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Well Turkish metal history begins with Devil and Whisky after 80’s. Before it was very difficult to import musical instruments and equipments in Turkey! In 86 Whisky’s Babaanne album (only MC from piccatura) was the introduction and the lyrics were in Turkish. It was good old heavy metal. It sold well but couldn’t convince the producers that metal should be sung in Turkish!

At that time there were many amateur bands in Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa & Izmir… Pentagram was founded In Bursa. And their Slayer influenced album was the first metal album in English and sold unexpectedly. It proved that there were metal heads in Turkey… They did great gigs and became Metallica of Turkey… And lots of metal bands found courage to make albums! Second album Trail Blazer was more thrashy like Megadeth’s Rust in peace era. The drum was programmed so it sounds a bit Industrial, but the songs were great. Secret missile the opening track is the first clip of Pentagram. And another great song Noone wins the fight has one of the greatest guitar solo and the second part of it is our well known mehter anthem's melody (Ottoman army band).

And with the third one everyone in Turkey hailed them: Anatolia. Great production with a mighty chorus, usage of some Turkish traditional instruments like Ney. But still the heavy thrashy sound of Pentagram. And with this album the group found the great lead vocal for sure! The other albums are all great and highly recommended for thrash and metal fans.

Pentagram (1990) MC
Trail Blazer (1992) MC, CD?
Anatolia (1997) CD
Popçular Dışarı (1998) LIVE CD
Unspoken (2000) CD
Bir (2002) CD
1987 (2008) LIVE DVD, CD

Skull was another band from Ankara. In the university all the members were in medical school and their name became Dr.Skull:) With punk influences they created good stuff in NWOBHM style and reminds me Angel Witch. First album includes great songs like Gate of Brandenburg and wory zover (war is over of course). But it sounds poor! They did two more albums. Third was sung in Turkish, all were in cassettes (MC), but all are recommended. Still waiting for a cd…

1990 Wory Zover (English)
1992 Rools 4 Fools (English)
1994 Hershey Yolunda!? (Turkish)

Well I’ll write the other important albums and bands…

Objektif - "Hayal ve Yaşam" HM (Turkish) (MC)
Mavi Sakal - "Kan Kokusu" HM & Thrash (Turkish) CD good album!
Mavi Sakal - "Iki yol EP" Symphonic metal CD
Karapaks - s/t Turkish influences and darbooka HM (Turkish) CD
Mavi Sakal - "Yeniden" Blues influences old songs are performed heavily but Poppy (Turkish) CD
Nekropsi – "Mi Kubbesi" (Prog rock metal) Great instrumental album CD
Yuhu – "Hazerin Sahilinde" (Band imported from Azerbayjan) Azeri language (MC) Sound is poor
Hayko Cepkin - "Tanisma Bitti" (2007) Alternative pop metal with synth, sometimes brutal vocal, CD
Disenchant - Prog metal
Dreamtone - Prog metal: great band played in front of Dream Theater
Knight Errant power metal with violin but poor English vocals
Almora - symphonic, gotik Metal
Sebnem Ferah - Pop metal (Turkish)
Pilli Bebek – Uyandırmadan HRock great album in Turkish CD

I’m ready for your questions…

Blood RED

Not: I hope the place is right for the topik
Note2: Sorry for my English

I've checked out a couple of Turkish metal bands and I must say that I didn't find anything I really liked.
I think Turks were better in the 70s when they made some of the best psych/pop ever!

Many thanx for the scene-report, BR! I've heard of WHISKEY before, but the only Turkish record in my collection is the Brazilian live booleg LP of PENTAGRAM. Good Metallica-meets-Helloween stuff as I remember it.

Would love to hear some SKULL. Any mp3s available?

First Pentagram 1990 has been released on CD in the past. I managed to score some copies from a local distro in Istanbul several years ago and they sold like fire on eGay.

DaN wrote: Any mp3s available?

Yes but how can I?

yeah, i have that first two Pentagram cd's, great stuff indeed...

what about Kronik or Cultus, i liked that ones too...
were they been released on cd or tape only?
and i'm courious about Metailium albums?

woud like to hear Skull too...

®O©O wrote:yeah, i have that first two Pentagram cd's, great stuff indeed...

®O©O, of course you do, you bought the first album from me my friend

I have a demo by a Turkish band called Sermon. Quite liked it at the time but not played it for years now.

They were doing their version of the whole Paradise Lost/Gothic metal thing with a few doomy touches. Not something I am so into these days.

I love Pentagram especially the s/t but unfortunately I dont own anything by them.
Interesting report. Do you know METALIUM ? I've seen it somewhere and it looks good

Thank you for the scene report! How about the more extreme metal side? Anything notable?

Helm wrote:Thank you for the scene report! How about the more extreme metal side? Anything notable?

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh...., Black Metal, notable for their name

The Knell wrote:Aaaarrrrgggghhhh...., Black Metal, notable for their name

Funny how confusing this sentence is - until you realize that "aaarrrggghhh" is actually a band name.

I have the cassette version of the Knight Errant debut & like it quite a bit. I ought to listen to it again soon.

I enjoy some ALMORA now and then. 1947 is a decent album, but I'm afraid it definitely will not appeal to the majority of folks here on this board.

There was also one very good techno-death band from Ankara, the name escapes me right now, but they were very tight and techincal, easily in par with the big names in the genre.

The Knell wrote: Do you know METALIUM ? I've seen it somewhere and it looks good

This Metalium here http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=32079

I`ve samples from Behind The Power Tape, and it sounds very good, but can anyone say if there`s chance to get the tape anywhere?