HORRORSCOPE

A band called Disonance, including Lech Smiechowicz (guitar), Andrzej Brandys (vocals, guitar, bass) and Marcin Papior (drums), records a full-time material. The times are extremely bad for thrash, and the group encounters several problems. Brandys and Papior cease to mess with an „obsolete” genre, getting on different musical projects. The drummer joins a crossover group called Tuff Enuff. Disonance ends its existence, the recordings find its destination on a shelf...
... But the fact that they are very well received by the metalheads (having been distributed by Lech’s own) pushes the guitarist to pursue further his musical interests under the HORRORSCOPE moniker. Not a project, but a 100% band. Lech is quickly joined by the guitarist Krzysztof „Pistolet” Pistelok, the bassist Dariusz „Czolg” Wojczyk and the drummer Sebastian Szroeter. There is an interesting piece of information, as „Pistolet” already played together with Lech (before Disonance), but decided to join (the now late) Genesis Of Aggression.

After a longtime search, HORRORSCOPE find the vocalist. Adam Brylka becomes the one. Rehearsals and coming up with new music, that’s what consumes the time at the moment. Adding some newly recorded (in Alkatraz Studio, with Jacek Regulski of Kat) songs to the old Disonance material, Robert Kryla of Scream In Flames releases it as HORRORSCOPE’s first and only demo – „Worship Game”. Worth mentioning is the fact, that Jacek Regulski (who later passed away - in 2000 - after a motorcycle accident) found HORRORSCOPE on a local fest and decided to pay for most of the recording session with his own money.

In the winter HORRORSCOPE records their debut album, „Wrong Side Of The Road”, which is another step towards wider popularity. Not as much as they expect, as Demonic Records is not able to press CDs. The distribution of the cassette gains the group many new fans. There are good reviews in underground press, some local gigs. Enough to believe in themselves and become the one and only professional thrash group in Poland. The line-up changes. Sebastian Szroter is exchanged by Piotr „Maly” Szczepaniak. Szroeter preferred just another kinds of indulgence.

Piotr Szczepaniak does not fit in very well. He quits, and as the replacement here come two session drummers: Arkadiusz Kus and Adam „Leo” Jendrzyk. Arek fills in the vacant slot during gigs. After the recording of a 4-piece „Pictures Of Pain” demo, HORRORSCOPE signs the deal with Empire Records.

Another line-up change. Tomasz „Walec” Walczak becomes the new bassman. From March to April, with Maciek Mularczyk as the producer, HORRORSCOPE is working on their second album. It’s name is the same as the demo’s – „Pictures Of Pain”. Some rhythm section troubles appear during the recording, and both session drummers participate. The record is released on June 12, and it is a special day for Polish thrashers, as there are no other bands around! Right after the release the band realizes, that the frontcover is printed in such a low quality, that its bonds with the lyrical content of the record are cut off. Instead of a collage in Hieronymous Bosch / Hans Memling vein, we can see a black hole. Arek Kus still performs live. On August 1, HORRORSCOPE plays at Poznan’s Metalfest as one of the Napalm Death supports. The crowd, surprisingly, likes the band very much.

With a different cover, „Pictures Of Pain” is released in Europe (via Plastic Head) and the States (Crash Music). Although the reviews are quite positive, the record lacks good promotion. The seemingly neverending search for a steady drummer seems to have an end.
Piotr „Pienal” Peczek (ex-Nomad) jumps in. Notwithstanding some initial misunderstandings, he becomes a great match for the Radical Thrashing Machine. The cooperation with Empire Records ends. HORRORSCOPE performs live and works on the new songs. One of the concerts in Chorzów is recorded.

As the line-up has stabilized, there are still reahearsals and small club gigs. The first trip to Slovakia (Levice). The band discovers the awesome quality of the recording from the Chorzów gig. They decide to release it as a CDR, entitled „Live Collison”. Right after that, they find a truly talentened sound engineer, Tomasz „ZED” Zalewski. He becomes the soundman of HORRORSCOPE since then. An independent tour, called „Thrash The South” starts in the middle of the year. Unlike the name, the gigs are performed in the northern Poland as well. HORRORSCOPE, with the supporting Totem and Whorehouse, see enthusiastic crowds in Dabrowa Górnicza, Olkusz, Chorzów, Wroclaw, Rybnik, Tarnów, Nowy Sacz, Rzeszów, Lódz, Warszawa, Bydgoszcz and Poznan. Even when the crowd is small, the people just go mad. HORRORSCOPE finds it the stimuli for harder work.

The first half of the year sees the preparation to the recording session. Despite the lack of a record company, HORRORSCOPE enters ZEDstudio in Olkusz to record the „Pictures Of Pain” successor. They have to work in the studio from May to June, and therefore thay are not able to attend the first Exodus visit in Poland. The band produces promoversions of the CD, with just five tracks on them. Companies all around the world receive them, and the result is the deal with the German Shark Records. Another gigs, with the return to Bydgoszcz, on Chainsaw’s Birthday. The thrashing performance shows that pushing HORRORSCOPE for the role of the first support was a big mistake. Radical Thrashing Machine takes no prisoners!
The album, entitled „The Crushing Design”, is released in Japan in December.

Gigs, gigs and more gigs. Chorzów, Wroclaw, Warszawa, Zory. In the beginning of the year, the record release in Germany. Reviews are amazing – from good to excellent! The official HORRORSCOPE forum starts. On the last day of the month, „The Crushing Design” is released in Poland via Metal Mind. Gigs again (Chorzów, Warszawa) and the more than positive reviews. The new (refreshed) website is put online. The Polish press and other media start to recognize HORRORSCOPE’s potential. In late April, two gigs with German thrashers RESPAWN, in Goleniów and Szczecin. In the meantime, the musicians work on their new songs during rehearsals. In the end of June, Horrorscope performs in Wroclaw, being asked there by the Esqarial. Not afternight, MetalFest in Szczecin is held. The Silesian thrashers give an outstanding performance as the support of Destruction and Hell-Born, and after Chainsaw, Rootwater, Abgott, Egzekuthor, Dished, Respawn and Sapros.
Together with German thrashers RESPAWN, band was on MENTAL SLAVERY TOUR 2005, which hit four Polish cities and the capital of our Western neighbors. As follows: Tychy, Lódz, Bydgoszcz, Sepólno Krajenskie, Berlin.

Horrorscope play gigs regularly (Bielsko Biala, Chorzów, Policka in Czech Republic, Metal Hades II in Koscian and Dong Open Air Festival in Germany). Between May and June the band recorded the new full-length stuff at the ZED Studio.
The fifth studio album in succession will be titled "Evoking Demons" and the songs will be the continuation of "Crushing Design".
During the performance at Dong Open Air Festival, the first professional DVD in our career was made. The gig will be included in am official summary of the Festival.
In August, the band prepared the promo clip for the "Inner Pride", which is the bringer of the forthcoming album.
We are assured of the brightness of our future! Thrash shall never die!