It is not an easy task to write this
review, as three weeks are passed from the night of the event, and the impressions
are melting with considerations which appeal directly to the heart. The
band Laibach that appeared on stage at Siddharta Club in Prato is not the
same which stroke me like a lightning with works now belonging to history
such as "Nova Akropola" and "Opus Dei". 23 years of
existence, unforgettable sagas, from being banned from native Yugoslavia
to shocking the 80s' audience with a ruthless and cunningly provocative
use of totalitarian iconography, to then become famous towards the end of
the decade with cover versions of Opus' "Live Is Life" and Queen's
"One Vision", translated into German and plasmated into fierce
military marching hymns. The band which jumped on stage at 23 o' clock was
a rock band, guitar, bass, voice and drums, with samples and electronics
manipulated from the backstage. The opening song was Europe's "Final
Countdown", another famous cover version taken from "NATO",
their most ambitious work of the 90s', a concept album on war and on NATO,
made of a series of cover versions of famous pop and rock songs about war:
eventually, in fact, Laibach played Status Quo's "In The Army Now",
Pink Floyd's "Dogs Of War" and D.A.F.'s "Alle Gegen Alle,
all of them electronically re-arranged and with the classic guttural voice
of Milan Fras, one of the most recognizable and distinctive symbols of Laibach's
work. After the intermission of "Mars On River Drina", adaptation
of an ancient military march, the hard metal part of the show had begun,
with the tracks extracted from "Jesus Christ Superstars", controversial
and for now the band's latest record, which dates back to six years ago.
It took these six years for me to accept and understand this record, when
it first came out I was so much disappointed that I didn't even buy it!
I couldn't get on with such a radical change in their style and sound, as
"Jesus Christ Superstars" is a real rock album, and, by now, I
can say, a real good one! As a hard rock band, in fact, Laibach kick ass!
Their thundering guitars, thrashing rhythms, sharp riffs and powerful electronics
did give a lesson to a lot of puny rock bands of today, especially a German
one which owns really a lot to them...
My ears whistled for the two days after, bashed by the sound of "God
Is God", "Jesus Christ Superstar" (metal revisitation of
the main theme of Andrew Lloyd Weber's famous musical), "Kingdom Of
God", "The Cross" (amazing Prince cover!), "To New Light"
(updated version of the early "Brat Moj"), "Message From
The Black Star", and so on. As encores, two classics of the past times
were played, the Stone's "Sympathy For The Devil" and "Life
Is Life".
To remark are the NSK videos shown on a screen behind the bands' back, among
which the one inviting to become citizens of the first global state of the
universe, which passport was shown at the merchandising desk and available
with the appropriate application form.
On the whole, a great night! Laibach are much alive and loud, and I am looking
forward to this summer for the new record to be released and to see them at the Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig.
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