Another local-scale show was held at the already well-known venue — club Torba — under the banner of yet another (not the first) impending closure. I sincerely hope this won't happen, just like the previous times, because whatever people say about this place, it long ago earned its place in capital letters in the history of the Kyiv metal scene. This time, I — like many who came to the club that evening — was treated to a melodic metal concert organized by Igor Cherepanov, guitarist and leader of GRIMFAITH. This wasn't his organizational debut; he'd already gained experience in this area, and it seems he's beginning to understand what the Kyiv listener wants. Besides entertainment, the metalheads also had a chance to get some "bread," thanks to organized competitions in speed beer drinking and a mini arm-wrestling tournament. And four bands were scheduled to treat us with their melodic sound that day:
UNDINA (Vinnytsia) STORM REGION (Kyiv) TEMPORARY SUFFERING (Kyiv) EPISODE (Kyiv) LOTOCY (Kyiv)
Due to circumstances beyond their control, LOTOCY didn't perform at the concert. The most valuable member of their lineup (namely the vocalist) was struck down by insatiable illness.
As we can see, only one band — which was probably the disappointment of this show — represented a non-Kyiv melodic metal school. It was clearly noticeable that the performance wasn't bringing the guys much pleasure, and accordingly, the audience reacted to them rather listlessly. What caused this? Maybe the stars, maybe the hard road to the capital, maybe something else — we won't dig through their laundry, just hope they'll draw conclusions for themselves.
The discovery of the day was, without question, the still practically unknown band STORM REGION. Who would have thought that two and a half months of these musicians coexisting would produce such bright and vivid results? The reason, apparently, was their desire to bring their idea to the people. This was their very first performance. Of course, that doesn't mean none of them had ever been onstage — quite the opposite. This was far from the first performance for Sergey (guitarist) and the band's creative leader, and certainly not the first stage appearance for the drummer (guitarist of MALINCONIA, though seeing him as a drummer was a first). Or maybe everyone was simply charmed by the lovely bassist and vocalist of the band — Nika. Let that remain the little secret of this band's success.
Another band — TEMPORARY SUFFERING — were no newcomers. This is a long-established act with a clearly defined musical path, which as always delivers pain, torment, and despair through their music. Emotionality and energy are no strangers to their songs. The band is not unfamiliar with the question of "the Creators of this world" — I sincerely hope these guys have everything still ahead of them and wish them success.
Closing the concert were EPISODE, delivering desperately professional progressive metal. What probably surprised the experienced listener most was the presence of a keyboardist onstage — none other than the band's former guitarist, Reduktor (what hasn't this guy played — a true multi-instrumentalist). They rightfully earned the title of the most technical band of the day. Audiences were kept on their toes by guitarist Skitalets's technical shredding and Reduktor's melodic speed-solos in the style of DREAM THEATER. The drummer heartily shook the air with strikes on his kit (not forgetting the rhythmic patterns), while vocalist Andrey kept both the audience and his bandmates engaged — his showmanship and charisma captivated more than one young female heart, no doubt.
A sizable photo collection can be found here.