Master's Hammer
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | Prague , Czech Republic |
| Products | Music albums, demos, EPs, live albums, compilations |
Master's Hammer is a black metal group originating from Prague, Czech Republic, established in 1983. Their activity spanned until 1995, resumed from 2009 through 2020, and they reunited once more in 2025. Throughout their career, the band has produced eight full-length albums, five demo recordings, one extended play, two split releases, two live albums, alongside multiple compilation albums.
History
Formed in 1983, Master's Hammer initially issued five demo tapes before unveiling their debut studio album, Ritual., in 1991. The Polish extreme metal ensemble Behemoth paid tribute by covering "Jáma pekel" on their 2008 EP Ezkaton. Their sophomore record, Jilemnický okultista, was released the following year in 1992.
Their third release, Šlágry (1995), represented a departure from their earlier sound by integrating elements outside the metal genre. Although there were intentions to produce Šlágry II and an accompanying CD-ROM featuring opera vocalists and orchestral arrangements, these projects were never completed as the band dissolved that same year. In 2010, Ukrainian black metal group Drudkh covered "Indiánská píseň hrůzy" on their EP Slavonic Chronicles.
The band reassembled in 2009 to deliver Mantras, marking their first album release after a 14-year hiatus. Their fifth studio effort, Vracejte konve na místo. (2012), earned accolades including Best Hard and Heavy Album at the Anděl Awards and Best Album at the Břitva Awards.
In 2013, Master's Hammer founded Jihosound Records and subsequently released their sixth album, Vagus Vetus (2014). Their seventh studio album, Formulæ (2016), garnered the Best Hard and Heavy Album award once again at the Anděl Awards.
December 2016 saw the announcement of their first live show in a quarter-century at the Brutal Assault festival scheduled for August 2017. The band's eighth studio album, Fascinator, was launched in February 2018.
Former bassist Tomáš "Monster" Vendl passed away in July 2024 at age 52. Later that year, founding member František Štorm confirmed that the band had officially ceased operations in 2020.
In October 2025, Master's Hammer declared their comeback along with plans to release their ninth studio album, Maldorör Disco, set for release on November 26.
Musical style
The publication Kerrang! characterized the band's music as a blend of thrash with classical influences, while describing Jilemnický okultista as "an operetta structured in three acts."
Regarding Ritual, Fenriz, drummer for Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone, humorously remarked that it "is essentially the first Norwegian black metal record despite the band hailing from Czechoslovakia."
On their 1995 album Šlágry, Master's Hammer largely abandoned their previous operatic black metal approach in favor of modernist electronic sounds. This work involved shared publishing with composers such as Carl Czerny, Otto Katz, and Giuseppe Verdi, merging aspects of metal, folk music, and musique concrète into an avant-garde classical framework. Fourteen years later, with the release of Mantras, they returned to their original black metal roots.
Band members
Current
- František "Franta" Štorm – vocals, electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums
- Tomáš "Necrocock" Kohout – electric guitar
- Jan "Honza" Kapák – drums
- Kamil Princ – keyboards
Former
- Milan "Bathory" Fibiger – bass guitar
- František "Ferenc" Fečo – drums
- Honza "Silenthell" Přibyl – timpani
- Míla Křovina – electric guitar
- Ulric For (Oldřich "Olda" Liška) – timpani
- Carles R. Apron (Karel Zástěra) – timpani , drums
- Vlastimil "Vlasta" Voral – keyboards
- Tomáš "Monster" Vendl – bass guitar
- Miroslav "Mirek" Valenta – drums
- Petr "Blackie" Hošek – electric guitar
- Petr "Rámus" Mecák – bass guitar
Studio albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1991 | Ritual.
|
| 1992 | Jilemnický okultista
|
| 1995 | Šlágry
|
| 2009 | Mantras
|
| 2012 | Vracejte konve na místo.
|
| 2014 | Vagus Vetus
|
| 2016 | Formulæ
|
| 2018 | Fascinator
|
| 2025 | Maldorör Disco
|
Demos
- The Ritual Murder (1987)
- Finished (1988)
- The Mass (1989)
- The Fall of Idol (1990)
- Jilemnický okultista (1992)
EPs
- Klavierstück (1991)
Split albums
- Split release with Blackosh (2013)
- Split release with Blackosh (2014)
Compilations
- Ritual / Jilemnický okultista (2CD reissue, 2001)
- Demo Collection #1: The Ritual Murder / Live in Zbraslav (2003)
- Demo Collection #2: Finished / The Mass (2003)
- Demo Collection #3: The Fall of Idol / Jilemnický okultista (2003)
- Ritual / Jilemnický okultista (4LP reissue, 2009)
- Demos (2013)
Live albums
- Live in Zbraslav 18 May 1989 (1989)
- Live Occult Rituals (2024)