Track Premiere: Malokarpatan – ‘V okresném rybníku hastrman už po stárocá vycína (In the provincial pond, a water goblin has been raging for centuries)’

Hailing from that corner of Eastern Europe formerly known as the Eastern Bloc, Slovakia’s Malokarpatan (meaning “an inhabitant of the Little Carpathians”) play 1st wave-style black metal influenced by old school heavy metal. Their lyrics, delivered in their native tongue, deal with the local folklore of their own country. Everything about Malokarpatan is authentic, sincere, and refreshingly novel while still paying the proper amount of homage to the right bands.

To follow up their debut, 2015’s Stridžie dni, Malokarpatan return with ten tracks packing ten times the amount of variety as their debut, not to mention the new album features guest vocal appearances from Annick Giroux of Cauchemar, and Master’s Hammer’s Necrocock! Plus, just look at that amazing album cover by fellow Slovakian Dave Glomba of Teitan Arts. All things considered, it is truly a pleasure to present you today with an exclusive premiere of the first (proper) song on Nordkarpatenland.

Adam, the guitarist and main songwriter behind Malokarpatan, had this to say about today’s premiere of “V okresném rybníku hastrman už po stárocá vycína:”

“I think it’s the strongest song on the album and I kinda wanted to keep it as a surprise when we were streaming a few other tracks before. It points to our influences from the most ancient days of black metal – the sinister and atmospheric heavy metal of Mercyful Fate and what bands like Tormentor or Kat did with it when they took things one step further. The lyrics talk about a water goblin from old Slovakian legends – he is a man with green hair, skin & clothes, who is known to drown people and keep their souls shut in cups inside his underwater kingdom.”

Far out! Without further ado, here’s “V okresném rybníku hastrman už po stárocá vycína (In the provincial pond, a water goblin has been raging for centuries)!” Also, find a translated version of the lyrics below the stream. 

Nordkarpatenland by Malokarpatan

Get Nordkarpatenland October 31st from Invictus Productions and AJNA Offensive.

“In the provincial pond, a water goblin has been raging for centuries”

On the landmark between the village and a dense forest
There lies the domain of the vicinal water goblin
An old pond overgrown by bulrush
Where young lovers come to fondle
on summer nights, when moon shuffles the water line
But many of them have paid for their boldness
When the age-old nix drew them down
into his manor in the waters
Where two podgy catfishes guard
the crystal residence
A dangerous monarch he is:
demolishing barriers and launching floods,
when he rages in anger
On such days, one needs to sacrifice to him
a black duck or a black pig,
get anointed with herbs from Palm Sunday,
and then once again he leaves the cups with souls
in peace for a while
Smoking a pipe on the willow
under the moon of Botto.*
(*Ján Botto, 19th century Slovak romanticist poet)

The post Track Premiere: Malokarpatan – ‘V okresném rybníku hastrman už po stárocá vycína (In the provincial pond, a water goblin has been raging for centuries)’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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