Immersed in the Blackened Depths of Budapest
St. Stephen’s Right Hand: “Gotta give St. Stephen a hand, folks!”
Greetings, fellow Citadelians! Chort, your loyal in-keeper of the Heavy Metal Citadel, embarked on a pilgrimage recently to Budapest. This city resonates with the echoes of Attila the Hun, Nazis, the Red Army, and of course, METAL and here is my tale. After a long day first day of visiting graveyards, WW2 monuments, and the withered holy right hand of St. Stephen, I headed over to my first pub, Liquid Rock, a sanctuary of hard rock and soft metal in the heart of Pest. While the atmosphere was lacking in true black metal ambience, the staff were friendly, the beer flowed abundantly, and the space exuded a certain charm. There were hard rock banners and tour posters about, as they played some of the classics of rock and early metal like Mötorhead and Zepplin. It wasn't the best place if you wanted raw, traditional metal, but I recommend stopping by for a beer if you're in the neighbourhood. But fear not, true disciples of darkness, for the following night held greater treasures. Check it out below!
As the sun set on my second day of exploring macabre relics and haunting monuments, I descended into the depths of the BlastBeat Bar, a sanctum crafted for trve black metal worshippers. Adorned with pentagrams and sinister inscriptions, this cellar embraced the spirit of the abyss as there were plenty of Hungarian black metal band posters, photos of locals doing wacky shit, and photos of death and black metal legends. In the company of the bartender, Attila, and his comrades, we indulged in the nectar of the heathens - mostly Dreher, Unicum, and cute craft beers, engaging in conversations about the black and death metal scene of Hungary.
Attila introduced me to his other friends, half of whom were also called Attila, and a local shredder, Zslot, who plays in a few bands in Budapest. Laughter echoed through the chamber as we revelled in the bonds of METAL MAYHEM. The night blurred into a haze of relentless riffs and pounding drums, fuelled by cheap libations and the Hungarian elixir, Unicum…yeah the name needs work. Not sure how I got home, but apparently, I sent Zsolt a text later saying, "uh-oh"… Anyway, BlastBeat Bar is epic; its atmosphere rules, the drinks are cheap, and the inhabitants are wicked. If you're ever in Budapest this is a must-visit for trve metalheads. See below my non-photoshopped photo of me, Zslot, and the gang.
But my quest was not complete without witnessing the infernal rites of the metal/death band Obscura Qalma, a rising force from the depths of Italy. The following night I visited the S8 Underground Club, which gave me access to do an at-gig interview with Obscura Qalma for their Drown Into Reason European Tour. As I came upon the entrance of S8 there was a massive Hungarian bloke with kind but pale blue eyes - which I'm sure were vampire contacts that came with the limited edition VHS version of Blade II. He said something to me in Hungarian, which I could only assume translated to "cute battle jacket, slut”. I entered without hesitance.
As I descended into the chambers of S8 I saw it was adorned with eclectic imagery and an aura of metal and punk devotion. I arrived early to catch some of the opening acts. I immediately immersed myself in the maelstrom of the heathens in attendance; it was sweaty, dark, and filled with only the best kinds of mortals: METALHEADS. After I saw some guy who was definitely strung out on something gyrate to music as though he was having an epileptic fit, I headed straight to the bar for a beer. The bartenders were the best, as I fumbled around begging them to charge my iPhone - my professional recording kit, which I needed for the interview with Obscura Qalma. They were much too kind in letting me charge it and followed it up with a delicious £2 beer. Hails to you o' keepers of the bar! I managed to catch some of the opening acts of the night, one of which was pretty good, called Necrosy, a four-piece technical death metal band. They unleashed an onslaught of sound while I sat on the couch in the back, immersed in the darkness thinking, "Christ this is my thirties…ok…cool".
The acoustics at S8 were a pleasant surprise as the sound came through clear and embraced me, transporting me to a realm of sonic ecstasy, and suddenly, it didn't matter that I could barely pay the rent; I was sitting on what was likely a soviet era couch and had just spilt some beer on my crotch. The fervent few who gathered unleashed their unbridled passion, a testament to the unwavering spirit of the metal community in Budapest. After losing count of how many beers I had ingested, Obscura Qalma came on. The sound was exactly what I needed - a blend of Septic Flesh and Behemoth but originally theirs with a soul that dripped of blackened mud, with epic drumming and dirty, heavy shredding accompanied by bellow vocals; my head immediately began to bang.
The performance was all energy, and you could feel the crowd being engulfed in the sound. If you haven't listened to Obscura Qalma, I highly recommend it if you like blackened/death and enjoy lyrics about existentialism, occultism and DEATH! After the show ended the lads from Obscura Qalma welcomed me for an interview - which will be available soon on episode 24 of THE HEAVY METAL CITADEL PODCAST! Obscura Qalma may be my favourite Italians at the moment, as I didn’t argue with them over anything, nor did they ignore me as most Italians in my life seem to. The interview was a good one as I asked all the important questions about their favourite pasta, Italian babes, and a few metal questions here and there. I’m hoping to see them live in London at some point in the near future. HAILS TO YOU, OBSCURA QALMA! May you keep representing the Italian scene!
Fellow metalheads, should you venture to Budapest, heed my words: BlastBeat Bar and S8 Underground Club are sanctuaries that must be experienced. If you visit BlastBeat Bar, raise your horns and greet Attila, for he shall guide you to the heart of the metal underground. Let the riffs reverberate through your very being and may the blackened night forever be etched in your soul. Hails to the metal brethren of Budapest! \m/
See below for links to all the places to visit in Budapest you HEATHENS!
Written by: Chort the Crop Investor
“Hi, I’m Chort I infest crops and listen to Black Metal. I’ve currently invested most of my life savings into tracking down the REAL Nattramn and telling him how much I love his voice.”
