“Vertumnus Caesar” is the fourth full-length album from the eclectic Slovak heavy metal/black metal band, MALOKARPATAN. I thoroughly enjoyed their previous album, “Krupinské Ohne,” and I was eager to review this new one. “Vertumnus Caesar” is a concept album steeped in Central European history. Their EPK describes the concept as follows: “Mapping the mysterious life of Emperor Rudolf II, infamous for his involvement in the esoteric arts, the album is an adventurous ride through the days of late renaissance hermeticism, an occult rock opera dimming the lines between first wave black metal, classic heavy metal and progressive rock.” The album will be released on October 27, 2023, on the Invictus Productions record label.

The occult rock opera begins with “Na Okraji Priepaste Otevíra Sa Hviezdny Zámek,” (On the Side of the Abyss, the Starry Castle Opens), a folksy instrumental track with a pleasant melody that perfectly prepares you for the fun old-school metal outing to come. The next track, “Kočár Postupuje Temnomodrými Dálavami Na Juhozápad,” (The Carriage Moves Southwest Through the Dark-Blue Distances) has a classic heavy metal sound with plenty of catchy riffs and galloping guitars. The half-growling, half-raspy, first-wave black metal vocals could be a bit off-putting for some. Overall, the vocals sound great, given the album’s wicked subject matter. At times the guitars venture into “new wave of British heavy metal” territory and they pull it off well.

“Vertumnus Caesar” has a black metal by way of KING DIAMOND feel. There are plenty of evil fast parts but they still retain a melodic aspect. This track is great when it comes to atmospherics, as it stays creepy right up until the inexplicable folk music vamp at the end. MALOKARPATAN borrows from the folk music of their heritage in a lot of their music. I just thought that this outro was too removed from the rest of the song. “Panstvo Salamandrov Jest V Kavernách Zeme” is an instrumental piece that evokes early ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, cabaret music, and instrumental RUSH songs. The track is dynamic, with plenty of time and tempo changes. It is mainly a synthesizer-driven track. The other instruments are there to accompany the brilliant keyboard work. This one also has an odd outro with off-kilter percussion and chanting. This works a bit better than the title track and the excellent pacing makes the six-and-a-half-minute runtime fly by.

The final track, “I Hle, Tak Zachádza Imperiálna Hviezda,” is a ten-minute opus that runs the gamut from Slovak folk music to 1970s progressive rock, to proto-metal and all points in between. There’s so much awesomeness going on that the track is hardly a slog. There’s even a little bit of cowbell. I would’ve liked for there to have been more cowbell, but I am not Christopher Walken. All kidding aside, there is plenty to love about this track. MALOKARPATAN reminds me of the work of the Swedish progressive metal act, HORISONT and that is most definitely high praise. MALOKARPATAN has a rougher edge and more black metal influence, but the riffs and keyboard work are reminiscent of HORISONT’s best work. This album is one for the more adventurous metal aficionados because their sound is unique and familiar at the same time.