Pause, to flip it again. A piece of trivia pointed to me a couple of days later was that the very same guy selling music (and other fan requisites) at “Chan-doo” was also Hitman’s singer. Aca “Choice”, nicknamed a�er his previous band Definite Choice. My first touch with actual, original piece of music was as mesmerizing as it was confusing. Band photos, enormous thanks list… Also, lyrics were not a ma�er of my personal understanding or guessing. However, there were three songs without lyrics. I had no idea booklet was sugges�ng these were covers. It took me a while to figure it out. Who knows howmuch longer it would take me if one of these wasn’t a Definite Choice cover. That one gave it away. “F. U. R.” is s�ll my absolute favorite when it comes to this album. Not so much for its music but the lyrics and the message it conveys. Its full �tle is “Friendship, Unity, Respect”. Excuse me while I find the tape. Other bands covered were Slapshot and Cro-Mags. That should be enough to give you an idea what Hitman sounded like. US styled hardcore punk basically. You know the drill. Tough guitars, hard-hi�ng drums, raging bass grunts and shouts from the bo�om of the heart. Not to forget the group singalongs in those epic choruses. Memorable too. And meaningful lyrics full of simple, yet effec�ve messages. Nothing all that special, some would say. Hundreds of albums like this exist worldwide. There’s one thing I can say for sure. Those people have yet to hear “Stories we tell”. This is a monumental record, even if I put the obvious sen�mental values aside. Furthermore, a�er more than two decades the album has go�en its vinyl version. It’s limited to just 200 copies, so act very fast! There won’t be too much chances to get it. Especially since the band has split up eight years ago. Flipping the tape this �me… For the very end, I will try to present the rest of Hitman legacy. In short, a year a�er the debut album, Hitman came out with its follow-up. “…What about the flame we used to feel…” came out at the end of 1999, while the country was s�ll recovering from NATO bombing. Next year the boys decided to bring both albums together. For the first �me on CD, “Stories we tell about the flame we used to feel” gave all Hitman had to give for the years to follow. Dry spell, discography-wise, ended with a split with Bulgarian front runners Last Hope in 2004. S�ll, it took Hitman six more years to complete their final output, “Overstand”. And two more un�l they called it quits. In style, as deserved. Selling almost twice the capacity of “Gun Club” in Belgrade. That’s how deep of an impact they had on the local scene. There are videos of that gig online. Absolute chaos. And one of the best shows your friendly reviewer has witnessed. Despite the fact somebody broke my glasses during the intro. Yes, it’s a fact. Somebody stage-dived during Édith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regre�e rien”, pu�ng a knee right to my glasses. Not that I minded. Or cared at all. Oh, the goosebumps when the intro started. Translate it to English, you will get what I mean. I would like to dedicate this narra�ve to Milorad “Vige” Vignjević, the original Hitman and Definite Choice bass player, who passed away this March. Though he did not get to see this vinyl (or this review), it stands as one more proof that what he did, along with a couple of his friends, decades ago, really moved people. And still does! Rest in peace Vige! h�ps://www.facebook.com/mashina23/
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