporting band.
HORIZON IGNITED, six-member Finnish melodic death metal/metalcore, performed first and warmed up the audience to a great evening ahead of us. In their songs, they deal with themes such as death, depression, apocalypse and mythology. The band was formed in 2017 and die-hard death metal fans had a chance to test their level of being open to new and softer approach and we all know the answer: De gustibus non est disputandum, or de gustibus non disputandum est (Latin maxim “In matters of taste, there can be no disputes”). Conclusion is: always give “new” or “not so new” a chance, without prejudice, and form your own opinion in line with your musical taste.
SOILWORK, premiering in Croatia, is one of the most popular melodic death metal bands in the world which is needless to say, from Sweden of course. It’s almost impossible to believe that the band was formed almost 28 ago as their energy, performance and music is still explosive, highly contagious and very uplifting. In their very rich and impressive career, they released 12 albums, some of which are true classics of the genre which set out new standards. The latest album “Övergivenheten”, was released in August 2022 and was promoted on this occasion. The first single is a huge hit, of course, and is extremely contagious even at first listening, it will just not leave your head once it gets stuck. Performance from the band was brilliant, uplifting and more than I expected!
Taking the World By Storm
Indeed, Kataklysm took over the world by storm as their success skyrocketed the band into the orbit which only the biggest and greatest bands share! This Canadian band has labeled their style as “northern hyperblast” but category-lovers love to put them into the melodic death metal category. The band was formed 30 years ago and no signs of compromise, slowing down is visible, they only get better and better with each year that passes, just like the finest wine.
Lyrical themes evolve around: mysticism, abstract, history, war, materialism, retaliation, self-realization. That’s exactly where one of the biggest powers of this band lies: very strong, affirmative and empowering lyrics have the power to lift the spirits and mood of those who sometimes feel dead inside, broken or betrayed. That’s an extreme power and some of the songs that helped me through my most horrific periods in life were the ones from Kataklysm. It’s impossible to count out the most favorite songs as there are too many and I cannot list them in order of importance as they all have a special message, meaning and sometimes memories attached.
Kataklysm became one of the most significant representatives of extreme/melodic death metal in the world. They have released 14 albums so far, and came to present the last one: “Unconquered”. Indeed, from the first listening, it’s visible that the band stayed unconquered and uncompromised throughout all these years!
Push the Venom
Finally, KATAKLYSM took over the stage by storm as “Push the Venom” ignited the audience and all hell broke loose!! Kataklysm returned to Zagreb after very long 11 years and it been a very impatient and particularly long waiting period for the fans, out of which many had chances to see the band live during numerous festivals, but that’s not a luxury everyone can afford and many younger metalheads had a first chance to see the band live which was great.
The band is known for a very friendly and cordial relationship with their audience which was visible throughout the concert as several band members greeted the fans in the front rows and slapped all the hands that reached out to them!
The concert was impressive, great and there are no words to describe my astonishment, except that it almost felt like (Blood in) Heaven. The performance was in line with all our expectations and so highly explosive that I didn’t get the feeling that it ended too soon as the overall experience was completely and utterly satisfying. The band performed the set list of 16 songs and of course there will always be some regrets about some favorite songs being left out, but it didn’t bother me too much this time as the band has a very rich career and it’s too hard to point out the favorite ones at all times as preferences also change over time.
Most beautiful and total highlight of the concert was the performance of “To Reign Again” which was magnificent and pure beauty in essence! Some of the other top parts of the concert were performances of the songs “Narcissist”, “Crippled & Broken” and “Taking the World by Storm”. The concert ended with the most beautiful “The Black Sheep” and magnificent “Blood in Heaven”.
Tonight’s concert proved this was the best concert of 2023 in Zagreb up to now or Kataklysm fans will argue that it will remain the biggest and best concert of the 2023 until the end of this year, which is filled with many concerts. Venue Boogaloo was filled and its been extremely pleasant to be surrounded by so many dear friends and metalheads which is always an occasion to feel welcome and accepted. The atmosphere was vibrant, full of positive and explosive energy and enthusiasm. To conclude:
perfect, explosive and heartwarming!
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