Batushka - Litourgiya
2015 / Black metal, Doom metal
Mysticism has always been part of black metal and the interpretations of it usually differ from each other quite a lot. The mystic elements are not always present of course and on some albums the absence of these elements is one of the reasons they are dull. Also, some artists' views of the arcane element fail to evoke any sort of feelings and some artists' executions of the element blow you away. Batushka definitely belongs to the latter group.
The identities of Batushka's musicians are still unknown, but that's only a visual element in their mysticism. The music itself, which is fantastic blend of black metal and doom metal elements, feels so mysterious, emotive and piercing. Even though at least some of Batushka's members are Polish, 'Litourgiya' always gives me Soviet era lo-fi vibes. Like a musical equivalent to the gloomy and melancholic Soviet produced cartoons. Somehow I link their production quality and especially their instrument tones to Soviet Union. These are not bad traits at all and in my opinion, for they are one of the largest factors in Batushka's sound's mysticism.
Quite many have praised Batushka's use of orthodox chants and I'll gladly join this crowd. Using orthodox chants isn't a new thing in black metal at all, but the usage is usually only a minor element. Batushka, on the other hand, uses the chants as a major element and it works wonderfully. Massive choir melodies on top of heavy doom and black metal riffs and parts that have focus on the chants show extraordinary songwriting skills and the chants aren't even the only reason for this. 'Litourgiya' is one of the most solid black metal albums I've heard and the album in its entirety has no weak points. When listening to 'Litourgiya' on vinyl, the coherence stays solid until the end. It's actually quite difficult to notice the moment when a track changes and that's actually an excellent thing in this case.
Black metal albums don't usually charm me instantly, but Batushka managed to succeed in that. I would go as far as to say that 'Litourgiya' might easily be the best black metal album released in 2015 and could be, even in 2010's.
Favourite track: 'Yekteníya 3'
The identities of Batushka's musicians are still unknown, but that's only a visual element in their mysticism. The music itself, which is fantastic blend of black metal and doom metal elements, feels so mysterious, emotive and piercing. Even though at least some of Batushka's members are Polish, 'Litourgiya' always gives me Soviet era lo-fi vibes. Like a musical equivalent to the gloomy and melancholic Soviet produced cartoons. Somehow I link their production quality and especially their instrument tones to Soviet Union. These are not bad traits at all and in my opinion, for they are one of the largest factors in Batushka's sound's mysticism.
Quite many have praised Batushka's use of orthodox chants and I'll gladly join this crowd. Using orthodox chants isn't a new thing in black metal at all, but the usage is usually only a minor element. Batushka, on the other hand, uses the chants as a major element and it works wonderfully. Massive choir melodies on top of heavy doom and black metal riffs and parts that have focus on the chants show extraordinary songwriting skills and the chants aren't even the only reason for this. 'Litourgiya' is one of the most solid black metal albums I've heard and the album in its entirety has no weak points. When listening to 'Litourgiya' on vinyl, the coherence stays solid until the end. It's actually quite difficult to notice the moment when a track changes and that's actually an excellent thing in this case.
Black metal albums don't usually charm me instantly, but Batushka managed to succeed in that. I would go as far as to say that 'Litourgiya' might easily be the best black metal album released in 2015 and could be, even in 2010's.
Favourite track: 'Yekteníya 3'
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