Rating: 9/10
Release: 12 December 2015
Label: Independent

First of all, I have to admit I was a little irritated when I saw the debut album come over from Croatia’s Voloh and saw that it was listed as an album at a total running time of 27 minutes or so….. shouldn’t this be an EP? I then thought of some classic albums (to me at least) like Slayer’s “Reign In Blood” and Skjaldborg’s “Todgeweiht” that are both under or around a ½ hour so let’s not be too hasty.
I have to say this was one of the best decisions I’ve made as this is one of the year’s strongest debuts. Combining elements/feel of other Balkan acts like Brezno and Zaria with Finntroll attitude and straight death/power/thrash, “Gromovi Nad Trebišćem” delivers the goods in a concise 8 track package free from filler material, even with an intro track and two instrumental/spoken word tracks in it…… yes, it is that good a release. Tracks average around 3 1/2 minutes in length so you know that Voloh need to get things started quickly which they do but not just constant blast beats, mostly mid paced with flashes of speed, a wall of riffs, folk touches and Vreth inspired vocals. I would say they verge on being melodic death in style if not for the addition of keys, accordion and whistle throughout the tracks. The tracks all feature a little different a feel and highlight their musical prowess whether it be the guitar solo, slower breakdown/acoustic parts or vocal layering. After repeated listens I was also reminded of one of the United States finest exports in Yonder Realm as well, since at the end of the day the songs are built upon riff after killer riff while blending folk, death and thrash. I don’t feel it necessary to go track by track since you will be in and out of this listen in no time and hitting repeat constantly. Released independently via Bandcamp, the mix and production are well done and allows for proper room for each instrument and crushes without being a sonic mess. Without warning, Voloh have swept down like a tornado and caused mass destruction, at least wreaked havoc on my short list of debuts of the year (Distoriam, Selvans Vorgrum and Abracadabra off the top of my head). Another track or two and I could have put this even in contention for album of the year but I think there is just not enough here but certainly a possibility for best debut album, amazing work Voloh!!!

Tracklist

1. Čiji to dvor na gori stoji
2. Izdajice
3. Veles vječni Bog
4. Pod jednim drevnim Hrastom
5. Gdje Grom ne dopire
6. Šumi stari Hrast
7. Posljednji pohod
8. Gromovi nad Trebišćem