Genre: Black Metal
Label: Adv. Promo – Hidden Marly / Zero Dimensional, 2015.
Format: CD
Svartgren.net
Our view : 89 %
When I first encountered the music of this extraordinary band, which among other things, I had the opportunity to listen at live performances, it immediately left a very positive impression. However, I did not know that their debut album “Prazan Grob”(Empty tomb) would leave such a strong desire to write my own comment on it. Yes, this black metal band from Belgrade has indeed made an extremely good thing with this album which has a ten years long history of collecting otherworldly moisture, nihilistic madness and perfecting their raw and bloody endeavor, so ultimately we could only say: the sound is brutal!
The empty tomb brings all the humid, darkness, lifelessness and the fierce afterlife odor which can almost be felt whilst holding the album in your hands and following the circular lyrical singing portrayed on its covers. All songs on this album carry the greyest, annihilating message.
Album opens with the track “Od pakla” (From hell) which was not chosen to be the first one by chance. Yet the first verse freezes the blood in your veins with the remarkably harsh and direct strength it carries, further introducing us into what still awaits in the following posthumous chanting. Next track, one of my favorite, is the song called “Spremna su vešala” (Gallows are ready), which simply captures the whole atmosphere with its dark absorbent melody and raw black metal riffs that will bury you in its distinct purpose. The third track "Empty Tomb" by which this magnificent album takes its name, is thematically, both in audio and textual aspect, worked out so well that the refrain itself literally depicts the deathly suffocating atmosphere of an empty tomb. Truly spine-chilling piece. Next comes the song “Svetlosti tiha” (silent light), fast, misty melodic piece that captivates with its intoxicating guitar parts leading the audience trough the black light that impregnates it. “U odvratnom paklu četiri zida” (In groesome hell of four walls) is a genuine nihilistic-misantropic display composed in the song ”Reka“ (River) which literally illustrates the faintest atmosphere of death ever described in melody and lyrics. If you thought this was black enough, you were wrong. The sixth track „Smrti“ (Deaths) unequivocally refines the expression of this band. The seventh track „Hram“ (The temple) is a remarkable piece that is not heard every day. Its instrumental along with its piercing vocals expresses the perfect aura of instrumental harmony on this album. Strong and infinitely powerfull verses emerging from the last two songs „Bezdan“ (abyss) and „Ka rubu zaborava“ (to the edge of oblivion), grab, bury and spectacularly close the Empty Tomb.
This is what it sounds like when human blood is blended with soil. My appreciation to these artists and the band Svartgren.