Malokarpatan - Krupinske ohne
Invictus Productions
Black metal
5 songs (48' 18")
Release year: 2020
Invictus Productions
Reviewed by Andy

Malokarpatan's EP from last year stayed with me longer than I expected, and I thought they were moving in a more atmospheric direction. With the release of Krupinske ohne, I see that impression was mistaken; Journey Through the Subterranean Halls of Kovlada appears to have been a one-off, and they're now back to their first-wave BM style and folk music influences. Narrated by the lyric sheet (a necessity if you don't speak Slovak), the album follows the career of witches in the Krupina region of Slovakia right up to their fiery end.

Adam, the creative force behind the band, is a devotee of Slovak folklore, but mingled with the horror and legendry is the earthy peasant humor popularized in the 19th century by Pavol Dobsinsky. Tracks begin with little cinematic instrumental excerpts and then their old-fashioned 80s heavy metal sound takes over, a galloping two-guitar throwback to the era of leather and chains, but underscored by early 90s black metal motifs. These are constantly overshadowed by the distorted echoes of the vocals, a menacing sound that periodically dies away to reveal folk instruments. The drums are shoved way down in the mix, thundering in a subterranean manner, and occasionally a chorus comes into play, often ragged and off-key.

The dissonance of the guitar style with the atmospheric sound of much of the album reflects the overall dissonance of the album: Earthy humor and anthropological descriptions vying with poetic fancy. A messy stew of an album, Krupinske ohne is a good listen if some patience with the meandering songs is available.

Killing Songs :
Ze semena viselcuov carovny koren povstava, Krupinske ohne postyrikrate teho roku vzplanuli
Andy quoted 80 / 100
Other albums by Malokarpatan that we have reviewed:
Malokarpatan - Cesta potzemnymi salami Kovolada reviewed by Andy and quoted no quote
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