Hailing from Białystok, Podlaskie, Batushka was founded by Krzysztof Drabikowski in 2015. Bringing in vocalist Bartłomiej “Bart” Krysiuk, the distinct sound of Batushka was created and their debut album Litourgiya released. Litourgiya (Witching Hour Productions, 2015) is a masterful mix of savagely rhythmic black metal and Krysiuk’s beastly chants of the Eastern Orthodox litany, that continues to receive well deserved praise. Inspired by the Eastern Orthodox church in not only the imagery and themes, but Batushka’s lyrics are written exclusively in Church Slavonic, an encomium to the already haunting and jaggedly grand instrumentals.
