FESTIVAL REVIEW: Bear Stone Festival 2024

Located in the depths of the Croatian countryside, alongside the banks of the Mrežnica River between the towns of Slunj and Ogulin is the site of Bear Stone Festival, Croatia’s premier stoner rock and heavy psych festival. The picturesque site is shared with the psytrance festival Mo:Dem, but for this hot weekend in July it was the home of the riff. Alongside the big name acts, the festival is committed to having a third of its lineup being Croatian bands, so it has quickly become a pivotal festival for Croatian bands to but themselves in front of an international audience. Even though it is a young festival, it has an old head on young shoulders with CEO Marin Lalić gradually expanding the festival as the years go by. For this festival 2024 was certainly a turning point, with a stacked bill of high quality local and international acts and an old school, chilled out vibe there was a lot to love about this year’s Bear Stone Festival.

 Thursday – July 4th

A GRAM TRIP – Mill Stage

The honour of opening the festival this year fell to the young Croatian band, A GRAM TRIP, with sludgy, heavy and psychedelic riffs being the band’s modus operandi, the Zagreb quartet kicked off this year’s Bear Stone Festival with a spectacular showcase of riffs. Packing out the newly opened Mill Stage – consisting of a small wooden structure that had views over one of the many small waterfalls of the Mrežnica River – the band delivered riff after crushing riff and threw in a few surprises, including their psychedelic track Cosmic Fortress. The festival started of strong and this was only a taste of things to come but A GRAM TRIP certainly put themselves on the radar of a truly international audience.

Rating: 8/10

ENTROPIST – Mill Stage

Hailing from Rijeka, instrumental heavy progressive psych trio ENTROPIST switched up the tempo and took the Bear Stone Festival audience to another planet with their expansive and spacious, psychedelic jams. With the picturesque scenery surrounding the festival the Croatian trio unfurled their magical carpet of progressive riffs, cosmic melodies and deep baselines to offer up a truly meditative experience. While the performance was a little rigid, lacking the dynamism of some of the other bands, it was a technically good performance with the band showcasing their cohesive musicianship and masterful heavy psych songwriting.

Rating: 7/10

SLOWTORCH – Mill Stage

Thursday’s headliners on the Mill Stage were the frenetic and chaotic Italian stoner heavyweights SLOWTORCH. Bringing crazy energy in abundance, the quarter put on a euphoric show of stoner riffs and driving rhythms. Bedecked in colourful t-shirts and Bruno Bassi’s Flying V guitar having a Guinness sticker on it, you knew this wasn’t going to be your standard performance. With that in mind, it is safe to say that the Bolzano quartet more than delivered. The stage became a dance floor, with frontman Matteo Meloni pulling out all the moves and hyping up the crowd, at one point being joined by a man in a bear onesie towards the end of their set. With a set consisting of songs from their last two albums, the band kept the tempo and energy high throughout. By then the beers had been flowing freely just like the Mrežnica River and the party was only just beginning, so SLOWTORCH was the perfect band to kickstart it with some dance worth tunes and some absolute madness to boot. So far the festival’s new stage was proving an excellent investment and was christened with some excellent riffs.

Rating: 9/10

Thursday – July 5th

TIGHT GRIPS – Mill Stage

The first day of the festival proper kicked off by the up and coming band TIGHT GRIPS. Coming from the fairly local town of Karlovac, the psychedelic trip brought a mixture of heavy psychedelia and heavy BLACK SABBATH-esque riffs alongside vocals reminiscent of Danish band BERSÆRK. The trio brought the energy and quickly cleared the beer soaked haze left over from the night before. The Mill Stage was once again packed out and shaking with driving bass lines, thunderous rhythms and crunchy riffs, Friday was off to an emphatic start with TIGHT GRIPS 

Rating: 8/10

QUIET CONFUSION – Mill Stage 

As the heat began to beat down ferociously, the Mill Stage was graced by the fun and funky the Verona natives in QUIET CONFUSION. The Italian rockers got the whole audience moving with their endless stream of blues infused stoner rock bangers. With a bassist Roberto Panarotto looking like Jesus – sandals and all – to the rich tones of Antonio Cortina’s box guitar, QUIET CONFUSION’s performance had it all. From the funky, dynamic bass lines to the old school blues licks, all four were in fine fettle as they delivered an energetic and exciting performance which was widely applauded by the Bear Stone crowds.

Rating: 10/10

BARON CRÂNE – Mill Stage

Instrumental progressive heavy psych Parisians BARON CRÂNE closed out the Mill Stage on Friday night with a plethora of dynamic, avant grade jams. Bringing a mixture of progressive grooves, intricate guitar melodies, mind boggling bass lines and spacious atmospheres, the band’s eclectic style and awe inspiring songwriting was something to be admired. The trio transfixed the Bear Stone Festival crowd as they gazed on in amazement and the band’s energetic performance and technical brilliance. BARON CRÂNE were one of the surprises of the festival so far as there was a danger that they were too proggy for the audience but the Bear Stone Festival attendees welcomed them with open arms. 

Rating: 8/10

### – Stone Stage

The honour of opening the Stone Stage – the festival’s main stage – this year fell to Croatian instrumental quartet ### (pronounced as three knocks on any random object in your vicinity), and they did so with a barrage of noise fuelled riffs and pummelling bass lines. Having built a reputation for creating music which feels like a sledgehammer to the skull, ### delivered their set in the merciless Croatian heat which made their set even more bludgeoning. Notorious in the Balkan underground for their noisy DIY approach, the band let their music do the talking and unleashed a barrage of riffs and feedback that wasn’t for the feint of heart. 

Rating: 8/10

GNOME – Stone Stage

There was a strange phenomena occurring on the Friday of the festival, as people in red pointed hats began to pop up all over the place. They were here to see Belgium’s red pointed hat aficionados GNOME, who brought their groove filled riffs and a whole lot of silly fun to the Stone Stage. After a call of “who wants some more stupid shit?” the trio launched into a set list that spanned their back catalogue and introduced some new songs with a frantic and humorous energy. In a set that was part stand up routine and part riff fest the party had definitely arrived when the Antwerp trio got going.

Rating: 9/10

MUSCLE TRIBE OF DANGER AND EXCELLENCE – Stone Stage

Following on from GNOME was going to be a tough ask for the local Croatian stoner rock band MUSCLE TRIBE OF DANGER AND EXCELLENCE. With that in mind and  rather unfortunately they couldn’t rise to the challenge. The performance’s energy was lacking and felt flat, with each song being a similar tempo the band lost momentum fast. What let the performance down further was that Domagoj Šimek’s vocals seemed to be slurred and unclear, which was a shame as the band have a passionate Croatian following. Unfortunately the MUSCLE TRIBE OF DANGER AND EXCELLENCE wasn’t on form on the Friday evening. 

Rating: 6/10

PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS – Stone stage

When Geordie quintet PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS, PIGS rolled into Slunj, they  delivered one of the heaviest sets of the day. In what can only be described as destructive, organised chaos it’s amazing that the Bear Stone Festival main stage was still standing once they had finished performing. Despite a few technical difficulties with Adam Sykes’s guitar, it didn’t hinder the band’s spectacular performance of bludgeoning riffs and classic Geordie humour delivered by vocalist Matthew Baty who certainly knows how to work the crowd. It was one of the stand out performances at the festival and one that certainly left its mark, winning the band a plethora of new fans who left chanting their name. 

Rating: 10/10

HIGH ON FIRE – Stone Stage

The ground physically trembled when American stoner metal veterans Matt Pike, Jeff Matz and Coady Willis – aka HIGH ON FIRE – hit the stage. Possibly one of the biggest draws of the festival this year, and well known for their unrelenting intensity, the main arena was brimming with excited and anticipating fans. What followed was nothing short of sonic warfare. Bones, eardrums and skulls were shattered into smithereens with the onslaught of riffs delivered at an unrelenting pace accompanied by a loudness that would shake the foundations of the Mrežnica canyon. They laid waste to Bear Stone Festival, drawing on a back catalogue of destructive and brutal tracks, including from new record Cometh The Storm, they have the capability to beat you black and blue from any angle they choose. One of the more peculiar things to see was Matz’s double headed guitar/bass guitar, not only did Matz deliver on the low end he played secondary guitar parts too. The ferocity of Willis’s drumming is what drove this set, to be able to drum that hard and at that pace for over an hour was truly remarkable. Either way, the trio delivered a tight and brilliantly executed performance worthy of their headline slot. 

Rating: 9/10

MOTHER VULTURE – Stone stage

Despite hitting the stage well past midnight, and after HIGH ON FIRE handed Bear Stone Festival its arse on a plate, Bristol’s MOTHER VULTURE came to see and conquer. Having driven all the way from the West Country on a mammoth road trip across Europe, they didn’t cower at their position on the bill. In an action packed set with an abundance of energy, the Bristol quartet didn’t fail to get the crowd moving and singing along with every song. Bringing their trademark ferocity with them, the main stage closers dominated the space with a supreme and infectious confidence. An excellent set to cap of a brilliant day.

Rating: 9/10

Saturday – July 6th

RIFFTREE – Mill Stage

Considering that there are two me members of this band the riffs sounded big enough to be from a band twice their size. The young Zagreb duo certainly had their Weetabix for breakfast as they delivered a set if pure riff and fuzz worship. Blending a plethora of fuzz inspired influences to form a crushing bass and drum assault. While the performance was cohesive it was fairly one dimensional, because of the nature of the songs there wasn’t many dynamic shifts and it stayed at the same level throughout. Despite this the duo have talent and they’re young so make sure you don’t sleep on them. 

Rating: 7/10

ACIDSITTER – Mill Stage

With their bassist – who had broke his collarbone three weeks prior so performed sat on a stage box – wearing a cap that said “Make Acid Great Again”, the Polish quartet ACIDSITTER brought gave a trippy, lucid and fun performance. With a unique blend of kaleidoscopic sounds and crunching riffs, this was an excellent display of mystical and magical heavy psych that took you on a trip to the outer cosmos before bringing you back down to earth so you didn’t drift away into a black hole of crazy acidic trips. After unrelenting barrages of stoner riffs, having something a but more laid back was refreshing. 

Rating: 8/10

NEMEČEK – Stone Stage

One of the surprises of Bear Stone Festival were  the hypnotic, folk inspired Croatian trio NEMEČEK. They opened Saturday’s Stone Stage with glorious Croatian folk inspired melodies and epic synth soundscapes that matched the picturesque landscape and gave you a strong sense of place – given that the lyrics are in Old Croatian. Utilising the electro-acoustic tambura – a traditional folk instrument – run through a pedal board alongside pounding drums and sweeping, droning synth passages the band took you on a journey through an older Croatia. Their set was mesmerising and hypnotic a band definitely worth checking out if you want something different. 

Rating: 8/10

1000MODS – Stone Stage

Greek stoner rock heavyweights 1000MODS kicked off the party on the Stone Stage on Saturday night with a setlist packed full of bombastic, groove laced riffs delivered with power and precision. Even though guitarist Giannis S. had some technical difficulties that held up the performance for a few minutes, it didn’t kill the band’s momentum. They got the whole of the main arena head-banging and boogieing along. This was solid stoner rock perfumed exceptionally and the energy around the main arena was palpable and infectious. The Bear Stone Festival audience really got behind 1000MODS and in return they gave us an excellent show. 

Rating: 8/10

COLOUR HAZE – Stone Stage

Veteran German heavy psych maters COLOUR HAZE took the Bear Stone Festival audience on one ethereal and celestial cosmic trip on Saturday night. Showcasing their master musicianship and nuanced songwriting with precision and flair. Effortlessly flowing from one song into another, they kept the audience entranced throughout their entire set. As one of two German bands to play that night, they offered up a slice of tranquillity as the  warm Croatian night drifted towards midnight. True masters of their craft, their set was stunning and was something you just had to experience in the moment. 

Rating: 10/10

KADAVAR – Stone Stage

There was a tangible excitement brewing in the main arena before Saturday’s headliners took to the stage. Berlin’s KADAVAR stepped straight out of the 1970s and onto the Stone Stage and brought the thunder with a dual guitar attack and powerful rhythm section with them.  The band’s rise has been phenomenal and on Saturday night they showed us why they’ve rocketed up the rock pyramid with comparative ease. With a frenetic energy and a dominating presence, their set was explosive and had the whole main stage audience. dancing and singing along. With a setlist that spanned their discography a stand out moment was when the band played Doomsday Machine from their first album, which sent the audience into a frenzy. Few bands can unleash a dual guitar attack with power and precision but KADAVAR made it look like a walk in the park. Every band member showed their dance moves but none more so than towering bassist Simon ‘Dragon’ Bouteloup who strutted and moonwalked all over the stage. The German rocket delivered an emphatic and captivating performance and closed the main stage with the band it deserved, bringing this year’s edition of Bear Stone to a triumphant end. 

Rating: 10/10

Sunday – July 7th

VUKOJARAC – Sunday, Mill Stage

As the mist rolled in over the river, Dalmatian doom band VUKOKARAC kicked off a more chilled Sunday with a heavy set of low and slow doom tracks. With the sky being overcast for the first time in three days, the pathetic fallacy was exemplary as the hulking and oppressive tracks echoed through the Mrežnica River canyon. VUKOJARAC’s music manifests a trifecta of riffs, despair and destruction, exploring the depths of the human psyche and the darkness within. With SABBATH-esque riffs with distortion dialled up to 11 the Mill Stage was once again shaking with the sheer weight of doom-y riffs. While the performance was pretty standard the atmosphere of the day helped elevate the bands set.

Rating: 7/10

ZOLLE – Mill Stage

Closing the festival on Sunday night was excitable Italian and unconventional rock duo ZOLLE. With dazzling, pink and grey sparkly outfits and a stage decked out in pink balloons and love hearts it was a wonderful way to end the festival. This was easily one of the most unorthodox performances of the weekend, this is a band that just love having fun and it showed in their performance. With boogie inducing, punchy riffs, ZOLLE had the crowd dancing, smiling and sharing the love and beer between one another. In a truly chaotic but love filled way, ZOLLE‘s brand of upbeat, joyful garage rock was the perfect way to close the festival as the mist rolled over the river and the sun set over the hills. 

Rating: 8/10

And that wraps up our coverage of this year’s Bear Stone Festival! We had the best time experiencing Croatia’s premier stoner and heavy psych event, we’re already counting down to 2025’s festival!

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