(Murderous Productions)

Release Date: 2010
Origin: Croatia

Stribog is a new band from Croatia playing folk black metal and I think this is the first “officially released” album of this genre from our neighboring country. They were formed in 2006 and after some demos and many line-up changes they finally released their debut album with the label Murderous Productions.

I have to admit that this album surprised me! Stribog present us a great combination of raw, yet melodic guitar riffs with the enchanting sound of flutes and whistles, acoustic passages and synths, as well as screaming black metal vocals with folk female ones. “U Okovima Vječnosti” is an excellent folk black metal album, reminding me of great moments from the beginning of this genre. Their sound is also more natural and raw, compared to the more mainstream releases of the genre, but I surely prefer it this way. Ana’s vocals and Ivo’s whistles are amazing and they fit perfectly with the great epic black metal sound the rest of the band builds, in a very tight result. The songs often change speed and mood, from melodic atmospheric parts to aggressive outburst, all under a very epic prism. The album unluckily lasts for only 37 minutes, but then again there are no fillers… Their lyrics are based on pagan Slavic mythology and they are half in Croatian and half in English.

Overall “U Okovima Vječnosti” is a very promising debut that I recommend to fans of bands like Arkona, Alkonost and even old Adorned Brood. It is released by the Czech label Murderous Productions and it comes with a beautiful booklet and cover artwork. I am really looking forward to the next steps of this new band. I hope this impressive debut is only the beginning! You can get a taste of the band here: http://www.myspace.com/stribogslava

dimiarch