It was presumable, that our tradition of visiting the Lithuanian festival Kilkim Žaibu would have been broken this year as I didn’t plan anything for this summer. After all, we decided to go at the very last minute we gathered a crew of four people and moved our asses for a long drive. This year’s line-up was interesting, but I didn’t see some bands I wanted for objective and subjective reasons. The festival is happening in a new location for the third year. I described it in the previous year’s overview, but okay once again… it is a beautiful place near the lake with a park full of old and majestic oaks. If you are traveling to the festival for the first time, don’t forget to take some mosquito repellent, or you will suffer, especially in a VIP camp near the lake. I appreciate more useful things (for personal hygiene) available at the information tent – good improvement. Another good thing was also translating the festival’s program at least in an online version. I am glad that the festival’s organizers are trying to move forward.
The first day
Friday began with some acts I missed due to meetings and degustation of local beer – Dry stout Pekla was outstanding. My first band today was the Lithuanian alternative rock/post-metal band Gija whom I saw at Kilkim 2021. Since then, they have released a new album Monolitas (2023). The trio on stage has played most of the songs from this album namely the stonerish one Bewitch or UžVilko. I enjoyed the performance once again and listening of this heavily atmospheric album back at home again struck me with nice post-festival depression.
The next was another local band – Night Slasher. Metal archives is stating that it is an older reformed band and they released their debut album Night Slasher just this year. Their speed/black metal in an old-school way which is nowadays back in popularity sounded fine. At some moments of their show some girl dancers joined them, fortunately, not such ones as we can remember from the old Carpathian Forest shows. The next two bands Bix and Lietis I skipped since I had some more interesting walks and talks in craftsmen place. The whole organization of Living history and ritual actions was good and the one who was not interested in currently playing bands could spend time with this type of program. It was the burning of a smaller bonfire near the Pikuolis stage and the reenactment battle of warriors.
The next interesting band for me was avant-garde metal Vulture Industries from Norway. It was a long time since I had seen these guys, it was 10 years ago at my first Kilkim Žaibu. Since that time, they have released two really good albums Stranger Times (2017) and Ghosts from the Past (2023). Nordic gentlemen came on stage with proper clothing to their music style. Starting with the song New Lords of Light from the last album, the whole concert was beyond perfect (I love the bass guitar in this song). Those who have seen Vulture Industries live shows knew what was going to happen – singer Bjornar went down from the stage amongst the people. Their show is at the same time full of honesty and professionalism. From other tracks I loved my favourite Blood Don’t Eliogabalus or the new one Deeper. Once again, it was a great concert and I hope that I will see them live earlier than after 10 years.
Straight after the Vulture Industries we had to rush to the Pikuolis stage, where was already starting Canadian blackmetallers Panzerfaust. I am not that much acquainted with their discography, but from what I have listened it is a good partition of aggressive black metal. And so it really was! The intensive show of Panzerfaust kicked everyone’s asses so the next day we have been talking about them as one of the best concerts of the first day. I will have to take a batter look at their discography. The interesting part of their live show was that the singer was standing behind the drummer – I have never seen that in my life. The next band was the Greek legend Rotting Christ, which I have seen so many times, that I was just listening to them from a distance and once again it was a perfect show. They play at Kilkim Žaibu often and the crowd loves them. They have released currently new album, but still, I like more their older tracks.
Organizers wrote on the program about the Czech band Inferno as a “black metal meditation” which perfectly suits their last album and current musical creativity. The latest album Paradeigma (Phosphenes of Aphotic Eternity) (2021) was played in the full length, and it is strictly meditative and intensive experience live. Besides the Paradeigma album, they also added another song from the album Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution) (2017). It was Gate-eye of Fractal Spiral. I have seen Inferno quite a lot of times, but seeing them during summer solstice time at midnight is completely another experience.
The second day
The second day I am moving my crew to watch the program since the beginning. I wanted to see the folk band Svirtis because last year they were good and Lithuanian folklore is one of my interests. Svirtis appeared at Kilkim Žaibu for the third time in a row so that is probably a sign that organizers and people like them. Six people on the stage were playing traditional Lithuanian songs from various ethnographic regions, except Samogitia (Žemaitija). 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.
Next, it was time to have some lunch, so I missed the locals Mountainside and just went around when Black Spikes were playing on the Pikuolis stage. Another Lithuanian group from a mixed metal genre which could be probably described as a progressive with some death and symphonic influences. Their stage performance was grandiose, and I think it would suit them more to play in later hours. But it is summer solstice, and it is light until 22:00. I lasted about two songs, it is not my style that much, but the performance was interesting.
The next two folk performances I was looking forward to. The first one on Perkūnas stage was the Latvian band Vilkači. If you are not acquainted with Latvian folk music, just imagine Skyforger’s acoustic album Zobena Dziesma. This sounds very similar, of course, there is not so much that you can change on traditional songs. I would like to say, that I appreciate the organizer’s timing of playing bands and activities, because meanwhile Vilkači was playing, there were ongoing warriors duels. So you could listen to the great Latvian folk songs and watch also the duels – very well done. Vilkači also dedicated one song to the brave Ukrainian nation.
The next band was Romowe Rikoito which is a neofolk band consisting of an international line-up, based now in Vilnius. I can say that I have been a fan of their music since I heard the album Undēina (2014). An interesting fact about this band is, that their thematics deal with Prussian history, and language meanwhile their lyrics are in a new-Prussian version of this language. The main composer behind this project is one of the enthusiasts of the revitalization of the new-Prussian language. Romowe Rikoito currently has released a new album with the name UKA and the most of songs were played from it. I was pleased especially when they played one of my favorite songs Skaītan. The concert itself was calm, as it is their type of music. If you like neofolk in the veins of Death in June, this is what you must like!
There have been many people who were looking forward to the next band, a grindcore from the Czech Republic – Gutalax. This is something that I am not searching for in such types of festivals and honestly, I was really surprised when organizers announced this band. I know that it attracts many people, and they want to have fun, I have nothing against it, but in my opinion, they don’t fit into the summer solstice time festival. So, I ignored the band and went to take a walk and visited the exposition of Lithuanian partisans – freedom fighters against the communist regime. Staff of Vytautas the Great War Museum in Kaunas came to have some lectures and show off the military equipment. I was pleased to see some familiar faces from the museum, and I am sending my regards!
The next band was Skiltron, power/folk metal from Argentina which again wasn’t up to my taste. I was listening to them at home, but that combination of power metal and some bagpipes and flute wasn’t working for me also there was the educational program of Miško broliai group “forest brothers” which was the nickname of Lithuanian freedom fighters.
Of course, there are some bands that you never heard of, and they are making some impression on you. This was the case of Belgian black/speed metalers Bütcher. Honestly, I listened to that band for the first time at the festival and it wasn’t bad at all! If you are an old-school fan of Venom and similar bands, the album 666 Goats Carry My Chariot from Bütcher (2020) must be! It was working also live and their energetic speed metal ride with the influence of first-wave black metal was kicking asses!
Besides the neofolk bands from Baltic countries, I was looking forward the most to the band Saor atmospheric pagan/black folk metal which was formerly just a one-man project of Andy Marshall from Glasgow. The project became also a band with the help of live musicians and that was a really good decision since Saor got many fans from around the world. And here we also met Slovenian guys who were also excited about their show so we couldn’t miss it from the first lines of the Pikuolis stage. I think it is not needed to say more about music, because the performance was simply amazing. The only one error of the whole concert was a bit silent whistle. Andy also pleased many Baltic people with a shirt showing a strong message. People in Baltic countries stand with Ukraine and many from all over the world.
Maybe I am just ignorant about the death metal scene, but I have never heard about the next band Jungle Rot. It is an old-school death metal band from the USA that is currently having a tour and one of the stops was also Kilkim Žaibu. Huh! What was this? Death metal in its oldest and purest form. C’mon, I am not listening to death metal that much, but this was a blast. Some of the songs reminded me of old Sepultura in their best years. If you will see Jungle Rot somewhere on the poster, even if you don’t know it, go and watch it! Right after their concert, it was time for Lithuanian partisans reconstructors along with organizer Daividas to burn the smaller bonfire near the stage of Perkūnas. Procession with torches in historical costumes came to set fire with the tunes of the Forest brother’s song – Miške prie laužo (In the Forest by the Fire). This was a special and magical moment, especially with one of my favorite Lithuanian afterwar-period songs. Long live the freedom and Baltic countries!
I knew that I was missing part of the Gaerea show which is nowadays a popular black metal act from Portugal. A few weeks ago, one of our redactors B. was on their show in Vienna and he was praising their show (report in Slovak language here). The music itself is not bad at all – as one would say, it is “Mgłish black metal”, but the currently released songs is more into post-metal vibes and maybe even some post-hardcore. The thing that B. was telling me about is their energetic performance which was true. The singer on the stage was moving in some weird positions and dancing on an elevated platform. The sound was good, the music was good, performance was quite odd, so no huge praise from my side.
It was time for one of the headliners of the festival, but I started to get drunk slowly so I missed the Carpathian Forest. Sadly, I am sure that they will appear somewhere close to my country soon.
After the Carpathian Forest, I had the worst decision-making ever. Either way, go to watch (Dolch) which is playing a really interesting mix of music genres or to go to the craftsmen area where was the party maker the band Tankuojis. So I joined the locals, they made me even more drunk, got some beers from some people and barely stood with my friend and photographer Garvis. That was the greatest party night ending possible! Ačiū visiems!
The third day
This was a pretty heavy morning I have to admit, well… morning. I have to say that the best thing ever is to go swimming if you are feeling shit, and the lake is here like a blessing. Btw, one of the summer solstice traditions was to bathe in the river or lake! Yes, and the weather, was still perfect, not too hot, not too cold, just an ideal. My day began a bit late, and I didn’t see the first two local bands Shvininai Sharvai and Anaphora. So, the first band I saw the last day of the festival was the Latvian band Māra. It was my first time seeing this band and it was a kind of death/progressive metal with a groove influence. I have to say that the vocals from the singer were perfect even though I am not a big fan of this music style. Not bad at all, a lot of Latvians came to support their countrymen and it was nice to see the reactions.
The next band was the Estonian thrash metal band Tankist. I know about this band thanks to their cover song Vanade leegionäride laul from black metal legend Loits which was part of a tribute dedicated to them. Last year they released the album Forced Equal (2023), which deals with the tragic history of soviet labor camps known as a gulag. Tankist were playing some kind of unconventional thrash metal mixed with other genres and a touch of progressive music. In the song The Gulag Archipelago one can hear also black metal influence. Really good music and criminally underrated!
German band All For Metal was not my cup of tea so I decided to skip them instead of torturing myself. The next one to see was the Lithuanian folk metal Ūkanose. Honestly, I didn’t like that much their previous concerts, but last year they released a new album Šiaurum vėjum (2023), so I decided to watch them. The huge crowd under the stage was evidence that Ūkanose is a favorite band here in the Baltics. And after all, even I liked their performance. I would say that the singer got better with his voice and tuning and in general, it was a more consistent show than in previous years. There are not so many folk metal bands these days that attract my attention, but they made it. Song from Lithuanian history about the year 1236 (Battle of Saule), when the joined Baltic tribes kicked the asses of German knight’s crusaders made an honest smile on my face.
I guess that one of the headliners of the festival was also Swedish veterans Necrophobic. I was listening to their new album In the Twilight Grey (2024), which got pretty high ratings in reviews. Indeed it sounds fine, from the new ones especially Stormcrow was a blast, but later I lost a bit my attention. The live show was from a technical aspect very professional and energetic and the same time. I liked the honesty and the minimalism of their performance. No big shits on the stage or overwhelming image accessories. And of course, it must be, the 21-year-old song from the eponym album The Nocturnal Silence, a classic from a Swedish melodic black metal scene.
The next death metal band Crypta from Brazil, which is currently on the top of fame didn’t catch my interest at all. They are playing often in central Europe, but still not my cup of tea. The upcoming show of Ensiferum was also doubting for me since I had been listening to this band for maybe 15 years and I completely stopped listening to their music. To be honest, all what I listened to sounded the same, so I was really skeptical about whether I would like their live show. So it was, I didn’t know any of the first half of the setlist and felt pretty bored until they played old-school hits like Lai lai hei or Guardians of Fate. But that was it, no more older songs. The sound and everything around was good, but Enisferum left me confused. I would like to like them, but probably only nostalgia left some linking for their music.
Blackbraid, lately a very discussed band, or rather one-man atmospheric black metal project from USA. Thematically inspired by native American tradition and mythology drew the attention of many pagan/atmospheric music fans. As a fan of this genre and after a strong recommendation of my friend I was curious about their performance. On the stage, they looked like a typical black metal band, with no big show or some special performances, stands, or whatever. Just a black metal musicians with some additional nails on the guitarist’s arms and that was all. Musically it was a good portion of atmo-black metal, maybe inspired a bit by Agalloch. Personally, I didn’t like the live sound of the vocals, but that is just my preference. I will definitely listen to more studio albums since I believe that it may catch me more.
Before the main headliner of the festival, there was a time for the burning of the biggest bonfire of them all with the dancing performance of fire dancers group ALT 13, who we could see also the previous days. So the peak of the summer solstice was reached.
Oh yes, there it is, the headliner of the headliners. I was surprised when My Dying Bride canceled many of their shows and DMNVS was literally pissed. It is one of the legendary bands, that she still didn’t see live. But the replacement? It was my teenage legend Moonspell. I was listening them since the beginning of my metal music journey. I must admit that later discography was a bit unknown to me and I remained stuck to the classics, so I was a bit afraid of what a setlist they would play. Oh gods! They have started their playlist with the old-school song Opium from my favorite album Irreligious (1996). I was completely amazed, so I decided to go further to the front, but unfortunately closer to the stage you were, the more annoying overpowering high kick drum was so I stayed somewhere in the middle of the middle, where it was perfect. The question was if Moonspell is going to play more new songs, but Fernando welcomed Kilkim Žaibu as a pagan/black/folk metal festival and since that time I knew they had to play more older songs. So, it was! There were few newer songs, but most of the playlist consisted of older or mid-era ones. Finisterra from the album Memorial (2006) sounded exactly like from CD, singer Fernando was in his best form. Another surprise was two songs from the Antidote (2003) album – From Lowering Skies and Everything Invaded. Coming back to the roots of Moonspell, they played such a hit like Mephisto, and also two blasts from Wolfeart (1995), it was Vampiria and hymn of Moonspell, Alma Mater. The glorious end of this amazing concert was the song Full Moon Madness and I was ultimately satisfied! Great concert and performance of all members of Moonspell, I won’t forget this show!
The festival was closed by the legendary local black metal act Luctus. Unfortunately on my way from the Moonspell, they had already ended my favorite song KMBM (Kauno black metal brigada), but yet there have been so many great songs left. Luctus is not playing that often nowadays and I was very glad to see them again. This time Luctus went through most of their discography and that was even more satisfying. The title song of Jaučiant pabaigą arti (2009) manifested their older black/thrash metal era, meanwhile, Ars Moriendi and Užribis were the more black/death metal pieces of the latest album. The live presentation of Luctus is serious, it is the black metal idea of the main motor of the band. And we could witness this when some of the crowd wanted to start „sail-rowing“ things but Kommander immediately told them to stop doing that bullshit. And he was absolutely right – this doesn’t fit for the black metal performance. Song Už Lietuvą was also dedicated to Ukraine – Už Ukrainą! No surprise, strong Baltic attitude faces the invaders from the East. After the last song Tikėjimo paslaptis the band came on the stage one more time with the burning torches in their hands. What a great performance that was, one of the best of the whole festival!
It is the end… really, the sacred time of summer solstice came to an end, but the eternal wheel turns forever. As we are participating in the sacred (no)time from „in illo tempore“ (with words of Mircea Eliade), we are also falling back into the time zone of our ordinary lives. And this is how I would explain post-festival depression which is haunting many of us. It is an echo of the pre-Christian past when people (folk) were gathering for sacred feasts, meanwhile participating in rituals they were stopping the flow of time. After the rituals were done, ordinary human time came back, and it was like a cosmic fall (these lines were inspired by Mircea Eliade’s book – Myth of Eternal Return).
So yes, this year was perfect. The weather met my preferences, if I didn’t like some band, I spent that time in the craftsmen’s village and I appreciate that program a lot. I encourage organizers to pay even more attention to non-musical programs or some neofolk-acoustics programs. I love those each year.
Written by editor-in-chief S.
Photos by Varnalėša – full gallery available here.
