Malokarpatan - Krupinské ohne (2020) / 95%

The Peter Statsny of spooky Slavic true metal

Malokarpatan established itself as a force to be reckoned in the true metal underground with Nordkarpatenland released back in 2017 and I was expecting great things with their followup. Due to their departure of their lead singer, someone else from their own lineup filled the spot so no cohesion problem there. I had the chance to see them live when they played the Covenant Festival in Montréal and it just confirmed that there’s something special going on with the Slovakian band. I’ve been listening to this album for months now and it will be hard to beat as far as 2020 releases are concerned. There’s nothing I didn’t like here.

They’re playing what could be hastily described as black/heavy metal but all in all, they’re fairly unique in both spirit and execution. That mix of elements created one of my favorite combination of styles since Demontage’s The Principal Extinction full length. In theory, it might be easy to combine both the atmospheric grasp of black metal and the power of heavy metal riffs and leads but it’s not that simple. There’s the same uncompromising approach to songwriting in Krolok, their “pure” black metal twin brother. Both don’t have to choose being atmosphere and fun, catchy riffing. Anyhow, “Flying Above Ancient Ruins” is also worth your time and has the best artwork for black metal of the decade done by the same artist as Krupinksé Ohne.

They also made things harder for themselves by writing longer songs than before and packing them to the brim. That album has half the songs for the same duration but the mastering and the editing made the record an exploratory and massive masterpiece. We often talk about the third album of a band is important and it’s the case here. I feel it establishes their sound better than ever.

To diversify their classic Czechoslovakian sound recalling Master’s Hammer or Root, Malokarpatan includes a fair share of prog rock recalling Yes or Rush, some folky Slavic overtones and classical music (such as the intro of the album) and it’s wonderful. At times, it feels like listening to a grown up version of Opeth. The leads and riffs flow well, the keyboards are conveniently arranged and placed within the songs. The vocals are cavernous, mysterious and evokes the ugly beauty of Slovakian haunted forests. There’s some clean vocals here and there but the heavy metal aspect of the band is built within the instrumental aspect of their identity.

Unlike most bands trying their hands at long songs or at mixing metal genres together, their transitions between the slow and the fast, the heavy and the light are done effortlessly. The fourth song “Filipojakubská noc na Štangarígel” starts with a contemplative introduction before transitioning into a At the Heart of Winter-esque attack on your senses. Like their spooky artwork showcasing some sort of devilish confused warlock, Malokarpatan is an eccentric entity full meticulous homages to what makes metal so peculiar and great. The album is a resounding success and essential album to start the decade with.

Buy the album on Bandcamp