1914, Vûlom, Vintage Industrial Bar, Zagreb, 28.9.2026 – Review
On Monday night, the club space of Vintage Industrial Bar transformed into a dark, suffocating sound chamber filled with a rarely seen intensity of extreme music. Opening the evening, local forces Vûlom delivered a hypnotic and mature wall of sound soaked in melancholy and a bleak atmosphere. Their praiseworthy stage presence successfully conveyed the weight of their studio recordings, blending melodic doom/death phrasing with heavy soundscapes that instantly captured the attention of the early crowd. The precise dual-guitar work and the deep, cavernous growl vocals of Domagoj Zrinski created the perfect overture, showcasing exceptional instrumental cohesion. The audience sent the band off with loud ovations, a clear sign that the local forces were more than equal to the task at this grand metal gathering.
1914 showed us what “Frozen in Trenches” feels like, and now, two days after the gig, I’m still in shock as if grenade exploded right next to me! The band masterfully demonstrated what fear, rage and death feels and smells like. We have only the purest admiration for the band that continued playing after the breakout of the war in Ukraine and believe that Croatians can sympathize with Ukrainians on a deeper lever as Croatia is also a country previously affected by war. 1914 was formed in the summer of 2014 in Lviv, Ukraine and their mission becomes stronger and more impactful now more than every as unfortunately war in Ukraine extremely escalated.
When the Ukrainian heavyweights 1914 took the stage, the entire venue was flooded with the terrifying aesthetic of the Great War, stripped of any illusion of glory or heroism. The concert was opened with “FN .380 ACP#19074” (after the intro) with the bone chilling lines: “Dobrodošli u Sarajevo!”. Their blackened death/doom metal live sounds like an acoustic artillery attack. Throughout the set, the band flawlessly balanced chaotic black metal blast beats with slow, grueling sludge riffs that simulate the hopelessness of trench warfare. Vocalist Dmytro Kumar dominated the stage with wild, desperate shrieks, while historical audio samples between songs deepened the narrative authenticity of the performance. The arrangements from their recent album “Viribus Unitis” were particularly impressive, as the symphonic and melodic elements fused live into a massive and emotional sonic whole.
Zagreb reacted fanatically, creating an energetic mosh pit that did not subside from the very first to the last beat. The band was visibly moved by the thunderous feedback from the crowd, resulting in raw and uncompromising energy on both sides of the barricades. The technical execution was top-tier, and the heavy, massive sound production in the venue faithfully captured the density of their opus. It was a triumph of a superb musical concept and exceptional craftsmanship that went far beyond a mere recounting of history. That evening, Zagreb received a masterclass in sonic brutality and artistic honesty that the local audience will remember for a long time.
Why does the history repeat itself?
History does not literally repeat itself, but it flows through predictable patterns driven by unchanging human behavior and fading generational memory. Theres no need to elaborate the human nature: greed, fear, ambition, pride and the desire for power constantly push people into familiar choices and conflicts. Many positive role models have tried to influence the masses, but with little success or with only temporary success. Hopefully, everyone will integrate that it’s a mutual effort and task of every individual. For instance: Denmark teaches empathy as a mandatory part of its school curriculum. That an extremely positive example of encouragement of the serious change in the society.
Regarding fading collective memory: there are bands like 1914 that keep us alert and drive us into heavy contemplation! 1914 stands out from other war-themed bands with their extreme authenticity and detailed descriptions of human suffering.
What makes us human? How do we remain human?
“If you feel pain, you’re alive. If you feel other people’s pain, you’re a human being.” (Leo Tolstoy)
All is said above. I believe everyone in the crowd were deeply touched by the performance, that is not just another war-themed show. The band presents and vividly portrays a highly personalized picture of the suffering and pain of the innocent, while also explaining the feelings and fears of soldiers conscripted only to end up as cannon fodder. This concert reminded us how quickly we forget suffering of others and turn to our problems. Also made us think more about the impact of another man’s suffering- do we feel it only if it affects us or is close to us- in our surroundings? The best we can do is not support any of the governments or corporations that are affiliated with war! Also, always try to be kinder and more decent human beings to each other: you never know when someone is on the verge of a breaking point in life!
Finally, you don’t remain human and respectful of others and especially to the band that sacrificed too much to be able to come and play in Croatia by shouting out laud: “Play, you cunts!”. That’s flat-out loud retarded! Save that for the bands that love that label on themselves and learn some fucking respect, as you are clearly not fit for human society. I’m very sorry that happened and it came from an isolated group.
After all, the band showed greatest level of respect to their fans by an amazing performance, chilling stage set-up, use of Croatian and amazing crowd entrance by the singer Ditmar Kumarberg. They deserve so much more as feedback!
What is the meaning of life?
“The literal meaning of life is whatever you’re doing that prevents you from killing yourself” (Albert Camus)
For some, it can be summed up one word:
Music (or)
Art (or)
Kindness.
Or whatever keeps you going. For a large sum of people is music, creating music and attending concerts. Why not? Music is a great catalyst of all emotion, both negative and positive ones and can bring beauty into one’s world even when not a trace of beauty can be found in regular life. That’s extremely powerful positive transformational force and if all else fails – stick to your most favourite thing in life!
What will we carry with us after this concert?
Death to all imperialist shit governments!
The pain of war is always personal and the most vulnerable suffer the most. The rich fat asses are always protected. If a war hits your country: regular people and families will suffer the most! Singer Ditmar Kumarberg explained in detail what it means to come from a country that is affected by war, and exactly how every individual and whole families suffer by elaborating personal details from their lives. I felt extreme rage that something like that still happens and the war is still not stopped by all means possible from the international community. Most importantly, it made me wonder: how do one survive with carrying so much rage ignited by injustice inside themselves? The answer is still unknown and it’s up to each and every one of us to try and find the solution. I fight with that issues every day and my personal solution is that I always try to be kind in my surroundings and live for the music to ease the suffering of everyday life in this sick society.
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