All posts by vladkraykulla

Active member of alternative underground scene and culture since early 1990-ies. Underground is a way of life!

(gig report) The Bassonic Legacy #4 – Tribute to Emil – 14.11.2025. – Prostor Čakovec

I ove godine smo se okupili da ispoštujemo lik i djelo nikad prežaljenog prerano otišlog dobrog duha naše scene Emila Marciuša, čovjeka koji je toliko napravio i toliko zadužio našu scenu svojim radom i još uvijek mi glas zadrhti kada spomenem tog, u svakom smislu velikog čovjeka koji nas je napustio 2020.

Početak koncerta je bio najavljen u 20:00, a prije toga se dijelio na dvorištu fini HC grah kojeg je skuhao Vito Najveribest. No, kako Čakovec očito nije spreman za gigove koji tako rano počinju, koncert se pomaknuo kojih 30-35 minuta, taman dovoljno da se klub solidno napuni ljudima dobre volje i neka pozitivna energija se osjećala u zraku. Prvi su na binu stupili POD SILOM ŽIV, naš lokalni bend koji se okupio i zasvirao ponovo nakon 12 godina, pod vodstvom neuništivog Deka na basu i vokalu, ovaj trio nam je pružio kojih pedesetak minuta kvalitetnog melodičnog hard alternative rocka s tekstovima koji variraju od ljubavnih, osobnih i politički angažiranih, na hrvatskom jeziku. Komunikacija benda s publikom je bila super, a bend je dao sve od sebe i publika je to znala prihvatiti. Svirali su svoje stvari i par obrada Dekovog prijašnjeg benda zvanog Drač.

Atmosfera se digla za uvijek nepredvidljiv entitet zvan EIKONOISE. Bojan i ekipa koju je okupio oko sebe pružili su oko sat vremena noisea, elektronike, sampleova i zvučnih efekata kreirajući atmosferu koja se dala rezati nožem. Vrhunac njihovog seta je bio kada su odsvirali neke prerade Emilovog benda Waitapu, a bas je preuzeo nitko drugi nego Emilov sin Dorian. U jednom momentu sam se naježio, jer mi je Emilov duh bio pred očima kako se odobravanjem promatra svog sina i nasljeđe koje nam je ostavio, a oči su mi istina malo ovlažile, sjećajući se svih zajedničkih momenata i koncerata, kao i kava i dogovora koji se nažalost nikada neće ostvariti.

Došlo je i vrijeme za svojevrsnog headlinera, gosta KANDŽIJU sa svojim pratećim bendom. Moram reći da je prošlo više od godinu dana kako sam ih zadnji puta gledao i uvijek su mi dobri njihovi gigovi, no ovaj mi je bio top i jedan od najboljih, ako ne i najbolji njihov do sada koje sam pogledao. Isto tako, Kandžija ima novi album zvan Trostruki Salto friško izašao i preporučam da ga preslušate. S njega su odsvirali neke stvari kao što su Igrice s kojom su otvorili set, pa odličnu Mate Rimac i Plan, a nove stvari su super išle s publikom kao i stari provjereni hitovi. Nakon malih tehničkih problema na početku, sve se posložilo i redali su se hitovi kao što su Seljak, moj favorit Bambus i kavijar, Nema labavo, Đuro, Kruva masti, paprike, Fiš paprikaš…Kandžija je bio jako raspoložen i nasmijao nas je nekoliko puta svojim spikama između stvari, a publika je skakala, plesala i pjevala s njim, kao i repala. Završili su svoj regularni dio seta sa epskom Mali mržnja, no publika je htjela još. Iako je Kandžija rekao da inače ne svira biseve, odsvirali su još Magična butra i ponovili Nema labavo i to je bilo to.

Što reći na kraju? Još jedna odlična večer i poštovanje prema našem bratu Emilu, vidimo se dogodine u još većem broju i nekom super gigu.

(gig report) Bednja(Vž)/Sworn To Death(Zg)/Kalež(Zg) – Prostor Čakovec – 25.10.2025.

Time has come for another gig in our hometown, Autumn came and gig season moved back into clubs. This time there was more metal night with three bands. Two of them I never listened prior to this gig, I let my self be surprised and the surprise was more than pleasant. When I came to Prostor there were very little people there, but as evening went on the place filled with not too many, but okay number of people. It was nice to see those young people coming to gigs, not only us old lifers hehe. First band to be on stage were KALEŽ from Zagreb. Trio in which drummer sings plays some kind of mix between old school and more modern black metal, raw and atmospheric, but with some melody hiding underneath here and there. I was so impressed to see drummer pulling those blast beats, tempo changes and screaming at the same time. Lyrics are in Croatian which is another plus for me, they kinda reminded me of another band from Zagreb, called Muka. To me their set was more conceptual ritual and I enjoyed every minute. They played just enough, in fact all of the bands did so. Second band were also from Zagreb, called SWORN TO DEATH and boy, did those four guys and one girl deliver. They play a mixture of metalcore and deathcore with some groove metal thrown in and great frontman who caught on with the crowd immediately. Crowd loved their set, headbanging and cheering on. Communication with the crowd was great and the band is musically so tight. The frontman is awesome, he changes his growls into screams with such ease. BEDNJA from Varaždin were unofficial headliners of this gig and some time passed since I last watched them live. I enjoyed every second of their set, progressive black metal with hardcore breaks, also some d-beat thrown in for good measure, and dual vocals, growling and screaming. These three guys made my skin crawl with goosebumps how great their music was. They also use some samples which is great in my opinion. They played couple of new songs and old material including Satan Panonski cover, communication between band and the crowd was just great, almost intimate in atmosphere.

So, another great evening with superb extreme music. I love it!

(review) Dead Dog Summer – Building Again

Dead Dog Summer from my hometown of Čakovec have been active from around 2020 if I am not mistaken, but members of the band have decades of activity playing in various hardcore punk bands in Croatian underground scene. The new DDS album is out now and I thought that it will be hard to top the debut A Place Of Someday, but the guys did it again! This new album is even better than the first one and I think the new material will go great at gigs. I immediately noticed two things. The album is a bit rawer in guitar work, some drum parts are faster making the new songs closer to hardcore punk side of things. But, the new album is also more melodic than the first one, Igor’s singing is more clean and melodic, he gave up from screaming parts which were featured on the first album. I love the mix between hardcore energy and melancholic melody. Lyrics are again on the spot, personal but hit you right in your face with something you can relate to in your life. Besides already known songs Bridges, Scars and Believe It, my personal favorites on this record are Screens Of Hope and Paint The Sky having such beautiful atmosphere and melody. But, you must find your own listening to this superb record. 10/10

Bandcamp