Review by Felix on September 17, 2026.

In difference to the very early days of our music, "metal" unites a lot of styles and those of you who are familiar with Krolok know that these dudes from Slovakia love to enter the stage with a pretty troll-like, very individual approach. The predecessor of "Hričov – Súľov - Lietava" painted a picture with soft contours, but a lot of musical magic. The new album marches into the same direction. There are comparably vehement, fast sections, but the four band members also give the music a lot of space to breathe. Every now and then, I wish they had taken a bigger swig from the bottle of pure metal. For instance, the ending of "Pod Skalnou Bránou" fishes in very shallow waters. Anyway, just like "Funeral Winds & Crimson Sky", the new full-length sounds impressive, even though few special effects do not completely work. Already the configuration is a bit dubious. Three epic, regular songs and three instrumental intermezzos, including the outro, are offered. This means that a lot of folk-inspired sounds show up in these interludes. Anyhow, this fits the concept, because the promo tells us that Krolok take us many centuries back to the mysterious history of Slovakia. Due to the fact that the lead vocals are performed in the band's mother tongue, I don't understand a word – so the lyrics are very mysterious, indeed. However, the music conveys an archaic and authentic feeling and that is what counts after all. Timpani, acoustic guitars, jaw harps, tambourines and sometimes almost Graveland-like keyboards contribute to the emotional side of the material.

So the three short tracks support the concept, but they don't enrich the musical value significantly. (If I had a bad day, I would even say they dilute the performance to a certain extent.) Be that as it may, the focus is on the three pieces whose names form the title track. These 30 plus minutes reanimate the compositional wizardry of Krolok excellently. Especially the opulent opener "Hričov" is a true masterpiece. (What's that? Is someone in the last row talking back? Please leave the room immediately.) "Hričov" evokes countless different moods – natural sounds, ominously rolling guitar leads, impulsive, nearly violent outbursts, narrative parts and more. The song makes a brief appearance in Jilemnice and given the overlap in the line-up, it's almost bound to appeal to fans of Malokarpatan, yet it has an identity all of its own. It presents drama and frenzy, contemplative moods and profound melodies without suffering from any clumsy break. This is an outstanding piece of art, imbued with an eastern melancholy. Although it lasts almost 14 minutes, its only fault is that it is too short.

The other bombastically constructed tracks do not reach this quality level, but to be honest, one cannot expect such a storm of high class metal on just one album. But the combination of the many single components is still amazing. The metal riffs and lines are almost simply designed, but their effect should not be underrated. In addition, the haunting melodies – in liaison with the spooky lead vocals – also hit the mark. The fact that the production has more edges and corners than the one of the predecessor helps as well. Krolok still do not focus on a very raw or direct mix, but the atmospheric density of "Hričov – Súľov - Lietava" makes up for this and suits the musical content well. By the way, the strong "Lietava" marks the only track which features more brute force than fine blade work. So I can recommend the album to everyone who has already fallen in love with the former Krolok outputs or the Slovakian black metal scene in general – and I enjoy the many faces of metal one more time.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10