Ah, Batushka, Batushka, Batushka. What started out as a promising band that made waves in late 2015, and mostly in 2016, the band turned into one of the biggest recent controversies in metal music. Known for their blend of melodic leaning black metal mixed with Orthodox chants to create a ritualistic atmosphere, Batushka released ‘Litourgiya’ in 2015, an album that was generally well-received for the band’s unique approach to the black metal formula and was considered by some to be one of the most important, best, or refreshing black metal albums of recent memory. The band’s anonymity and theatrical performances have also increased the band’s traction over the years.
Fast forward to 2019, Batushka is easily one of the most talked-about bands of the year and for all the wrong reasons. For this review, I am not going to go into great detail about the controversy surrounding the band and I am not going to give my opinion on the issue. All the background information I am going to provide on this topic is that Batushka split into two different entities, both are currently (as of this review’s publishing) using the same moniker and both have new music in 2019. Христофор’s Batushka (Krzysztof “Derph” Drabikowski) released the new album ‘Panihida’ (Панихида) which translates to Memorial Service. Варфоломей’s Batushka (Bartłomiej “Bart” Krysiuk) is releasing the new album ‘Hospodi’ (Господи) which translates to God Almighty. This review is going to cover ‘Hospodi’ and that album only. I will not be making comparisons to ‘Panihida’. All further usage of the name Batushka in this review will only refer to Варфоломей’s Batushka, unless stated otherwise.
‘Hospodi’ is an album about the Liturgy of Death, the prayers for the dead, and Orthodox funeral rites and dirges. Batushka wants the listener to treat it like a ritual for the dead and their mourners. Keeping with the Orthodox music influences, Batushka on ‘Hospodi’ expands their influences to incorporate traditional folk songs and elegies that are sung during wakes, around caskets, and in the deceased family’s homes. With the inclusion of these influences, Batuhska aims to not only provide a novel listening experience but also cherish and honor these traditional songs that are being forgotten. With all that said and done, does ‘Hospodi’ succeed as an album and live up as the successor to ‘Litourgiya’?
‘Hospodi’ opens up with “Wozglas”, an introductory track that contains a mix of bells and chants that sets the mood of the album quickly. With the next three tracks on the album, it becomes clear the emphasis on melodies have shifted to an emphasis on atmosphere. The energetic and melodic riffs you would find on the first few tracks of ‘Litourgiya’ have been replaced by dull simple riffs and repeating sustained chords and notes. “Dziewiatyj czas” “Wieczernia”, and “Powieczerje” blend together so easily as all the main riffs follow an extremely noticeable and similar pattern and melodic shape. The worst offender of these three tracks is “Powieczerje” which sounds like the intro to a mid/late Behemoth song stuck on repeat for over five minutes with a simple bridge and a melodic break stuck in the middle. Even when the best riff of these three tracks gets introduced late in “Wieczernia”, the song still finds a way to completely dampen the short-lived impact it had.
“Polunosznica”, the lead single of the album, is one of the strongest songs off the album as it shows more potential. The main melodic riff that can be heard in the intro and doubled by the chants later in the song has not only a good sense of melody but also a good sense of emotion as the melody has a sombre undertone to it which is amplified by the chants in the intro and as well as the chorus. However, the song still suffers from flaws exemplified earlier in the album. The song in between these melodic moments is wasteful, especially the ending where it could have benefited from having more layers or variations of the melody played which would have made the song more impactful.
The album then decided to follow up with the most inconsequential and worst song of the album. Similar to “Powieczerje” from before and “Tretij czas” later in the album, “Utrenia” lacks any considerable progression or memorable melody whatsoever until the end. All three of these songs suffer the same fatal flaw of using the atmosphere and the chants to carry the song which simply does not work. These songs simply do not have enough sustenance to allow such a feat, especially given the lackluster songwriting the songs discussed so far share. In addition to that, they all seem to share another problem, inconsistent and unbalanced mixing. The songs do not seem to know which instrument or voices have the most important part at any given time. The harsh vocals are sometimes too loud which is made worse by how monotone they are. The mix in guitars at times felt like they were decided by a coin flip as parts that are the more interesting, melodic, or shifting phrases are buried by the more uninteresting, hollow, and rigid harmonies. Even the chants are buried in some instances.
Does this album nail anything somewhat right? Surprisingly, yes. The song “Pierwyj czas” is pretty much the only song that comes remotely close in resemblance to what you would find on the best parts of ‘Litourgiya’. The main riff, although somewhat generic, is indeed effective, especially when doubled by the vocals, despite not being the most melodic. Fans of the band and black metal in general (ie. Swedish and Finnish black metal) would be more likely to enjoy this song more than any other song off the album. The direction, or at least the intention, of ‘Hospodi’ to be the more atmospheric and doomier counterpart to ‘Litourgiya’ is exemplified and somehow showcased well with the track “Szestoj czas”. The blend of atmospheric black metal, doom metal, and the Orthodox musical influences work cohesively to produce a song that isn’t marred by the flaws found elsewhere on the album. Both of these tracks are the strongest representations of what this album could have been with “Polunosznica” trailing behind them. Lastly, any notion of the final track “Litourgiya” to be the climax, like the media package noted, is strongly misleading. The final track is a glorified outro that drags despite having some of the most effective chanting, atmosphere, and sound of the album.
The best way to sum up ‘Hospodi’ is that is a major disappointment. From the problems in the melodies and songwriting to the problems in mixing and pacing, the album is stretched way too thin as it desperately tries to make up for the lack of sufficiency with overutilized and tired gimmicks which result in a barely competent album that have memorable moments too few and far in between. Despite the meaning, intentions, and imagery behind this album, and those memorable moments in “Polunosznica”, “Pierwyj czas”, and “Szestoj czas”, ‘Hospodi’ is a lost cause that could not have been saved from its carelessness, laziness, pretentiousness, and above all else, arrogance. ‘Hospodi’ fails to be an effective album and to live up to what came before it in the legacy of Batushka. Fans will have better luck finding their Batushka fix elsewhere. Best to avoid this album, even if your curiosity is trying to get the better of you.