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Silent Stream of Godless Elegy have always been a band requiring multiple listens to take in. Albums like Behind the Shadows and Themes required many sessions of attentive listening before their multilayered, but never proggy, sounds fully develop to the listener. I gave many listens to their first album in seven years, Navaz. It's good, for sure. But I kept waiting for the greatness to click with me. It only half-did. The new record abandons many of the solemn influences of their earlier work for a more sprawling, spread out sound, still complete with many traditional folk and gypsy instruments.

SSOGE are an anomaly in the metal world. Not just for their sound, but for their approach. Even before the "black polka" sound of folk metal exploded into popularity, SSOGE were doing things their own way. They keep doing that on Navaz. But it just isn't the same. The album is undeniably their sound, and they've certainly grown on that sound. But in the process of growth, it sounds like a few pieces fell out of the puzzle. The emotional potency of their vocals isn't as strong. The knack for texture they've had seems out of place. While songs like "Skryj Hlavu Do dlani" highlight their skill for such layering, while the rest of the album attempts but can't capture SSOGE's trademark atmosphere.

If this is their last album, and it likely will be, SSOGE are going out on a good note, but one that still leaves a lot to be desired.