My first exposure to Serbian heavy metal came approximately four years ago when a very trusted source introduced me to the black metal styling of The Stone. 2006's Magla was a triumph of stripped down, no-nonsense black metal that vigorously went about the simple task of whipping the listener to the dirt with copious amounts of razoriffs and a walloping rhythm -- a fine induction to yet another band consistently proffering high-quality barefaced black metal in a similar vein as, say, Russian stalwarts Old Wainds. And being one of the ultimate "judges of books by their cover," I pounced on Kozeljnik's Deeper the Fall as soon as it hit our doorstep because of its foul and distinctly Deathspell-ish cover art and due to the fact that the band also calls the Carpathian basin home. Imagine my delight and surprise when I quickly discovered this project is actually the result of the efforts of The Stone's guitarist/bassist Marko "Kozeljnik" Jerkovic (derrrr) and skin-flailer L.G.

Not surprisingly, the Kozeljnik layout is built on a very similar foundation as that of The Stone: hit 'em where it hurts with piles of riffs sifted through shifting tempos, alongside keenly bubbling bass (such a nice thing to hear in black metal) and one hell-of-a batterer behind the drumkit. The lionshare of the material splits nearly equal time between long bursts of speedy blitzes and ample chops of slower, suprisingly "groovy" measures. The most extreme case smacks with the visciously gruff 'n' nasty "Breeding the Apocalypse," a quick 4-minute crack that hits your lap like a moose through a windshield, with the rest of the album's fare stretching things out to approximately 7 minutes (give or take) to give ample opportunity for the duo to properly mix things up.

Apart from the slightly more experimental approach of Kozeljnik compared to The Stone, the single greatest difference between the two occurs in the vocal department. Where Marko and L.G.'s stony kin employ a more traditional rasp, the approach here is more closely aligned with what we've heard from the Darkthrone camp the last four years: that boorish, scraped holler that reeks of booze, ill-temper and malcontent (see also: the mighty Tangorodrim!) But in an effort to further spice the already very mulled wine, Marko also makes use of a deeply crooned chant-style that struts beautifully apace Deeper the Fall's slower, more sinister measures.

We're obviously still a long way from mentioning Serbia in the same breath as joints such as Norway, France, Russia and the like, but with such strong releases bubbling forth from both The Stone and Kozeljnik, it certainly seems like things are heating up in the Central/Southeastern European scene; undoubtedly an area to keep your eye on if you're a fan of crude, barefaced black metal that's heavy on riff-n-rhythm. And if a mixture of the aforementioned Old Wainds, Darkthrone and a touch of latter-era Katharsis filth sounds like something that would spark your fire, I suggest you give this duo some attention.