Review by Vladimir on January 15, 2024.

Back in Winter of last year, one of the most highly anticipated releases in the Balkans was Naši Životi Više Ne Postoje, the first full-length album of the Croatian black metal band Prognan. In the meanwhile, they did release a compilation album Sve Je Tiho Na Istočnom Frontu on May 24th, 2023, containing rerecorded tracks from their Jama EP and Follow The Blind demo, including some unused works from Naši Životi Više Ne Postoje. Not long after that, the band announced that their second full-length album Sjene Nad Balkanom will be released on January 24th, 2024, serving as a direct continuation of their previous album. With a successful run of their first full-length and strong reputation, it is time to take a look at their second full-length album and see what impending doom stirs in the Shadows over Balkans. 

Once again, Prognan took on the musical approach from the predecessor Naši Životi Više Ne Postoje with heavy tremolo picking guitar riffs, blast beats and double-bass drumming and harsh guttural vocals, backed up with orchestrations consisted of trumpets, violins, cellos, choirs and even occasional pianos. The guitar work on this album seems to be more melodic than last time with a more intricate songwriting, and the songs are also heavier, more intense and more aggressive than ever, with a total destruction happening from one song to another. Interestingly enough, the film score elements in their music seem to have taken a very intense approach this time that contributes a lot to the songs by giving them character, with the interesting moments showing on the third track 'Tri Nacije' which has that jolly piano dominated R&B music with bar fight in the background, all the while black metal music is still being played. Another example where the album musically departs from the overall established formula are 'Za One Koji Su Hrabri Samo Kada Ginu' and 'Mrtva Vremena', both tracks which are outstanding for their own display of tragedy and melancholy. The sixth track 'Za One Koji Su Hrabri Samo Kada Ginu' is a somber acoustic song with clean singing vocals, violins and bar crowd cheering in the background, with glasses breaking on the floor and the singer crying at the end, whereas the eight track 'Mrtva Vremena' is a cello oriented song with clean singing vocals and backing vocals, ending with sounds of a woman screaming and crows cawing. Once the album reaches its closure with the final track 'Početak Kraja', not only does it end on a high note, but it also leaves the story open for the continuation, which will definitely lead to the third album that will deal with the events that follow. Lyrically, the album is a direct continuation of the debut Naši Životi Više Ne Postoje and talks about the gloomy period of the Balkan states between 1934 and 1941, covering all the crucial events in that timelapse which lead to the German occupation in WW2. 

What really sets this album apart from its predecessor is that it truly feels like a one big cinematic journey with all the sound effects, dialogs and overall storytelling through music, giving you that vibe that you are reliving the scenes from a film scope which matches other wartime movies such as "The Pianist" and "Schindler’s List". The album truly has a lot going on with all the themes and ideas that were expressed in the entire musical output from Prognan, which takes you on this gloomy journey that will make you feel as if you have witnessed all these events yourself with the heavy emotional rollercoaster and feeling of incomprehensible downward spiral from start to finish. What contributes a lot to this album is the general lengthiness of the songs, which for the most part are pretty long and the band uses this opportunity wisely in order to have each song tell its story and express its feelings. I’d say that the biggest highlight apart from the songwriting and the complexity of their arrangements is the album’s capability of hitting you in the feels with such a strong punch, both from a musical and storytelling perspective. I have to say, it certainly is not an easy album to listen to, especially if you are someone who is familiar with Balkan history or occasionally does his research to find interesting bits and historic facts, or perhaps if you are someone whose elders passed their stories from one generation to another or still knows elders who lived to tell the story from their point of view. Production wise, Sjene Nad Balkanom does not differ that much from the predecessor Naši Životi Više Ne Postoje, however it does do an excellent job at giving you plenty to hear this time with acoustics, classical music elements and orchestrations, even in the tracks that leave out the black metal aspect of their music. 

Sjene Nad Balkanom is definitely a worthy and mighty sequel that outmatched Naši Životi Više Ne Postoje with its overall execution, marking a one powerful continuation that managed to express even more emotions and not break away the magic that Prognan built from the ashes up. Comparison-wise, it is a better album, it is much more complex and well-thought in terms of the songwriting, with a large strength in numbers that state very loudly that “more is more”. Fans who really liked the previous album will surely love this one, and perhaps feel the same way as I did, and will definitely be more excited with what comes next. In my humble opinion, a band which is so dedicated, focused and strong-willed as Prognan, I think that being primarily a studio project is just not enough for me, because after their triumphant return with their first full-length from last year and with their second-full length on the rise, I am convinced that Prognan’s excellence should be seen live on concert with an orchestra, possibly in national theaters or youth centers, and I believe that decision would sell like hot cakes. 

Rating: 9.2 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on February 8, 2023.

I’ve always had a weird but delicate affection towards Croatia’s black metal scene more than any other neighboring country, and probably for a good reason. Most of Croatia’s bands are well received and earned a great deal of respect from its metal community that keep the cult alive. From the town of Vukovar comes a black metal band by the name of Prognan, who are considered by many as the veterans of Croatia’s metal scene. They returned after 11 years of silence with their first full-length album Naši Životi Više Ne Postoje (“Our lives no longer exist”), released digitally on January 9th 2023, receiving its first batch of digipak CD copies in February. This was a much-anticipated album across the Balkans and other Slavic countries, stretching from neighboring countries such as Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia all the way to Poland and Czech Republic. Fans from these countries were very eager to hear what Prognan’s new work of art has in store for us, while the clock is ticking for the hour to strike. As the hour struck, so rang the bells of war and in that moment, all hell breaks loose. Is this the epic comeback we have all been waiting for?

One thing that should be noted before diving in with details about what this album has to offer, I’d like to mention that the member Kob, known by his full name Goran Dragaš, is a composer who has worked on trailer music for many Hollywood movies such as Jurassic World, Logan, Spiderman Homecoming, Doctor Strange, Alien Covenant and etc. It seems quite impressive and it is indeed a huge success and achievement, but you may be wondering why is this an important detail, right? It mostly has to do with the fact that his talent, passion and skill were incorporated in Prognan’s music as well. Most songs are very grand in their songwriting, resembling a soundtrack for a Hollywood war movie, just in the form of epic and melodic black metal. Besides all the aggressive tremolo riffing, melodies, blast beats, double bass drumming and harsh vocals, there are various orchestrations, violins, choirs, trumpets and pianos to be heard, being more than welcome additions that add the sweet cherry on the top. Every song has its own leitmotif which depicts each scenario of the album’s concept and storyline told through its lyrics and compositions. The main theme of this album is World War 1, but more specifically it’s about the Serbian soldier who is going through the trials and tribulations of the war itself, with the album title referencing the speech of major Dragutin Gavrilović for the Iron Regiment before their last stand. Besides the excellent songwriting and the amazing concept, the sound production would definitely be another highlight of this album. Kob did an amazing job in producing, mixing and mastering this album to make every instrument, every voice and every second matter. To some this album may sound a tad bit overproduced and sugarcoated, but for me it’s the exact opposite, because it doesn’t matter how grand it is, it doesn’t make the music sound sterile and it isn’t the case of “style over substance”. The last thing I want to mention about the album and why it resembles a soundtrack for a Hollywood war movie, is the fact that it’s pretty long with its total length of one hour and six minutes, even though many Hollywood movies tend to have a longer soundtrack. I don’t consider this as a bad thing in any way, but in case you have a short attention span, then this probably isn’t the album for you.

Prognan’s comeback was indeed an epic one which deserved its praise from all the people across the world that heard it. It sounds like bloody rusted metal grinding through the earth with gunfire surrounding each corner of the battlefield and flames rising from all the scorching and explosions. I have no doubt that this album will be talked about in Croatia’s metal community for some time, and in other countries as well. I can’t help but wonder what will be the next step for Prognan after the success of their first full-length album, but I think that it’s always safe to assume that there will be more music in the future years to come. Last thing I would like to say, although it may seem a bit childish and stupid, is to all Sabaton fans reading this right now, please take notes from this album, because this is how you write a metal album which depicts the serious themes and horrors of war.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10