The Stone - Magla

Published Feb. 25 2007

*=Staff's pick	Magla Zavet Oca Arija* Zakon Sile, Trijumf Smrti* Dok Se Blizi Propast Neizbezna Pomor Mesecev Zrak

Genre	Black Metal	Nefas	Vocals
Tracks	6	Kozeljnik	Guitar
Runningtime	44 Min.	Demonetras	Guitar
Label	Folter Records	Milan Awaken	Bass
Release	19 July 2006	Ved	Drums
Country	Serbia	-	Keyboard
Similar artists	Destroyer 666, Immortal

Serbian black metal has for me almost been synonym with May Result. So it was with enthusiasm that I received The Stone's Magla. In english the correct translation for this title would be 'the fog'. I don't know if The Stone should be considered as a side project to mentioned May Result as it seems to be almost exactly the same band members hidden behind the logotype. Magla is released through the german label Folter Records and includes six tracks. With May Result in mind I'm conviced that Magla will be an interesting experience.

Magla is a six piece epos of depraved and melancholy riffing. The music is quite varied and from the first song, also the title track, I'm convinced that the Stone must be something more than only a side project. With The Stone the Serbs break some new ground with challenging ideas. Influences of heavy metal are decently arranged with various riffs of the darker kind that give me euphoric vibes of the warlords from down under, Destroyer 666. This is better than most average bands in the genre but still The Stone don't reach to the higher pedestals. I realize that Magla is a two faced creation - on one hand the music works slow, grinding down any feelings of joy and at the other hand there is a average representation of blast beats with a speed that is suitable for this type of mid tempo black metal. The link between these patterns is the melancholy vibes it gives. The atmosphere of eastern european landscapes makes me think of excellent works like Ritual by Master's Hammer or Root Of Evil by Besatt. To be honest, The Stone's material, in a technical way, reaches higher than mentioned masterpieces but Magla doesn't feel really genuine enough.

Magla is a pretty ok album with varied arrangements and also quite mean rasps and vocals from Nefas, but there are way too many melodic parts that sometimes don't follow each other in a suitable way. You could say that the strongest trademark of the Stone would be their capability to catch the melancholy in their chords and their weakest one is the failure by putting it together with melodies that are way too catchy. The most diabolical track must be the Dok Se Blizi Propast Neizbezna, As The Destruction Of Inevitable Is Coming Forth. An extremely well balanced song that represents the band in the best way, cool riffs and mean arrangements that make me think of works from both Abbath and Trey Azagthoth. Apart from that, there is not much more to say. The production is good in a raw and primitive way. Magla are sometimes excellent, sometimes a bit too average.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	7	6	7	6

Summary
6,5 chalices of 10 - Tim