Maniac Butcher: Lučan-antikrist (1996)

Here we have yet another album by the Czech black metal band Maniac Butcher, with yet another almost embarrassingly amateurish album cover.  I have been on a bit of a Maniac Butcher kick lately and have picked up a number of their albums.  This coincides with my black metal kick.  As I have previously mentioned, Maniac Butcher is pretty much a perfect example of black metal, particularly the second wave black metal.

This is Maniac Butcher's second album and it does differ rather considerably from other albums from the band I have heard.  For one thing, there is the intro track which features a sample of a male choir.  That is a little different than the band's later stubborn refusal to include anything other than the typical metal instruments.  The other difference is that this is a much more melodic and accessible album than some of the other ones.  Rather than focus on pure unadulterated chaos, the band's sound is driven by tremolo riffing and blast-beat drumming.  Some of the riffs are even fairly musical, very odd for this band.  The vocals are raw and powerful, delivered in much more of a primal roar than the typical black metal shrieking.  That is one thing that did not change over time. 

This is not really a classic album, whether in the context of black metal as a whole or Maniac Butcher's discography.  There are better albums by the band out there.  But there is something to be said for picking up a black metal album and getting well-crafted true black metal.  And that is what we have here. 

Maniac Butcher: Invaze (1999)

Here we have the third album I have picked up yet from Maniac Butcher, the uber-kvlt black metal band from the Czech Republic.  And of course the first thing I want to point out about this album is the ridiculous album cover.  Looking at it, one would be forgiven for thinking that this was not a serious project.  It looks like a parody cover.  But nothing could be further from the truth. 

Sounding like a mix of early Mayhem and Transilvanian Hunger-era Darkthrone, Maniac Butcher have always been clear about what they believe black metal should sound like.  And that is raw, aggressive and bestial.  The songs here are fairly simple and stripped down with no frills.  Few, if any, guitar solos, no keyboards or strings, and no clean singing.  This particular release tends to be more based around Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, with cold and hostile atmosphere taking center stage over the aggressive riffing.  Though there is still plenty of that in the album. 

Of particular note on this album is "Řemeslo válečné, to jest mi chlebem všedním i taktéž kratochvílí sváteční" with its driving, punky center riff.  It is one of the catchiest songs Maniac Butcher has ever released.  Of course, with a name like that, it is pretty easy to deduce that the band does not speak English in their songs.  So singing (or screaming) along is not an option. 

This may be my favorite Maniac Butcher album I have heard so far.  There is a lot more musically going on in this one than some of the others I have heard.  And they balance this improved musicality with the typical bestial rawness that has made the band so compelling in the past.  They do all of this without sacrificing their ideals of what black metal should be.  And it is all the better for it.

Maniac Butcher: Epitaph - The Final Onslaught of Maniac Butcher (2000)

If I had to pick one band to show what a stereotypical black metal band was all about, Maniac Butcher would be on the short list of groups to consider.  It can be seen in the band's visual aesthetic.  Just look at this patently ridiculous album cover, and all of their album covers are variations on this same theme.  It can be heard in their music: minimalist riffs repeating over and over on top of pounding, blast-beat driven drums and harsh, raspy vocals.  There are no keyboards, no clean vocals, no complex melodies.  It is just pure, hateful black metal.  And I love it.

This album was intended to be Maniac Butcher's final album, and the band did go on a lengthy hiatus before reuniting and releasing an album in 2010.  They disbanded for good when one of the two primary members died in 2015.  The Czech band formed in the early 1990's with some of the local masters of first wave black metal (Root, Master's Hammer) as primary influences, and taking that influence in as extreme and direct a direction as they could.  Along the way, they refused to compromise their position, refused to expand their musical influences, and absolutely refused to sell out, remaining an uber-kvlt black metal band through and through.

Maniac Butcher's albums are all basically the same, the band never changes the formula in any real ways.  The riffs are fast and intense, the kind of riffs that made up the black metal coming out of Norway in the early 1990's (think Immortal's early work).  The band has a gift for these kinds of riffs and there are some damn good ones here.  The vocals are croaked and raspy, like Barbarud Hrom is tearing his throat apart to deliver them.  The last song stands out because it is much slower and quite long.  But that is the only departure for the band.

A quick note about my own history listening to Maniac Butcher.  I first discovered the band several years ago with their album Černá krev.  But I did not really get them at the time, mostly because the production value of it was so shitty.  The band's albums are all being remastered now and the sound is much improved.  And now, I am going to pick up as many of the albums as I can.  I already have another two coming.  And that should be all you need to know.  Highly recommended.