The Stone - Kletva - review
The Stone - Kletva - review
Tracklist
01. Sve Sravnjeno, Sve Spaljeno02. Kletve Lovor
03. Trag U Večnosti
04. Slutnja
05. Denying The Axiom
06. Besi
07. Sveća Je Dogorela
A review by
AndyMetalFreak December 11, 2025
The Serbian black metal scene is far from the best known in the genre, with only a handful of bands ever making an impact outside of the country. Two of those groups are May Result and Kozeljnik, both of which are masterminded by The Stone's very own founding guitarist Marko Jerkovic (Kozeljnik). However, The Stone themselves are perhaps the biggest name to emerge from the scene. They formed nearly 3 decades ago back in 1996 at a time when the notorious second wave had reached its pinnacle of infamy and the Scandinavians were reigning supreme, going at the time under the name Stone To Flesh and releasing a few raw demos. However, their journey really took off after renaming in 2001.
The themes representing their early work were inspired by Slavic paganism, similar in regard to bands from the Scandinavian scene whose inspiration was that of Old Norse culture and Viking folklore rather than the typical blasphemous Satanism the genre was more known for. However, across their later works, the band have delved into deeper subjects including death, nihilism, misanthropy, and existentialism. Despite this, their style has maintained a level of authenticity, with a raw traditional sound that's never strayed too far from the infamous 90s.
The Stone now return after a 4-year absence to release their tenth full-length album Kletva, which continues right from where their previous release Kosturnice left off, that being ferocious black metal with a melodic edge, and a raw and evil sound reminiscent of the 90s. The album is unrelenting from the get-go, driven by intertwining icy sharp-toned tremolos that in general are deliciously melodic, drumming that regularly shifts between tasty grooves and intense blast beats, and noticeably clear bass, the powerful undertone of which works in harmony with the guitars. The vocals are performed in traditional fashion, from demented shrieks and terrorized howls, to high-pitched screams of utter desperation, while keys offer an occasional haunting and chilling presence, which helps contribute to the overall atmosphere behind the instrumentation, vividly portraying a harsh wintry backdrop. The most striking feature of all, though, is the solos, which are unusually satisfying for this genre due to their high-end, memorable melodies.
The Stone have been around for almost 30 years now, during which time they've been able to master the art of traditional black metal, and here they once again succeed in capturing the true essence of it. They don't intend to push any boundaries or go down the route of incorporating modern obscurities; instead their aim is to bring pure traditional black metal to those who want nothing more than some raw, ferocious, and satisfyingly melodic black metal that captures the true evil spirit of the 90s. Kletva offers all of this, and should ultimately be an ideal choice for getting you through the harsh winter that lies ahead.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 7 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 5 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 11.12.2025 by
Written on 11.12.2025 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Comments
Comments:
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 Posts: 64528 |
Posts: 64528
Good album and black metal philisophy stands strong in the lyrics
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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