Postpunk in Ukraine: Lives over 35 years

Postpunk, metal and hard core in Ukraine - you will be surprised, but has been around for 35 years. The continuation of this world in Ukraine was the emergence of the Rabbot Ho team, which in 1987 records the plate "Ottored Tree". It is also worth mentioning another band - Tabula Rasa, the debut album "8 Runs" in 1990 is one of the samples of the continuation of the genre. At the same time, an unusual Ivanov Down team is formed from Kyiv.

Notice that Ukraine is now covered UKRAINIAN DOOMERWAVE.

Heavy music of Ukraine: 17 groups that are worth listening to

Heavy music in Ukraine is not going through the best of times. The main bands of the past were gone (we have already talked about Tol, Anna, Roman, Merva, Smoke Sleep and Others), and favorable conditions for the year and metal are getting smaller in recent years, for example , several of the most important concert platforms for the community.

However, the most prominent names of the difficult scene that focus on the Ukrainian listener continue to play and selflessly invest their own time, money and energy in a financially disadvantaged business. Everything for the sake of the idea is that heavy music in Ukraine continues to exist.

In addition, a galaxy of our performers who won the Western listener, concerted abroad and publishing albums on local labels, has already been finally formed. Currently, the Ukrainian scene is a minor for them, since in Europe their work is more justified financially. Accordingly, the music of these bands is firmly integrated into the Western Cultural Context.

The most important and relevant representatives of the Ukrainian difficult scene at home and abroad have been collected for you.

Metal for export

1 / Motanka

The main esoterics of Ukrainian metal - Motanka band from Lutsk. They appeared from nowhere and immediately appeared in the West and in Ukraine at the same time: in 2018 they received the second place on Wacken Metal Battle, then they signed a contract with the Austrian label Napalm Records, which in 2019 released the same name album. This release was a combination of classical metal with oriental motifs, which was thematically addressed to his motherhood - and he was very interested in the Ukrainian and European listener.

Motanka play a very peculiar ethno-metal. They almost do not use folklore motifs in music, but instead the style of their clothes, scenery on the performances and texts of songs indicate a great admiration for the participants of the band Asoteric and paganism. Such a thematic filling of creativity kills two rabbits at once: it goes well to the Ukrainian audience, raised in the groups "The Shadow of the Sun" and "To Whom", and at the same time is something exotic and extraordinary for the Western listener.

In 2019, Motanka won Best Ukrainian Metal Act, and it seemed that on the way to world recognition, the band was no longer stopped. However, the coronavirus and the full -scale war have put the rapid development of the team on a pause - now the boys are actively volunteering, raising money for the Armed Forces. Although earlier they mentioned in an interview that new material was being prepared.

2 / Ignea

The Napalm Records and, by part -time, the winners of the BEST UKRAINIAN METAL ACT in 2020. Ignea performs oriental melodic de-metal-they have technical guitar reefs, a clear rhythm and atmospheric synthesizing passages are combined with a flexible vocal vocal of charismatic frontwumen Hel Bogdanova, which can also be a well-squeezed mezzo.

The team shot in 2015 thanks to the Alga track, which now has more than eight million views on YouTube. After that, they released two more albums - Sign of Faith (2017) and The Realm of Fire and Death (2020), as well as the recent Bestia split with Ersedu.

3 / Somali Yacht Club

The luminaries of the Ukrainian Stoner, which carry the listener with leisurely waves of atmospheric music under the influence of shuziz and post -metal. These Lviv residents are rare representatives of heavy music in Ukraine who are consistently working to develop their own unique sound instead of copying any other musical influences. They take care of their artistic evolution, are not afraid to develop the developed musical formula with new components - as a result, Somali Yacht Club today stand with the most prominent Western names of the genre - Elder, Truckfighters, 1000Mods and others.

The Somali Yacht Club released a trilogy of full -format albums, united by a common concept - The Sun (2014), The Sea (2018) and The Space, which was released in April this year on a solid French Label Season of Mist. Smooth foggy reefs, depressions, dab and space-rock elements, together with minimalist vocals and lyrics, create a holistic psychedelic sound in Somali Yacht Club, which lifts to heaven, warms the incandescent sunlight, and then lowers the depths.

4 / 1914

The de-metal is removed about the First World War, which after the start of a full-scale invasion of Russia sounds even worse than before. Lviv residents took a great war on their artistic concept, but they do not exalt the horrific events of that time. On the contrary, their music is sharply anti -war, because the goal of 1914 is to show how cruel and ruthless war is.

They take the stage in a peculiar attire of the early twentieth century, and vocalist Dmitry Kumar is smeared with dirt before speaking, entering the eerie image of the "voice of war", which tells the piercing Groule about the watered battles battle and others.

The music of 1914 consists of fierce drum blasts, prickly black-metal tremolo and cumbersome (cumbersome sound reefs. They mercilessly thundered and crack like a tank of the First World War, which slowly but confidently proceeds to the trench with frightened soldiers.

In 1914, they signed up for the Napalm Records label in 2019, and released on it in 2021 a wonderful holistic album of whore Fear and Weapons Meet, which grinded music and artistic ideas of the band to shine. Later, the release entered the top of the best releases of the year according to the authoritative Western edition of Metal Hammer.

The Austrian label also released the previous full -scale teams - the debut eschatology of War (2014) and The Blind Leading the Blind (2019), which made a wide range of Western listeners about the team from Lviv.

5 / White Ward

The Odessa White Ward was shot due to the quality of the postbel, Darka Jazz and Trip Hop on Futality Report (2017), which is called the metal version of the iconic album of the Naric electronics PERDITION CITY. Over time, White Ward moved to Kiev, changed the composition of the participants, began to experiment with the musical formula and sound so unique that they got rid of any comparisons about their work. By analogy to Somali Yacht Club, today the White Ward is relevant and demanded in the world niche postbacha.

Odessa has always played very deviant music, but on a fresh False Light (2022) album it sounds more specific-Dark-Jazz component complements aggressive guitar reefs and vocals, however, except Saxophone and piano, to the music formula. . And on several tracks of the new plate, you can unexpectedly hear Neofolk and Post-Punk.

The transitional link between the debut and the latest album is Love Exchange Failure (2019), which has become the best Ukrainian release of 2019 according to Best Ukrainian Metal Act. After him, in 2021, he was given a mini-album Debemur Morti as a two hundredth anniversary release of the French label of the same name, the signator of which White Ward is from the first album. On this release, by the way, you can hear the guest vocals of Lars Nedland from Borknagar.

6 / Space of variations

The most fashionable Ukrainian metalgurt, which, thanks to the consistent work on the style of tracks, clips, covers and dress code, originally received recognition in Ukraine and later went to a European listener through a contract with Napalm Records.

Space of variations - a band from Vinnitsa, which began at the end with zero under the name "Space of Varianttov". Then the boys played Russian -speaking chaotic hardcore with dissonance and non -standard sizes, but then broke up to return in 2015 with the updated name and English -speaking track Gunsight, fly to the Best Ukraine Metal Act (Buma) and get the title of the best heavy band that year.

Over time, the team changed the concept towards a more melodic metal, again gained the title of the best Ukrainian heavy band according to Buma in 2017, released the "trendy" full-time Mind Darknet in 2018 and began to look at the Western audience. After signing the contract with Napalm Records, the case of Space of Variations went even more successfully - they played several major European tours and released two good mini -seals: XXXXXX (2020) and Imago (2022).

7 / Jinjer

The most famous Ukrainian band abroad and, in combination, the most casual metal band at home. Before the full -scale invasion of Russia, Jinjer participants expressed controversial thoughts on the war in their native Donbass, Ukrainization and the Revolution of Dignity. When the band announced concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg in 2021, the Ukrainian musical community exploded, and it seemed that the road to a Ukrainian listener for Jinjer was already closed forever. However, after February 24, 2022, the team began actively volunteering, and bassist Yevgen Abdukhanov recorded a video where he apologized to the Ukrainians for the previous statements and actions of the band.

The Gorlovka band began in the late 2000s, played the Grub metal and was an important part of our heavy scene. During their "Ukrainian" period, Jinjer released Inhale, do not Breathe (2012), full -time Cloud Factory (2014) and won Buma in 2013.

In 2015, Jinjer became the first Ukrainians on the Napalm Records Lygli, after which the "contract" parade "of our bands with the Austrians began. The team started turning around the world, reaching unprecedented heights and adding new progressive elements to their musical formula - since then, Micro (2019) and full -scale King of Evering (2016), Macro (2019) and Wallflowers (2021) have been released.

The fracture for Jinjer was the composition of the Pisces - Western listeners were very surprised by the combination of gentle ridden vocals and aggressive Groum Frontwumen Tatiana Schmaylyuk. Bloggers have begun reactions to a living track in the studio, and today the video has 66 million views on YouTube.

8 / Stoned jesus

The real bats of the new Ukrainian year, of which partially began the "breakthrough" of our underground bands west. When Stoned Jesus was the first to show that a Ukrainian band can play high -quality rockmotic and go to tours of Europe, they shocked the whole of our independent scene and inspired many young performers to repeat their success. Today, Stoned Jesus cannot be counted as heavy metal, but they deserve a symbolic place in this selection.

The band founded Igor Sidorenko, known in the community with other musical projects - the first Ukrainian neo -by -Arlekin and the first Ukrainian Krobak. Igor also founded one of the first Ukrainian Singer-Sorts at Nick Drake and Eliot Smith-Voida.

Stoned Jesus, First Communion (2010), sounded like a refined Stoner Dump. Later, the band began to move towards psychedelics, releasing its already cult seven Thunders Roar (2012). It was the same legendary song Im The Mountain, which has already gained more than 15 million views on YouTube.

In 2015, the band reached the peak with The Harvest, which is the most tight and best of their release. After him, the Stoned Jesus along and across and crossed Europe with concerts, played at the hellfest religious festival, jumped with speeches to South America and signed a contract with Napalm Records.

Fans and label expected the band to go along the already trampled trail, and again release something tail and chip. However, the crazy success of Stoned Jesus exhausted the team members, and the next album of Pilgrims (2018) was rather a conscious escape from glory-the band complained of a difficult life in the tours and looking for a new sound, adding a progressive rock, noys-rock and crowd to the musical formula.

According to Igor Sidorenko, the Austrian label did not accept such experiments very warmly. The band felt that "napalms" were not very interested in the development of the band, so Stoned Jesus went from there, becoming "the first Ukrainian band to leave Napalm Records." Today, Stoned Jesus has already been signed for the Season of Mist label, on which a new unnamed album should be released. He enrolled at the Spivaki Records studio near Izium, which recently released the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Metal for every home

 - КAT

The authors of one of the first albums of a full -scale war, a "call" that at the beginning of the invasion was lost in the news. Katyans began with canonical hardcore in English, then sang Russian and gradually moved to posthardcore, adding new unexpected elements to their music.

The most recent Ukrainian -speaking album "Kat" was recorded at the Spivaki Records studio near Izium on the eve of the war. The Call was a reflection of what many participants in the Ukrainian independent scene were in mind: finding a new identity not only in music but also within itself.

The previous albums of the band - "Gernik" (2017) and "This will serve with you" (2019) are also worthy of attention. On the first "cat" conceptually rethinked the same name Pablo Picasso and depicted the moods of a person who has lived in the frontal zone for years. On the second, they were deeply immersed in themselves and explored the feeling of existential horror.

The band includes long -term players of the Kharkiv independent heavy scene, which previously played in 5R6, Burrow and other important groups for Ukrainian music.

 - OBRIJ

Representatives of the new generation of Ukrainian dis-metal, who rethink in the work of the heritage of the old names of the "deadly" scene, adding to their musical formula blushes tremolo and hardcore reefs. The beautiful name of the band is aesthetically pleasing with terrifying music, and the visual design of releases and merchas from the well -known designer Yaroslav Smbrone in the party causes wild delight.

The participants of this Uzhgorod band managed to play with many local Bodes. The most notable of them is the Pancgurt The Symbioz, which operates with breaks of 2004 - from him began the guitarist Vasyl Laveler and vocalist Mykola Maga, who later founded the horizon as a sidproet.

On the account of the minialboma "Altar of Utopia" (2016), "In Iron Hugs of the Cradle" (2019), several splits, a large compilation of the tracks "Obriy" (2021) and even a collaboration with hip-hopers "Tuli". All releases are fundamentally Ukrainian.

 - Vovk

The relentless "wolves" of the Ukrainian underground were loudly declared by Lair's debut in 2019. The album was a wild alloy of post-Hardcore, mat-rock and stoner-a unique author's genre mixture. In addition, the boys from Kiev worked well on the artistic concept: in the press release of the debut plate it was stated that the songs from it were born in the wolf of consciousness of the band members and played in the dark rooms of Kiev caves, and at the performances the team was dressed in gray wolf shirts. For an independent scene, where there was always bold images, the appearance of Vovk was something extraordinary and fresh.

The boys first went to the All -Ukrainian Tour, and then - and the European together with Stoned Jesus. They managed to be nominated on Best Ukrainian Metal Act 2019. However, something went wrong later, guitarist Alexei Chervonyak left the team. Vovk called for replacement Artem Minajel from Bojevilla, but also did not happen. Subsequently, Dmitry Krasnenkov's dramaer left the band. In the composition with Minajl "Wolf", however, they recorded a wonderful cover of "Dahabraha".

Currently, bassist Alexander Kutz has found a new pack-Yegor Druzenko and Yevgeny Khruliv from Ooze Stoner Gurt. It is said that in the Wolf their consciousness new material is born - we believe that it will become another swallow of fresh air for the Ukrainian independent scene, because VOVK also awaits a new Heavy Resistance Tour on Eastern Europe with Stoned Jesus.

 - Boevilla

If the pandemic "Scriabin" is sewn into DNA, then the music of the legendary "Tol" flows in the veins of Boevilla. And it is not just a clisped comparison, because the collective matrix does not copy the style of "Sad Agressive", but rather rethinks it, developing the ideas of transparent and company in creativity. In addition, with "God's pitchfork", as they sometimes call themselves, the sound engineer of the Knob (Sergey Lubinsky), former guitarist "Tool" works regularly. This is the true gravity of generations of Ukrainian metal!

The band from Kiev once played under the name "Donor", and then changed the name and released in 2016 the first single "Love", which was warmly accepted by fans. Since then, the minialbar (2017) and the full -black box (2019) have been published - two releases of fatalistic and disappointed in humanity of heavy metal, after which you have the thought of the futility of life.

The great personality of Boevilla was added by vocalist Vocalist Vladimir Yampilsky with his morally difficult texts and a hunted stage submission from the very beginning of the band. Recently, he left the band, and in his place became guitarist Artem Minaaylo - in this composition "God's Pitch" is already preparing new material. Interestingly, whether this incarnation will be able to preserve the charm of previous works of the Kiev band.

 - Sick Solution

These guys play February low -frequency hardcore, sharpened under the duck and rose. Bend from Vinnitsa was founded in 2016, but for a long time it was in the shadow - and only recently Sick Solution boldly went out to the wider independent scene and immediately won the title of the best band at Best Ukrainian Metal Act 2021.

Their music is yesterday's a metalcore with brownies and electronics, which was subsequently added to aggression, masculinity and dissonance in the MEGAMASS Pacanic metal metal. With this philosophy, Sick Solution recorded two minials-a sad Russian-speaking "Medical" in 2018 and a courageous almost English-language Hardcore Samurai in 2021.

Interestingly, their vocalist Tyoma Trubetsky is an indispensable member of the team of their countrymen Space of variations. He is their Turmener and is responsible for Mech. He even replaced the vocalist Dmitry Kozhuhar on the stage of Vocalist when he could not speak at the next European concert.

 - 0%MERCURY

Tagid funny chaotic metalcore with female extrem-vocal. Or "Kitik-Hardcor", as they call themselves 0%Mercury. Or "Rainbow Rock". In short, you will not deny the originality of the Kharkiv band, and the bright vocalist Elfman gives him a special charm.

The team has existed since 2016, but seriously declared itself last year from the ER Stump - it was grounded by musical media, and the band itself was nominated on Buma 2021. And it is not surprising, because on a minilboma 0%Mercury played very confidently and, despite heavy dissonant music, They sounded paradoxically easily and easily.
 
The Kharkiv residents were still released by the EP Time to Embrace the Suck (2016). It sounds no worse than the last release of the band, which means that you should definitely listen to it.

 - Pušča

The most mysterious band of the Ukrainian independent scene around which the halo of eternal Saspens is launched. The Puzzle Puces play atmospheric postbacha French, English and Ukrainian, and any of their speech is a morater-perfomens from the Vocalist of Seyra, who invents a new creepy image for each show.

The band appeared recently in 2019. It was immediately whispered not only in Lviv, where Pušča was filled with almost every concert playground, but also throughout the country: the team began to very actively tours and to ensure a visual presence literally everywhere. Since then, a split from René Maheu (2020), a minialbum éphémère (2022), a few singles and a charity release War is Hell.

It seems that Pušča is rather a concert bend, for which in the first place - the effect of the performance, and only then music. Eyewitnesses say that the band does not always sound sterile and technically, but they praise a bold and innovative serving for Ukrainian music.

 - Septa/The Nietzsche

Two groups of vocalist Yevgeny Timchyk, fundamentally different in concept, but similar in sound. It is not surprising: the composition of Septa and The Nietzsche differs only by guitarists, and they play a chaotic alternative with impurities of the uterus and the progressive year. These Odessa bands began to work at about the same time, and repeatedly performed one evening at concerts, festivals and thematic events.

In Septa, Timchyk manifests as a lyric and narrator - what is just worth the story of a woman who has set fire to herself in mysterious circumstances. This story is threaded through Lover (2013), Destroyer minilb (2014), and a full -time Sounds Like Murder (2015). In the latter today, Bitten by the Serpen of the Kingdom of the Spirit (2019), Septa rethinks the history of the mythical Jewish golem, described by the Austrian writer Gustav Myrink.

Instead, The Nietzsche has always been quilted and provocative, putting the poetry of classical world and Ukrainian authors on music and each time speaking in a new image-on stage they were already glom-rockers, clowns, superheroes, samuras, Black-metal. Not all of them have understood this, but the Nietzsche was remembered for an independent scene for a very long time.

The band released three minials with hardcore songs on the texts of Edgar Po, George Byron, Jack Keruak, Ivan Franko, Vasyl Stus and others - Intro to Advanced Poetry (2015), Welcome to Poetry 201 (2016) and Finals. (2018). Unfortunately, there were also tracks on the texts of the Russians Vladimir Mayakovsky and Danylo Harms, but the team was strictly condemned for itself. The Nietzsche has currently changed the concept and began to play an ironic-fashionable alternative rock.

Sourse Sluh