In the 1990s, when black metal was having his major and genre-defining moment, there was a war raging in the Balkans. While black metal bands were forming all over Europe, the activity in the former Yugoslavia was hardly worth mentioning. This had not been the case with prior subcultural movements. But in the 1990s people in the south-east of Europe were simply concerned with more existential matters. For a while, and as a consequence of this, the region in comparison to neighbouring countries has had not much to show regarding black metal bands and accompanying scene. There were some exceptions, of course. The legendary black metal band The Stone, from Belgrade, Serbia, have been active for over 20 years now and just recently released a new album which we also covered here.
The lack of bands and scene was all the more unusual, because the region’s rich folklore, troubled history and multi-cultural musical traditions almost predispose it as a breeding ground for some shade of folklore-infused black metal. Fortunately, as of recently, things have begun to change. And the region’s opulent heritage is exactly what newly emerging black metal bands are building their sound and story upon. Serbs Gavranovi, for example, which include ex-members of The Stone, play emotion-laden, fast, melodic, uplifting black metal incorporating an old, traditional horse-string instrument, the gusle, which dates back to the 9th century. Croatians Zimogroz from Dubrovnik employ multi-facetted black metal to tell tales about their hometown’s rich history and culture.
The Balkans are also the home of CMPT, an anonymous black metal formation and the creators of the release at hand. CMPT draw inspiration from the same sources sketched above, they are only going further back in time, to the pre-Christian era. The band name is not an acronym or an abbreviation, although it might be easily mistaken for one. CMPT is Cyrilic for Latin “smrt” which means “death” in all languages of the region. The band gives an ancient regional death cult, which is not further specified, as their primary source of inspiration: “CMPT is a dedication to the authentic Balkan worship of Death, a monument of praise for the unclean ones, nocturnal rites and forbidden cults that have cursed these lands centuries before the first Byzantine missions arrived.”
The title of the band’s debut EP is Mrtvaja; its two tracks, adding up to a playtime of roughly 20 minutes, are simply named Mrtvaja part 1 and Mrtvaja part 2. “Mrtvaja” is a geographical term for a river meander that has been cut off by natural processes from the main river and that develops into a small lake. In this dead part of the river, where the water doesn’t flow, weeds grow, vegetation rots, the waters become a breeding ground for pests and sickness. A fitting analogy for the history of the region.
Mrtvaja part 1 begins with the sound of fire crackling, wind blowing, and a raven or a crow cawing. The atmosphere of an eerie open-field setting is established as well as a link to many other black metal albums and to genre traditions. After a short while, a sole guitar sets in, shifting the atmosphere to somewhere between melancholia and approaching calamity. Fast double-kick drumming and tremolo-picked guitars follow, pouring down on the listener like heavy rain. Exquisitely ghoulish-sounding vocals complete the black metal soundscape. From here, the track shifts and changes, propelled forward by galloping drumming with a dash of punk. Mid-track things slow down and trance-like vocalizations can be heard, then the horsemen of death return again, faster than ever. After this raging storm of sound, the track ends in atmospheric keyboards tunes. A very satisfying listening experience!
On Mrtvaja part 2, the initial sounds of wind blowing are quickly drowned in merciless drumming. Better sit down for this and hold tight to your seat, or you’ll be knocked off your feet! Sweeping, swirling sound, howling vocals seemingly belonging to ghosts calling from the other side of death, and doom-heavy keyboard melodies speak of a chaotic, uncontrollable ritual that threatens to swallow all who dared to initiate it. Guitar riffs that sound like a tachycardic heartbeat provide a break, before fire, storm and thunder return. The EP ends with the same melody that it began, hinting at history repeating itself.
CMPT’s debut EP Mrtvaja will put an appreciative smile on the face of every black metal fan. The band’s sound doesn’t necessarily feature something you haven’t heard before, but its energy and the fact that it is played with gusto separates is from the majority of the stuff out there. The innovation lies more in the project’s origin and in its source of inspiration than in the sound. This is raw, fast, melodic, and atmospheric black metal. If that fits your taste, you’ll be very happy with this EP. According to the label’s press info, a full-length album has already been recorded. I’m excited about this new addition to the regional scene and I’m really looking forward to that album!
(8.5/10 Slavica)
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