Review by Vladimir on December 31, 2024.

Ever since the Croatian band Prognan made its return to the scene in 2023, they've been pushing harder and harder with every step of the way, or to put in other terms, with every next album which comes out year after year. As a follow-up to Sjene Nad Balkanom which came out in 2024, comes another massive colossus in the form of the third full-length album Sve Će To Narod Pozlatiti with the release date of April 6th, 2025, corresponding with 84 years since the invasion of the German army on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Our journey through the massive piles of dead bodies, shrapnel and ruins continues, and with this review, we are about to take a deep dive into the album that depicts the horrific days and events which our traumatized grandparents and other survivors told us about, with their words meaning more than the details in any history books or lessons in elementary or high school. Stay tuned…

Prognan continues with their storytelling journey on this new album, going directly from the predecessor of Sjene Nad Balkanom and heads on into the new chapter with the historical emphasis of Sve Će To Narod Pozlatiti being the German invasion of The Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1941. Their cinematic approach with epic and symphonic elements implemented within their tight, steel infused and aggressive black metal performance that was established since their triumphant return. As was the case with the previous album, Prognan showcases that they clearly want to take everything a step further by making their next effort even more intense, even more emotional and even more expressive than before, and it shows with so many exemplary tracks such as "Crna Ćuprija". If you ask me, it's obviously natural and logical that the band should take such approach, because each song tells its story just as each album has its own concept, therefore reflecting more on the historical horrors and tragedies throughout their melodic musicality, as well as the frequent use of voice overs and sound effects which add more depth and meaning to the songs apart from the lyrics. A lot of directors of movies and tv series throughout the years have managed to depict these events on screen with great authenticity and frightening point of view where you as a viewer are thrown back in time to immerse in that time period and experience it in some way, although rarely does a band manage to achieve the same result because it is an extremely difficult subject to deal with and you would have to possess the right kind of knowledge and level of passion to do so. However, I personally think that Prognan really nailed it, because you can hear that the entirety of Sve Će To Narod Pozlatiti was done so as if the band was the director and the composer behind this motion picture of an album. While listening to everything that this album threw at you, it was just impossible to not visualize the horrors and the events of World War II, and even the dialogues from the voice overs reminded me of those stories that my grandfather told me about, including many elderly folk which have seen it all as children or teenagers. Since we are talking about a band with members experienced in composing soundtracks, you can clearly feel the elements of film scores and the soundtrack quality of Prognan's music, and if each song had its own animated visualizer or a cinematic music video, it would probably be even more epic, but I think that listening to the entire album on its own manages to produce music videos in your head, especially since the music has a strong psychological aspect that plays around with your imagination.

I must say that I am always surprised how Prognan always finds ways to expand its songwriting to further territories by providing more complex song structures and makes every second count, with no effort going to waste. What was evident from the get-go with this album was the fact that this is going to be one incredibly long journey from start to finish, because this album is indeed very long, and it's obviously because it wasn't meant to be a typical LP release but a soundtrack that presents itself like a musical journey and experience of the album's concept. A good example of such is the ninth track "Bitka na Kozari" which is nearly 26 minutes long, and it's basically a powerful and layered track depicting such heavy scenery which blasts out like a gatling gun. Another example which holds second place to that is the eleventh track "Mali Komad Raja" with its runtime of nearly 21 minutes, and this one also delves into very heavy scenery with its dialogues and events that gradually develop from start to finish. What really won me over about this album is once again the use of orchestral instruments from trumpets, violins, cellos, choirs and even occasional pianos, as well as the acoustic guitars which make it even more worth a while. While listening to this album, it is really hard to not get immersed into the strong expressive nature that enrichens the whole output of Sve Će To Narod Pozlatiti, and I would not be surprised if some of you shed a tear along the way because it really is epic and powerful all the way through. My only nitpick about this album is its runtime, which successfully surpasses the length of Sjene Nad Balkanom by lasting for well over 2 hours in total, and it sure as hell is crazy if you think about it, especially for an album. Luckily if you are immersed in the album's storyline, you might be able to lose track of time and not notice how long the whole thing actually is, but in my case, I really felt like it is a bit too long for my taste, although I did let it slide because it seems both reasonable and acceptable for the sake of the album's conceptual storyline and themes. As I've said before, the album was made by musicians with a background as professional composers, and it certainly cemented itself in the musical DNA of Prognan, because each album is presented as a soundtrack with a symphonic/operatic/melodic black metal approach. Whether the band was attempting to present the cinematic quality of movies such as "Schindler's List" and "Come and See" in musical or album form, I cannot say for sure, but their overall output is pretty much on par with those works of war cinema, because it really does go that far to tell a story and also leave a strong message behind.

All in all, Prognan advances up the front once again with their latest effort which is Sve Će To Narod Pozlatiti, their third and latest installment in this band's franchise. Another great entry in this war-themed saga that started in 2023, which provides some familiar elements but also expands the entire chronicles further into the greater climax which will take place on the next album. Although their story is not yet over, the ending of this journey promises that one day we will see the coming of the Yugoslav Partisans on the next album, which I am very curious to see unfold in the near future. If you managed to stick around with Prognan since their return, make sure you don't miss out on this one and I hope you will enjoy it boys and gals.

Rating: 9 out of 10