PENTAGRAM (also known as Mezarkabul)

 

In the fateful year of 1987, when there wasn’t much metal to speak of in Turkey, two friends, Hakan Utangaç on guitars and Cenk Ünnü on drums, came together and named themselves Pentagram. When Tarkan Gözübüyük joined up later that year with his bass guitar, the core of this legendary band was complete.

 

In three short years, these men drew a lot of attention to themselves with a string of performances and a rapid phase of development and signed with Nepa Music for their first album. This self titled album was a wake up call for the Turkish metal scene and quickly the band became a nationwide phenomenon with widespread national press coverage and performances on national television. It already was clear that Pentagram would become one of the most influential metal bands to have come out of Turkey with their constantly maturing music, influenced by classic progressive rock and 80’s metal.

 

Pentagram did not spend time basking in their newfound fame and recorded the Trail Blazer album in 1992. This time, they signed with Nuclear Blast of Germany and extended their reach to the European metal-heads. In 1996, their signature style blending heavy metal with Anatolian and Mesopotamian musical heritage reached a point of maturity with their phenomenal album Anatolia. Signed with one of the most important major labels of its time, Raks Music, Pentagram also released their first live album, Popçular Dışarı, right after this in 1997, both in CD and VHS formats. The album’s unique style was loved by fans from a wider circle than metal enthusiasts alone and was embraced in fifty two countries spanning five continents after the band signed with Century Media of Germany for its worldwide distribution.

 

After Anatolia, Pentagram was no longer just a favorite of the local scene but an internationally acclaimed metal band. They came to be known as Mezarkabul outside of Turkey and signed with Sanctuary Records, one of the biggest labels at the time. The albums

Unspoken and Bir were recorded at Sierra studios in Athens and these albums were distributed by Universal Turkey at home.

 

Between 2003 and 2006, Pentagram went on a short hiatus but when Sony Music Turkey decided to compile their full catalogue, the band started back up with a new release.

Pentagram released their Bostancı Gösteri Merkezi show titled 1987, marking their 20th anniversary, on CD and DVD before returning to studio and recording MMXII in 2012 with Gökalp Ergen on vocals and Metin Türkcan on guitars. Keeping with the band’s track record, this album was named the album of the year by Headbang readers. Two years later, an album featuring live performances titled MMXIV was released.

 

In 2017, in order to celebrate their 30th year anniversary, the band came together with their former members, Demir Demirkan, Ogün Sanlısoy and Murat İlkan, who are living legends in their own rights, and released their acclaimed album, Akustik, which contained brilliant acoustic versions of their songs. Following the great success of this album, Pentagram invited their former members back to the band, and played over 80 shows in Turkey and Europe with a chronological set, with each vocalist singing the songs of their own era, and then all three vocalists on stage for their biggest hits.

 

The band also released the first episode of their documentary called 30 Years of Stories, which contains never-before-seen archive footage and exclusive interviews.

 

Throughout the years, Pentagram’s name has been mentioned right alongside bands such as Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Accept, Manowar, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Queensryche, Guns N’ Roses, Alice in Chains and Rammstein at international music festivals such as Sonisphere, Wacken and Rock'n Coke.

 

With their intelligent and inspiring style, brilliant musicianship and continuous influence on the rock scene and music in general in Turkey, Pentagram have been a unique phenomenon both at home and abroad. Their music touched many and helped make metal and rock mainstream in Turkey – as it will be for many years to come.

 

PENTAGRAM is:

Gökalp Ergen – Vocals

Murat İlkan – Vocals

Ogün Sanlısoy – Vocals

Tarkan Gözübüyük – Bass Guitars

Demir Demirkan - Guitars

Hakan Utangaç – Guitars

Metin Türkcan – Guitars

Cenk Ünnü – Drums