Review by Felix on January 18, 2026.

The Stone from Serbia is a band I really appreciate. Their music does not meet my taste optimally, but that’s not the point. This formation has found a very individual approach without hurting the rules of the black sub-genre. I have no doubt that the guys are familiar with the great albums of the role models, but they design their compositions cleverly, and so I cannot identify obvious influences. One thing is for sure: The Stone never stood for easy-listening black metal. The gentlemen around mastermind Kozeljnik love it interwoven, foggy, shady, dense, and non-commercial. I must admit that I wish they would integrate a catchy sequence every now and then, but who cares about my wishes? Even my wife doesn’t always (read: almost never) do what I want her to. You see, she is a very clever woman, haha.

The word “clever” brings me back to the Serbian black metal authority. “Kletva” (“Curse”) is the tenth full-length, and this alone indicates a milestone for the band. My first impression is that they did not modify their style evidently. By contrast to the bunch of liars that is known as the present Serbian government, these guys are not corrupt. Nevertheless, I have the feeling that some of the new tracks turned out to be slightly more accessible than most of the songs on the earlier albums. This trend is not entirely new, but it is becoming somewhat more established. 'Kletve Lovor' is one of these pieces. It features all the typical trademarks of the band, for example, the quite opaque, not overly clearly defined guitar lines, but it extends a hand to the listener to take them on a shared journey of sound. I did not immediately fall in love with this track, but my instinct told me very quickly that 'Kletve Lovor' will grow on me. Exactly this happened. Of course, it is a process. The entire full-length challenges the listener to a certain extent. But take your time. It is worth fighting your way through the thicket the musicians create. One can find a lot of passion in the tracks, which do not lack substance in any way. This does not mean that I am enthusiastic during the whole playtime. A few parts meander directionless, at least in my humble opinion, but they don’t characterize the album.

By the way, I am speaking about a well-produced album. Its sound is neither overly aggressive nor a slap-in-your-face mix, but it is full, almost warm, yet full of negative vibes, and it creates a deep, dark aura, although the bass guitar does not really contribute a big share to the overall appearance of “Kletva”. The most brutal elements are the demonic, throaty vocals and the restless guitars. As soon as the band gets into a flow of smooth yet still powerful and pretty brutal melodies, the guitars are the component that is responsible for a splendid sound experience one cannot deny, even if the song title is 'Denying The Axiom'. Here we are at my personal highlight of “Kletva”. Almost paradoxically, it is the only song that has not been written by mastermind Kozeljnik. Either way, this track scores with fantastic high velocity parts whose rigorous and infernal lines shut up all those who think that good black metal can only come from Western Europe. By the way, more or less the same can be said about the strong closer, which transforms itself into an almost esoteric-sounding outro. Even after three decades, The Stone stand strong and their stamina is remarkable – I wish further Serbian bands like All My Sins or Zloslut would be reliable suppliers of sinister music from this part of Europe as well.

Sporadically occurring keyboards do not hurt the sinister picture the album paints. Instead, after the stormy and intense 'Denying The Axiom', they set a sacral contrast at the beginning of 'Besi'. With this said, the band stands for a mature yet still fervent and autonomous approach. Okay, one track is not able to compete with the other ones. Despite a few rather powerless sections, 'Slutnja' cannot be judged for inappropriate mildness, but it fails to offer expressive melodies. That’s a pity in view of the fact that precisely in this track, the band shows its attitude of attachment to its homeland through the use of a text by a Serbian poet. Well, we can’t have it all – but what we get is more than satisfying. As a proud owner of a colored vinyl, I can tell you that the album design impresses with its style and the black metal aesthetics that it reflects perfectly. Perhaps The Stone do not play consensus metal, but their integrity and authenticity deserve respect. Did I already say that I really appreciate this band?

Rating: 8.2 out of 10