Silent Stream Of Godless Elegy - Návaz

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I'd pre-ordered Silent Stream Of Godless Elegy's (or SSOGE from hereon in) latest album, Návaz. This is their fifth full length studio album, and it's been six years since Relic Dances, the album that got me hooked on their doom/folk stylings.

Amulet, with artsy lighting

It arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago, and I've been giving it a good playing through. Notably this album is sung entirely in Czech, whereas Relic Dances was predominantly English. The 2006 EP Osamělí was also in Czech, and included versions of tracks from Relic Dances, so I suppose this is continuing the trend. I enjoyed both Relic Dances and Osamělí very much and was expecting good things from Návaz.

I'll start off by mentioning the presentation. My copy is a limited edition (first pressing only) digipack, complete with free amulet. The amulet is a strange little thing, but a nice little trinket for people impressed by such things. Such as myself. A nice touch is that the lyrics are all provided in both Czech and English so I can follow along in either language. Not that I speak more than a couple of words of Czech, but it's nice to listen to the vocals as an instrument in their own right.

From the album opener, Mokoš, it's obvious that the Moravian folk influence is very strong. It's a more densely layered production than Relic Dances, although not to the detriment of the sound quality. Most notably, to me anyway, Pavel Hrnčíř's growled vocals are much reduced throughout the album.

They are still there, sometimes shadowing Hanka Nogolová's strong female lead, but always somewhat in the background. There are more clean male vocals this time around, too. This slight shift in style does mean the songs seem to lose some of the doom/folk contrast of earlier albums.

Possibly the most notable song on the whole album is Slava. The simple, lively folk chorus makes it certainly the most catchy and easily recognisable track on the album. Skryj Hlavu Do Dlaní, Dva Stíny Mám and Pramen, Co Ví are perhaps most similar to previous albums, and notably they have the heaviest choruses and defined melodies. Some of the other tracks seem to be lacking a little in melody or any hook to make them stand out.

I wouldn't say this was my favourite SSOGE album. Relic Dances still takes that crown, along with the Czech versions of the same on Osamělí. Still, Návaz is a good album that stands much replaying and proves why Silent Stream Of Godless Elegy are one of my favourite folk metal bands.