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Master's Hammer

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Master's Hammer
Band logo
Band logo
Background information
OriginPrague, Czechia
GenresBlack metal, experimental metal
Years active1983–1995, 2009–present
Labels
Members
Past members
  • Karel Zástěra
  • František Fečo
  • Milan Fibiger
  • Oldřich Liška
  • Tomáš Vendl
  • Míla Křovina
  • Mirek Valenta
  • Vlastimil Voral
Master's Hammer performing in 2018

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.

History

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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]

Musical style

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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.

Band members

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Current

  • František "Franta" Štorm – vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums (1983–1995, 2009–present)
  • Tomáš "Necrocock" Kohout – electric guitar (1989–1992, 2009–present)
  • Honza "Silenthell" Přibyl – timpani (1989–1992, 2009–2015, 2017–present)
  • Jan "Honza" Kapák – drums (2011–2012, 2016–present)
  • Petr "Rámus" Mecák – bass guitar (2017–present)
  • Petr "Blackie" Hošek – electric guitar (2017–present)

Past

  • Milan "Bathory" Fibiger – bass guitar (1983–1989)
  • František "Ferenc" Fečo – drums (1983–1989)
  • Míla Křovina – electric guitar (1988–1989)
  • Ulric For (Oldřich "Olda" Liška) – timpani (1988)
  • Carles R. Apron (Karel Zástěra) – timpani (1989), drums (1989–1990)
  • Tomáš "Monster" Vendl – bass guitar (1990–1992, 2009)
  • Miroslav "Mirek" Valenta – drums (1990–1992)
  • Vlastimil "Vlasta" Voral – keyboards (1990–1995, 2009)

Timeline

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Discography

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Demos

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  • The Ritual Murder (1987)
  • Finished (1988)
  • The Mass (1989)
  • The Fall of Idol (1990)
  • Jilemnický okultista (1992)

EPs

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  • Klavierstück (1991)

Studio albums

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Year Album
1991 Ritual.
1992 Jilemnický okultista
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Vinyl, CD
1995 Šlágry
  • Label: Kron-H
  • Format: Vinyl, CD
2009 Mantras
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Vinyl, CD
2012 Vracejte konve na místo.
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Vinyl, CD
2014 Vagus Vetus
  • Label: Jihosound Records
  • Format: Vinyl, CD
2016 Formulæ
  • Label: Jihosound Records
  • Format: Vinyl, CD
2018 Fascinator
  • Label: Jihosound Records
  • Format: Vinyl, CD

Split albums

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  • split with Blackosh (2013)
  • split with Blackosh (2014)

Compilations

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  • Ritual / Jilemnický okultista (2CD re-release, 2001)
  • Demo Collection #1: The Ritual Murder / Live in Zbraslav (2003)
  • Demo Collection #2: Finished / The Mass (2003)
  • Demo Collection #3: The Fall of Idol / Jilemnický okultista (2003)
  • Ritual / Jilemnický okultista (4LP re-release, 2009)
  • Demos (2013)

Live albums

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  • Live in Zbraslav 18 May 1989 (1989)

References

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  1. ^ Christe, Ian (2004). Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Meta. It Books. pp. 253–254, 353. ISBN 0380811278.
  2. ^ "Bohemia's forests are lovely, black and deep: Master's Hammer – The Jilemnice Occultist (Osmose Prod., 1992)". pervertedplaylist.wordpress.com. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Riffs". CMJ New Music Monthly. May 1996. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  4. ^ ""Indiánská píseň hrůzy" (Master's Hammer cover)". pitchfork.com. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Eastern Frontiers in Flames". metal-archives.com. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Master's Hammer". deafsparrow.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Výsledky ročníků cen Anděl" [Anděl Awards yearly results]. andelceny.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Výsledky 2012" [2012 results]. cenybritva.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Interview: Master's Hammer (November 2014)". Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Master's Hammer – Formulae – Metal Storm". Metalstorm.net. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Výsledky ročníků cen Anděl" [Anděl Awards yearly results]. andelceny.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  12. ^ "V žánrových Andělech uspěla Lenny, projekt dné nebo kapela Pio Squad" [Lenny, the project dné, and the band Pio Squad win Anděl genre awards]. idnes.cz (in Czech). 17 May 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Master's Hammer". Facebook.com. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Master's Hammer". Facebook.com. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Zemřel bývalý basista Master's Hammer. Kapely, která změnila svět tvrdé hudby" [The former bassist of Master's Hammer, which changed the world of heavy music, has died.]. minutovezpravy.cz (in Czech). 26 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  16. ^ Lee Barrett: The Black Metal Directory. In: Kerrang!, no. 436, 27. March 1993, p. 46.
  17. ^ "Darkthrone Biography and Video Clips von Darkthrone bei Myspace". Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
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