Pentagram

Pentagram emerged in 1986 as one of Turkish metal’s most polarizing forces, simultaneously lionized and attacked by critics and audiences alike. Hakan Utangac on guitar and vocals together with drummer Cenk Unnu laid the foundation; bassist Tarkan Gozubuyuk and lead guitarist Umit Yilbar soon completed the lineup. Even before any recordings existed, the quartet had already built a devoted following through explosive live shows, most notoriously the 1980s Moda incident in which roughly two hundred fans transformed a local wedding hall into what became known as the Infamous Moda Gig.

Their debut arrived in 1990 as a self-titled speed-metal statement featuring Murat Net on lead guitar. After an atmospheric introduction, “Rotten Dogs” served as the record’s rallying cry, while “Powerstage” lent its name to the official fan club. Every track was composed in English with an eye toward future audiences abroad. Despite its raw production, the album moved more than thirty thousand copies. Two years later Trail Blazer appeared with Demir Demirkan stepping in for Net. Vocal duties shifted briefly to Bartu Topbas before Ogun Sanlisoy took over permanently. On this follow-up the band deliberately traded breakneck velocity for greater musical depth, highlighted by Demirkan’s searing leads and the closing track “No One Wins the Fight,” whose “mehter” finale evoked the Ottoman military band. Tragedy struck in 1993 when founding guitarist Umit Yilbar was killed during compulsory military service, prompting the remaining members to channel the conflict in eastern Turkey into subsequent songwriting.

Five years passed before the next studio album. Anatolia, issued in 1997 with Murat Ilkan now handling vocals, folded traditional Turkish instruments and occasional Turkish-language passages into a classic heavy-metal framework. Although some listeners accused the record of echoing Metallica too closely, its overarching message—“we are the children of these lands”—rang unmistakably. The release catapulted Pentagram to national stardom yet also invited relentless scrutiny; their very name linked them in the tabloid press to Satanism, despite lyrics that in fact condemned war, urban alienation, and unchecked capitalism. Standout cuts included the title track, the indispensable cover of “Gunduz Gece,” “1000 in the Eastland,” “Behind the Veil,” and the majestic finale “Infinity.”

After the 1998 live set Popçular Disari, the members paused to explore solo projects. Demir Demirkan departed, succeeded first by Onur Pamukcu and later by Metin Turkcan. The 2001 studio album Unspoken—issued abroad under the name Mezarkabul to avoid confusion with the American band of the same name—earned widespread European acclaim for Ilkan’s vocals and the group’s distinctive blend of Turkish motifs. Tracks such as “In Esir Like an Eagle,” “Lions in a Cage,” and the instrumental “For Those Who Died Alone” underscored this originality, even as domestic reactions remained divided. Extensive European touring culminated in an appearance at the Wacken Open Air Festival. In 2002 the band released Bir exclusively for Turkish listeners, augmenting instrumentals from Unspoken with five new Turkish-language songs, two of them setting verses by the revered poets Asik Veysel and Asik Dertli.

Extended silence after Bir fueled persistent breakup rumors until 2007, when Pentagram marked their twentieth anniversary with a nationwide tour and the live CD/DVD 1987 captured during an Istanbul performance.