Year: 2023
Label: Werewolf Promotion
Rating: 8,4 / 10
The sudden return of Wojnar last year was a very pleasant and very unexpected event. So that you understand, the last recordings of WOJNAR were made around 2002. The three albums and the split that came out later were releases of old material. And therefore it is even more strange to realize that ”Nienawiść Zaklęta w Słowiańskiej Ziemi" is not some kind of anachronism, but quite a competitive album (especially in the genre of traditional pagan metal, which is going through times of decline).
That's right, WOJNAR returned after 22 years to play pagan metal. Metal elements were present in his recordings before, but if I'm not mistaken, he never allowed them to unfold to the fullest. This time it's all serious: characteristic riffs, diverse vocals, obligatory folk instrument parts and rich acoustics. Some invited musicians took part in the recording, but their names are not mentioned in the booklet.
Ambient is also not a thing of the past; I would say that the ratio between metal and ambient here is about 60 to 40. Sometimes, grandpa Wojnar uses everything at the same time, as, for example, on the first track. Of course, the album also could not exist without the legendary angry recitations about NIENAWIŚĆ, otherwise it would not have been WOJNAR.
At the beginning, I said that the album is not an anachronism, but it is also not modern. The metal on it is very simple and unhurried, without any blast beats. It is somewhat reminiscent of GODS TOWER, although it feels closer to STWORZ. The music moves forward smoothly and confidently, Wojnar reads out his poems, and quickly it becomes obvious that nothing more is needed here. Lyrically, WOJNAR remained where he always was: while other pagans explore the interrelationships and innermost meanings of primordial cults or immerse themselves in national Romanticism, grandpa Wojnar , like a quarter of a century ago, worships pagan gods, praises SŁOWIAŃSZCZYZNA and throws shit at hateful Christianity. However, greetings from the dark old days are still on the album: the last track is the very first WOJNAR song, written in 1995, but unreleased until this moment.
I liked the uncomplicated "Nienawiść Zaklęta w Słowiańskiej Ziemi" very much. There may be a dozen riffs for the whole album, but everything is done sincerely and without pretensions. Even if it is more metallic, it is 100% WOJNAR. It is very pleasant when such old legends return not with a purpose to defame their name by some crappy new music or ridiculous statements, but to write a new chapter in the book of Veles Wojnar. The CD edition has a 12-page booklet where you can find all the texts and several pictures of an already bald and gray-haired, but still warlike Wojnar. Details on a video.
English (UK) 
Крыўская