Hirax, Warlord, and More – A Season in The Abyss
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In May/June 2026, Slow Dragon Music returned to Gothenburg – But this run involved a lot more live music.
Even during the more rural section of the trip, up in Trollhättan, and the surrounding area, we still managed to stumble across several performances, in addition to the planned ones. A particular highlight of these side quests was the discovery of Backstage Rockbar. Definitely worth a stop for rock and metal fans. Their taco Friday deal is also a superb option for a cheap feast!
However, the metal mission at hand was specifically focused on two nights at Gothenburg’s iconic small venue, The Abyss. While the helmswoman, Maja Sofic stepped away not long after we were there, the bar is in good hands with her crew remaining. You can still expect heavy vibes, good drinks, great food, and a surprising level of acts, considering the capacity. Below are two such examples…
DAY ONE – HIRAX
Hirax, Warlord, and More – A Season in The Abyss
Kicking off, Ominum offer up helter-skelter technical thrash, with loads of dynamic punctuation. The vocals lean on heavy Testament/death metal, and there’s at touch of Revocation in the riffing. Then, they drop the grooves. Oofft! The grooves! Fatter than mole asses. As a metal musician, this is a very satisfying listen/watch. All 3 members contribute their own solid level of class and swagger. As a fan, it’s just exciting as hell, and a whole lot of fun. (I highly recommend checking them out – Slow Dragon)
Straddling the middle of the bill is Turbowitch (rumoured to be the first Hungarian band to play here). Thrashing black n roll is the order of the day, swathed in melodic breaks. They bring a bit more showmanship to the stage, and there’s no let up from the barking vocals. As much Motorhead as Mayhem, they come in thundering, and don’t stop. And when you reckon the speed ain’t neckwrecking enough, they kick into their faster numbers, with Fuck Off In Hell, followed by Napalm To Posers.
Obviously, the relatively small venue is pretty well rammed for headliners, Hirax. They earn it, too. Their intesisty is furious, dropping cluster bombs of d-beats and mass chants. This is their first time in Gothenburg, and they are destroying the place, with riff after turn-on-a-die riff. Frontman, Katon W. De Pena, attacks every moment with a grinning tension only the old school die-hards can muster. Through the likes of Drill Into The Brain, Faster Than Death, and Destruction & Terror, they just keep fucking battering! Catching a band of this calibre, toe-to-toe, with no barrier, is a rare treat. At SDMHQ, it’s being firmly added to a short list of comparable memories, which includes such shows as Flotsam & Jetsam in Glasgow and LG Petrov and co. in Prague. There’s not many moments like this, so they really stick in the mind.
DAY TWO – WARLORD
Hirax, Warlord, and More – A Season in The Abyss
Following an afternoon of random blues sets and some kind of boat festival (which almost included conscription!), it’s time for round two at The Abyss!
Proceedings kick off with self-proclaimed “heavy metal lesbians from Hell,” Antagonizer. This is some proper old school, venom-spitting riffery, straight from the Florida swamps. The don’t mess about, with chainsaw riffing, pumping beats, and a merciless roast of anyone unfortunate enough to step into their cross hairs. It all comes with a punk edge, served at high velocity. Plus, the vocalist seems to have brought a log on stage..? With the blend of genres on the card, it seems a given this trio are big fans of classic Venom.
Japan’s Abigail follow up with acid-blasting thrash in spades. With a throat full of nails and glass, this squad only know one speed. Fast as hell. No brakes. Rock n roll taken to the extreme, this is only really metal in its extremity. There’s no quips, no gimmicks, no glitz. And no reprieve. Track after track, they drop absolute musical anarchy, utterly without mercy for necks or ears. Even their one lower paced number charges along at locomotive velocity. Superb fun for thrash addicts (Yo! Right here! – Slow Dragon). We claimed the last two patches and a set list to boot!
Rolling in easy, Warlord take the stage with veteran ease. Their traditional metal is going down seriously well, with The Abyss packed out once again. This is no mean feat for a Sunday, and they make the most of it, filling the space with melodic bombast. It does feel like the six piece ensemble are a little cramped, and you can feel them wanting to move about more. But this doesn’t stop them from being tighter than a goose’s chuff, and smoother than a newborn posterior. The urge to sing along is basically impossible to resist, even for tracks where you don’t know the lyrics before they come. And that is the mastery of their songwriting.
All in, this was a fantastic trek. SDM would 100% file The Abyss under “it would be rude not to.” Make sure to pay them a visit if you’re in town. Celebrating its tenth birthday this year, the venue is major part of the local heavy music scene. Here’s to revisiting, and another decade of noise!!!
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Hirax, Warlord, and More – A Season in The Abyss
