Five years ago, Red Star Belgrade's Bill Curry made a decision. Disillusioned with the mid-90's music scene, the Chapel Hill, NC rock critic (Option, CMJ, Reflex) simply stopped writing. No longer able to devote himself to slagging bands that weren't worth the time or effort, Curry traded his poison pen for a guitar, and along with girlfriend/drummer Graham Harris, formed Red Star Belgrade.

Taking its name from the once mighty Yugoslav Red Army soccer team (who had fallen on hard times), the Chapel Hill duo immediately headed into the studio to record their first 7" EP, Lose Your Temper, Gain An Injury. Garnering raves in CMJ, Magnet, and Billboard, Red Star Belgrade were immediate critical darlings. Featuring rock solid songs dripping with anger and cynicism, Lose Your Temper helped Red Star Belgrade forge an identity all their own.

The duo, by that point husband and wife, soon followed up with the Union, SC EP, featuring ex-firehose guitarist edfromOhio on guitar and lap steel. The title cut, a dark ballad devoted to child killer Susan Smith, landed the band features in Magnet, Option, Billboard; and the TV Magazine show, EXTRA. Mixing country, alternative rock, and hard driving pop, the Union, SC EP became the blueprint for the Red Star Belgrade sound.

Two years and one more 7" later, Red Star Belgrade released their first full length CD, Where The Sun Doesn't Shine. Met with immediate approval, Magnet called the CD "a full-scale display of Red Star Belgrade's talents"; while Option lauded the songwriting as "consistently thrilling-- the kind of richly detailed writing you'd equate with a Southern author."

Despite all the critical acclaim, Red Star Belgrade was unable to generate a following in the South and in 1998 pulled up stakes for Chicago. Soon after the move, the band inked a deal with English label Vinyl Junkie/Rykodisc, who released their second cd, End of The Line, throughout Europe. Called one of 1998's best records by BBC DJ Robert Elms, End of The Line, caught the attention of Chicago's Checkered Past records who signed the band earlier this year.

Immediately accessible and yet ultimately challenging, "The Fractured Hymnal" more than delivers on the band's earlier promise. Crushing guitars, acoustic and electric country, poppy alternative...it's all here. From the opening strains of the hard driving "Favorite Thing," to the unflinching darkness of "Christmas Day," Red Star Belgrade once again prove they are an American original.