Mohyly

Concubia Nocte are one of the longer running outfits from the prospering Slovak black metal scene. They have been pretty active in the mid to late Noughties, but only managed to release one full length beside a few EPs and splits. The members have also been involved in some other well respected bands and projects and it is a shame that they are listed as split-up here at the archives, as there style is a pretty distinctive one. That is not to say that they have deviated too much from the accustomed path, but their songwriting skills and the feeling for creating special moments puts their stuff above most of their peers. In 2021 they have surprisingly returned to release a new EP, but from what I understood this has been only a temporary comeback.

Said EP is titled “Mohyly” and is a pretty short affair, consisting of only two new songs plus intro and outro. Werewolf Production has taken this opportunity to release a compilation not only including this priorly unreleased stuff but all the material which they have produced over the course of a decade and a half. I won’t talk too much about their older stuff and write only a few words about the new EP, but all I can say that while most of the time I am not the biggest fan of neither compilations nor short EPs in comparison to full length albums the material here is really worth a listen, so in case you are new to Concubia Nocte (like myself) you should absolutely check the whole compilation out. There full length “Sekerou Peruna A Kladivom Thora” is also included, which surely is one of the most interesting and powerful albums which ever came out of Slovakia.

So let’s get into the new songs, which basically are a continuation of Concubia Nocte’s trademark style. They play a somehow dramatic and partially symphonic brand of black metal, without sacrificing the power of the riffs and the harsh coldness that the genre asks for. They have all the meat and potatoes of throat-searing, wretched vocals, pummeling riffs and wild drumming going on, but manage to build up a great atmosphere by using the guitar lines as well as other effects in the right way. The guitars lay down a fascinating melody that is repeated continually as both songs change and evolve, and the synth work that adds so much depth and clever originality to these songs really stands out. Concubia Nocte’s main asset is their ability to blend classic black metal tremolo picking and vocals with synth ambience and atmosphere to build easily enjoyable music.

The technical skills of the musicians involved should out of question and each of them brings his top game. The production is fine, somehow raw but still dynamic. One important factor is that while there is a lot going on it is still possible to pretty easily identify each detail. The only downside of this EP if judged by its own is that it is just too short for my taste, as I would have loved to enjoy some more songs in this vein. That being said for everyone who wants to check out Concubia Nocte for the first time I highly recommend to check out the full compilation. For fans of classic atmospheric black metal with some folk/pagan tendencies this one should be a safe bet.