Sekerou Peruna a kladivom Thora

I suppose Concubia Nocte are the closest thing to a supergroup that the little-known Slovakian pagan black metal scene can ever produce. On this album they feature local scene kingpin Svarthen singing and playing bass. Fans of Slavic pagan metal will remember Svarthen's leadership role with Karpathia, and maybe his bass days in Silva Nigra; but especially Ancestral Volkhves, where he briefly shared a stage with the legendary Maria Arkhipova of Arkona fame. This album also sports a guest appearance from Vovkh, playing the trans-Carpathian flute called sopilka. Canadians might recognize Vovkh from the Quebec pagan group Ur Falc'h, another great band. 

So, with the stage set and players lined up, how do they do on Sekerou Peruna a Kladivom Thora? Quite good! This band, like most from Slovakia, fall into the style of Ukrainian folk-black metal. Look at Drudkh, Blood of Kingu and Hate Forest - the sound is blacker than it is folksy. The keyboards and flutes do prop up some additional melodic catchiness, but they leave enough metal behind and don't take over. Don't fear the guitars being relegated to simply boinking along polka-style, as per some of the weaker Arkona songs! No, this album puts out some interesting guitar riffs indeed. My favourites are the fastest-paced title track, where the sopilka and keyboard fades to a very soft support role, leaving the guitar firmly in charge. "Zo Stromu Modla, z Modly Prach" should also fill your guitar craving. There's some great back-and-forth trading of lead spotlight between the guitar and folk side.

As for song choice, it's not as watered down as it seems on first glance. Yes, it only has 8 tracks, including an intro, an epilogue, and the ambient bit "V Davnych Casoch Davno Dane". But this isn't a case of trying to stretch an EP of material into a full-length! The intro plays two minutes of delightfully twangy folk-ish acoustic guitar that nicely complements the flute and key melody. Don't skip it! And be sure to stay through the whole of "Epilogue Laktibrada". It ends with some of Svarthen's most aggressive vocal shrieks, along with pleasantly tying the album together by a cool reprise of the intro tune.

Altogether the production serves the music quite nicely. Svarthen's vocals are never buried, while also never overbearing. There's even a cool ending verse to "Za Tej Najhlbsej Noci" with some backup vocals - and it's fit in tastefully, kind of echoey, none of that polka hey hey humbug. I suppose people might want the guitars somewhat heavier, but longtime pagan-black fans will appreciate Concubia Nocte's buzzy-but-not-tinny, Nokturnal Mortum type sound. Indeed, these Slovaks' guitars have more bite to them than Mortum's; and certainly more than recent Drudkh albums.

Bass fans are really in for a treat. Svarthen's work comes through strongly audible at all times and deserves every second of its exposure. On "Roh Velesa" and "Zomriet pre Zivot" especially, the bass speeds along enough to closely rival the guitar. As always, the bass benefits from the more subdued parts such as the intro and epilogue, and in those moments it takes full advantage. The drums are respectfully mixed: not too loud, not too soft, and that goes for the cymbals as well as the skins. 

If there's anything to grouse over this album, there is a bit of sameness now and then. This is partly due to a rather monotone rasp from Svarthen, and partly due to recycled drum patterns. Even that's not exactly what you think though. The drums don't bore you by plodding along uselessly, or blur their way out of your attention by incessant blastbeats. It's an upper mid-paced pagan metal gallop, and I do find such rhythm structures interesting. It's just that, even interesting drum patterns become tedious if they're used song-in song-out. 

Sekerou Peruna a Kladivom Thora will make a worthy addition to your Slovakian pagan metal collection, if you have one. It's melodic and catchy without sacrificing any of darkness or aggression. Pretty textbook folkified black metal.