The conflicted and neverending tale of Batushka is on our mutual minds yet again. Exactly. None other than these guys. This here crew covered the machinations around this act until around the end of 2019. That was the time when both accusers headed to court in earnest. And boy, do the legal mills run slowly back in Poland. It has taken both iterations of Batushka and their angry, fearless leaders eons to find some closure. If one can call that closure at all, that is.
But as far as we know today, by the second half of 2024, the Batushka case has been brutally squashed by the Polish courts, all venues exhausted, and both brawlers sat in their corners to reflect on their actions. The RMR crew decided to give this one some time to mature further. This is one of these cases where things are over only when they are, and we now believe this saga has hit the end of the road. Let’s dive in some more.
A short yet painful recap of the past.
As you may remember, in early December 2015, an unknown outfit suddenly made a hasty entrance into the underground metalscape. An anonymous act that had the questionable goodness to break into our listing season with a steaming hot Black Metal piece at the very last moment. Needless to say that their record Litourgyia made it onto the first Top 10 Records list of this fledgling zine. And boy are we glad that we paid attention back then. The RMR crew would have missed one of the best Black Metal albums of the last decade or so.
So, one would think that a bunch of East European metallers had just discovered Black Metal Nirvana. The realm of slithering terrors and trident-wielding demons would suddenly resound with darkly uttered hosannas to bless the Dark Lord. And all would ride together into Hell’s Sunset on the exuberant waves of unfettered success. Right?
Not so.
Some of Batushka‘s members developed some sort of megalomania-fever and tried to take control of the band. Meaning, the founder, Krzysztof Drabikowski, and manager/lead vocalist Bartłomiej Krysiuk very soon ended up at each other’s throats. Both claimed the rights to the name Batushka and vowed to fire their counterpart. Somebody must have drunk to their confusion and won.
In short, Krysiuk started the action and tried to push Drabikowski out of the band and into the abyss. To become fodder for the aforementioned tridents, I guess. He even threatened the creation of a documentary to show the world his former bandmate’s errors of his way. Only, the project never materialized, and the RMR crew is still eagerly awaiting all them juicy details. But I reckon, we can wait until we turn to stone. The man won’t be spilling the goods.
So, around 2018 and in line with similar events of bands such as Gorgoroth or Queensrÿche, the whole sorry affair headed to court. I was taken aback by the aggressive stance Krysiuk took over the twists and turns of this case. And in the middle of all that sorry mess sat Metal Blade Records like a big fat spider, ready to skim off some of the proceeds these guys created in the process. What’s wrong with conducting a ‘leedle bidness’ to line their pockets, right?
The Two Batushkas and the Forbidden Fruit!
Thus, quite unsurprisingly, the metal world ended up with two Batushkas, each one driven by one opposing faction. And that netted the metal multiverse two different records of a somewhat similar ilk. Forbidden fruit served amidst a quagmire of wild accusations, top-level gaslighting, and real copyright infringement.
The Drabikowski wing issued Panihida, a pretty mature piece with an acid air, albeit also with a somewhat unfinished look and feel. BUT this album made it onto the 2019 Top 10 Records nonetheless. In contrast, Bart‘s gang of (not so) merry men lurched forth with Hospodi. A record that left us – well – unamused, to say the least. However, the band unchained Raskol later in 2020. An EP that really kicked it up a few notches. So, things may look a bit more lively for their future offerings. If ever we return to this specific part of Black Metal.
The Art of the Choice!
It took the Polish legal system some considerable time to dissect this godawful mess created by Batushka‘s fearless freedom fighters. By June 2024, it became clear that Krysiuk lost his case despite his belligerent actions taken with the help of the label, and Drabikowski would retain the only right of use of the moniker Batushka. At first, it appeared that an appeal was imminent, but by the end of that same year, Bartłomiej Krysiuk announced that the band would rebrand under the name Patriarkh, now signed to Napalm Records.
And methinks that Bart and his bandmates finally understood that now is the time to choose, and to choose wisely. Sometimes one must lose a little to gain a lot and to this crew, they made the right choice. This will enable both factions to continue on their individual routes and both bands have merit. As to RMR, we have no preference. The metal counts, not personalities, and that is what we will concentrate on in the future.
By January 2025, Patriarkh indeed released their newest album, Prophet Ilya. Whereas the ‘original’ Batushka crew still seems to be stuck with Panihida of 2019. The future will tell how this will pan out. This crew may be back with more.
Stay tuned.