Year: 2020
Total Time: 30:12
Label: Witching Hour Productions
The situation with BATUSHKA and the legal dispute between Krzysztof Drabikowski and Bartłomiej Krysiuk is known to everyone and I would say that the whole situation has become tedious. But because we are not here to judge, we will only deal with music (since it is the only thing we are interested in) and let the lawyers and the court decide about the rest. In this case, we will talk about Krysiuk’s BATUSHKA version (singer on the album Litoyrgia) and owner of Witching Hour Productions which releases their new thirty minute EP entitled ” Раскол / Raskol”, since the collaboration with Metal Blade did not go very well,
Compared to their previous, disappointing record, “Hospodi”, the band in its new release sounds quite improved and attempting a successful return to the “Litoyrgia” forms. Definitely a move that was not made by chance by Krysiuk, who apparently studied and listened to Krzysztof’s album “Panihida”, as well as the general reactions and comments by the fans, with the final result of “Raskol” justifying him. So he decided to immerse himself in the roots of the original band and dress his mystical Black Metal sound with the well-known chants/choirs, taken from the Byzantine and Slavic tradition, while in some places he manages to create some feelings we experienced when we heard the epic “Litoyrgia” for the first time. Also, in their previous release, the choral vocals and psalms seemed to have been set in a compelling way in the songs, while here sound more natural, matching harmoniously with the dark atmosphere of the compositions and with Krysiuk’s voice.
After the tragic “Hospodi”, Krysiuk’s BATUSHKA returns to its roots with quite a good release, which has already divided the fans -the fact that the title of the EP translates as a “schism” is obviously not coincidental- while musically it has some of the elements we met in “Litoyrgia”. On the other hand, some people want to take sides in this legal situation without listening to music, rejecting every release from Krysiuk’s side. Now, it is at everyone’s discretion whether they want to enjoy music or engage in conflicts that do not concern them personally.
Rating: 7/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: BATUSHKA – Facebook Page
