It’s still very difficult for the East European Black Metal scene in general and the Serbian scene in particular to achieve something like an international reputation and even such bands as THE STONE with a remarkable back catalogue are deeply routed in their (national) underground. Originally formed in 1996 under the name STONE TO FLESH with a slightly different musical direction is “Umro” already their fifth release under the new banner THE STONE. But when it comes to quality and dedication “Umro” has for sure the potential to give them the chance to reach higher grounds. The band has never been a candidate for “innovation miracles” so all 8 songs are still offering Black Metal in the purest form slightly between the Norway and Swedish school of extreme music. But THE STONE are in the position to vary their songs to a certain degree that even six to eight minutes songs can still touch the listener. Especially the guitars are very often used to give the music a counter point so solos – even if their not really common these days -can be found on “Umro”. I’m not really sure if THE STONE will reach thousands of new fans with this release but songs like ‘Sam Krenuo…’ plus the supporting outro / instrumental are just fucking great examples for pure underground Black Metal. For sure the best Folter Records release since at least two years! www.folter666.de, www.thestonehorde.com