Artist: Skoj
Country: International
Label: Self-released
Formats: Cassette EP / Digital EP
Year: 2025
Skoj is a new entity of international origin, and the band name is short for “Savez komunističke omladine Jugoslavije”, which translates to “League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia”. Within it we find members hailing from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Austria. While preceded by a single, ‘More Krvi I: Zora Sivog Sokola’ is their actual debut, an EP that has been released digitally and will see a limited tape edition due out on June 22nd.
Thematically, the EP is full of references to the history of the collective countries of the band members. On the cover, a 14-year old Partisan boy wearing medals of the Yugoslavian Partisan leader Tito is serving the last supper to a collaborator awaiting its execution. The band themselves proclaims to play Partisan Raw Victory Metal, a that term may leave a lot to the imagination. In essence Skoj presents Black Metal with a rather raw, bordering on Lo-Fi sound including gritty guitars and thunderous drums. The riffs and pace most directly remind me of Marduk, although Skoj gives it a more epic twist. Furthermore, there is a clearly discernible sense of Punky and Rocking groove in the riffs. With some samples of Yugoslavian music, these slight nuances place Skoj far from a standard Marduk clone, but for a rough frame of reference for the intensity and riff structure, the comparison definitely stands.
With a playing time of nearly 17 minutes, ‘More Krvi I: Zora Sivog Sokola’ is an entertaining piece of music that mostly strikes in terms of the thundering sound and epic undertone. It is perhaps a little bit too raw to call catchy, but certainly the songs are easy to digest. It certainly breathes that air of victory and pride that the band has described in their self-proclaimed musical style. So for a first feat it has left me curious as to what Skoj can do on future releases!
