Tormentor (Hungarian metal band)

Tormentor is a Hungarian black metal band from Budapest. Formed in 1985 by vocalist Attila Csihar, the group became one of the earliest black metal bands from Central Europe. Their early recordings, especially Anno Domini, circulated through the underground tape trading network and became influential in the development of black metal. Tormentor was formed in Budapest in 1985 by Attila Csihar, who was then in his mid-teens. The band recorded the demo The Seventh Day of Doom in 1987 and the album Anno Domini in 1988. Although Anno Domini was recorded in 1988, it did not receive a proper release at the time. According to A38 Ship, the communist authorities in Hungary held back the possibility of a formal release because of the band's extreme music and live performances. Decibel similarly wrote that the planned release failed during the late communist period and that the album instead circulated through copied tapes. Through the underground tape-trading network, Anno Domini reached listeners outside Hungary and became known in the wider black metal scene. Following the suicide of Per Ohlin, Mayhem invited Csihar to perform vocals on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Tormentor split up in 1991. The band returned after a long period of inactivity and released the more experimental album Recipe Ferrum! 777 through Avantgarde Music. Proper Music described the album as a 2000 release created during a more experimental period following the band's original split in 1991. Tormentor later reunited for an anniversary performance of Anno Domini. The band played a comeback show at A38 Ship in Budapest on 21 April 2018, with Cult of Fire and Perihelion also appearing on the bill. The reunion was followed by further festival appearances. Tormentor's music is usually classified as black metal. A38 Ship described the group as a Hungarian proto-black metal band whose early recordings influenced later black metal acts. Metal Injection wrote that Anno Domini was important because it emerged from Hungary's relative isolation during the late Cold War and reached the underground metal scene through tape trading. Decibel described Anno Domini as a delayed but influential black metal release that reached Western Europe, Scandinavia, the United States and South America through copied tapes. Attila Csihar – vocals (1985–1991, 1999–2001, 2017–present); guitars (1989) Attila Szigeti – guitars (1985–1991, 2017–present); keyboards (1988–1989) György Farkas – bass guitar (1987–1991, 2017–present) Zsolt Machát – drums (1987–1991, 1999–2001, 2017–present); keyboards (2000) Lajos Fazekas – bass guitar (1985–1987) Márton Dubecz – drums (1985–1987) Tamás Buday – guitars (1985–1988, 2017–2020) Mugambi Zoldun Bwana – lead guitar (1999–2001) Zénó Galóca – bass guitar (1999–2001) Charles Hedger – guitar (2020–present) Anno Domini (recorded 1988; released 1995) Recipe Ferrum! 777 (2000) The Seventh Day of Doom (demo, 1987) Black and Speed Metál (split, 1989) The Sick Years (compilation, 1998) Live in Hell (live album, 1999) Live in Damnation (EP, 2000) The Beast of Attila Csihar (compilation, 2003) The Tyrant of Transylvania (EP, 2008) Anno Daemoni (DVD, 2019) Covid WitchFuck (live album, 2020) "Tormentor: Anno Domini 30, Cult of Fire (CZ), Perihelion". A38 Hajó. Retrieved 2 June 2026. Selzer, Jonathan (12 April 2026). ""He was in chainmail, said he needed it for protection." From communist Hungary to joining metal's most murderous band and working with Slipknot's Joey Jordison, Attila Csihar is an extreme metal pioneer". Metal Hammer. Future plc. Retrieved 2 June 2026. "Tormentor – "Anno Domini"". Decibel. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2026. Andrew, J. (28 September 2023). "Graves Of The 80s: TORMENTOR Anno Domini". Metal Injection. Retrieved 2 June 2026. "Tormentor "Recipe Ferrum!"". Avantgarde Music. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2026. "Tormentor: Recipe Ferrum!". Proper Music. Retrieved 2 June 2026.