As most metal lovers already know, this year’s edition of ARTmania Festival took place between July 26th and July 28th. However, the first two days invited the audience to the Large Square, where the bands on the festival’s bill performed on one of the two stages there. The last day was totally different and the concerts moved at the History Museum courtyard.
The Flower Kings
Day one started with the legendary prog band The Flower Kings, for the first time onstage in Romania. With an impressive discography, counting no less than 16 albums, during three decades of activity, the band made a name for itself as one of the pillars of modern progressive rock. Led by the charismatic vocalist Roine Stolt, The Flower Kings walked the audience through their vast discography by delivering an exquisite setlist.
The intricate compositions proved one more the band’s ability to seamlessly blend complex instrumental passages with catchy melodies and introspective lyrics. Some songs, such as Church of Your Heart, The Dream, Stardust We Are and The Truth Will Set You Free took the audience on a trip down memory lane and made people’s heartstrings vibrate as a result. What is more, the band played Beginner’s Eye, one of the most emotional songs from their latest release, Look at You Now (2023).
Alpha Q
On the second stage, Alpha Q outdid themselves. Representing the local metal underground, the band can’t be pinned to a genre, as they blend a large variety of styles and influences. However their show is full of energy every single time and they bring a heavy mix of guitar riffs, classic rock vocals and pummeling drumming. This time was no different! Mira‘s good vibes were infectious and she interacted with the audience with every chance she got.
Igorrr
Then, Igorrr started their show… and time stood still for about one hour… Or, maybe some of us forgot to breathe! I looked around at people’s faces and many looked transfigured… or taken aback. Igorrr is one of those bands which defy musical conventions and blur the lines between genres. Known for their eclectic fusion of styles, like breakcore, black metal, baroque and electronic music, Igorrr delivered a live show that was perfectly chaotic and mesmerizing, keeping everyone on their toes for what was to come.
The band’s sound was a kaleidoscope of contrasting styles, with heavy guitar riffs clashing with operatic vocals, frenetic breakbeats and classical instrumentation. This unique combination created some sort of sensory overload. Moreover, it challenged the audience’s perception of what music can be. The stage was constantly a whirlwind of energy, with the band members moving frantically and engaging the crowd in a dynamic play of sound and movement.
From a visual point of view, Igorrr‘s concert was equally captivating. The band incorporated stunning lighting, elaborate costumes and theatrical elements that enhanced the immersive quality of their performance. The genius behind the project, Gautier Serre, along with the vocalist Marthe Alexandre and with the instrumentalists, brought a theatrical flair to the stage, enhancing the otherworldly atmosphere of the show. For those who like to explore new musical frontiers, Igorrr‘s concert was an exciting journey into the avant-garde world, where songs like Nervous Waltz, Hallow Tree, or Opus Brain created such synesthesia that we all heard colors!
Lavina
Such burning emotions and whirlwind of energy called for a recess… so Lavina, the Serbian progressive metal band, started grooving on the second stage. A versatile vocalist and a young band trying to blend heavy sequences and oriental parts, with dramatical orchestral interpretations. Sometimes they reminded of Riverside, at times they sounded like Tesseract and surprisingly, the dramatic sensitivity given by the piano gave cinematic depth to the show.
Satyricon
Satyricon graced us next with a hell of a show! A powerful and immersive experience, bringing relentless energy to the stage, wrapped in a dark and atmospheric sound. Satyr appeared with his commanding presence, delivering intense and powerful vocal lines. The band’s sound was tight and precise, blending ferocious black metal riffs with haunting, melodic passages, while Frost delivered a relentless wall of sound on the rhythm side.
The 12-song set included To Your Brethren in the Dark, Now, Diabolical and The Pentagram Burns which sounded sensational, menacing a bit… and the drumming was fabulous. It all ended with KING, the track from 2006, from the legendary album Now, Diabolical.
Awake the Demons
The second day of ARTmania started with Awake the Demons, a band which combines a lot of metal styles. They played with a lot of enthusiasm and energy, but it was obvious they need more practice. The clean vocals sounded better than the other vocal attempts… Maybe they should take their time and focus on improving their playing, concentrate more on accuracy than putting on stage theatricals and engaging with the crowd. Or… maybe the small stage was still too big for them and the anxiety took its toll.
Borknagar
Many people were looking forward to the Borknagar concert. However, the way Vortex greeted the audience raised many eyebrows. I saw some people so offended that they turned their backs on the stage and walked away. The disclaimer for that offense came too many days later and it was unconvincing. However, apart from that awkward moment, the show was good!
The band played mostly from their latest album, Fall. Yet, the most emotional songs from its predecessor, True North, gave voice to the most excruciating sorrow: Up North and Voices. Øystein G. Brun nailed it on guitar and Vortex put so much feeling into the lyrics that he took the audience on a journey through the harshness of nature up North.
Taine
Taine followed on the other stage, and they did an excellent show, as always. Andy was full of joy and energy and his vocals were simply amazing. A lot of innovation on guitars, impeccable technicality, complicated progressive parts and top notch sound. The interaction with the audience completed the memorable performance and reminded everyone why it is always a bliss to bare witness of their show!
Spiritbox
On the other hand, Spiritbox lacked exactly what Taine excelled in: passion! Apart from the faulty sound, which made Courtney LaPlante‘s clean vocals almost inaudible, she didn’t seem to have any chemistry with the audience. At some point she tried to incite people to jump, start a mosh pit or move in some way… but with little avail. She even pointed out at the end that she’s bound by contract to play one more song… as if she wouldn’t have if she had a choice. Maybe she was annoyed because of the sound issues, which made famous singles like Jaded and others sound pretty bad. However, the growling passages sounded quite good and Circle With Me was actually splendid.
Moreover, the growling on Blessed Be was strong and furious, encapsulating all the rage the lyrics expressed. The use of electronic samples on Holy Roller sent a wave of energy and the crowd felt revived and started to move. Though the clean voice was hardly audible and Courtney needed backing vocals for support, the growling was solid and the instruments were no less than perfect. The lack of engagement and chemistry between the band and the audience turned out to be the main reason why this concert didn’t classify as memorable.
ARTmania in context
After the Canadiens finished their show, the Large Square started to feel more and more suffocating and crowded. Meanwhile, on the other stage there was a show that few were actually watching: percussion, drums, dancing, an act trying to convey some kind of message about ARTmania ‘in context’. But it was almost impossible to move closer and watch, as everyone was pushing to get closer to the main stage were Korn‘s show would start shortly… However, not soon enough, judging to how much adrenaline and enthusiasm pumped everyone’s spirits.
Korn
Finally, this edition’s headliner came on stage and the crowd got delirious. Korn sounded perfect from the beginning till the end, The voice was flowless and the guitar godly, from the first second of Rotting in Vain. There were amazing lights, a 3D visual on some special panels, everything that made the show mind blowing. The audience acclaimed the medleys like We Will Rock You combined with Coming Undone, and Metallica‘s One with Shoots and Ladders.
The band also played most of their hits: Falling Away From Me , Twist , Right now and the unearthly performance ended with Freak on a Leash, the song that made them famous decades ago. Speaking of decades… Korn celebrates 30 years of existence in 2024, and listening to Jonathan Davis‘s vocals, it became clear why he is the ‘last man standing’ in nu-metal. Ray Luzier, the drummer, was absolutely amazing, also! An almost inhuman manner of playing, with bombastic moments, energy and aggressiveness all wrapped up in flawless technique.
Davis, as usual, went back to his Scottish roots, hence the bagpipes. He also headbanged with his dreads in the air, clinging on his mike stand, at the beginning of every single song. Only his trademark skirt was missed… the rest was all there, and the show was nothing short of spectacular.
Conclusions… to some extend
The 17th edition of ARTmania Festival was an interesting one. I can’t comment on day 3 and the bands performing at the museum since I didn’t get to see any. However, I’ve heard many voices praising Revolter‘s performance. All in all, let’s see what the future holds! Looking forward to next year’s lineup announcements!
