When Master's Hammer, having gone through some lineup changes, released Slagry, many a head surely was scratched in dismay and wonderment at exactly what this band had released. Foregoing their previous black metal style entirely, this strange release is one of the most comical and nonsensical releases I can recall. And sadly, it is comical in the negative connotation of that word. Aside from the stirring rendition of "Savlovy Tanec" to open the album and the closing track "Mava Modernistova" (which revisits the band's old days as a metal outfit), much of this album is a collage of hilariously bad takes on minimalistic and avant garde music, mixed with circus tunes and goofball left field music. Or a college marching band on a bad brand of acid. Ridiculous doesn't even begin to describe how utterly misplaced their intentions are. At times their music gets so absurd that disbelief is the only reaction possible. I almost wonder if the remaining members of the band had a vendetta against Osmose Records and their revenge was the master tapes of Slagry. I guarantee you can convince guests who have overstayed their welcome to leave posthaste to Master's Hammer's version of Chuck Berry's "Rock'n'Roll Music". I guess the only way to think of Slagry is the Residents on a sadistic binge or the worst tendencies of a pretensious college Humanities course. I'm convinced someone somewhere is having a laugh at all our expense and chances are he's a member of Master's Hammer.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 06/200

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