Review by Felix on December 16, 2020.

Did you celebrate the Rites of Vomit? Did you drink a glass of Nuclear Lemonade? Then you are qualified for the exploration of Hell in a Bottle. Even I, who missed the first two steps, can happily go exploring. So what are we waiting for? Let's start the adventure.

Vomit Division is another project run by only one musician. As a skeptical Teuton I am always suspicious at first when it comes to this kind of “bands”. But hats off, my compatriot from North Germany disproves my critical prognosis within a very short time. The extremely casually titled 'Panzerabwehr Rock'n Roll' blasts out of the speakers with elemental force and has exactly the dirty vibrations that make black thrash metal the most beautiful bastard on the globe. Speaking of bastards anyway, a track called 'Black Metal Bastards' opens the second half of the album. If Quorthon (R.I.P.) had given birth to a son, he would have enjoyed the sounds of this song. So assuming his father's genetic makeup would have been dominant. Okay, the lonesome fighter under the flag of Vomit Division is not too bad for a guitar solo and the young Quorthon never had much use for such frills. But there are other cornerstones that can be used to define the musical direction of Hell in a Bottle. The manginess of Deströyer 666 is reflected in the mix of bossy guitars and nasty sounding vocals. Furthermore, if someone likes the first record of Quintessenz from Germany, (s)he will also love the debut discussed here.

But Vomit Division also has weird tones in their portfolio. By this I mean that sometimes almost melodic sounds appear, for example at the beginning of 'Homunculus' or during a surprising break in the last song of the record. Even keyboards show up (for five or ten seconds…). In addition, there are also some rock'n roll elements in the material of the band, whereby I am of course talking about the extreme form of Rock. Lemmy, we miss you. But regardless of the exact recipe, it's positive that the multi-instrumentalist found a good mixture of simple riffs and relatively complex song structures. Well, maybe the songs are slightly too long for this kind of metal. Wifebeater’s debut “Misogynist” offered a comparable amount of dirt, but their nine-tracks-album clocked in at 28 minutes. Vomit Division needs more than 34 minutes for eight pieces, but generally speaking, the man who runs this project always keeps a close eye on the harshness and compactness of the tracks. Only a few sections meander into nowhere.

Finally, the lyrics deserve attention. 'Slaves of the Cock' or 'Cunts & Cocaine' not only promise delicate poetry, but also point out a healthy lifestyle. This gives us hope that we can expect more albums from this very sensitively formulating colleague in the near future. A blackened thrash album with a powerful, raw and direct production is always welcome – preferably in combination with a glass of cold nuclear lemonade.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Anna on September 18, 2010.

The aesthetics of Haiduk and "their" first album "Plagueswept" led me to believe I was in for some crummy Black Metal, and for a while I thought that’s what I was listening to. Though soon enough the musical structure and vocals proved otherwise.

Haiduk is an interesting hybrid that parades around as Black Metal with its typical speed-picked riffs and coldness, yet the core of the music would best be classified as a simplified, mid-paced Death Metal. The thrashy death vocals paired with such coldness is unexpected and works surprisingly well.

Haiduk’s formula is rather guitar-oriented as he churns out many a decent riff, though the subject seems to be so into what he’s doing sometimes that he doesn’t realize some of the songs start to be a little too packed for their own good. The elegance of synthetic strings at times lend their beauty against a backdrop of raw, crude guitars and production. There is a ton of interesting yet tasteful variation on the drums which I especially commend, even if they are programmed or electronic.

The intro of track seven is strangely, indistinguishable from classic Oi!, which is an example of Haiduk’s energy and underlying air of, near-“positivity,” that’s somehow still shrouded in a bone-chilling mist. In Haiduk’s own words, “the songs lure the listener towards themes of primeval nature, solitude, folklore and myth.”

Aside from what can be improved, there is a lot of power and energy in this music that, for the most part, avoids boredom. I would recommend this to people who enjoy crude Black Metal, but are bored to death by what is being produced today.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.7
Atmosphere: 7.1
Production: 5.5
Originality: 7.8
Overall: 7.9

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 16, 2020.

Did you celebrate the Rites of Vomit? Did you drink a glass of Nuclear Lemonade? Then you are qualified for the exploration of Hell in a Bottle. Even I, who missed the first two steps, can happily go exploring. So what are we waiting for? Let's start the adventure.

Vomit Division is another project run by only one musician. As a skeptical Teuton I am always suspicious at first when it comes to this kind of “bands”. But hats off, my compatriot from North Germany disproves my critical prognosis within a very short time. The extremely casually titled 'Panzerabwehr Rock'n Roll' blasts out of the speakers with elemental force and has exactly the dirty vibrations that make black thrash metal the most beautiful bastard on the globe. Speaking of bastards anyway, a track called 'Black Metal Bastards' opens the second half of the album. If Quorthon (R.I.P.) had given birth to a son, he would have enjoyed the sounds of this song. So assuming his father's genetic makeup would have been dominant. Okay, the lonesome fighter under the flag of Vomit Division is not too bad for a guitar solo and the young Quorthon never had much use for such frills. But there are other cornerstones that can be used to define the musical direction of Hell in a Bottle. The manginess of Deströyer 666 is reflected in the mix of bossy guitars and nasty sounding vocals. Furthermore, if someone likes the first record of Quintessenz from Germany, (s)he will also love the debut discussed here.

But Vomit Division also has weird tones in their portfolio. By this I mean that sometimes almost melodic sounds appear, for example at the beginning of 'Homunculus' or during a surprising break in the last song of the record. Even keyboards show up (for five or ten seconds…). In addition, there are also some rock'n roll elements in the material of the band, whereby I am of course talking about the extreme form of Rock. Lemmy, we miss you. But regardless of the exact recipe, it's positive that the multi-instrumentalist found a good mixture of simple riffs and relatively complex song structures. Well, maybe the songs are slightly too long for this kind of metal. Wifebeater’s debut “Misogynist” offered a comparable amount of dirt, but their nine-tracks-album clocked in at 28 minutes. Vomit Division needs more than 34 minutes for eight pieces, but generally speaking, the man who runs this project always keeps a close eye on the harshness and compactness of the tracks. Only a few sections meander into nowhere.

Finally, the lyrics deserve attention. 'Slaves of the Cock' or 'Cunts & Cocaine' not only promise delicate poetry, but also point out a healthy lifestyle. This gives us hope that we can expect more albums from this very sensitively formulating colleague in the near future. A blackened thrash album with a powerful, raw and direct production is always welcome – preferably in combination with a glass of cold nuclear lemonade.

Rating: 8 out of 10