Before you jump on our necks because of the clickbait title, let’s immediately clarify that there was no fire, but we are referring to certain performances and to huge, almost unprecedented temperatures. This year, EXIT lasted five days, instead of the usual four days, and was opened with the participation of performers that listeners mostly associate with Eurovision and Beovision. That’s right Baby LasagnaTeya Dora, Keni Nije Mrtav and Iniko were among the names that had the honor of welcoming visitors to the Petrovaradin fortress in this hottest part of the year.
Now, maybe the selection of guitar music this year was a bit thinner than we would have liked (never too much distortion!), but we can’t say that there wasn’t anything to see. So are the fans of the Greek stoner-folk band Villagers of Ioannina City had the opportunity to watch them for the third time in Serbia, this time in the festival edition, on the Fusion Stage. There were punk treats, from The Casualties on the Explosive Stage, to a really fiery performance The Exploited on Main (this time the word fiery goes with the mandatory torches in the audience). We were not deprived of hard core, metal, or alt-rock performers, represented mainly on the following stages – Explosive, Fusion and Main.
Speaking of treats on the Explosive stage, we had the opportunity to hear and see the Slovenian band Morost, who offered a slightly more unique sound compared to what metalheads are used to. Sometimes unexpected and atypical instruments for a genre (here it was a saxophone) can add the necessary dose of spice to make the whole impression more interesting, and to make us interested in exploring further. And that was exactly the case with Morost, at least as far as we are concerned.
What left perhaps the biggest impression on us on Friday was the melodic black metal band Uda, which arrived in hot Novi Sad all the way from Oregon. If you thought North America had nothing to offer in this genre, you’re wrong. Maybe this approach to black metal is not to everyone’s taste, but this is a band that is very compact on stage, musically, conceptually, and with the whole impression they gave us. And they gave us an excellent concert and very good songs for about an hour. This is one of those bands that, if you liked them in the studio before, only solidifies your devotion with the live performance. As far as we were concerned, they were a clear ten.
Honestly, ni veterani Coroner they didn’t remain indebted to anyone – neither with their performance, nor with their persuasiveness and attitude, but those who know them expected nothing less from these giants of the Swiss scene. Stretched like a watch (Swiss, hehe,) they go straight to the head and stomach, and they haven’t lost any of their sharpness even after more than 40 years since their creation, which, you have to admit, is quite a success.
After Conflict and Ratos de Porao, who rocked the Explosive stage on Saturday, on Sunday EXIT festival on Main hosted the band of the Cavalera brothers, under the name – you will be surprised – Knight. The explosive concert by the Brazilian veterans was a real treat for a certain number of metal fans who gathered to see off this very concert, and there was also a part of the audience that was waiting for the next performance of the great name of the guitar concert. The big name that was announced for the Main Stage, which, we believe, many have had the desire to see and hear live for a long time, is head and chin Tom Morello. However, despite such big names that paraded through the EXIT festival over the course of five days, we got the impression that the crowd was somewhat smaller than what we were used to. If we don’t count the chaos in front of Main during the performance of the Black Eyed Peas, which – as we were told – was considerable. Now, we cannot say with certainty whether this is due to the terrible heat, or to the fact that some other concert events in a similar period dragged away a part of the visitors.
What we can claim is that Sunday brought treats to Explosive, especially for black metal fans, because that evening the native The Stone and the legendary Norwegian Ancient performed on stage. We have to be a little biased and say that this was a convincing and best evening on stage with extreme sound, and what completed it was the performance of veteran Pungent Stench, who performs under the name Schirenc Plays Pungent Stench.
All in all, our team (despite the heat) had a great time. We know what came after – sorting through photos, a few recordings, and generally summarizing impressions. There were bands that we may not have heard before, or at least not paid attention to, so there will be material for listening on Spotify. And finally – although the Balkanrock audience may be used to the reports being concentrated on a slightly finer sound, it still sent a team with a more extreme taste in music to EXIT, hence the greater representation of metal. Certainly, we will see you next year at the Petrovaradin fortress, when EXIT celebrates twenty-five years of existence. We hope that it will be even more explosive, with slightly more pleasant temperatures. what would you say fingers crossed!
Photo gallery – EXIT festival 2024 – Novi Sad
Source: balkanrock.com
