#Najezda Eternal Be the Dark for #MetalChronicles

Band: Najezda
Title: Eternal Be the Dark
Label: Independent
Release date:  October 10th 2023
Country: Croatia
Format reviewed: High-Quality Digital Recording 

First of all, let me tell you that I “found” Najezda thanks to another Croatian musician I like a lot (mmm if you are curious, it’s Voragoth), and I think it’s really cool when bands support and share other guys’ music. Not everything in this world is a competition, and when we talk about Metal, I love seeing how supportive some people in this community can be. Besides promoting their own stuff (of course!), taking some time to spread the world about other music they find interesting. A great example of how important “sharing is caring” is.

“Eternal Be the Dark” is an EP by an unknown and underground band, and it contains a lot of the essence of Black Metal, in my opinion. The music creates a fantastic ambiance and a sonic landscape of cold, solitude, even agony… an overwhelming feeling of being left alone in a hostile world, a world that’s not welcoming you anymore. A threatening atmosphere, a sense of a fateful destination, something perverse lurking in the shadows… 

The journey starts with “As the Empires Fall”, an almost instrumental track to put you in a situation. An ice-cold riff with a gruesome scream that tears you down, followed by some deep vocals emerging from the underworld, like a monotone incantation, a fatal advice. The bass is simply perfect, its depth resonates like a resilient wave; the drums keep the pace that leads you to an uncertain and obscure path through danger and menace… 

The second track, “Dead Gods”, is a piece to get stuck in, with its cold riffs, relentless drums, and those perverse vocals that declaim about the masses hypnotized by non-existent gods, with which the rulers of our society make people submissive and manipulable. Beyond this message, the massive guitar work makes its way through your brain and it becomes so unbearable that you claim for some air to breathe, but the incessant blast beats drown you a bit more. I love feeling overwhelmed by music, Black Metal is often the best genre to achieve this! 

“Deceased and Forgotten” is the following; lyrics depict a story about the passing of kings over a land, and how the old ones are forgotten the same as the new ones will be one day; meanwhile, the repetitive guitar riffs create the effect of a loop in your head. The tone is hard, cold, sharp… And drums create an endless succession of blast beats that make this song resonate into your brain with fury, and it gets mercilessly stuck in it. 

The last song, “Unyielding Shadows”, is where you finally lose your sanity if you still haven’t done it. The familiar rageful vocals scream about death and depict an apocalyptic landscape to come upon us. Guitars go crazy and play a cold and sharp solo, aggressive and overwhelming, with lots of tremolo picking. And there’s a phrase in Croatian that sums it all: “Smrt te ceka i otvoren grob!”, which means “Death awaits you and an open grave!”. Nothing more accurate… 

This is one of the best underground Black Metal acts I’ve listened to recently. I’m sure I wouldn’t have noticed about Najezda if it wasn’t for Artem, from Voragoth; he’s also doing great things in the underground Metal scene. I love when musicians support each other and take their time to do recommendations and spread the word about other bands and artists. This is what makes this community a constant flow of music and kindness. (Ah, don’t forget to check Voragoth, I see this guy doing great things in the near future!)

For me, this deserves 9/10   Sílvia

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9/10 Epic Storm
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