Malokarpatan has been one of the premiere underground metal bands for the past half decade. Their unique blend of 90s black metal, 80s traditional metal, 70s progressive rock, and traditional Slovakian folk music has defied the long standing conventions and ideas of what black metal “should be”. I put “should be” in quotation marks because contrary to popular belief, black metal was a very diverse genre during its second wave. The Norwegian scene sounded nothing like the Hellenic scene, and neither sounded anything like the Brazilian scene. Even if we explore the famed Norwegian scene beyond its big names (Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, etc.), we’ll find bands who don’t fit these “kvlt” stereotypes. Take for example the symphonic bombast of early Satyricon and the atmospheric explorations of early Ulver, both bands whose influence show on the debut album from Stangarigel, Na severe srdca.
Formed by Malokarpatan guitarist As, Stangarigel functions as an outlet for him to explore various musical stylings through the scope of early atmospheric black metal. You know, before the genre got hijacked by every Bandcamp user and his mom, resulting in a dime a dozen hipster bedroom projects, but I digress. Na severe srdca was written, performed, and recorded in the same pioneering spirit as those aforementioned bands some 25+ years ago. Despite the occasional familiarity, it’s a metallic venture into the unknown, filled with unexpected twists and turns throughout.
The album opening track, “Mytogenéza bronzovej doby”, exemplifies this spirit. It opens with a crisp, atmospheric folk passage, before segueing into black metal that can only be described as beautifully grandiose. The song is fleshed out by delicate acoustic guitars, dungeon synth flourishes, and an authentic 90s inspired production. These elements are crucial throughout the release. The following track, “Zasvätenie v slnovratnej hore”, continues this approach, establishing that this is black metal which functions more as a soundscape than an audio assault. Its last couple minutes are cinematic in nature, incorporating melodic guitar leads reminiscent of early prog metal trailblazers Queensrÿche and Fates Warning.
“Hviezdne ohne nad kosodrevinami” is arguably the most conventional black metal song on here. It’s also the shortest track excluding the instrumental, “Uzamknutí v brale”. That said, it’s not without its singularity, thanks to the utilization of unorthodox folk chords. Call me crazy, but the midsection sounds like a blackened take on Led Zeppelin III. The melodically intricate “Smaragdová koruna diabla” gives me the feeling of wandering through a picturesque Slovakian forest in the heart of autumn, while “Poklad Tatier” sees Stangarigel following in the grand tradition of countless 70s rock giants, closing out with a lengthy progressive epic.
As the first truly great release of 2022, Na severe srdca has raised the bar pretty high for any black metal to follow this year…and it’s only January 11. Not to mention, I’m still getting over the magnificence that is Stormkeep’s Tales of Othertime. Between these two albums, my ears have been treated to enough blackened gold to last a lifetime, or at least the next few months.
8 out of 10
Label: Hexencave Productions
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
For fans of: Malokarpatan, Ulver, Satyricon