Year: 2024
Label: Steinklang Industries

Three out of three, when it comes to Steinklang Industries’ most recent batch of tapes. And this tape is by far the most challenging to tackle. Whereas both Kontakt Service (here) and Vologne (here) were pretty straightforward representatives of their genres, North Macedonian Nad Evropa embrace a large swathe of the post-industrial expression.

Framing this, their debut tape, around the tumultuous events between the world wars, with a particular (but not exclusive) focus on the events in the Balkan regions, it goes without saying that there is a lot of militant and martial expression here. But the tape goes far beyond that, too, resulting in a truly encompassing expression.

I suppose one wouldn’t be too far off the track calling this tape martial dark ambient. Certainly, large parts of the tape focus on understated, abstract, dark, industrial atmospherics. Low end drones, looped machinery, ominous samples, haunting melodies. The primarily rather long tracks slowly weave their somber, foreboding industrial tapestries of looming tragedy.

But then, all of a sudden, Nad Evropa might change expression to something entirely else. Take for example the second track on the B-side. It starts out expectedly, with slightly muffled brass playing a haunting, drawn out melody. But then, all of a sudden, powerful percussions and orchestral stabs kick in, and the whole thing starts to remind me of early Laibach – something off of Opus Dei, maybe. The contrast is stark and at least on the first listen, startling.

This can safely be called a double-edged blade, methinks. There are bound to be people out there for whom this contrast doesn’t appeal, just as there are those to whom it will appeal. Whatever the case, with this one track of militant industrial pomp, Nad Evropa definitely ensure the listener won’t soon forget the tape.

And me? Well, after the first somewhat perplexed playthrough, I find myself liking the abrupt shift into an entirely different gear. It brings variety, but it also proves that Nad Evropa aren’t limited to just one form of expression. They’re not all about brooding martial ambience, they can also kick things into higher gear.

Based on this, Nad Evropa definitely hit my radar as a project to keep an eye on.

Nad Evropa has no online presence; visti Steinklang’s webstore or Bandcamp.