This concert review was quite a difficult one to write, since the event I’m talking about here is a tribute to a man I once knew. We were not friends in the true sense of the word, but we crossed paths and I respected him and his work he did in Paragon Zero and other various Hungarian black metal bands (Pagan Megalith, Aornos, Svoid etc).
Unfortunately his life ended prematurely as he passed away at an early age in 2021. To honor his legacy, his trusty companion Gravel Shores collected some of the lyrics Bonya wrote during the years and based on them, he wrote the music for what was to become Stoneblood‘s “Shrines of Morbid Indignity” album.
The album in question came out via Metal.hu in various formats in December 2022, and a release show celebrating Bonya‘s legacy was scheduled for August 2023 at the Fekete Zaj Fesztivál. But since nature cannot be controlled or tamed, the event had to be cancelled. In the end the guys were able to reschedule it for the Winter edition of the same festival, which took place on the 29th of December AB.
It’s worth mentioning that Stoneblood is not a band per se, I see it as a one time project whose purpose is to celebrate the memory and the legacy of a fallen brother through a studio album and a celebration show. In order to achieve this, Gravel Shores has invited his current mates from the punk rock band Junkies to accompany him on this emotional trip.
Long story short, last night’s performance was very intense and emotional but the band did their best not to let their feelings take over. Fronted by an energetic Gravel Shores (guitar and vocals), Stoneblood performed the whole album in its entirety, completely transforming the small hall in Dürer Kert into a memorial hall. The crowd welcomed the band with fierce enthusiasm, headbanging with fists in the air, celebrating Bonya‘s memory throughout the entire performance.
Despite coming from a quite different musical background, the guys from Junkies were not afraid to step out of their comfort zone and break their musical boundaries. I really appreciated that during the whole performance they did not pretend for a single second to be something else and they perfectly adapted to this “new” environment created by Gravel Shores. Watching them and their reaction felt like they have been playing black metal all their life, so powerful was the bond between Gravel Shores and the rest of the band. They lived the moment with passion, truly making this live show a one of a kind celebration.
During the show 2 special guests made their appearance on vocals, their presence and performance adding an extra layer of melancholy to the night, as both have known Bonya for a long time and have worked with him at some point during the years.
Towards the end of the show Zasolth from Paragon Zero joined the band on stage to sing on the track “Crown of Ravishment” and S from SVOID was invited on the last track, “Tortured by Disingenuous Light – The Seventh Shrine“. As it can be seen in the footage that I filmed, these 2 vocalists, together with the other Stoneblood members performed one hell of show last night. Their energy and the emotions which emanated from the stage during their performance showed how important this closure was for them. The legacy of their fallen brother could not have been celebrated in a better way than this collective effort, forged in blood by tragedy.
“So come now, pain!
Wipe out what’s old and gross
And don’t go away
Stay for the future’s loss
Rift in the lute
It’s all gone“
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