NOVEMBER’S DOOM DAYS – DAY I

In two days, one of the most unique events in our country, took place. Two days which combined so many emotions at one place – sorrow, sadness, apathy, euphoria, darkness and grimness.  This event created the strongest union between melancholy and despair, gathering fans and musicians from whole Europe. I think that the article about the “November’s doom days” festival should start from the warm-up party in the “BlackLodge Bar”.
Around 21:30, at the 24^th of November, in the “BlackLodgeBar„, the Swedish band VANHELGA and the Italians FORGOTTEN TOMB arrive.  I am very surprised to see that the number of fans who came to meet the musicians, is quite small. Unfortunately I can’t talk with FORGOTTEN TOMB but I spend a lot of time speaking with the guys from VANHELGA. The band is very friendly and talks with every person who wants to make contact with them. They say to me that this is probably the show that they feel the most prepared for. They also share that they love to come to Eastern Europe and are happy to play in Bulgaria. From them I learn that they will soon have a concert in Russia with another famous depressive black metal band – the Georgians PSYCHONAUT 4.  We talk about the ideas behind some of their songs, the creation of VANHELGA and their plans for the future. Time flies and the moment when I have to leave the club and to start preparing for the first day of the festival.
I skip the part with the waiting in front of the Live&Loud club and I shall start my tale for the night of the 25^th of November with the opening band of the festival – the Slovenians DEKADENT. They show a very good level with their atmospheric black metal, which manages to enchant the fans.  The band definitely shows that their achievements are worthy and without a doubt they deserve and need to be heard and seen live. Although their set is rather short, it is a show to remember.  The band gets off the stage, where the already mentioned VANHELGA will soon be, because of the newly made schedule, created because of the flight delay of ALBEZ DUZ. We also get to know that THURISAZ just arrived in Bulgaria.
Around 22:15 the band which I enjoyed the most and which left the deepest memories in my mind, takes the stage. VANHELGA. A name, worthy of being remembered.  They look as usual – wearing their black masks, except for the drummer D. Franzén.  If one word is capable of describing the whole range of emotions, which they manage to deliver, it is the word “melancholy”.  Pure melancholy, perfectly fitting this late autumn, when everything marches towards its natural end. Their music is something more than art, it just cannot be explained.  It makes you stand, staring at aimlessly and to think, divided from this world, dwelling in the past.  Memories, hidden under your skin. You know that what you think about will never be real again, that it will only remain only in your sorrowful mind. As if they lead me in a museum of my own melancholy and despair, the rejection of life.  An anthem for the bitterness of existence, a very beautiful one, for that matter. Although I feel as if time doesn’t exist, the moment of the end of this wistful voyage comes, just as everything else that we love ends eventually. All that is left after the concert is a memory –  an exhibit in that exact same museum of the past, where we all often go. We can hear songs from their new masterpiece „Ode&Elegy”, the split “Urban Negativism”, their previous album “Längtan” and other parts from their discography.  All around me I see people wearing shirts of the band, also they buy CDs from the merch stand, which shows the positive response of the fans.  For me, this is, without any doubts, the best performance on the whole festival. Positive music, for positive people.
After a short pause, one of the most anticipated black metal bands in Bulgaria – FORGOTTEN TOMB is on the stage. This is their first concert here and without a doubt a lot of people are here to hear them. After the complete melancholy and memory voyage that VANHELGA created, it is turn for a piece of ultimate misanthropy, hatred towards the world and towards ourselves. We hear iconic tracks like “Reject Existence” from their album “Under Saturn Retrograde”,  “Daylight Obsession” from the cult record “Springtime Depression”, as well as other of the masterpieces. Sorrow is being mixed with riffs filled with hatred and grimness, creating an atmosphere like no other. We hear a presentation of the title song of their last album “Hurt yourself and the ones you love”. Maybe in this words we can find the idea behind the band. The end comes with the mandatory “Disheartenment” from the debut album “Songs to Leave”, after which the bands leaves the stage, where preparations for the show of ALBEZ DUZ start. While I’m waiting I have the possibility to talk with Herr Morbid, Algol and Asher from FORGOTTEN TOMB. They are very friendly and share their positive impressions of the concert, I learn that soon we can expect a new studio album. After the short conversation I return to the club where the fans, although a bit less than before, are ready to welcome the last guests for the night.
The show of ALBEZ DUZ starts few minutes after midnight. The German band, describing itself as “occult doom rock” has 3 albums until now and the last one “Wings of Tzinacan” came out at the 28^th of October this year. Slow and crushing dark music,  contrasting with the past melancholy and misanthropy which ruled over our minds until now. We are descending in the eternity of the dark abyss, while the world around seems more and more distant. The band definitely has fans here and we can also see people from all around Europe, including Austria and France. The music is definitely suitable for the fans of BLACK SABBATH and CANDLEMASS. Around 01:30, ALBEZ DUZ leave the stage and the end of the first day of the festival  is over.
For one night around 100 fans dived into the chambers of this melancholic, misanthropic, dark, sorrow filled music, crafted by DEKADENT, VANHELGA, FORGOTTEN TOMB and ALBEZ DUZ. There is still one more night, filled with slow, despair bringing songs. 6 bands which showed is what doom (and black) metal are all about. You can soon anticipate the tale for the second night of November’s doom days festival.