Pod vládou biče

When it comes to extreme metal, the small country of Czechia mostly offers two distinct, sprawling branches – one of them being black metal and the other one being grindcore (deathgrind and goregrind too, to an extent).

Pod Vláčou Biče is what I consider to be the magnum opus of !T.O.O.H.!, which has throughout its history mostly been a two-man project of the brothers Josef and Jan Veselý, known as Humanoid and Schizoid respectively. From the early days of Vy kusy mrdacího masa, a demo that featured an unpolished sound, gore-filled and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, as well as hand-drawn depictions of bizarre sexual acts, so much has stayed the same yet so much has evolved at the same time. In my opinion, this kind of progression is perfect, and I will try to explain why.

As always, I will start by obsessing over the intro – this has to be one of my absolute favourites. The opening of Čistka feels so simple, yet it's such an eerie cacophony that manages to set the mood perfectly in less than thirty seconds. The guitar work is overall great on this record, with unique, catchy and insanely chaotic riffs, technical solos and almost jazz-like melodies at times. The bass, while nothing no write home about, provides ample support and can be heard in the mix reasonably well. The drumming is relentless, with a particularly clicky, St. Anger-like snare.

The fairly high-pitched vocals would likely feel more at home on a hardcore punk or even a black metal album rather than death or grind. They can be understood reasonably well even without looking at the lyrics, if you happen to have a good knowledge of the Czech language. Only the closing track turns this on its head, being instrumental (and also the most jazzy). The track actually features the most lyrics, however the vocals are very well concealed in the mix in the final minute or two.

Speaking of the lyrics, they have gone through a change as well, and I have to give them more space. Their overall concept remains – peculiar, grotesque situations described by a narrator who is either totally indifferent (Čistka, Pod vládou biče) or personally involved, such as in the tracks Bezcenné se rodí a cenné mizí or Vocut - Pocut. Bezcenné… in particular is in my eyes an homage to the band's earlier days, with its pornographical lyrics. In other cases, the songs reflect on politics, social issues and personal problems. As I have already stated, they are very tongue-in-cheek, thought-provoking and full of metaphores. It's really a shame most listeners can't understand them because of the language barrier.

Last but not least, I have to mention the unique artwork by Humanoid, used as the record's cover. The booklet reveals it to be the top part of a larger piece, the creature in the middle overlooking the decadent scene on the left and the display of arts and sciences on the right.

To conclude, I will say this album won't be for everyone, but it's definitely worth checking out if you're not familiar with it.