INTRODUCING: Death Pill
Bands worldwide haven’t had the easiest ride in the last handful of years. Since the turn of the decade, a global pandemic which upended life as we knew it and prohibited touring and a subsequent economic crisis which has seen running coasts soar, it can be argued that the life as a musician is at its most perilous. Yet, as tough as it has been, few can compare the struggles that punk trio DEATH PILL found themselves in on February 24th last year when Russia started their invasion of their homeland Ukraine. It’s a situation few can relate to and as drummer Anastasiya Khomenko opens her heart to Distorted Sound as she recalls the day of the invasion, we are left stunned by what we hear.
“Each of us remembers the day of the full-scale invasion minute by minute. Thousands of calls from relatives and friends, people are in a panic, terrible traffic is on the roads, despite the fact that everything is frozen like in horror movies about the zombie apocalypse. You hear only the alarm signal and the sound of fighter jets flying past. And at this time you should try not to panic, gather all your relatives and valuables and think of a clear plan. A few hours after the invasion, we had chat with the girls (in the DEATH PILL chat) and decided that we should put one single track on streams to allow subscribers and fans from other countries to buy this track (if memory serves me, this track collected about $2000 which we transferred asap to the support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine),” she explains. “You don’t know if you will survive, or if a Russian missile will hit your home and destroy everything valuable to you. We knew that at least this track would be preserved in the world network and would work for the victory of Ukraine and would be preserved as a cultural unit.”
With their world upended and that the mantra for those in Ukraine shifted to survival in the face of Russia’s illegal war, you could forgive Anastasiya (together with guitarist/vocalist Mariana Navrotskaya and bassist Natalya Seryakova) if they shifted their priorities away from band responsibility to ensuring survival for both themselves and their loved ones. However, just as the country held firm against all the odds, the trio forged on – creating a debut album that is visceral, full of unadulterated anger and at its core: bursts at the seams with raw quality. From the moment opener Dirty Rotten Youth flies out the gates, DEATH PILL take you on a whirlwind journey as their explosive punk batters you into submission.
“We came up with a rule to simply write ‘+’ in the chat once a day to understand that each of us is alive. After about a week, we realised that the war will not end quickly and we have to find the strength to finish and release the album, because no freak, no scumbag, no asshole on this planet can stop us from expressing our opinion or changing our plans. Moreover, we already had a huge support from our label and fans,” Anastasiya reflects.
“Our option was the only way out to finish the album. We are actually happy that the whole team was able to continue working even under fire. It kept us afloat, it distracted us from anxiety, it gave hope that creativity, art and culture cannot be destroyed. Even when we moved to different parts of the world, we had something that kept us together (besides, of course, wonderful memories that no one can take away from us), we had and have a common cause. This gives hope and confirms the fact that we are unbreakable as individuals and our people as a strong nation.”
One year on since the war started and Ukraine are still standing firm. There is hope for a brighter tomorrow and one that will see Ukrainian flags wave and Russia expelled from the lands they tried to claim as their own. On an international level, the Western world has never shied from its ongoing support for Ukraine, but for our world, the very fact bands continue to forge on and present their creativity in the face of conflict is truly inspiring. And when you have a band of the quality that is DEATH PILL, it’s all the more heroic.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding their immediate future as the war drags on, for DEATH PILL, their future burns as bright as a supernova. This is a special talent, and as we close our time with Anastasiya, she leaves with a message we all should adopt as our mantra. “Live life to the fullest, don’t put off your dreams and desires for later, don’t waste your time on unnecessary people, unnecessary affairs and quick pleasures that ultimately won’t bring the desired result. Don’t be shy, be strong, stand up for your rights and live your emotions to the fullest! There is a lot of wickedness and evil in the world, your task is to quickly harm it, if you have already encountered it. And finally: Do you tell your loved ones that you love them and why you love them? So why be afraid to tell an asshole that he’s an asshole and should go to hell if he doesn’t respect your feelings because YOU’RE WORTH IT? You are worth it, no doubt. We thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the opportunity to answer this interview now. Glory to Ukraine!”
Sláva Ukrayíni!
Death Pill is out now via New Heavy Sounds.
Like DEATH PILL on Facebook.
