So, the axis of "Návaz" spins heavily on Silent Stream of Godless Elegy's Moravian folk approach nudging its way to the front of the record while the band's metal influence remains buried underneath the flurry of violins, cellos and other instruments that have a strong base in folk music. The Moravian folk sense is pretty interesting in and of itself; the constant slamming of string instruments provides a fresh landscape for the faction to dwell upon, and they do an exceptional job stitching the guitar work on their eclipsing sounds of Czech naturalism. As I said, the folk pieces are the main focus of "Návaz," so it is not wise to expect a monolith of complex riffing or spoonfuls of crushing doom. Instead, the album is highly atmospheric and emotional, relying much more on feeling than actual instrumentation.

Here's a little spoiler though: this is hardly a metal album. Not really a surprise, but the folk aspect is entirely domineering, taking over the instrumental foundation, all instrumental leads and most of the musical transitions. Obviously, there are open doors that the group uses resourcefully, such as perplexing violin solos or a cello lead for instance...at least something that deviates from the norm and fits appropriately into the folk metal niche. Some of the riffs and grooves are heavy and stern, and the growling vocals have a bit of bite to them as well, but these qualities are usually buckled in the backseat. Now the burning question: was benching the metal blueprint a detrimental decision?