TUDOR

Anyone the least familiar with the dark and brutal end of old East European Metal shouldn't be a stranger the Czech "Big Black 3": MASTER'S HAMMER, ROOT and TÖRR. If you ever wondered about what dark secrets dwelled in their midst, look no further than the town of Pilsner (how Metal is THAT?!) and their very own Black Thrashers TUDOR. Sadly their only release was this very obscure 7", but they have an impressive legacy consisting of a couple of raw full-length demos predating this recording. Despite their self-proclaimed "Ultra Black Metal"-status, the music of TUDOR is refreshingly free of blastbeats and Donald Duckely vocals. Productionwise it's about as thin and restrained as it gets without being downright crappy, but those of us in the know knows that it's the only way to go when producing cult records like these. Thanks to this, "Spalovna" should cater to fans of Thrash and Epic Metal as well as those who appreciate stuff like MORTUARY DRAPE and the aforementioned Czech icons. The MASTER'S HAMMER-influence is particularly strong in the A-side "Skeletor". This ode to the infamous archenemy of He-Man (?) comes chock-full of medieval uh-ah-uhm's, plenty of thrashing guitars and epic, almost folksy melodies (see MH's "The Jilemnicke Occultist" for a good reference). The hefty lead riff and haunting break in the middle of the song renders it a highlight in East-Euro Metal, almost reaching levels of DRAKAR- and VARVAR-godliness. "Spalovac Mrtvol" is faster and more straight forward, but none the less powerful. More in the style of TÖRR and ROOT's faster moments, performed in a kind of back-alley Thrash-manner that will keep the average Metal-fan with ears on end.

So, you know what it looks like and you know it rocks coz I told you so. Now away you go and try to find your own copy. I'm taking mine to the grave.