Rock Monsters Romania

Text and Photos by Ionela Pleșan

On Tuesday and Wednesday, October 24th and 25th, I attended the Roadkill Fest at Quantic Club. Roadkill Fest is an event organized by Patricia Bîea and the Ferezan brothers. It’s worth appreciating that all three of them were in the middle of a European tour with Roadkill Soda, but they still managed to organize this festival, so they deserve all the respect. Roadkill Fest 2023 was also happening in Bucharest and Cluj this year. The first bands that performed in Bucharest on the first day played in Cluj the next day at Flying Circus.

How about Quantic? 

In Quantic, I used to spend my afternoons after university, eating and making presentations, so it was a nostalgic and homecoming feeling. On Tuesday, October 24th, the concerts started with a 30-minute delay. Why? Because the audience was missing. On the same day, there were other events in the city, and the audience for this kind of metal genre is very niche. So, I waited patiently, wandered around the venue and terrace until Vandaal started to perform.

I have to admit that Vandaal was the main reason I wanted to attend this festival. I saw them live at the Underworld, where they rocked, and also at a mall in Bucharest during a scorching heatwave. What struck me back then was that even children would stop and listen to them, so if even kids enjoy Vandaal, who am I to complain?

Vandaal is a stoner/grunge band from Bucharest, consisting of Alexandru Hasovschi (Hash) on vocals, Laurențiu Țăruș (Larry) on guitar, Ionuț Nedelcu (John) on bass, and Alexandru Hărătău on drums. The guys know how to create an atmosphere and engage with the audience. If you like Nirvana, you’re in the right place because you can see the influence of the Washington band on the style and tone that Vandaal adopts. They are the kind of band that can get you moving and encourage you to do so. They inspire confidence and power, but also a certain melancholy. What I love about Vandaal is the bass and drums, of course, typical for me, but Hash’s voice is no less impressive. This guy can scream as loudly as possible and make you want to clap and stomp your feet. Larry, on the other hand, dominated the left side of the stage with riffs that seemed never-ending.

With Vandaal, we also have an interview on Rock Monsters, and you can read it here.

After warming up with Vandaal, Church Of Cthulhu took the stage, performing stoner and doom music that surprisingly kept me engaged, even though doom isn’t really my cup of tea. 

By the way, the guys have recently released an album, so you should go and listen to it. Church Of Cthulhu is composed of Ciprian Florea on guitar and vocals, Mihai (Mișu) Petroșel on bass, and Ovidiu Curcuta on drums. I really enjoyed the bassline, and I had the opportunity to move and even meditate during their performance.

Roadkill Soda took the stage next, a band I saw live for the first time this year at Artmania. I was surprised by their energy and how they conveyed it to the audience. RoadKill Soda is a band consisting of Casian Vlad on drums, Victor (Vava) Ferezan on bass, Mihnea (Panda Elixir) Ferezan on guitar, Patricia Bîea (Witch) on vocals, and Tudor Byst on vocals. Currently, Roadkill Soda is a Romanian band that is gaining recognition internationally, with concerts throughout Europe.

It’s surreal how Tudor transforms when he sings; he comes down from the stage, interacts with the audience, looks them in the eyes, and even joins them in the mosh pit. I couldn’t miss the opportunity, so I joined the mosh pit, but I was careful not to damage my glasses, safety first. 

We had some technical issues at one point, so Tudor had to keep us entertained by telling us about how they got fined in Slovenia and even took a picture with the police officer afterward. Due to this technical hiccup, the schedule was further delayed, but we continued to enjoy the music. 

I had been waiting all evening to hear and shout “Eye of Emerald,” so when I heard it, I threw some elbows and headbanged. Roadkill Soda is a force of nature. They have insane energy, and even if you’re not a fan, they’ll get you moving by the end. At one point, Hash from Vandaal took the microphone and started singing while Tudor walked through the crowd, having fun. It was a concert that was just as it should be, full of energy and ending with sweaty people.

After Roadkill Soda, UNIDA, a stoner and heavy metal band from the USA, founded in 1998, took the stage. I don’t know how much criticism I’ll receive for this, but they weren’t my cup of tea. Maybe it was the accumulated fatigue from the day, the delayed schedule, or I just didn’t like them. They seemed basic to me, but I was happy to see people enjoying their performance. The current lineup of the band includes Miguel Cancino on drums, Arthur Seay on guitars, John Garcia on vocals, and Owen Seay. The band stopped its activity in 2003 and resumed it in 2012. Roadkill Soda is touring in Europe with UNIDA, so congrats to them.

The second day of the festival at Quantic started similarly, with a delay because the audience was taking its time to arrive. There were far fewer people compared to the previous day, and they were harder to engage.

The evening began with Deaf Hombre, a stoner band composed of Dragos Opran on guitar, Razvan Vani on bass and vocals, and Alex on drums. They had an interesting guitar with some noticeable riffs, and the drums were relentless in being heard. They seem like the kind of band to listen to when you get home after a full night and still want to be the main character.

Next up was Jahmolxes, the surprise of the evening for me. The band describes itself as “An emerging instrumental group that chronicles the adventures of Jahmolxes throughout the land.” I had nothing to comment on because they won me over. With a very pronounced bass, drums that allowed you to move, and an even more pronounced guitar, they helped me enter different scenarios in my mind. Jahmolxes consists of Alessandro Muresa (Mafi) on bass, Alexandru Drulea on guitar, Tudor Nica on bass, and Ovidiu Bobe (Bobi) on drums. These guys were the highlight of the evening for me, and the audience seemed to feel the same way. People were playing air drums and air guitars, headbanging, and there were many smiles.

After enjoying Jahmolxes, it was Rares Totu’s turn to close the final evening of the festival. Rares Totu told us about Jimi Hendrix and took us on a journey through the vibes of those years.

In conclusion, Roadkill Fest is an event with great potential. A more diverse range of artists and better promotion wouldn’t hurt, but it’s a welcome initiative in this very niche music scene. It’s evident that it’s a festival driven by passion.