Šlágry

Šlágry (English title: Schlager) 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.

Šlágry
Studio album by
Master's Hammer
Released1995
GenreExperimental music, electronica, schlager music, musique concrète, black metal, avant-garde metal
Length40:04
LabelKron-H
ProducerFranta Štorm, Vlasta Voral
Master's Hammer chronology
Jilemnický okultista
(1992)		 Šlágry
(1995)		 Mantras
(2009)

Other Master's Hammer members Necrocock, Monster, Mirek Valenta and Silenthell are noticeably absent from the album; only vocalist Franta Štorm and keyboardist Vlasta Voral took part in its recording.

On the album's liner notes the band also stated that they planned a follow-up to Šlágry, entitled Šlágry II, that would "rely more on professional opera singers and orchestra players";[1] however, the band broke up a couple of months after the album came out, and only returned to active in 2009 with the release of Mantras. It is currently unknown if the band still plans to work on Šlágry II.

Lyrical and musical inspirations

The only tracks of the album written by the band itself are "Indiánská píseň hrůzy" (whose lyrics were inspired by a Czech folksong, according to Franta Štorm on the album's liner notes) and "Hlava modernistova"; all the remaining are covers of old-fashioned pieces.

"Šavlový tanec"

A cover of Aram Khachaturian's famous suite "Sabre Dance", originally present in his ballet Gayane.

"Ach, synku, synku" and "Půjdem spolu do Betléma"

Covers of Czech folksongs.

"Carl Czerny, Op. 849"

As the title says, a short cover of Carl Czerny's Op. 849.

"Rock and Roll Music"

A cover of Chuck Berry's eponymous song. Master's Hammer took Berry's vocals from the original version and greatly slowed their pitch, superimposing them over a new instrumental made by them.

"Vzpomínám na zlaté časy"

A poem of authorship unknown, popularized by Jaroslav Hašek's unfinished novel The Good Soldier Švejk.

"Nabucco"

An instrumental iteration of the "Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate" chorus from Giuseppe Verdi's 1841 opera Nabucco.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicEnglish titleLength
1."Šavlový tanec"InstrumentalAram KhachaturianSabre Dance3:29
2."Ach, synku, synku"TraditionalArr. by Franta Štorm, Vlasta VoralAh, Son, Son7:55
3."Půjdem spolu do Betléma"TraditionalArr. by Franta Štorm, Vlasta VoralLet's Go to Bethlehem3:41
4."Indiánská píseň hrůzy"Franta ŠtormFranta Štorm, Vlasta VoralIndian Song of Horrors5:17
5."Carl Czerny, Op. 849"InstrumentalCarl Czerny 0:25
6."Rock and Roll Music" (Chuck Berry cover)Chuck BerryChuck Berry 5:09
7."Vzpomínám na zlaté časy"AnonymousArr. by Franta Štorm, Vlasta VoralI Remember the Good Old Days3:36
8."Nabucco"InstrumentalGiuseppe Verdi 4:14
9."Hlava modernistova"Franta ŠtormFranta Štorm, Vlasta VoralModernist Head6:20

Covers

Ukrainian black metal band Drudkh covered "Indiánská píseň hrůzy" on their 2010 EP Slavonic Chronicles.

Personnel

Reception

Ian Christe wrote that "Master's Hammer […] have become witty musique moderne composers with Šlágry, trading in distortion for traditional orchestral instrumentation while keeping oddball arrangements that make metal appealing".[2] According to him, "the mixed-up metal influences were part of an exit strategy".[3]

gollark: Which is kind of to be expected, but a bit demotivating in my hunting of stuff.
gollark: Great. I was wondering whether there just weren't rareish ones to get or I was missing them... now I'm pretty sure I'm missing them...
gollark: Fancy metal ones, that is.
gollark: How many do you see per day?
gollark: Xenowyrms are cool anyway. Which is your favourite?

References
  1. Riffs. In: CMJ New Music Monthly, May 1996, p. 48.
  2. Ian Christe: history gets its hands dirty: the future of metal. In: CMJ New Music Monthly, February 1997, p. 27.
  3. Ian Christe: Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal. Allison & Busty 2004.
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