Label: Death Prayer Records
Date: September 6th, 2024
I couldn’t decide in which language to write this review. All lyrics are written in Bosnian language and even the name of this legendary band, so it would be logical to write in our common language, but Krv’s music is something that has to be heard outside of Balkan borders so let this review in English be my expression of appreciation to their name and work.
After three years after the last album called “Grob i tama” this famous Bosnian black metal band treated us with a new very angry and bitter candy called “Sin”. My history of worshiping them is long and everything started with album “Ukleta zemljo” that I got on CD but my poor knowledge about black metal and my age at that time didn’t allow me to understand their messages. I was like “Band from Bosnia!? You are joking!” But in time my love to Silent Kingdom and Krv grew as I did. True black metal they are offering didn’t change for twenty one years at all. Music should grow or better said mature over years but in black metal Krv is playing is really important to stay true to the kult. In their previous album “Grob i tama” they had a chance to get out of the genre because it was more thrash / black metal album with an accent on the thrash part but roots are roots. That album was a big comeback to the metal machine and people were surprised. In case of this album specially in songs with such a strong message as “Sigurno”, “Mazohista” or “Sin” black metal blast beat with very dark atmosphere these melodies carry make a perfect package and old but gold Krv. Perfect production, Mr. Osman Ramadanović aka Odron on vocals and their own specific musical remark hit us with first riffs of “Sigurno” and knocked us out ‘til the last song. As I said music here is just a tool to express as like as The Stone here in Serbia, there is no much to discuss about it.
Bitter aftertaste these songs leave after listening are coloured with emotions of the rebels. Even from their first releases and later all these five full lengths Krv is strongly politically oriented. Next to the Slavic mythology part of the opus Krv is really inspired by political situation in Bosnia. Maybe inspired is not a right word but let’s say disappointed in their country. From the start “Sigurno” is a perfect description of Balkan order of thing. Safety everyone wishes so much puts humans’ soul in total misery on a journey without the return. Just as this one “Obavestajno sigurnosna agencija” is some kind of second part of “Sigurno” and something that gives goosebumps every living soul in Ex Yugoslavia. UDBA, OZNA or OSA is always some ruler from the dark corner of government, an agency society and call it however you want but it’s something these people are sick of. Songs that took my attention the most are “Mazohista” and “Veliki usnuli Črte”, I could say they have political background as they do but Ban Krvnik as one of my favourite metal poets knows how to put a philosophy touch in every word he writes. “Mazohista” is someone who has some pathological wish to feel pain. People here are pure masochists but as the song says no one can hear them. Point is there is one deep pathology in the soul of Balkan men. From Silent Kingdom to Krv Ban Krvnik knows how to put fans in some kind of crisis while reading his songs. Maybe “Grob i tama” was long waited album but this is Krv that I know and love and please, some gig in Serbia wouldn’t be bad to happen. Slava!
