Artist: Stangarigel
Country: Slovakia
Label: Medieval Prophecy Records
Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD
Year: 2025
It’s a great time for those that appreciate Slovakian Black Metal. A new Malokarpatan is due in 2026, KroloK has been hard at work recording their third full-length ‘Hričov – Súľov – Lietava’, and before all that comes out we are served with ‘Za Striebornou Horou‘, the sophomore record of Stangarigel.
Although the band still consists of vocalist and drummer Stalagnat and guitar and bass player Lesodiv, the latest record is different in that it features guest synthesizers courtesy of Lord Vrăjitor, best known as the leader of Warmoon Lord. And while that doesn’t necessarily indicate a massive musical shift, the use of the synthesizers on ‘Za Striebornou Horou’ are perhaps the biggest difference with the preceding ‘Metafyzika Barbarstva’ EP and debut release ‘Na Severe Srdca’. While on those records the synthesizers mostly provide an atmospheric backdrop, they are slightly more prominent and fleshed out on the newest album. It feels like a logical evolution for the band, that started off their musical formula firmly based around the first two Satyricon Records. But as time has gone by, Stangarigel mixed this with influences that remind me of early Ulver, Kvist and Ukranian Black Metal in the vein of Nokturnal Mortum. And on the latest album, the marriage of all these elements is even more prominent.
The opening riff of ‘V sedemdesiatej siedmej krajine’ starts the album off in an atmospheric, almost Drudkh-like manner, in which the rich bass sound immediately grabs a moment in the spotlight. The song is slightly more melodic and melancholic, with delightfully raspy serpentine vocals leading the way as the song adopts an atmosphere that remains close to Satyricon and Ulver. In a song like the subsequent ‘Žulové tvrdze tatranských šarkanov’ there area more rocking and Folky riffs paired with piercing Black Metal, all wrapped in a strong 90’s sound. In ‘Kde Kladivá Obrov Rozmetali Hor’ thundering drums give the song power and gravity, but the song often opens up to more melodic passages where even a jew’s harp makes its appearance. ‘Sedem modrých ohňov plejád’ is a great example of a track in which the keys take more centre stage, as the melodies are less driven by the guitars and all the more more by the synthesizers. In ‘Turoni a chriapy obchádzajú snehom’ the influences of Iron Maiden (or comparisons with Malokarpatan, for that matter) are undeniable, with its twin melodies, isolated leads and pulsating bass. ‘Hrad víl v stratenej doline’ is then a more pumping track in the vein of ‘The Shadowthrone’, but a bit opener in atmosphere and with that aforementioned Heavy metal tinge. Perhaps this is best illustrated by a duet between lead guitars and synthesizers towards the end. The album ends in the double piece ‘Aragonitové siene v lone zeme’, of which the first is essentially a combination of all that has gone before: at times blasting and dark, sometimes more melodic and romantic and heavily laden with Folk and Heavy Metal. The second part ends the album in an atmospheric and ambient fashion, a fitting end to an evocative journey.
The music of Stangarigel still feels like a perfect balance between the more Heavy Metal and Folk direction of later Malokarpatan and the cruder, Satyricon and Ulver influences of the past. ‘Za Striebornou Horou‘ ventures a little bit further from just that early Satyricon sound, providing an even more thought-provoking record than before. And if anything, it gives Stangarigel a more distinct identity, one that beautifully sits alongside Malokarpatan and KroloK. The Slovakian Black Metal scene might be a small one, but fierce, and this is yet another record of tremendous quality!
