Nýrsko is pretty far away for us, and it must be a solid lineup to get my attention and make me travel there. Eternal Hate Fest had great names on the list, so we decided to travel those 700 km. It was my first time here, and the environment looked solid. The wooden stage looked good, and the whole atmosphere of the festival was classic underground. Beer and food prices were very reasonable, and there was plenty of merchandise that you can’t get so easily. It’s just a one-day festival, so everything went by very quickly for me.
It was already time for the first band, one unknown to me: Moorah. A Czech black metal band that released their first album in 2021. However, the lineup consists of experienced musicians, including the first drummer of Master’s Hammer. Unfortunately, musically, it didn’t catch my interest, and their album Marnost nad marnost (2021) sounds better in the studio version.
There was enough time between the bands, as everyone was doing soundchecks before their sets. Another unknown band for me was Black Raptus from Italy. Five men appeared on stage wearing balaclavas, and the show started. I was really surprised—Black Raptus were aggressive yet atmospheric. The songwriting works very well here, and as Demonvoisa said, Italians can produce very solid black metal. (And I agree, since Forgotten Tomb and Whiskey Ritual are among my favorite bands.) I will definitely check out their studio albums and retrospectively now I regret that I didnt buy anything on the spot.
The third band of the day was our countrymen, Krajiny Hmly. A very well-known and popular band in Slovakia, as you could see many people wearing their shirts. A new member appeared on stage—guitarist Ozymandias from Sunstrike. Krajiny Hmly, like the previous bands, had to face the sunshine (literally), so the sunglasses gave them a new vibe. As one of my friends said, Namtar looked like Tom Araya on stage. I would say this was one of Krajiny Hmly’s best performances. The sound was really good, and the melodies, which are the main structure of their songs, were clearly recognizable. From their latest split album, they played V kráľovstve dávnych príbehov, and from the last full album, it was Legenda o Sitne, which has a strong folk touch. Also, my favorite song, Do hlbín spánku zabudnutia, was played, and I was fully satisfied with their concert.
Blutsturm was the last of the unknown bands for me that day. A German black metal band with solid blast beats, they represented traditional black metal in the vein of Gorgoroth. It didn’t catch me that much, so I went to grab some merchandise, as the next two bands were the ones I was highly anticipating. But check out photos, Demonvoisa captured some nice shots of them!
Luctus has been one of my favorite bands for a long time. The black metal brigade from Kaunas, as they call themselves, was ready on stage with a new drummer. With his first hits and kicks, the aggressive, slightly punkish song KBMB started. Kicking ass from the first seconds—that’s the Luctus signature. They pleased me also with the second song, Už Lietuvą, from the split album Sonitus Caeli Ardentis (2007). Luctus is soon releasing a new album, and the song Mirusiųjų Pasaulio Ilgesys, a really good piece, was one of the new ones. Stotis was dedicated to their friends from Infernal War, and their latest album Užribis (2020) was represented by the song Tikėjimo paslaptis. The last song was one of my favorites, Nežiūrėk, nežibėk. That was a blast of a concert with a great setlist!
I’m not going to lie, it took me some time to learn the name Sielunvihollinen. I saw those Finns a few years ago, and already then, they caught my interest. Their classic melodic black metal makes you move—it’s aggressive yet catchy. I’m not that familiar with their discography, but after this concert, that will definitely change.
The next band was the Czech group Sekhmet, who are well-known in the local underground scene. I’ve seen them a few times, but that was many years ago. Here, they got a pretty luxurious time slot among the headliners. Sure, they put on a show that requires the darker part of the day—burning a pig’s head on stage and a lot of fire. That’s pretty impressive, but to be honest, I’ve never been an active listener of their music. After I came home and listened to their cover of Kuoleva lupaus, I have to say, that I need to listen to their last album carefully.
Infernal War doesn’t make any compromises, and their performance is the synonym of an absolute blast. The last time I saw them was probably in Vilnius in 2019 (overview here). Since then, the lineup has slightly changed, and on bass guitar now is Marcin from Deus Mortem. The tempo dictated by drummer Stormblast is insane, and Infernal War was crushing impure idolatry right on the spot. Singer Warcrimer didn’t miss the opportunity to comment on the change of law in the Czech Republic and congratulated our neighbors on banning communism. Legendary song Spill the Blood… followed, along with Axiom and Into Dead Soil from their latest album. If I am not mistaken, they have played also one completely new song. Infernal War is the band you always want to see, no matter if they released something new or are playing the old stuff.
The last band of the festival was Horna. I think that many black metal fans are aware of them—and rightfully so. They are not just currently popped-up black metal stars, but a long-time-playing band and one of the best acts from Finland. This was one of the best concerts I have seen from Horna. The sound was really good, and their melodic songs were remarkable this evening. Their latest album Nyx (Hymnejä yölle) from 2024 is an amazing work, and we could hear two songs from it: Hymni I and III. Certainly, it wouldn’t be a proper Horna concert without Kuoleva lupaus, their most iconic and hymnic song. I was really glad that they played another song from that album Sanojesi Äärelle from 2006, it was a more atmospheric one, yet still melodic, Baphometin Siunaus. Spellgoth is a charismatic leader and Shatraug a genius songwriter. Along with his pack, they ruled the end of the night. I can’t omit also that steel sound of the rhythm drum of LRH, I fucking loved that.
That’s it. It passed so quickly. I would have stayed longer, yet I was tired from the travelling. I guess next year we will have to come one day earlier and also enjoy the nature around, it looked brilliant.
Written by: S.
Photos: DMNVS (full gallery here)
