BLACKHOLE 1st Album [Back to the Music] LP Vinyl

K-Pop BLACKHOLE 1st Album [ Back to the Music ] LP Vinyl

■ Release Date : 2024.06.13
■ Genre : K-Pop
■ Format : LP Vinyl

■ Tracklist


DISC 01
[ Side A ]
001 깊은 밤의 서정곡
002 Universe
003 녹두꽃 필 때에
004 삶(Remasterd)
[ Side B ]
005 Power Medley
006 LOG IN
007 내 곁에 네 아픔이
008 달빛 아래 홀로 걷다(Remasterd)

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Pioneers of Live Culture, Black Hole

It was the fall of 1999. I visited the Black Hole practice studio located in Bundang for the first time. The members were in the middle of a rehearsal. The intense and passionate performance, reminiscent of a live concert, was leaking out through the soundproof door. While waiting for the members to finish their practice, I looked around the small office space attached to the studio and was surprised. It was because of the whiteboard schedule posted in one corner of the space, which was filled with instruments, sheet music, and posters. The board was packed with performance schedules in cities like Andong, Samcheok, and Namwon. That day, I realized for the first time not only that there were so many cities in Korea, but also that Black Hole had been holding solo concerts in about 40 cities every year.
At that time, there were no venues in Korea’s small and medium-sized cities equipped with the infrastructure to properly support the intense and heavy heavy metal sound of Black Hole. This means that Black Hole was not a band that simply arrived at a well-prepared venue, performed, and left. Before their performances, Black Hole had to start by persuading local concert and broadcast officials to equip the necessary sound equipment to deliver the sound they wanted to the audience. By the time I met Black Hole, the band was already familiar with sound equipment rental companies and instrument repair shops nationwide. To ensure proper heavy metal performances, Black Hole directly built live infrastructure throughout various regions.
Soon after, I had the opportunity to join Black Hole for a concert held at a public hall of a broadcasting station in Masan. Constantly communicating with officials, the band arrived in Masan the day before the concert to inspect the venue. The next day's concert was packed, and the audience's enthusiasm was intense amidst the refreshing heavy metal sound.
That's right. Black Hole was not just a band that played well on stage. It was a band that, if there were audiences wanting heavy metal anywhere in Korea, would definitely go there, set up live equipment, and create a concert. In fact, I met many musicians who said they had dreamed of becoming heavy metal artists after watching Black Hole's concerts in Jinju, Donghae, and Gunsan. Performing on more than 100 stages each year, including nationwide, Black Hole has created Korea's heavy metal live culture. And even now, Black Hole continues their live activities, performing across the country several times a month.

A Band Singing the Past, Present, and Future of the Korean Peninsula, Black Hole

Formed in 1983 with Joo Sang-kyun (guitar, vocals) at the center, Black Hole has released nine studio albums from [Miracle] in early 1989 to [Evolution] in 2019, making them literally the living legend and testimony of Korean heavy metal. This is also confirmed by the tribute album [Re-Encounter the Miracle: A Tribute to Blackhole], dedicated by junior heavy metal and hard rock bands in 2019, marking Black Hole's 30th anniversary of their album debut. In the history of Korean heavy metal, there have been commemorative performances or covers of specific songs by senior bands, but it was the first time that junior bands dedicated a complete album. This highlights Black Hole’s immense status in the history of Korean heavy metal.
The power of Black Hole does not merely stem from their relentless live activities. Naturally, everything starts from the music Black Hole has created. The rhythm that begins with the double bass drum, which they jokingly call 'sports metal' on stage, is the foundation of Black Hole’s music that has remained unchanged for the past 34 years. On top of that, the bass played with alternate picking sometimes tightens the riffs with the guitar and then adjusts the overall sound with its unique presence. Built on the sound foundation laid by the drums and bass, the guitar riffs with a clear and chewy texture that are hard to forget once heard, and the precise yet melodious guitar solos explode. The lead vocals, which sometimes scatter soft and sometimes sharp powerful singing, and the thick chorus are etched in. All of these elements are solidly molded within the four members. In an interview with Music Taste Y, a music platform I was involved with, Black Hole once stated, “We have everything we need. That’s what a band is.” Black Hole is an entity that proves what the power and charm of a heavy metal band are, beyond just the word 'band'.
Musically speaking, Black Hole is rooted in European power metal. However, when Black Hole’s unique lyrics are added and expressed through the voices and performances of the four members, no matter its origin, it becomes Black Hole’s Korean heavy metal music. For 34 years, Black Hole has neither awkwardly sung about love nor vaguely shouted about freedom. They have delved into the history of the Korean Peninsula, from the Donghak Peasant Revolution to the Gwangju Democratization Movement, directly criticizing the modern Korean society scarred by fierce competition and winner-takes-all mentality, and supporting the lives of the socially disadvantaged who had no choice but to wander the streets. And they have always sung that the ordinary citizens who brought about change from below are the future and hope of this land. They do so with Korean lyrics filled with meticulous and rich vocabulary.