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.