Haiduk (Canada)

Haiduk (Canada)

Although it might seem generally accurate to attribute Haiduk to the death metal genre, I’m of the opinion that such a categorization is too restrictive. When I initially heard Haiduk some years ago, I noticed something about it that appealed to me, and if I were to pinpoint it, I’d say: the guitar work. Haiduk songs are efficient, having it within them to establish themselves on the listener’s attention quickly.

The guitar work functions on the basis of hooks and riffs in a particular way. I would say that each song starts with a hook or riff, and from there, Haiduk goes from riff to riff, smoothly transitioning, in marching-like fashion, to create catchy, headbanging songs. The 33-minute, 10-song recording called “Spellbook” goes by fast, and that’s a credit to Haiduk, for striking while the iron is hot, and not dragging on a song unnecessarily.

Some Haiduk riffs sound black metal, others seem thrashy, some of course are death metal, yet others have a shred album feel. The death metal atmosphere in Haiduk predominates perhaps due to the overall mass-heavy, dense vibe, which is also enhanced by the deep growling.

Haiduk is a one-person musical entity, behind which is Luka M., whose deep growl embeds itself into the songs fittingly, as part of the song. The growling is wisely limited, so that it’s not a constant barrage of growling, and at times, Haiduk makes you forget that there are vocals, due to the emphasis on the riffs, given that the growling itself is not distracting from the music.

When asked by this here publication what instruments he plays, Luka answered that he plays guitar and bass, does vocals and programs the drums. Luka does not hesitate to reveal that he’s a control freak, “I’m a perfectionist. I like programming drums in order to have them executed exactly as I want with each hit and note refined to the last detail and perfect timing.”

Luka says that he does play live in Calgary. He admits that there would be certain positives to using a real drummer for the music because, as he explains, “The advantage of a real drummer is a better sound and the drummer’s own instincts and insights. I try to improve and get better with every album, and try to change some things with every album, therefore a session drummer for the next one is a real possibility.”

I agree about using a real drummer, I think that would be a good change. Haiduk has two recordings, “Plagueswept” and “Spellbook.” The website has several songs from “Spellbook” for you to check out.

www.haiduk.ca

www.facebook.com/haidukmetal