Formulæ

“Formulæ” was Master’s Hammer’s seventh album and its material pushes narrow-minded listeners like me out of their comfort zone. Of course, nobody did expect another “Jilemnice Occultist”, but to deal with absolutely non-metallic songs like “Phenakistoscope” is a challenge for me. Mantra-like vocal lines, soft harmonies and a drug-imbued atmosphere give me the feeling of listening to an album I did not want to buy. Other tracks, for example “DMT” and especially “Všem jebne”, partly sound like a Rammstein approximationpr in Czech language, but the creators of black metal classics are not well advised to perform songs that lie in close proximity to the pieces of this “provocative” horde of German clowns. But the most difficult track is “Shy Gecko”. Don’t be fooled by its droning riff at the beginning, the chorus with its eunuch “shy shy, shy shy” vocals lets the power of the song implode in a matter of seconds. By the way, the vocals deliver a wide field for experiments. I am not speaking about the lead vocals, but the different female or male voices in the background show many unusual facets. No formulaic approach here! By contrast, Franta’s lead vocals do not lack a demonic touch and so they nearly appear like the last leftover of the band’s early days.

The keyboards are not omnipresent, but they constitute a relevant factor. Sometimes they shape dreamy, soft breaks that suddenly appear without advance warning. It’s amazing – the songs have an average length of less than four minutes, but it happens a lot in each and every one. No doubt, Franta and his colleagues abhor boredom and their ingenuity gives the full-length its special taste. And yes, some sequences drive me almost into desperation (skip the beginning of “Jazyky”!), but I guess these moments just reflect the thin line between genius and insanity. Fortunately, there shimmers more genius than insanity through the different tracks. This is the “guilt” of two elements. The heavy, dark guitar sound and the drums set the frame for a proper degree of metallic content and especially the six strings profit from the mature, non-plastic but clean production.

I said that there are a lot of different elements in every song, but they are never overloaded with too much ornamental decoration. Master’s Hammer have a good instinct for the size of the equipment for every single song. Okay, I cannot identify a total killer like “Psychoparasit” from their farewell album “Fascinator”. Nevertheless, even if I subtract the problematic moments from the total length, roughly 45 minutes of interesting, individual, adventurous but always accessible metal remain. The fact that the music is difficult to categorize does not mean that it is weak or uninspired. After listening to “Formulæ”, I am still fixed to metal, but maybe 1% more open-minded than before. Moreover, the work from 2016 leaves no doubt that the end of Master’s Hammer marked a loss for the metal community. So come back dudes, even if you torture us with “Shy Gecko Part II”.

Master's Hammer's ''Formulæ'' is one of the most original extreme metal releases in recent memory. The obscure Czech trio offers a creative blackened industrial metal effort. The band doesn't deny its extreme metal origins. Almost all tunes feature a desperate or sinister and at least mysterious atmosphere. The throaty vocals are omnipresent while occasional blast beat passages can be found at strategic moments throughout the entire release.

However, each song offers something more than atmospheric extreme metal. The Czech trio experiments with darkwave sounds as in the danceable ''Maso z kosmu'', dominant bass sounds that meet brass instruments in the scary ''Votava'' and dobro sounds and nightmarish sound samples in the floating ''Rurální dobro''. ''Biologické hodiny'' even includes mysterious choirs that meet sounds reminding me of disturbing xylophone tones which is something I've never heard before. The great thing about this release is that these different genre influences are employed in small doses and always sound perfectly integrated. They never get overwhelming or pretentious. The songs remain coherent and concise. While a first spin was enough to make me appreciate this record, the different tunes and the album experience as a whole grow with each spin. There are no fillers to be found on this release.

My personal favorite on an outstanding release is ''Shy Gecko''. The psychedelic and simple chorus that seems to be performed by a female guest vocalist just doesn't get out of my head anymore. This track is clearly the most memorable on an album that always remains accessible despite its diversity.

If you are curious to hear a mixture of blackened industrial metal and world music elements, Master's Hammer's new release could be a most exciting discovery. This album reminds me of an experimental mixture of Deathstars and Immortal with a multitude of different genre influences. Master's Hammer definitely adds a very distinctive, exciting and relevant sound and style to the metal scene.