Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Brezno
Label: Self-released
Released: year_month
Runtime: 43:38
Rating: 3.5/5
For a long time, Slovenia had no real folk metal band, which is honestly pretty surprising given our Slavic roots, long history and rich folklore. Well, that changed with the EP Viharnik, released in 2010 by Ljubljana folk metal outfit Brezno, which added some extra flavor to the genre variety of the local metal scene. Viharnik had a few good ideas, but it was mostly dragged down by weak production and a lack of any common thread. Brezno were well aware of the shortcomings of their little record, and despite lineup changes that could have hurt the band’s future, those left no lasting damage. Quite the opposite, Brezno have clearly come out stronger, because the studio debut Kri is a serious step up from Viharnik.
Just like with the EP, the band produced Kri themselves, and the huge leap forward is obvious from the very first listen. Kri is marked first and foremost by rich production, clean sound and punch where it’s needed, while the blend of metal and folk elements is nicely balanced, with neither one taking over. The full release brings twelve tracks: five completely new ones, four shorter interludes, and with freshly re-recorded versions of V nebo, Žanjica and Glasnik from Viharnik, Brezno paid tribute to the »blood of their ancestors« (kri is Slovenian for blood). From the opening instrumental Kjer so padli veliki on, Brezno effectively fuse the punch of the metal elements with folk touches handled mainly by flute and violin, plus orchestrations that are rich but not overdone and give Kri an almost cinematic atmosphere.
The sonically excellent production is the album’s second big plus, and it’s easy to get sucked in by the crunchy riffs with well-crafted melodies (and excellent solo excursions from Luka Žnideršič) that sit close to the melodic death metal side of acts like Eluveitie or Ensiferum, the rattling bass, and above all the vocal variety and diversity. Sara Jeremič’s wonderful vocals (which step up front mainly in the heart-wrenching ballad Solze) weave nicely with Mitja Usenik’s deeper clean vocals, which handle the more »militant« tracks (XI. Bitka, Izdana legija), where he occasionally throws in some more aggressive growls. The vocal variety shines brightest in probably the album’s best track, the epic Krst.
Kri doesn’t get off completely scot-free, though. The songs are different enough from one another that you can’t accuse them of repetition, but it’s a bit annoying that too many tracks follow a similar formula – a metal blast at the start, a slowdown and clean vocals taking over drive XI. bitka just as much as Dolina pogubljenih, Izdana legija and partly Krst. Since it isn’t a concept album (at least judging by the flow of the tracks and the lyrics I read), the four shorter instrumentals are quite distracting, because they add very little to the album’s overall picture and only artificially pad out its running time. There are also a few clumsy moments in individual verses, but the all-Slovenian lyrics actually work surprisingly well, even better than expected.
Kri is a strong debut that establishes the band’s identity and leaves a bit of room to grow down the line. Even though I generally steer well clear of folk metal, you can’t deny Kri that, and with this debut Brezno have managed to lay some very solid foundations to build on.
Lineup
Sara Jermič – vocals
Mitja Usenik – vocals, bass, orchestrations
Katarina Snoj – backing vocals, keyboards
Luka Žnideršič – backing vocals, guitar, orchestrations
Max Petač – guitar
Matej Hrustek – drums
Ana Novak – violin
Zala Miklavčič, Eva Zupan – flute
Production
Mitja Usenik, Matej Hrustek
Tracklist
1. Kjer so padli veliki
2. XI. bitka
3. V nebo
4. Na veke
5. Dolina pogubljenih
6. Solze
7. Žanjica
8. Zatišje
9. Krst
10. Glasnik
11. Izdana legija
12. Poslednji
