A year passed quickly and we’re older, but the joy of the neverending wheel of time lies in its annual celebrations. I’m continuing with the spirit of last year’s Kilkim Žaibu overview — the sacred rituals meant to be a “freezer of time,” a zone where you feel deeply connected with primordial ages. That’s how celebrations were perceived in ancient heathen times. And here we are — it’s Summer Solstice. The longest days of the year, the feast of the sun, reproduction, and entertainment. Kilkim Žaibu celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, and the program was outstanding. I invite you, dear reader, to see it through my eyes and ears. Due to the intensive program, I didn’t see all the bands. I picked carefully since I also wanted to spend time with friends I don’t see often. Special regards go to the Slovenian crew (Daj litra!).

 

Let’s begin!

This year, it was possible for all visitors to arrive already on Thursday (we do it every year and organizers have always been kind enough to let us into the area early), and people were already gathering on that day. It was even announced that a folk program was planned for Thursday evening, which made me especially happy (I had suggested this to the organizers in my overview two years ago and also in last years overview), and probably the Baltic gods heard me:

 „For me, this is always the pleasant type of music, the bonus for the listener is if you understand the lyrics. Btw, I could imagine one small (wooden) stage and day 0 (Thursday) of the festival just with reenactors and folk bands in the craftsmen’s village.“

It wasn’t anything massive, but communal singing by the fire in the craftsmen’s area was something unique. Thanks go to Tomas from Tankuojis. I encourage the organizers to keep Thursday as the folk evening — Baltic folklore means a lot to me. Another new feature we noticed on Thursday was the “Baltic Vikings” ship brought to the lake. You could take a short sail on it — but more on that later… 

 

Friday

It’s Friday and the weather is cold, a bit rainy, and the wind is blowing. Many would say it’s not summer weather and would cry a river, but as Tomáš from Košice said (he experienced the nonstop raining year in 2017): “This is finally Kilkim Žaibu weather!”

The first band of the whole festival was the Lithuanian folk band Svirtis. If you’re a regular KŽ visitor, you must’ve seen them. Five young and sincere people playing various folk songs in historical costumes — that’s more than a good start to the event! I’ll probably repeat myself, but folklore and its interpretation is one of the things I admire most about Kilkim Žaibu. We’re all awaiting the first CD from Svirtis!

We moved to Perkūnas stage, where stoner metal Orb was playing. Local guys, whom you might know from other Lithuanian bands. Pretty good sound! And the biggest surprise? Their last song featured guest vocals by Evaldas Babenskas (Obtest guitarist), playing his old punk project Fanarai. The song Velnias man parašė is still stuck in my head… Great fucking job, guys!

The next two bands, Zpoan Vtenz and Black Tooth, I skipped. During Aortes, I was exploring the craftsmen’s village and merchandise. The festival merch lineup was pretty solid, and I decided to grab something for myself and satisfy orders from friends who missed the festival this year.

Regular readers of Bes know that I’m not a big fan of death metal. The next act was the legendary US death metal band Incantation. I listened from a distance — it wasn’t bad at all, actually quite heavy and aggressive. Maybe I’ll give it a try from recordings. From the Perkūnas stage, we moved to the Pikuolis stage, where the Lithuanian power metal band Thundertale began their set. They released a new album Pranašystė this year. During their performance, near the lake behind the stage, a scenic fight and ceremonial fire lighting were taking place. You could enjoy both the ritual and the band’s music at the same time. Good timing, organizers!

After two years, Skyforger, the legendary Latvian pagan metal band, returned. They recently released a new album Teikas, which I reviewed before the festival. I was looking forward to the show, as the new material is damn catchy. Onstage, digital projections of the album graphics were shown. As expected, they started with the new track Dieva Suns, one of their best songs ever. The whole setlist was a presentation of the new album. Some were disappointed not to hear older favorites, but I found it refreshing. Guest Geoffroy Dell’Aria appeared on bagpipes and whistles. The show ended with Vecie latvieši, one of my top tracks from the album. Great performance!

I wanted to see Schammasch, but I got stuck by the beer tents with my Lithuanian friends. Time flew fast, and suddenly it was time for the Norwegian black metal pioneers Mayhem. This is a band I could see over and over — their performance is always explosive. I had no words. The stage visuals, with old and unseen photos, were stunning. The setlist was nearly perfect, with songs from various albums, especially De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Listening to Necrobutcher’s bass line in Life Eternal is always satisfying. And yes, they even played a track from my favorite album Esoteric Warfare. Oh gods — this concert was beyond perfect! After Mayhem, I wanted to go to the craftsmen’s area to party with Apvynys and Tankuojis, but I was exhausted from traveling and walking all day, so I went to sleep.

 

Saturday

Saturday promised the best weather of the three days — still a typical Lithuanian summer, colder than in other parts of Europe. Swimming in the lake, grabbing food, and browsing merch followed.

After lunch, we went to see Kūlgrinda in the craftsmen’s yard — a folklore group mostly made up of Romuva members. They sang traditional songs while we enjoyed a bit of sun. Meanwhile, Toma and Agota were playing on Pikuolis stage, but I didn’t make it there as we got stuck at the Vytautas The Great War Museum and partisans tent.

Next, I listened to the Latvian archaic folklore group Trejasmens. They’re reconstructing Latvian tribal culture, and I always appreciate this type of music. Often more interesting to me than average metal bands. After their concert, we skipped Estonian post-rock band Kaschalot in favor of lunch. Food prices were higher… but what isn’t nowadays? Best deal was probably fish and chips for 13€ — fair portion and very tasty.

I was curious about a new Lithuanian project called Dega, made up of members of folk group Ugniavijas and metal musicians. If you know the local scene, you’d recognize faces like Augustinas from Juodvarnis and members of Lietis. I expected something else, but it turned out to be Ugniavijas singing war songs with added heavy metal riffs. Not bad or boring — just not what I imagined. Still, they’re amazing musicians with great voices.

During the next two bands, we joined our Slovenian friends for a boat ride on the Viking ship, thanks to Baltic Vikings. They brought it from Vilnius — how could we miss a hard-party sail? It was a blast! Huge thanks to guide Jonas and the crew. What an experience! „Daj litra! – Daj dva!“

Yeah, we skipped Saulius Petreikis, whom I’ve seen before at KŽ, and the German grindcore band Excrementory Grindfuckers. As I said last year — I’m not a fan of grindcore. It doesn’t really suit Kilkim Žaibu, but thankfully, there’s plenty to do elsewhere. Now it was time for three bands I really wanted to see. First, the Danish melodic death/doom metal legends Saturnus. A teenage favorite of mine. Their set started with some sound issues, but was soon perfect. They played a solid mix of old and new, including Empty Handed, I Long, and Fathers Providence. Great to see them again — especially at Kilkim Žaibu. I missed Baest, but next came Thy Catafalque from Hungary. I’d seen them two years ago in Bratislava. Tamás Kátai is a great musician, and he brought the project to life with familiar faces from the Hungarian scene. Their blend of black, avant-garde, progressive metal, and folk touches was powerful. The stage was full, with four vocalists (2 male, 2 female). A great show, though I expected a different setlist.

Right after, we rushed to Perkūnas stage for Lithuanian pagan metal legends Obtest. They aren’t very active nowadays, with the vocalist living in the USA and no new full album since Gyvybės medis (2008). Still, they released the single Šlovė didvyriams in support of Ukraine last year. Many fans, young and old, gathered. The sound was perfect, and they played classics like Auka Seniems Dievams! The big surprise was Oldness Coming! from their first demo, with old photo projections — amazing! Perfect concert!

Another highlight for me was Tsjuder, the true embodiment of Norwegian black metal. Three corpse-painted maniacs unleashed hell. The minimalism of their stage setup contrasted with the previous set by Thy Catafalque. Their latest album Helvegr is pure destruction. Prestehammeren nearly blew my brain out. You just have to experience Tsjuder to understand it.

Next, Finntroll — a band everyone knows. I’ve seen them many times, and was already a bit too tired for their energetic show. They haven’t released anything new since Vredesvävd (2020). I planned just a short nap… but 20 minutes became longer, and I woke up during the last act, Eiwhar from France. Not sure what that was meant to be — some trendy “vikingish” thing. Not my taste; a bit cringe. Meanwhile, I realized there was still a program happening in the craftsmen’s village, so I rushed over. Svirtis was playing on the little wooden stage, and quite a few people had gathered for such a late-night performance. I admire how energetic they are, and how genuine their concerts feel.

 

Sunday

Oh, it’s Sunday already… time flies at the festival — remember my opening words? There is no time. We did some last-minute shopping and met a friend from Metal for Ukraine, who was selling Ukrainian merch to support their defense. You could get items directly from Roman Saenko’s legendary acts: Hate Forest, Drudkh, and Blood of Kingu.

The first band on Pikuolis stage was Latvian death/black metal band Deodium — completely unknown to me, and I’m pretty familiar with the Baltic metal music scene. But what a surprise! Great production and songwriting, with a mix of death/black metal and a touch of thrash. They looked confident on stage. Right after their set, I bought their latest CD Maldupe (2023). Expect a review soon! Next two bands, NRCSST and Black Spikes, we skipped (good musicians, but not my cup of tea). We finished our lunch instead.

I was curious about Šaknys, a Lithuanian-Dutch group playing post-folklore. A modern approach to folk music — not kitschy at all. The singer looked a bit shy, but it was charming. Great to sit on the grass and rest while listening. And then — how could I forget? Viking football (rąstplėšys)! Years ago, I played, and this year I joined again. We fought hard and won 3:0! You have to push the log against the opponent’s shield and wrestle — it’s insane fun. We won a beer — totally worth it.

I went to use my free beer coupons, thanks to the organizer Daividas, and to walk off some of the energy and endorphins from the game. The next band for me was High Parasite, since my girlfriend had hyped them up and we’d been listening to them on the way to Lithuania. Many of you know the story about My Dying Bride—how they canceled last year’s appearance at the Kilkim Žaibu festival, probably due to some internal conflict. In the meantime, singer Aaron has started another band: the gothic metal act High Parasite. It’s pretty catchy, and I enjoyed listening to it in the car. Last year, they released their debut album Forever We Burn, and unsurprisingly, the setlist focused on that record. The concert was energetic, and Aaron appeared on stage dressed entirely in white. His vocals are iconic, but he wasn’t the only one who stood out—bass guitarist Tombs and his clean vocals were outstanding. High Parasite’s concert was one of the best performances of the festival.

The next band was the French death/black metal act Necrowretch. Our colleague Serenity wrote a review of their latest album, and their recommendation made me check it out. I didn’t regret it — the music was great, and I was really looking forward to their set. It was aggressive and powerful — a fantastic performance! Swords of Dajjal was a major part of their setlist, and it was absolutely crushing! I’m glad Kilkim Žaibu invited these guys — they were damn good! By now, I was pretty exhausted (and not 100% healthy), so I listened to Benediction from a distance. Then came Tribulation — gothic metal with a singer that sounds like Moonspell’s Fernando. Interesting vibe.

Finally, it was time for the festival bonfire and a performance by ALT 13 — it became a beautiful art tradition. I stayed by the fire, alone with my thoughts. Summer Solstice is sacred time — even for extroverts like me.

When it comes to music, I’m a 101% honest person, so I have to say that since Svartir Sandar (2011) — or rather Ótta (2014) — I haven’t listened to Sólstafir much. I kind of disliked the softer style they started playing, and it just annoyed me. When they released last year’s album Hin helga kvöld, and I heard the title track, I thought they were going back to their roots — and I liked their music again. But you really have to be in the right mood for this kind of music, and it just wasn’t my time. Sólstafir are great musicians and they know how to create an incredible atmosphere. They played the title track from the new album, which was fantastic, and also the fan-favorite Fjara. Still, I just couldn’t fully enjoy them this time. Maybe next time.

 

And that’s the end…

Huge thanks to the organizers. It was again great pleasure to be in this enviroment, to meet my Baltic friends – I am already missing you all.  See you next year! Photos used with permission of Varnalėša and Garvis. Thank you guys!