STRANDED IN DOG CITY

​Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Year active: 2023 / 2024–present

Related bands: Dio Perkins, Poguba, Requeson

FFO: Zbrucz, Mališa Bahat, Shizune

photo: @jakofvir

Stranded in Dog City is a Slovenian screamo quartet that emerged from the remains of a hardcore band Dio Perkins. While the lineup stayed the same, the shift in sound came gradually, becoming fully realized with the release of their first demo tape - three tracks marking a clear transition toward a more emotionally driven approach.

Initially rooted in straightforward hardcore, the band began reshaping their identity as they grew more connected to the expressive and cathartic elements of screamo. This shift was heavily influenced by the rising presence of bands like Zbrucz within the regional scene, whose impact helped open space for a new wave of screamo acts in an environment previously dominated by hardcore, grind, and crust.

A defining moment came after attending a show in Plac (Ljubljana), featuring Zbrucz, Mališa Bahat, and Shizune - followed by their visit to Third Impact Fest in Modena. These experiences solidified their direction, pushing them further toward a more emotionally charged and dynamic sound.

While still active through their original project Dio Perkins, Stranded in Dog City serves as a more personal and expressive outlet, leaning into the intensity, vulnerability, and sonic range of modern European screamo.

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Stranded in Dog City je slovenački screamo kvartet koji je nastao iz ostataka hardcore benda Dio Perkins. Iako je postava ostala ista, promena zvuka se odvijala postepeno, da bi bila u potpunosti zaokružena izdavanjem njihovog prvog demo izdanja — tri pesme koje jasno označavaju prelazak ka emotivnijem izrazu.

U početku ukorenjeni u klasičnom hardcore zvuku, bend je vremenom počeo da preoblikuje svoj identitet, sve više se povezujući sa ekspresivnim i katarzičnim elementima screama. Na ovu transformaciju značajno je uticao i rastući uticaj bendova poput Zbrucz na regionalnoj sceni, koji su otvorili prostor za novu generaciju screamo izvođača u okruženju koje je ranije bilo dominantno hardcore, grind i crust orijentisano.

Ključni trenutak dogodio se nakon koncerta u Plac-u (Ljubljana), gde su nastupali Zbrucz, Mališa Bahat i Shizune, kao i nakon njihovog odlaska na Third Impact Fest u Modeni. Ta iskustva su učvrstila njihov pravac i dodatno ih usmerila ka emotivno nabijenijem i dinamičnijem zvuku.

Iako su i dalje aktivni kroz svoj prvobitni bend Dio Perkins, Stranded in Dog City funkcioniše kao ličniji i izražajniji projekat, naglašavajući intenzitet, ranjivost i zvučni raspon savremenog evropskog screama.

PHOTO: aleksander.s.art

WITH ENGINE HEART

Location: Celje, Slovenia

Year active: 2007

Members: Denis, Jure, Neven, Rok, Damir

Related bands: ????

FFO: Breakwater, Cartha Matha, Funeral Diner, Kaospilot, Sed Non Satiata, Yage

With Engine Heart were a short-lived quintet from Celje, Slovenia, formed sometime between late 2006 and 2007. Their existence was brief but focused. They recorded a demo and a single EP titled This City Is Dead and These Words Are the Nail in the Coffin. During their short run, they toured with bands such as Elodea and Judith Krishun.

The aforementioned EP consists of two studio tracks alongside several live clips from their tour with Elodea, possibly featuring unreleased material available only through those recordings.

Musically, WEH operated within a post-rock–infused screamo framework, drawing clear parallels to bands like Funeral Diner, Kaospilot, and Yage. Their sound was passionate, raw, and somber - emotionally charged instrumentation paired with anguished, desperate vocals. Lyrically, they leaned toward social critique and anti-capitalist themes. The compositions allowed space to breathe, building atmosphere before collapsing into intensity.

Below are the band’s own interpretations of two songs:

Losing Sleep - 'This song talks about fighting boredom and monotony of everyday life. It seems like the environment we live in is designed to keep us occupied with things we don’t want to do, just to provide for our basic needs, leaving very little time and energy, to see the world around us for what it is and for the activities we long for. A perfect scheme to create a society for careless consumers.'

Michele Bernstein - 'In cities, everyone gets lost in the crowd. The transport tends to take one person’s individual interest and levels it down to a predetermined path. Marketing has been taking over every possible square centimeter of the surfaces, so we’re left in a jungle of over-saturated colors, mind-numbing one-liners.

Everything’s pretty much focused on turning a real person into a mindless being. The city center lies under a false pretense of happening, with pop culture events masking the city’s dead gray nature. It soon becomes nothing but a parade of spectacles. Keeping the mass alienated under an area of socialization. This is simply a wake-up call.'

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With Engine Heart bio je kratkotrajni kvintet iz Celja, Slovenija, formiran negde između kraja 2006. i 2007. godine. Njihovo postojanje bilo je kratko, ali fokusirano. Snimili su demo i jedan EP pod nazivom This City Is Dead and These Words Are the Nail in the Coffin. Tokom tog perioda išli su na turneju sa bendovima poput Elodea i Judith Krishun.

Pomenuti EP sadrži dve studijske pesme uz nekoliko live snimaka sa turneje sa Elodeom, moguće uključujući i neobjavljen materijal dostupan isključivo kroz te snimke.

Muzički, WEH su se kretali u okviru screamo izraza sa snažnim post-rock uticajem, sa jasnim paralelama sa bendovima poput Funeral Diner, Kaospilot i Yage. Njihov zvuk bio je strastven, sirov i sumoran - emotivno nabijena instrumentacija uparena sa bolnim, očajničkim vokalima. Lirski su naginjali društvenoj kritici i antikapitalističkim temama. Kompozicije su ostavljale prostor za disanje, gradeći atmosferu pre nego što bi se urušile u intenzitet.

Tumačenja benda za dve pesme:

Losing Sleep –

„Ova pesma govori o borbi protiv dosade i monotonije svakodnevnog života. Čini se da je okruženje u kom živimo osmišljeno tako da nas drži zauzetima stvarima koje ne želimo da radimo, samo kako bismo obezbedili osnovne potrebe, ostavljajući vrlo malo vremena i energije da svet oko sebe sagledamo onakvim kakav jeste i da se posvetimo aktivnostima za kojima čeznemo. Savršena šema za stvaranje društva bezbrižnih potrošača.“

Michele Bernstein –

„U gradovima se svako izgubi u masi. Sistem nas usmerava tako da pojedinačni interes svodi na unapred određenu putanju. Marketing je preuzeo svaki mogući kvadratni centimetar površine, pa smo ostavljeni u džungli prezasićenih boja i zaglupljujućih slogana.

Sve je usmereno ka tome da se stvarna osoba pretvori u bezumnog pojedinca. Centar grada opstaje pod lažnim prividom dešavanja, gde pop-kulturni događaji maskiraju sivu, mrtvu prirodu grada. Ubrzo sve postaje samo parada spektakla, održavajući masu otuđenom pod prividom socijalizacije. Ovo je jednostavno poziv na buđenje.“

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E67cnLJ0El0&t=8s

DREAMWALK

Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Year active: 1999 - 2015, 2020

Members: Jeremi Slak (vocals), Tamir Gostiša (guitar), Jaro Jelovac (guitar), Tomaž Vidmar (bass), Jaka Skočir (drums)

Related bands: SULO, Weed, Skyline Arcade, Hit By Plane, The Toronto Drug Bust

FFO: Finch, Underoath (early), The Used, Story of the Year, Funeral for a Friend, Enter Shikari, Leaf-Fat

Though stylistically leaning toward melodic post-hardcore, Dreamwalk emerged from the same Slovenian hardcore infrastructure that fed the wider Yugoviolence circuit.

Formed in Ljubljana 1999, Dreamwalk emerged from the fusion of members of the hardcore band SULO and the high-school project Weed. The band’s earliest phase revolved around Multimedia Records, Lonelyboy, and the release Far Away from LA, a melodic hardcore/skate punk album that gained notable exposure among Slovenian youth through repeated airplay on Videospotnice.

A decisive turning point came with the arrival of guitarist Tamir Gostiša, whose technical ability and strong musical personality reshaped the band’s direction. Together with Jeremi, he co-wrote Three Days Later - the band’s defining post-hardcore release and only record with notable international reach. Tracks such as “What If,” “Underneath,” and “Roses” gave Dreamwalk modest reach beyond Slovenia, including live performances in Varaždin and Pula and shared stages with Dead By Mistake, Things Fall Apart (later Kinoklub), and Leaf-Fat.

Internal conflicts led to a breakup and Jeremi’s departure. Subsequent projects followed: Jeremi formed Skyline Arcade (which released a full-length), while other members briefly continued under Hit By Plane. Tamir later joined the indie rock outfit The Toronto Drug Bust.

Years later, a reunion brought Dreamwalk back together. Through Brain Fuse Records, Three Days Later was reissued digitally, and the band released Next Big Thing, a pop rock track which received the MTV Play Award during the MTV Adria era. This period marked their strongest domestic concert run before family, career commitments and personal issues gradually dissolved the project once again - this time amicably.

In its final phase, Jeremi recorded additional material with a new lineup, including singles “Paper Hearts,” “Who I Am,” and “Battlefields & Butterflies,” though the band did not return to regular live activity.

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Iako su stilski naginjali ka melodičnom post-hardcoreu, Dreamwalk je potekao iz iste slovenačke hardcore infrastrukture koja je hranila širi Yugoviolence krug.

Formirani 1999. godine, Dreamwalk su nastali spajanjem članova hardcore benda SULO i srednjoškolskog projekta Weed. Najranija faza benda bila je vezana za Multimedia Records, Lonelyboy i izdanje Far Away from LA, melodični hardcore/skate punk album koji je stekao zapaženu vidljivost među slovenačkom omladinom zahvaljujući čestom emitovanju u emisiji Videospotnice.

Prelomni trenutak dolazi dolaskom gitariste Tamira Gostiše, čija su tehnička sposobnost i izražena muzička ličnost promenile pravac benda. Zajedno sa Jeremijem, koautor je izdanja Three Days Later - ključnog post-hardcore materijala benda i jedinog koji je ostvario značajniji međunarodni domet. Pesme poput „What If“, „Underneath“ i „Roses“ omogućile su Dreamwalku skroman iskorak van Slovenije, uključujući nastupe u Varaždinu i Puli, kao i deljenje bine sa bendovima Dead By Mistake, Things Fall Apart (kasnije Kinoklub) i Leaf-Fat.

Unutrašnji konflikti doveli su do raspada i Jeremijevog odlaska. Uslijedili su novi projekti: Jeremi je osnovao Skyline Arcade (koji je objavio album), dok su ostali članovi nakratko nastavili pod imenom Hit By Plane. Tamir se kasnije pridružio indie rock bendu The Toronto Drug Bust.

Godinama kasnije dolazi do ponovnog okupljanja. Preko Brain Fuse Records, Three Days Later je reizdat u digitalnom formatu, a bend objavljuje Next Big Thing, koji osvaja MTV Play nagradu tokom ere MTV Adria. Taj period obeležio je njihovu najintenzivniju domaću koncertnu fazu, pre nego što su porodične obaveze, karijere i lični razlozi postepeno doveli do novog, ovog puta sporazumnog razlaza.

U završnoj fazi, Jeremi je sa novom postavom snimio dodatni materijal, uključujući singlove „Paper Hearts“, „Who I Am“ i „Battlefields & Butterflies“, ali bend se nije vratio redovnim nastupima uživo.

MELKIOR TRESICZ

Location: Sisak, Croatia

Year active: 2016 - 2017/8?

Members: Tin (bass, vocals), Dominik (guitar, vocals), Sven (drums)

Related bands: Boneash, Lyon Sonny, Mališa Bahat, Mortar, Namet, Starvation

FFO: Ekkaia, Inkwell, Jasemine, Raein, Reflections of Internal Rain, Ground Zero, Tragedy

Melkior Tresicz was a short-lived project formed in Sisak, Croatia in March 2016. The band took its name from the protagonist of Ranko Marinković’s Cyclops (1965), immediately signaling a certain introspective and existential undertone. The trio consisted of members active in other local acts such as Mališa Bahat, Lyon Sonny, Mortar, and Starvation.

In 2017, they self-recorded a six-track demo EP during a live performance at Močvara. The result captures the band in its rawest state.

Musically, Melkior Tresicz leaned toward a dark, brooding form of neocrust-inflected screamo. The drumming is tight and urgent, guitars somber and restrained, while high-pitched vocals cut sharply through the mix with palpable anguish. The production is raw - drums upfront, guitars partially buried, vocals dominant, but that imbalance reinforces the intensity rather than weakening it.

Their sound evokes the emotional severity of Ekkaia and early European screamo such as Inkwell, while retaining the heavier undercurrent of crust and hardcore.

Brief and obscure, Melkior Tresicz stands as another overlooked fragment of the Croatian DIY underground from the mid-2010s.

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Melkior Tresicz je bio kratkotrajan projekat formiran u Sisku, Hrvatska, u martu 2016. godine. Ime benda preuzeto je od glavnog lika romana Kiklop (1965) Ranka Marinkovića, što je već u startu nagovestilo introspektivnu i egzistencijalnu notu. Trio su činili članovi aktivni u drugim lokalnim bendovima poput Mališa Bahat, Lyon Sonny, Mortar i Starvation.

Godine 2017. samostalno su snimili demo EP sa šest pesama tokom live nastupa u Močvari. Snimak beleži bend u njegovom najsirovijem obliku.

Muzički, Melkior Tresicz se kretao ka mračnoj, turobnoj varijanti screama sa izraženim neocrust uticajima. Bubnjevi su zategnuti i urgentni, gitare sumorne i suzdržane, dok visoki vokali seku kroz miks sa opipljivom teskobom. Produkcija je sirova - bubnjevi su u prvom planu, gitare delimično potisnute, vokali dominantni, ali taj disbalans pojačava intenzitet umesto da ga oslabi.

Njihov zvuk priziva emotivnu težinu benda Ekkaia i ranog evropskog screama poput Inkwell, uz zadržavanje težeg, crust i hardcore podtona.

Kratkog daha i relativno neprimećen, Melkior Tresicz ostaje još jedan fragment hrvatskog DIY undergrounda sredinom 2010-ih.

MAYMILLYMENTHE

Location: Serbia

Year active: 2025

Members: Tvnalad

Related bands: kairyu≃shin, Patron Requiem

FFO: Veštački Omotač, Bluetile Lounge, justfriends., surrenderdorothy

After months of combing through the emo/screamo tag on Bandcamp with little of note surfacing, Maymillymenthe appeared quietly in early 2025.

The project is a side endeavor by the person behind the Serbian depressive black metal act Tvnalad. Conceived as a creative outlet separate from the emotional weight of that project, Maymillymenthe functions as a secondary diary - a space for instrumental outtakes, sketches, and fragments that wouldn’t fit within Tvnalad’s darker, more oppressive framework.

So far, two demos have been released: whiteflowercherrytree and loft.

Inspired in part by surrenderdorothy, the project embraces the idea of small, intimate recordings that exist more as emotional snapshots than fully realized statements. Where Tvnalad leans toward devastation, Maymillymenthe drifts into subdued melancholy. The tracks are relaxed, repetitive, and lo-fi - understated rather than overwhelming.

There is precedent for this approach within similar internet-born solo projects, including Serbia’s Veštački Omotač and acts like justfriends., where the emphasis lies not on refinement but on atmosphere and personal confessions.

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Nakon meseci pretraživanja emo/screamo taga na Bandcampu bez mnogo vrednog materijala, Maymillymenthe se tiho pojavio početkom 2025. godine.

Projekat je sporedni poduhvat osobe koja stoji iza srpskog depressive black metal projekta Tvnalad. Zamišljen kao kreativni ventil odvojen od emotivne težine tog benda, Maymillymenthe funkcioniše kao sekundarni dnevnik - prostor za instrumentalne ostatke, skice i fragmente koji se ne uklapaju u mračniji i opresivniji okvir Tvnalada.

Do sada su objavljena dva demoa: whiteflowercherrytree i loft.

Delimično inspirisan projektom surrenderdorothy, Maymillymenthe prihvata ideju malih, intimnih snimaka koji više postoje kao emotivni trenutci nego kao zaokružene izjave. Dok Tvnalad naginje ka devastaciji, Maymillymenthe se kreće u pravcu suptilne melanholije. Pesme su opuštene, repetitivne i lo-fi - nenametljive, pre nego preplavljujuće.

Ovakav pristup već ima svoje uporište u sličnim internet-proizašlim solo projektima, uključujući srpski Veštački Omotač i izvođače poput justfriends., gde fokus nije na rafiniranosti već na atmosferi i ličnoj ispovesti.

Bandcamp pfp

AKEDEIA

Location: Slovenia

Year active: 2004-2008/9, 2017 (reunion)

Members: Andrej (vocals), Gašper (drums), Ize (bass, vocals), Jure (guitar)

Related bands: Bogdan, Elodea, Kripl, Melete, Paperplanecrash

FFO: Orchid, His Hero is Gone, Reversal of Man, In/Humanity

"It's all hardcore!" - Ize

Akedeia formed in 2004 after a concert where the members were already performing with their respective bands. Initially intending to start a grindcore project, they quickly shifted toward what would become a volatile blend of emoviolence and hardcore.

During their first year, Akedeia played extensively across Slovenia and Croatia. Their first three shows were part of a mini-tour with Sweden’s Smackdown, and they later shared stages with Annihilation Time (USA), Sick Terror (Brazil), and Czech legends Sheeva Yoga.

On September 11, 2007, they released their sole album, Only Sick Music Makes Money Today, before embarking on a two-week European tour through Austria, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. By the end of that same year, after several additional shows in Slovenia, the band amicably disbanded. Roughly a decade later, Akedeia briefly reunited for three rehearsals and a one-off performance celebrating the 40th birthday of their friend Lele, who had designed the album’s artwork.

Sung in Slovenian, the album delivers eight tracks of crushing, chaotic screamo-infused hardcore, underscored by grindcore and crust punk influences. The production is raw and unruly, the vocals strained with anguish, and the lyrics steeped in dark political undertones, creating a claustrophobic and hopeless atmosphere that defined their short-lived presence.

In the aftermath, Gašper gradually stepped away from the scene. Jure works as a radio and live sound engineer in Ljubljana. Kobra later played drums in Melete and Paperplanecrash, and now runs a high-end bakery. Ize went on to front the black’n’roll band Kripl and remains active in organizing concerts and festivals, while also cooking for touring bands passing through his town.

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"Sve ti je to Hardcore!" - Ize

Akedeia je nastala 2004. godine nakon jednog koncerta na kojem su članovi već nastupali sa svojim tadašnjim bendovima. Iako je prvobitna ideja bila da pokrenu grindcore projekat, vrlo brzo su se usmerili ka zvuku koji će postati nestabilna mešavina emoviolencea i hardcorea.

Tokom prve godine postojanja, Akedeia je intenzivno svirala po Sloveniji i Hrvatskoj. Prva tri koncerta bila su deo mini-turneje sa švedskim bendom Smackdown, a kasnije su delili binu sa Annihilation Time (SAD), Sick Terror (Brazil) i češkim veteranima Sheeva Yoga.

Dana 11. septembra 2007. objavili su svoj jedini album, Only Sick Music Makes Money Today, nakon čega su krenuli na dvonedeljnu evropsku turneju kroz Austriju, Nemačku, Poljsku i Češku. Do kraja iste godine, nakon još nekoliko nastupa u Sloveniji, bend se sporazumno razišao. Otprilike deceniju kasnije, Akedeia se nakratko ponovo okupila za tri probe i jedan jednokratni nastup povodom 40. rođendana njihovog prijatelja Lelea, autora omota albuma.

Album, pevan na slovenačkom jeziku, donosi osam pesama razornog, haotičnog hardcorea prožetog screamo elementima, uz primetne uticaje grindcorea i crust punka. Produkcija je sirova i neukrotiva, vokali napregnuti i puni teskobe, a tekstovi obojeni mračnim političkim tonovima, stvarajući klaustrofobičnu i beznadežnu atmosferu koja je obeležila njihovo kratko postojanje.

Posle toga se Gašper postepeno povukao iz scene. Jure radi kao radio i live tonski inženjer u Ljubljani. Kobra je kasnije svirao bubnjeve u bendovima Melete i Paperplanecrash, a sada vodi visokokvalitetnu pekaru. Ize je nastavio kao frontmen black’n’roll benda Kripl i i dalje je aktivan u organizaciji koncerata i festivala, dok takođe kuva za turnejske bendove koji prolaze kroz njegov grad.

CLUB SCHRON - POZNAN, POLAND

PALE

Location: Split, Croatia

Year active: 2000 - 2002/2014 - 2015

Members: Karmelo Marin (bass, backing vocals), Luka Krstulović (guitar), Mišo Popović (drums), Petar Jurić (vocals)

Related bands: Anita, BIZON, Breed, Crvi, Dispro, Essence, Giht Shasie, Kadet, Kastritis, Leut Magnetik, No Comment, Tihi Sadist, TO, Wizard of Stone Mountain

FFO: Kwisatz Haderach, early Converge, Lady in the Radiator, Essence, A New Kind of American Saint, Inkwell

Pale was among the earliest obscure screamo acts to emerge from Split’s local hardcore scene in the early 2000s. Active initially between 2000 and 2002, the band recorded several untitled session tracks and a full-length simply titled LoFi 2001. Their material also surfaced on the 2003 split between Anita and Breed (released by CarpeDiem Records), where Pale’s recordings appeared as bonus tracks packaged as a CD inside a DVD case - originally tied to plans for a split that never fully materialized.

After more than a decade of silence, Pale regrouped in 2014 and released the EP Rejoice The Event Of Witnessing Your Illusions Meltdown, issued through Guranje S Litice, before once again fading out the following year.

Musically, Pale blended screamo with post-hardcore and early metalcore, drawing comparisons to the raw chaos of Converge’s debut Halo for a Haystack and, at moments, the emotional edge of Inkwell. The early recordings are distinctly lo-fi - muddy, cassette-like, and rough around the edges, but that very texture reinforces their DIY authenticity. By contrast, Rejoice… presents a tighter, more forceful sound, revealing a band that had matured without losing its intensity.

In retrospect, Pale remains one of the more overlooked and elusive screamo acts to surface from the early 2000s ex-Yugoslav underground - brief, scattered, but historically significant within Split’s hardcore lineage.

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Pale je bio jedan od najranijih opskurnih screamo bendova koji su se pojavili iz splitske hardcore scene početkom 2000-ih. Prvobitno aktivni između 2000. i 2002. godine, snimili su nekoliko neimenovanih session pesama i dugosvirajući materijal pod jednostavnim nazivom LoFi 2001. Njihove pesme su se kasnije pojavile i na split izdanju bendova Anita i Breed iz 2003. godine (u izdanju CarpeDiem Records), gde su Pale snimci uključeni kao bonus trake na CD-u upakovanom unutar DVD omota - prvobitno vezano za planirani split koji nikada nije u potpunosti realizovan.

Nakon više od decenije tišine, Pale su se ponovo okupili 2014. godine i objavili EP Rejoice The Event Of Witnessing Your Illusions Meltdown za Guranje S Litice, da bi se već naredne godine ponovo povukli.

Muzički, Pale su spajali screamo sa post-hardcoreom i ranim metalcore elementima, često poređeni sa sirovim haosom debitantskog albuma Halo for a Haystack benda Converge, a povremeno i sa emotivnijim izrazom Inkwell-a. Rani snimci su izrazito lo-fi - mutni, kasetnog karaktera i grubi - ali upravo ta tekstura pojačava njihovu DIY autentičnost. Nasuprot tome, Rejoice… donosi zategnutiji i snažniji zvuk, otkrivajući bend koji je sazreo bez gubitka intenziteta.

Posmatrano unazad, Pale ostaje jedan od zapostavljenijih i teže dostupnih screamo bendova koji su se pojavili na ex-YU underground sceni ranih 2000-ih - kratkog daha i fragmentarne diskografije, ali relevantan u kontekstu splitske hardcore linije.