“Свобода” or simply “Freedom” is the third release of the Bulgarian band Hajduk, one month after the second EP. This EP contains 2 new long tracks and clocks out at almost 20 minutes in playing time.
Opening track “На прощаване” (“From forgiveness…”) opens with a spoken intro before blasting away in a full blaze of raw black metal glory. Almost 12 minutes long you’re drawn and completely submerged into their type of gritty, semi melodic, lo fi Black Metal whirlpool of ancient Bulgarian pride and glory.
Lo-fi, because this EP sounds rawer and raunchier than on their previous ones. The insidious hateful vocals manifest themselves in an even more vicious way this time. “Моята молитва” (“My Prayer”) reveals the typical ‘loyalty and honour’ thematics of the band. Are there pagan influences in Hajduk’s oeuvre? Yes, there are. They’re flawlessly assimilated into the merciless Black Metal music of Hajduk.
Overall atmosphere of this new masterpiece and final impression after listening to their third EP : fuzzy, raw, yet epic Slavic Black Metal of a very high quality. “Свобода” evokes a forgotten past of great battles, adventure, glorious victories and pride.
All three Hajduk EP’s can be listened extensively on their Bandcamp site and on YouTube. Don’t hesitate to add the third chapter to the rest of your Hajduk collection. (LCF)
