Návaz 2011

""Návaz" is in many ways an interesting album. First off, the base style is the more doomy kind of gothic metal (derived from the works of My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost), and I tend to prefer that to the more poppy type of gothic metal that is associated with a lot of Finnish acts. Secondly, it has folk elements; now, folk elements are perhaps nothing new, given that folk metal has become pretty much an established genre, but most folk metal seems to draw on either Celtic or Nordic folk music. Therefore, Silent Stream of Godless Elegy's "Návaz" with its Slavic influences is a fresh, yet melancholic, breath of air. Thirdly, the lyrics are sung in the band's native language rather than in English, and, I must say, Czech is a very soft and pleasant language to listen to when sung.

While there are a lot of such interesting elements that certainly make "Návaz" more than worthwhile, the album has yet to captivate me. As it is now, I think that the music certainly is quality music, but I think I need to give it a lot more spins for it to really be able to give it the appreciation it deserves.

Recommended to fans of doom metal and gothic metal. If you like you violin-ladden doom metal, you are bound to like "Návaz".

(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"