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Name in original Macedonian characters: Некројаготки: Мајчице Вештице 12"
Originally released in 1992 on handful of cassette tapes, recorded on a boombox with two microphones by two friends from Skopje, Macedonia.
Our take: The Macedonian label ОПАЧИНА brings us this relic from their home country, a vinyl version of a wild 1992 cassette by Hekrojagotki (Некројаготки). Hekrojagotki is totally new to me, though maybe if you’re deep in the trenches of international underground tape trading you’ve heard of them before. Despite its obscurity (the group only produced this self-released cassette), it’s easy to hear why ОПАЧИНА wanted to put this on vinyl for a wider audience, because it’s some unique music. Part of what’s interesting is that it doesn’t fit neatly into one bucket. Much of what appears on this tape could be described as cult underground metal, though there’s a lot of variation even within that. Some tracks sound like super raw, early Pentagram demos, but amped up with a post-Bathory / Hellhammer heaviness. That combination of sleazy riffing and ugly heaviness also reminds me of the parts of G.I.S.M. or the Geizz that recall Motley Crue. Other tracks are even more evil and nasty-sounding, and could stand alongside your most underground 80s South American metal. But then as you make your way through this tape’s 20 minute journey, you also hear moments that recall Goblin’s prog-y film scores, and the last track channels the creepy ambiance of my favorite Residents material, even featuring a defiantly out of tune flute solo. Despite the eclecticism, Hekrojagotki doesn’t sound wacky or try-hard, just legitimately fucking weird and unhinged. The recording is very rough and 4-track-y, and oddly enough it makes me think of the most experimental moments of early Sebadoh or Guided by Voices, which makes sense given the original tape’s release date of 1992. Yeah, this is way the fuck out there and definitely won’t be for everyone, but those of you who crave the weird-ass shit from the margins are gonna LOVE this.