On Friday, March 7, and Saturday, March 8, the indoor metal festival HARDER THAN ROCK took place at the Boogaloo club in Zagreb. According to the organizers, their goal is to “provide insight into the past, present, and future of heavy music through a conceptual approach, covering everything from hard rock to all subgenres of metal and hardcore music.”
On the first night, Friday, the regional finals of the METAL BATTLE competition were held. The bands that performed were SERPENTSLAIN from Croatia (@serpentslain), SLAVE PIT from North Macedonia (@slavepit), MY LAST SUICIDE from Bosnia and Herzegovina (@mylastsuicideofficial), MARK MY WORDS (@markmywordsband), and DIVINE INFERNUS from Slovenia (@divineinferus.official). The competition winner was MARK MY WORDS, securing their spot at the world's biggest metal festival – WACKEN OPEN AIR! They will perform in the super finals of this prestigious competition, with the chance to become a globally recognized metal band. Congratulations and good luck!
The first night was rounded off by the legendary domestic rock band DIVLJE JAGODE, who performed a full set.
The second night of the festival was opened by ODIUM, a German heavy metal band with thrash elements that has been around since 1993. Their sound is heavily influenced by Metallica, as well as other classic heavy and thrash metal bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Slayer, and Testament. At the beginning of their career, they were relatively unknown, but they have recently gained recognition, even being acknowledged by Metal Hammer magazine as one of the most significant representatives of the German underground scene.
After Odium, AIRFORCE took the stage, a heavy metal band from the UK and one of the most active representatives of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) scene. In addition to their energetic performance and great interaction with the audience, what sets this band apart is their close professional connection with Steve Harris from Iron Maiden, which has influenced their sound to some extent. In Zagreb, they promoted their new album, “Acts of Madness,” which was released just two weeks before this performance.
The stars of the night were undoubtedly the global metal sensation BURNING WITCHES, an all-female band from Switzerland whose decade-long career has been marked by performances at prestigious metal festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze, and Rockharz Open Air. So far, they have released five albums, all of which have received positive reactions from metal fans worldwide—a success further proven by their current tour across 23 cities on four continents.
Lauri, Romana, Lala, and Jeanine were recently joined by Courtney Cox, further strengthening this already powerful lineup. One thing is certain—Burning Witches are set to solidify their status on the global metal scene in the coming years, and their collaboration with members of Destruction will undoubtedly continue to ensure high-quality performances and outstanding album productions.
Their performance set Boogaloo on fire, and you can catch a glimpse of the atmosphere in the gallery below!
The festival was closed by the Swedish band ENFORCER, which has been taking us back to the ‘80s for the past 20 years with their playing style, reminiscent of bands like Agent Steel, Exciter, Venom, and Anvil. They are considered one of the pioneers of the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWOTHM).
During their performance, they gathered local fans, who sang along to their hits and contributed to an amazing atmosphere. At one point, Zele Lipovača joined them on stage, and together they played “Motori” by Divlje Jagode, to the delight of everyone present.
The Harder Than Rock festival, with its excellent organization, support for new bands, and debut performances by global metal stars, has proven that Zagreb has a lot to offer when it comes to metal. We leave with the conviction that the next edition of the festival will have an even better turnout and that we will once again have an amazing time!
Photos by: Dalibor Rodić
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