Country of origin: Czechia
Location: Prague
Status: Closed 2000, Active 2011
Formed in: 1995
Style: Martial Industrial, Neoclassical
Lyrical themes:
Last label: CSIndustrial 1982-2010 (re-2013)
Members[]
Vladimír Hirsch - composer, keyboards (organ, pianos, synthesizers, samplers), drums, vocal - Aghiatrias, Czech Integrated Ensemble, Der Marabu, Luminar Ax, Skrol, Tiria, Zygote
Martina Sanollová - vocal, piano, electric harp, effects - Der Marabu, Skrol, Zygote
Tom Saivon (r.n. Tomáš Novák) - noise generators, lyrics - Aghiatrias, Skrol, Tiria
Текст engwiki[]
"Skrol is a Czech avant-garde martial industrial band from Prague, formed in autumn 1995. This Czech trio has entered into the history of European avant-garde, combining military beats, industrial aesthetics, orchestral sounds, a rock formula and Slavic harmonies.
Skrol's activity started to evolve in 1996, consisting of composer, instrumentalist and sound alchemist Vladimír Hirsch, singer Martina Sanollová and lyricist and producer Tom Saivon. The creative principle of the band is based on neoclassical concepts with a congregation of martial industrial, with an attempt to attain an organic amalgam of the two on rudiments of rock music patterns. Vladimír Hirsch composed 5 instrumental albums for the band, that were stepwise recorded in the period between 1997 and 2000 and 4 of them were released between 1999 and 2009.
The first album, Heretical Antiphony, released in 1999 by German label M.D.Propaganda Records. It is a religious epic composed of digitally manipulated string instruments, brass, classical organ, densely enhanced piano and drums combined with additional dark ambient dark ambient background and severe militant rhythms along with obstinate instrumental loops as a counterpoint to the melodic calmness.
The album Insomnia Dei was released in two editions, in 2001 on the U.S.label Chromozome / RRRecords and again in May 2003 on the M.D.Propaganda Records label. It is the most aggressive and heaviest martial industrial album from Skrol with a raw, dense and destructive sound, in which everything is submerged. The aggressive substratum of the music is supported by the emotional overlapping female and male vocals. The songs "Soaking / Movie Martyr", "Insomnia" and "Dei irae" came out as a 10-inch LP called Martyria on the Loki Foundation label in August 1998, followed by the release of the full-length in 2001 on the US label Chromozome-RRRecords and again in May 2003 on the M.D.Propaganda Records label.
Dances & Marches For The Orphan Age was created over a period of seven years. The preference of uneven or incomplete rhythms is hard to miss. The dominant female melodic vocals assumes a distinctly sorrowful voice, sometimes non-verbal with a transcendental character, and the most important instrument here, not by its predominance, but by its content, is the organ, which has the role of disquieting and dramatizing the figurative, fierily symbolism of Saivon's lyrics. The album was released after extensive remixes by Vladimír Hirsch in March 2005 by the Portugal label Dagaz Music.
The last album of the band, New Laws / New Orders was recorded in 2000, but released after revision in August 2009 by the Argentinian label Twilight Records. With this album, the band eclectically closed the whole work of Skrol. Some of the tracks were reworked from earlier instrumental versions combined with previously unreleased material influenced by the contemporary solo works of Vladimir Hirsch. Skrol's action potential was reached in this album which oscillates between ritual, martial industrial and modern classical music influences.
Some of Skrol's tracks also appeared on a few compilations. The track "Eternity Ltd.“, was included on the compilation album Thorak, which came out on the label WAVS 2003 in September 1998 under the name "Ewigkeit“ and "Fall A Prey“, which was released in 2000 as part of a voluminous compilation on the Russian label Achtung Baby! with the name Behind The Iron Curtain / Ten Years Of Madness.
The ritualistic trances of the singer who often sang in ecstatic frenzy combined with kinetic physical theatresque performance, while the two noise makers stood behind in terrorist masks, was a signature mark of Skrol's live performances. Skrol regularly appeared in many European countries, including tours in Great Britain in 1998, Germany in 1999, and their most successful "Fire Martyrs Tour“ in June 2001 in the USA, which was a combination of Skrol sets and the project of Hirsch and Saivon Aghiatrias. The band fully stopped its public appearances in 2002, but rejoined again in 2011. They play now regularly in the Czech Republic and participate industrial festivals in Europe (Poland, Slovakia, Germany)."
Discography[]
Albums
The Fall Verified (CDr, Album, Ltd) CatchArrow Recordings Catch 011 1998
Heretical Antiphony 2 versions Membrum Debile Propaganda 1998
Heretical Antiphony (CDr, Album) CatchArrow Recordings Catch 015 1998
Heretical Antiphony (CD, Album, Dig) Membrum Debile Propaganda MDP 6000-41 1999
Aegis (CDr, MiniAlbum) CatchArrow Recordings Catch 025 1999
Insomnia Dei 5 versions Chromosome 1997
Insomnia Dei (Cass, Album) CatchArrow Recordings Catch 008 1997
Insomnia Dei (CDr, Album) CatchArrow Recordings Catch 008 1997
Insomnia Dei (CD, RM) Chromosome Mitotic 002 2001
Insomnia Dei (CD, Album) Chromosome, RRRecords MITOTIC 002, none 2001
Insomnia Dei (CD, Album) Membrum Debile Propaganda, CatchArrow Recordings MDP 6000-62, Catch 008 2003
Dances And Marches For The Orphan Age 3 versions Dagaz Music 1999
Dances And Marches For The Orphan Age (CDr, Ltd) CatchArrow Recordings Catch 017 1999
Dances And Marches For The Orphan Age (CD, Album, Ltd) Dagaz Music DM 001 2005
Dances And Marches For The Orphan Age (11xFile, Album, 320) CSIndustrial 1982-2010 CSi 011 2013
New Laws / New Orders 2 versions Twilight Records 2000
New Laws / New Orders (CDr, Album, Ltd) CatchArrow Recordings Catch 033b 2000
New Laws / New Orders (CD, Album) Twilight Records TW 1.59 2009
Singles & EPs
Martyria (10", Ltd) Power & Steel PAS 08 1998
Videos
What The Eyes Have Seen Have Not Seen 2 versions Ars Morta Universum 1999
What The Eyes Have Seen Have Not Seen (DVDr, Ltd) Ars Morta Universum arm 001 1999
What The Eyes Have Seen Have Not Seen (VHS) Ars Morta Universum arm 001 1999
Appearances
Compilations
Ewigkeit Various - Thorak (CD, Comp) VAWS VAWS 203 1998
Fall A Prey Various - Ten Years Of Madness (Behind The Iron Curtain) 2 versions Achtung Baby! 2000
Soaking / Movie Martyr and 5 more… Vladimír Hirsch - Integrated Music Archives, Vol.1 (2xCDr, Comp, Ltd) Integrated Music Records Catch 045A 2004
Spiral Aura and 1 more… Vladimír Hirsch - Integrated Music Archives, Vol.2 (2xCDr, Comp, Ltd) Integrated Music Records Catch 045B 2009
Dei Irae II Various - Wroclaw Industrial Festival - 10th Anniversary Compilation 2 versions Bleak Netlabel 2011
Videos
Untitled Various - La'Bas At The 121 (VHS) Hagshadow Production none 2000
What The Eye Have Seen Have Not Seen Various - Vision Montage - Ars Morta Live Documentation 1999 - 2004 (DVDr) Ars Morta Universum arm 013 2005
Links[]
OffSite | MySpace | Discogs | LastFM
Photos[]
YouTube[]
Skrol - Antifuga 74 148 - 1999 Dances And Marches For The Orphan Age