Satan Panonski – Hard Blood Shock

from original press release:
"In a genre of music full of interesting and extreme characters, Satan Panonski stands out as one of the all-time punk rock heavies. Born Ivica Culjak in the northeastern corner of Croatia in then-Yugoslavia, Culjak had an average Yugo childhood - good at school, many friends, a member of Tito’s Little Pioneers. But once he hit his teens he was a bit of trouble. After being sent to a German bording school in the late 70s, he discovered the Sex Pistols and punk rock, ran away back to home, and became a fixture in the local punk scene.

An uber-fan of Croatian punk pioneers Pogreb X, he was drafted as front man. He quickly created name for himself as Satan Panonski through shocking lyrics and a confrontational stage show that involved self mutilation. A year into the band, he killed a man in self-defense and spent nearly a decade in a state mental hospital for criminals. In his cell/room he turned his attention to art, writing and constructing sounds and songs. On weekends he would get leave to jam his idea with members of Majki, Kotjoti, and other Croatian punk greats. He played many live shows and recorded. Two albums of material were released on cassette and LP on the Slušaj Najglasnije! label. The music is a wild mix of straight ahead KBD style punk, punk cut with Croatian folk rhythms, and mind boggling, dark, experimental pieces.

Through performance and the Slušaj Najglasnije! releases, Satan Panonski became the most popular punk rocker in all of Yugoslavia...and then the wars came. Responding to Serbian attacks on his village, he joined in Croatia’s defense and was soon killed under mysterious circumstances. Though dead, Slušaj Najglasnije! kept Satan Panonski’s music alive. Word of mouth and the internet grew the Satan Panonski. Unfortunately fans have only had access to MP3 and low quality song streams. The original tapes and the one vinyl release are long out of print and fetch collector prices. It is past time for a proper presentation of this great artist.

Culled from Satan Panonski’s three cassette releases, S.S. has come up with one solid album of material that reflects Satan Panonski’s music. The sound quality on this surpasses what has been previously released (transferred from the original tapes, master to vinyl by John Golden). The cover art uses Ivica Culjak’s own artwork. Also included is a 16 page booklet with a long biographical essay on Ivica Culjak/Satan Panonski, lyrics in the original Croatian and English, as well Culjak’s drawings and many photos. The essay and lyric translation are both special for this release and many of the drawings and photos have not been seen elsewhere.

This is a vinyl only release. No CD or digital download version will be available."