Decibel last checked in with Slovenian black metal duo Snøgg (and their myriad collaborators) in June 2019, when we premiered the band’s Chhinnamasta album. They’ve been busy in that time, releasing another three albums and now Huda Luknja, their new EP, which is officially out later this week. Like Snøgg’s previous work, lyrically they delve into a combination of mystical and real-life events.
“After Dan, ko je vrag vzel šalo, Snøgg continue their storytelling with a new album that contains two mythic tales,” vocalist Ulv tells Decibel. “This time we are focused on a narrow canyon near our hometown, full with natural caves and military bunkers called ‘Huda Luknja.’ ‘Huda’ is a story of a ghost of a young lady that haunts the canyon, bewitching the passing drivers and leading them into despair. ‘Luknja’ talks about a healer and a poet Valentin Eremit who actually lived there as a hermit and tells his sad life story (based on true events).”
Stylistically, Huda Luknja continues the band’s self-described style of “freeride black metal,” which is best described as a variety of post-black metal that pulls influences from across the black metal spectrum. Huda Luknja is riff-heavy, meditative, atmospheric and even symphonic through its 18-minute runtime.
Huda Luknja is out on November 29 via Kvlt and Kaos but you can stream it now.