LIVE REVIEW: Batushka (Krzysztof Drabikowski) @ Academy 3, Manchester
Flash back to 2015 and BATUSHKA were on the lips of everyone within in the black metal scene. Their ambitious debut effort, Litourgiya, was hailed by fans and critics alike and the band had forged an incendiary reputation on the live front, largely thanks to their captivating visual and sonic aesthetics and ritualistic aura. But, a tsunami of instability would strike in 2018. Akin to the Great Schism of Christianity, the band was split right down in the middle as battle lines were drawn in an ongoing argument over ownership over the BATUSHKA name between Bartłomiej Krysiuk and Krzysztof Drabikowski. Whilst Krysiuk‘s incarnation of the band has been met with hostility at every turn, Drabikowski has enjoyed the fierce backing from the band’s fans. They say good things come for those who wait and after a period of silence on the live front, Drabikowski has emerged from the shadows once more to reward the faithful.
Given the occasion, a nicely packed crowd greets Danish quartet KONKHRA and thanks to their three plus decade experience, the band provide a suitable and punishing opening salvo to proceedings. Their trash meets death metal hybrid of a sound is warmly received by those in attendance at Manchester’s Academy 3 with Anders Lundemark‘s roaring vocals sounding clear as day and the neat interchanges with fellow guitarist Hakim enables the band’s riffing to cause many heads to bang along. And yet, for all the band do well, and there are numerous moments of quality, there are times where KONKHRA just sound formulaic. This might be down to the band’s lengthy time on stage, allowing a sense of rinse and repeat to establish a foothold and it beckons the question as to whether a shock and awe approach would have reaped greater rewards. However, despite the moments where they falter, on the whole, the Danes provide enough to kick off proceedings in a suitably strong manner.
Rating: 6/10
Similar to KONKHRA, American quartet MALEVOLENT CREATION hit the stage in Manchester with a wealth of experience at their disposal. Since forming in 1987, the band have grown into being one of the focal points for death metal and in their slot as main support to BATUSHKA, the band ooze class, professionalism and a viciously ferocious sound. In a set that spans a great breadth of their extensive discography, with classics like Eve of the Apocalypse and Multiple Stab Wounds inciting chaos down the front. Despite the fact that Phil Fasciana is the only surviving original member, the relatively new trio of vocalist/guitarist Lee Wollenschlaeger, bassist Josh Gibbs and drummer Phil Cancilla all do more than enough to silence any potential naysayers to their collective abilities.
Wollenschlaeger in particular, is mightily impressive as his roaring snarls are laced with venom as every guttural bark is packed with power and his link-up play with Fasciana in the guitar department oozes quality, demonstrating that the band are operating as a tight unit; especially when they deploy new material from last year’s The 13th Beast, which sounds as solid as their decorated back catalogue. They may be considered a veteran band, but given what MALEVOLENT CREATION displayed in Manchester, they are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the younger and hungrier talent.
Rating: 8/10
In a sense, it is difficult to predict what to expect from Drabikowski‘s incantation of BATUSHKA, he had only made the band’s live debut in November of last year. Krysiuk‘s version may have had had numerous outings at major festivals like Download and Bloodstock, but the less said about those performances the better. Instead, the focus here should be towards how Drabikowski approached bringing his BATUSHKA to the stage and it was a spectacle to behold as the outfit displayed the utmost professionalism and tight musical chemistry to provide a performance that was simply breathtaking.
Performing the entirety of the hailed Panihida, the band are in breathtaking form as every dense passage of riffing encourages heads to bang aplenty, the ritualistic chanting from the backing vocalists is spiritually haunting and the visual aesthetic of the stage set-up ensures that all eyes are focused firmly towards the stage. It’s a performance with little lulls or drab moments, as BATUSHKA ensure that they maintain their intoxicating atmosphere that they have been renowned for. And yet, whilst the material of Panihida was mightily impressive, the set’s shining moment comes at the close as a finale of Yekteniya I ensures the night ends on the biggest of highs. The debates surrounding ownership of the BATUSHKA name may continue to swirl, but given the sheer quality on offer from Krzysztof Drabikowski in Manchester, it’s clear that the future is certainly bright for his future.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the live ritual in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here:
