Only a week after the phenomenal Dark Tranquillity/Moonspell/Hiraes event in Ljubljana, another unforgettable experience followed: DOOL in Prosecco, Italy. It was only the second time we had attended a DOOL concert - the first being about seven months earlier at the Prophecy Fest - and given how much we had enjoyed it, there was no way we would miss this one. Besides, Prosecco is practically around the corner.

Tomaz and I arrived shortly before 8:30 in the evening, just as Taraban, a Polish proto-metal outfit, was scheduled to begin its set. However, they were nearly an hour late. No matter - there's always time for a pre-show beer and a lively chat with acquaintances. This time, we approached the night with complete ease; we had interviewed DOOL at Prophecy Fest (HERE) and had no plans to interview Taraban, as its genre falls outside Terra Relicta's interests. Still, Taraban delivered an excellent performance, playing around seven songs, primarily from its newly released album Oath. Frontman Daniel Suder was quite the spectacle in his striped suit - if music hadn't worked out, he could have made a brilliant dancer or even an acrobat, judging by his energetic twists and turns. The guitars sounded remarkably professional, and a Slovenian guitarist I later spoke to praised the band's talent. There was nothing to fault in Taraban's set - in fact, it was fantastic, as was the venue's usual stellar sound quality. The only "issue" was simply that its genre isn't to my taste.

After a short half-hour interlude, Dutch DOOL took the stage. Some of the members had appeared outside earlier in the smoking area - one playing imaginary drums. I guessed it was DOOL's drummer, though (as you might recall from my previous report) I initially struggled to recognise him in his floral-patterned shirt - what is my problem with clothes?! At least I guessed correctly.

DOOL launched into its set with "The Shape Of Fluidity" and concluded with "Oweynagat". Across ten songs, six came from its latest album, The Shape Of Fluidity, released in April 2024. I relished every track, though the penultimate song, "Hermagorgon", captivated me the most. Not even that modest an audience for a small venue (a few days earlier in Prague, as singer Raven told us, only about 20 people attended the concert), the crowd was thoroughly engaged, eager for more even after the final note. Unfortunately, no encore followed. But what we experienced was undeniably special and well worth attending. The band surely gained new fans, particularly among Slovenians, who probably made up the crowd's majority. As I mentioned before, I've attended two DOOL concerts so far, one in front of a crowd of over two thousand and the other in front of about fifty people; I can say that both performances were equally intense and flawlessly executed.

Following the concert, promoter Nevio Trento (Associazione Never In) and his team treated attendees to complimentary Pelinkovec - a bitter-sweet wormwood liqueur beloved across the Balkans. What a rare and thoughtful gesture! Then came the after-party… We had the chance to speak with Raven and several other members from both bands, as well as admire the musicians' equipment - especially a striking vintage speaker - as they carefully packed it away. When the bands finally departed, around fifteen of us lingered over free beers, savouring the last moments of a remarkable evening. Until the next report - cheers! Jerneja

Report by Jerneja
Photos by Tomaz
Links: DOOL, Taraban