Trolls - A review of Batyushka's Batyushka

This fourth band called Batyushka is obviously just a copycat trying to cash in on the success of the first band that combined Eastern Orthodox liturgy with moody black metal. This group that apparently consists of Russian priests is so ridiculously fake that it's not even mildly entertaining anymore. Save forty minutes of your life and don't listen to this garbage.

Musically speaking, this album only includes very few religious chants as in the opener ''Песнь 1 (Молитва)'' which is also the only remotely interesting tune. Most songs simply consist of coldly droning guitar sounds and loud drums playing unskilled rhythm patterns. The tracks don't vary, innovate or entertain at all. They don't even have a structure and start as randomly as they end. The songs are also lacking pace because even though the drums attempt to add some rhythm, the meandering guitar tones annihilate any potential dynamics. The tracks sound like poorly executed instrumental jams recorded in a lonesome multi-instrumentalist's basement. The material barely qualifies as metal and is rather an odd mixture of ambient music with a few minor rock 'n' roll drum patterns, unimaginative drone elements and tame black metal riffs. The production is indeed absolutely horrible since the instruments bury one another and especially the drums are way too present in the production.

This release is a very cheap way to cash in. Curious minds might listen to it once but will quickly realize how utterly bad it actually is. If you purchase it, you've simply stated got pranked. The only reasons why this record didn't get the worst possible grade are because it actually parodies the mess the original band has sadly become and because the cover artwork looks decent enough for a trolling joke band.

Final rating: 10%