For our next look at the metal available in this small troubled country we move up into the northeast, to a city called Tuzla, where one of, it would seem, the few bands who are not thrash or black or death metal ply their trade. They are, in fact, my kind of metal: progressive. I was rather surprised but quite happy to find that their one and only album is available in its entireity on YouTube.
Sevdah metal --- Emir Hot --- 2008 (Lion Music)
To be honest, from the only picture I have of them, Emir Hot look more like a viking or thrash metal band than a progressive one, so the tag may be awarded with a certain amount of generosity, but we shall see. This is, as I said, their only album and given that it was released seven years ago now it might not be too premature to believe it is also their last. Furthermore, as they only formed in the previous year and yet managed to get an album out within twelve months, they don't sound like the sort of people who would hang around waiting for another seven before issuing their second.
Whatever the fact of the matter, the album has English song titles so we may assume that Emir Hot sing (or sang) in English. The opener however is an instrumental, one of two on the album, the only two in fact that possess what I assume to be Bosnian language titles. It's an ... interesting tune, almost some sort of national anthem style, but very short before “Devils in disguise” punches its way through and the vocalist, John West (?) has a clear but powerful tone that can drop to a low growl or rise to a scream of Dickinsonian proportions. Good vocal harmonies too and shattering guitar from Emir Hot, for whom presumably the band is named.
Strange little xylophone-like percussion from Mike Terrana lays a somewhat surreal veneer over proceedings before Hot shreds away like a good thing. Now no keyboards are mentioned but there are definitely keys; I can hear them. They're doing a solo right now. The music certainly deserves the term progressive metal anyway. “World set on fire” has a more grindy, chugging feel to it, with a very decent hook in the song. Almost sounds familiar. “Skies and oceans” is faster, rocking along with the percussion of Terrana pounding along, a sense of Scorpions in the song, also reminds me of a far heavier Millenium (the US rockers, not the Polish proggers) and again there's a clever hook there in the chorus.
Of course, most prog metal bands will usually have an epic track, and Emir Hot are no exception. Theirs comes in the shape of “Sevdah metal rhapsody” and runs for just over eleven minutes. It kicks off with what sounds like bouzouki or oud, some sort of ethnic stringed instrument, before it strides purposely forward on a rollicking, rolling rhythm that takes the song with a guitar solo that to be fair squeals a little and sounds to me like it might be out of tune, not that I would know of course. Now we get some accordion, which adds to the ethnic feel of the song before it kicks off on another guitar solo, sort of pulling in a Russian folk dance idea; very interesting and entertaining.
I really like the ethnic touches here, raises the music above the normal level and changes this from being a run-of-the-mill metal album into something quite special. Drum solo now, which I can always do without, but it's handled well, even if it is obviously just padding out the track. There are those keyboards now, solo for a moment before Hot breaks in with a pretty evocative guitar solo with an acoustic going too, kind of puts me in mind of “Stairway to Heaven”. It seems about ten minutes since we heard from West, but now he comes in and to be fair takes total control of the track, but I can't shake those Zep comparisons, even the melody sounds like “Stairway”. A very good song though nonetheless.
I must admit, I would never have expected “Stand and fight” to be an acoustic ballad, but this is how it starts out, and even though it pumps up a little after the first minute or so, it's still pretty laidback and very enjoyable. Another vehicle for the vocal talents of John West allied to the fret mastery of Emir Hot himself. Things speed right back up then for “Endless pain”, with a strange little ending that throws you before the boys go for it with a big snarling, breakneck guitar finish. One more instrumental then in “Hora martisiorlui” before we get to the penultimate track, “Land of the dark.” Another thunderer which rocks along at speed, superb keyboard solo (wish I knew who was on the keys, but there's no mention) , and indeed it's atmospheric synth and sound effects that get the closer underway, with a nice acoustic guitar as the simply-titled “You” opens.
There's a female vocal from somewhere, no idea who she is but she really adds to the song. Hard guitar and drums cut in as the song ups a level, West's voice getting tougher and stronger, the unnamed lady adding her voice to the chorus. Really powerful guitar solo takes the midsection as Hot shows what he's capable of, then he breaks out the acoustic and those superb vocal harmonies send a chill down your spine as we head towards the end of the song, and the album.
TRACKLISTING
1. Forspil (Intro)
2. Devils in disguise
3. World set on fire
4. Skies and oceans
5. Sevdah metal rhapsody
6. Stand and fight
7. Endless pain
8. Horas martisorului
9. Land of the dark
10. You
This is what I always hope to come across during these all-too-brief explorations of the metal of foreign lands. This album deserves to be far better known, and the band should be filling out stadiums, but because they come from a small country with little or no real music press of note, and which is generally regarded as “second class”, nobody is likely ever to hear of them. But this album could stand with some of the best in the progressive metal arena that I've heard; it's really that good.
It's sad also to think that this is probably their only album, that maybe they are now broken up, having failed to make it. There's so much talent there that should be shared. I see Emir Hot himself is a guitar teacher, and has posted a video in 2011 on YT mentioning this as “my last album”; whether that just means most recent or final I don't know, but it's good to know that at least one of the band is continuing on and doing well. Or, of course, given that the band has his name, maybe Hot just got some musicians together to play his music, and maybe he is the star, and we may at some point here from him again.
I hope so, because this music deserves to be heard well beyond the borders of his native country.