siLLy puPPy EMIR HOT is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most celebrated virtuoso guitarists who started guitar at the age of 5 in his hometown of Tuzla (then still Yugoslavia) but quickly elevated himself to a gifted musician who enrolled in the Music School in Tuzla. He played in the thrash metal bands Hatred and Neon Knights in his homeland before having to flee the country due to the civil war. HOT ended up in the US where he found a way to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston and from there dived headfirst into playing club gigs, acting as a studio musician, teaching and giving guitar workshops. He even wrote the soundtrack for the first Bosnian post-war TV drama “Forgotten Saying.”

HOT supposedly recorded an album in 1998 titled “Deserted Land” but even though it appears in databases doesn’t seem like it’s available in any way, shape or form for listening or purchase. In 2004, HOT teamed up with Dean Clea, sin get of the Croatian rock band Osmi Putnik and recorded the all-instrumental album “The Quarterworlds of Fantasia” which took a fantastical journey through sound steeped in progressive metal compositions fortified with neoclassical workouts. And if that wasn’t enough he continued his academic studies at the Long Guitar Institute and won the Guitar Hero UK 2005 contest that scored him a bunch of wickedly cool new equipment.

Following his graduation EMIR HOT finally released his first solo album “Sevdah Metal” which would find him following up with heavy touring schedules. Never one to rush things it would take 10 long years for HOT’s follow up BEYOND ROCK to come to fruition but was released in 2018. Interestingly enough, BEYOND ROCK despite its English album title contains eight tracks but all are sung and presented in his native Bosnian language. Always one to attract the primo talent pool, HOT rounded up a smoking hot band for this sophomore offering that included bass guitarist Dino Fiorenz, drummer Ivuša Gojan, keyboardist Maestro Mistheria and lead vocals by Sergej Škofljanec with the feminine extra charm of Trina Hristova on a few tracks. The album was recorded in the upscale Pavarotti Studio in Mostar, BiH and produced by the legendary Tom Newman who is not only the co-founder of Virgin Records with Richard Branson but also produced Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells.” Not too shabby.

The album is somewhat of a surprise as the opening “Pusti Grad” opens with a bluesy slide guitar and then becomes what sounds more like one of those 80s glam rock bands like Cinderella for example. The early part of the album doesn’t hint at HOT’s progressive leanings as this is a straight-forward heavy metal rocker albeit a good one with strong musical performances and the perfect vocalist for this gritty blues metal style. It’s obvious from the start that despite the basic nature of the music itself that the musicians are all above competent with a firm command of the subtleties. While foreign tongues can sound a bit stilted in metal music, EMIR HOT crafted the perfect Bosnian lyrics that sound perfectly natural although no speako the lingo. When the following “Vrijeme Bez Tebe” hits and is a slower mid-tempo rocker, it seems that BEYOND ROCK isn’t going BEYOND anything but is rather a tribute to the 1988-89 timeline of hard rock and heavy metal. However it’s really damn good sounding a bit like Virgin Steele and other power metal bands like Crimson Glory.

By the time the third track “Sanjam” hits though, HOT’s personality starts to shine through a bit as the classical guitar antics fortified with a local Bosnian folk flavor offer some stunning clean guitar workouts before the track bursts into a bona fide progressive metal style with heavy guitar presence backed up by a busy keyboard accompaniment and a few time signature gymnastics thrown in. At this point the band style sort of sounds like the more progressive neoclassical bands like Symphony X only fast as the bluesier side of hard rock is still present. HOT is actually fairly reserved with his soloing and focuses for the most part on the melodic flow of the tracks but throws in a few hot scorchers here and there. The production on this one is absolutely top notch and then half way through the song it completely changes to a folk song with Hristova joining in. This is now top notch folk metal.

The album continues in progressive metal style and the heavier power metal parts mixed with the pastoral ethnic folk elements remind me a bit of Ayreon only the metal is much heavier and the folk is Balkan based. Despite HOT being noted as a virtuoso guitarist this album is not lopsided in his favor in any way. This is a total band experience and works pretty much on every level. The only complaint i have is that it’s not extremely original and the two softer ballads “Ljubav Će Se Snaći I Bez Nas” and “Synergy” sound a bit like the slower tracks of Helloween on “The Keeper of the Seven Keys” albums. On the former Sergej and Trina sing a duet in a heart tugging ballad that sounds like America’s Got Talent or something. Not bad but too sugary sweet but there is a commercial appeal to this album as the prog elements are tamped down in favor of a more blues metal and sometimes power metal parade of thunder. Overall i think this is very well performed album with excellent hooks and graced with the perfect musical performances, strong vocals and an impeccable production. It does seem a bit anachronistic but i enjoy this so much that i just don’t care. Retro, yes but this stands on its own.