Master's Hammer | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Prague, Czechia |
| Genres | Black metal, experimental metal |
| Years active | 1983–1995, 2009–present |
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Master's Hammer is a Czech black metal band formed in Prague in 1983. [1] They were active, with several lineup changes, until 1995, and again from 2009 onward. As of 2024, they have released eight studio albums, five demos, one EP, two split albums, one live album, and several compilations.
Master's Hammer was founded in 1983 and produced five demos, before releasing their debut album, Ritual. , in 1991. The Polish extreme metal band Behemoth covered the song "Jáma pekel" on their 2008 EP, Ezkaton . A year later, Master's Hammer issued their sophomore record, Jilemnický okultista . [2]
Their third album, Šlágry , which came out in 1995, was a shift away from their previous work and incorporated a variety of styles outside the metal genre. At the time, the band announced that Šlágry II and a forthcoming CD-ROM would rely more on professional opera singers and orchestra musicians, [3] although neither materialized, and the band broke up the same year. Ukrainian black metal band Drudkh covered the track "Indiánská píseň hrůzy" on their 2010 EP, Slavonic Chronicles , [4] and included it on their 2014 compilation album, Eastern Frontier in Flames. [5]
In 2009, Master's Hammer reformed and released Mantras , their first record in 14 years. [6] In late 2012, a fifth album, called Vracejte konve na místo. , was released. It was awarded Best Hard and Heavy Album at that year's Anděl Awards [7] and Best Album at the Břitva Awards. [8]
In July 2013, Master's Hammer formed their own record label, called Jihosound Records, under which they released their sixth studio album in 2014, titled Vagus Vetus . [9] On 30 May 2016, they published their seventh studio album, Formulæ , [10] which again won the Best Hard and Heavy Album prize at the Anděl Awards. [11] [12]
On 8 December 2016, the band announced on their Facebook page that they were scheduled to play at the Brutal Assault festival in August 2017, their first live performance in 25 years. [13]
In February 2018, Master's Hammer released their eighth studio album, Fascinator . [14]
Former bassist Tomáš "Monster" Vendl died on 26 July 2024, at the age of 52. [15]
Kerrang! magazine described the band's style as "fusing thrash with classical themes", and Jilemnický okultista was called "an operetta in three acts". [16]
When asked about Ritual, Fenriz, the drummer of Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone, joked that the album "is actually the first Norwegian black metal album, even though they are from Czechoslovakia". [17]
On 1995's Šlágry, the band "virtually abandoned the operatic black metal of previous releases in favor of modernist electronic music" and "shares publishing credits with Carl Czerny, Otto Katz, and Giuseppe Verdi, mixing bits of metal, folk, and musique concrète into a style based on the classical avant-garde". [3] 14 years later, Master's Hammer returned to their previous black metal style on Mantras.
Current
Past
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Ritual. |
| 1992 | Jilemnický okultista
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| 1995 | Šlágry
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| 2009 | Mantras
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| 2012 | Vracejte konve na místo.
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| 2014 | Vagus Vetus
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| 2016 | Formulæ
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| 2018 | Fascinator
|
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band hailing from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991, Darkthrone transitioned to a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and emerged as one of the leading bands in the Norwegian black metal scene.
A Blaze in the Northern Sky is the second studio album by the Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone. It was recorded at Creative Studios in August 1991 and released on 26 February 1992 by Peaceville Records. In addition to earlier rehearsal recordings made between March 1991 and the Norwegian summer holidays, the album features the band's first official black metal recordings and is regarded as a classic within the genre. It is the first album of what fans refer to as the "Unholy Trinity," with the other albums being Under a Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger. This album was the last to feature bassist Dag Nilsen. In 2020, it was included in the National Library of Norway's permanent exhibition due to its significance to Norwegian culture and its role as a foundational work in Norwegian black metal.
Silent Stream of Godless Elegy is a Moravian folk metal band from Czechia, formed in 1995. As of 2020, they have released six studio albums and one EP.
Jilemnický okultista is the second studio album by Czech black metal band Master's Hammer, self-released in December 1992 and distributed by Osmose Productions in the following year. Described by the band as "the world's first black metal operetta" and largely inspired by King Diamond's rock operas, it is their first of two concept albums, the second being Vagus Vetus, released in 2014. On several early Osmose pressings, Jilemnice is misspelled as "Filemnice", which was corrected on later pressings. Despite the track listing being in English, all the lyrics are in Czech; the original release contained Czech titles.
Ritual. is the debut album by Czech black metal band Master's Hammer, initially released through independent label Monitor in 1991. It was later distributed elsewhere and re-released in CD format by Osmose Productions in 1994; Osmose's version contains two bonus tracks. Many tracks of the album were re-recorded from their 1990 demo tape The Fall of Idol.
The Stone is a Serbian black metal band from Belgrade formed in 1996. They were originally known as Stone to Flesh and changed their name to The Stone in 2001.
Šlágry is the third studio album by Czech black metal band Master's Hammer, released in 1995 by a now-defunct subsidiary of Osmose Productions, Kron-H, specialized in more experimental outputs than Osmose itself. Greatly contrasting with the sonority of the band's previous releases, Šlágry sees them "virtually abandon[ing] the operatic black metal of previous releases in favor of modernist electronic music", and "shar[ing] publishing credits with Carl Czerny, Otto Katz and Giuseppe Verdi, mixing bits of metal, folk and musique concrète into a style based on the classical avant-garde", as they put it in the album's liner notes. In fact, "Hlava modernistova" is the only black metal-oriented track of the entire album.
Mantras is the fourth studio album by Czech black metal band Master's Hammer, independently-released on 3 December 2009. It is the band's first album of new material since Šlágry on 1995, and sees them returning to the black metal style of their first two albums, but blending it with the experimental sound demonstrated on Šlágry. It was released both in CD and vinyl format; the vinyl version contains less tracks.
František "Franta" Štorm is a Czech musician, photographer, typographer, writer, teacher, artist, illustrator and record producer, famous for being the vocalist and a founding member of the black metal band Master's Hammer.
Slavonic Chronicles is an EP released by Ukrainian black metal band Drudkh on September 20, 2010, on the French label Season of Mist. It was released in two formats: as a 10" LP and as a mini CD. The last one is available only as a part of a deluxe leather book edition of Drudkh's 2010 full-length album, Handful of Stars, strictly limited to 600 copies.
Hypnos is a Czech death metal band from Staré Město, formed in 1999. The group consists of Bronislav Kovařík, Peter Hlaváč (drums), Vlastimil Urbanec (guitar), and Martin Klinkera (guitar). As of 2020, they have released six studio albums, two EPs, and one compilation.
Kryštof is a Czech pop rock band founded in 1994 in Havířov by Richard Krajčo, Nikolaj Arichtev, Jaroslav Blahut, Biser Arichtev, and Pavel Studník. As of 2023, they have released nine studio albums, one EP, three live albums, one remix album, and two compilations.
Malignant Tumour is a Czech metal band formed in 1991 in Ostrava. The group's lineup has changed many times over the years, with only vocalist and founding member Martin Bílek remaining to this day. The rest of the band consists of bassist Robert Šimek, guitarist Martin Vyorálek, and drummer Petr Bohda. As of 2024, they have released six studio albums, two EPs, and numerous split albums with other musicians. The band has won several Břitva music polls, and in 2010, they received an Anděl Award in the Hard & Heavy category.
Vracejte konve na místo. is the fifth studio album by Czech black metal band Master's Hammer, independently released on 8 February 2012. It was released both on vinyl and CD format; the vinyl version contains two bonus tracks.
Vagus Vetus is the sixth studio album by Czech black metal band Master's Hammer, released on 18 May 2014 through the band's own record label, Jihosound Records, founded the year prior. It is the group's second concept album so far, the first one being Jilemnický okultista, released in 1992.
Formulæ is the seventh studio album by Czech black metal band Master's Hammer, released on 30 May 2016 through the band's own record label, Jihosound Records, founded in 2013. The album was composed by Franta Štorm in India and South Bohemia in winter 2015–2016, and recorded between January and March 2016 at Biotech Studio in Prague, Czech Republic.
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Fascinator is the eighth studio album by Czech black metal band Master's Hammer. It was released on 10 February 2018 through their own label, Jihosound Records, and is available in vinyl, CD and cassette formats.
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Michal Hrůza is a Czech singer and guitarist, and founding member of the band Ready Kirken, with whom he recorded five studio albums, before leaving in 2006. He subsequently launched a solo career and performs with his own band, Kapela Hrůzy, who are sometimes credited on his albums. As of 2024, he has issued six studio albums, two live albums, and one compilation. Hrůza has also contributed music to several film soundtracks, including Lidice (2011), Martin a Venuše (2013), Zakázané uvolnění (2014), Padesátka (2015), Pohádky pro Emu (2016), and Špunti na vodě (2017), as well as the television series Slunečná (2020–22). In 2014, he won the Anděl Award for Male Singer of the Year. In 2015, he was a member of the jury selecting the Czech representative for the Eurovision Song Contest.
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