Ukrainian metal

Ukrainian metal is the heavy metal music scene of Ukraine. The most common Ukrainian heavy metal subgenres are black, pagan, folk and death metal. The most popular and well-known bands are black metal bands Drudkh, Nokturnal Mortum, Khors, death metal bands Fleshgore, Firelake, folk metal bands Tin Sontsia, Veremiy and Jinjer, a metalcore band. Among the biggest festivals are Metal Heads Mission (Crimea, de jure control), Carpathian Alliance (Lviv oblast), Global East (Kyiv), ProRock (Kyiv). Media: among some old and established on ex-USSR territory paper magazines like "Terroraiser", "Atmosfear" there is also English-language portal Antichrist magazine (since 2003).
History.
1980s.
Adem was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from Kyiv. They were pioneers of the style in Ukraine and former USSR in the middle of 1980s.
Adem was formed in 1985 by founding members Yuriy Fedoretenko (guitar) and Viktor Lukianov (bass guitar), later joined by drummer Simon Rymar and second guitarist Volodymyr Stetsenko. At the end of 1986 the group’s line-up was changed - Yuriy Fedoretenko and Volodymyr Stetsenko were replaced by Ihor Shilin (guitars, vocals) and Vadym Virvalsky (second guitarist).
In late 1980s Adem recorded two studio albums: "Time of Maddness" (1988) and "Golgotha" (1989)
The band was well received on their first tour around Ukriaine and Russia in 1987. The next tour was to Rock Festival "Drama" in Gdańsk (Poland), it took place in 1989.
In 1990 the group's line-up changed again. Ihor Shilin, Simon Rymar and Vadym Virvalsky left the band, and were replaced by Andriy Antonenko (guitars, vocals) and Yarik (drums). The new album "Fight Without Rules" was released in 1996. Adem stopped touring and recording sometime in 1997.
In 2003 ex-drummer Simon Rymar collected and restored previously recorded albums "Times of Maddness" and "Golgotha" at the Backstage Studio (United States). The materials were used by Moon Records Studio Recording Company to release these two albums in Ukraine, in 2004.
Their new album, "The Souls of Aggression" was released in 2005. It includes a collection of other songs from the previous years.
TOK was formed in 1986 in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR (today Dnipro, Ukraine).
1990s.
Nokturnal Mortum started as a death metal band called Suppuration in 1991, then they turned to black metal and changed name to Darkness but "had to change the name back between 1993 and 1994 to Nocturnal Mortum because there already existed a band with that name in the western underground." Then the band "changed the letter so that we wouldn't find a band with the same name again like it was the case with Darkness." Nokturnal Mortum gained their first Western recognition with the release of their album "Goat Horns", their second full-length album, notable for having two keyboardists play on the album, often on the same song, and for mixing traditional Ukrainian music with black metal.
The band's first albums were released through The End Records and (as licence pressings) through Nuclear Blast, but the label and band separated after releasing the album "Nechrist" and a re-release of the "Lunar Poetry" demo due to a disagreement. According to Varggoth, "We had a contract with The End Records but it was broken. We have different points of view. They didn't like our policy, we didn't like the way they do business. They owe us some money. That was enough for a conflict."
Band frontman Knjaz Varggoth is one of the foremost figures in Eastern European National Socialist Black Metal (NSBM) and has played in various NSBM bands, like Aryan Terrorism, Warhead and Temnozor. Nokturnal Mortum's albums "Weltanschauung" and the live album "Live in Katowice" were released by No Colours Records, a German label associated with NSBM. In an interview with Frostkamp, Varggoth said that the album "Weltanschauung" is influenced by Miguel Serrano, a former Chilean diplomat, holocaust denier and major figure in Esoteric Hitlerism.
Soulrest appeared in 1996 in Uzhhorod, Ukraine.
In the beginning, the band consisted of Doni (drums), Lemi (guitars, vocals) and Yasya (guitarist). They prepared their first demo, which contained compositions written mainly by Lemi. But after some discords, Lemi left the band. In the end of 1996 Dyma (keyboards) and Carcass (vocals) joined the band. In November 1996, this new staff recorded three albums: "Pathological Processes", "This is my Life", and "Perpetual Decay".
In the beginning of 1997 Ihor, the second guitarist, entered the band, and 5 new songs were recorded with him in April, 1997. At the end of spring, 1997, Soulrest released the demo entitled "Pathological Processes", consisting of 8 compositions (40 min). Releasing the demo, Soulrest took part in many concerts and becomes the leading band in Transcarpathia. At the end of 1997, Carcass leaves the band, and Kasym becomes a new vocalist. With this staff, Soulrest had a concert in Slovakia on the Open Air festival. After a number concerts in Transcarpathia Kasym left the band and Soulrest continued to play without a vocalist. In 1999 Doni left the band and the new members of Soulrest became Laci (bass) and Tibi (drums). The second album, "Sentenced To Suicide" was released in December 2001 with their participation.
Firelake was formed in 1997 by Oleh Yavorskyi (guitar), Oleksiy Akulshyn (guitar) and Andriy Salnikov (drums). Under the influence of extremely popular bands at the time of the "Swedish wave of death metal" (bands like At the Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity), the first musical compositions of Firelake were created with a slant to classic melodic death metal. After internal arguing and production difficulties, the band finally managed to find its own style, as a melodic death metal band.
2000s.
Fleshgore is a death metal band formed from Kyiv. It was formed in late 2000 and has gone through a number of line-up changes. Guitarist Ihor Lystopad is the only original member. In their touring history, they have played in 19 countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden and Germany, where they played in Wacken Open Air in 2006.
Tin Sontsia is a Ukrainian folk metal band from Kyiv. Primarily the band's style was close to alternative rock, but in 2003 they have come to so called Cossack rock. Almost all of the lyrics are in Ukrainian except some songs were written in Belarusian.
Kroda is a black metal band formed in 2003 in Dnipropetrovsk. The band's primary lyrical themes are paganism, nature and history. Their sixth full-length album was released on May 1, 2015.
The band was formed by two musicians, Eisenslav and Viterzgir, in March 2003. The name of the band was taken from the Old East Slavic language and means "The fire of burial bonfire". According to legend, when the bodies of the warriors burned, their souls were carried away with the smoke to the Heavenly Palaces of the Gods. The smoke was a kind of a guide to Rod. In Sanskrit, the word "kroda" means "anger", "rage". Thus, the meaning of the name reveals the concept of the band.
In May 2004, Kroda released their debut full-length album "Поплач мені, річко..." ("Cry To Me, River...") on Stellar Winter Records.
Their second album "До небокраю життя..." ("Towards The Firmaments Verge of Life...") was recorded from January to April 2005, and was released on 20 July the same year. In 2012 it was remastered and reissued on Purity Through Fire Records in Germany.
In August 2007, Kroda made their first live performance at the Ukriainian metal music festival "Svarohovo Kolo II", which was held in Sevastopol. On December 22, the band participates in the "Kolovorot Fest" in Kharkiv.
Polynove Pole (, "The Wormwood Field") was a gothic metal band from Ukraine. It was formed in 2004 in Lviv, Ukraine. The music style of the band can be described as melodic gothic metal, with several songs referring to symphonic metal and doom metal.
Having created their first material, in early 2005 they recorded a demo, which included four songs. In a couple of months "Polynove Pole" started to participate in concerts and rock festivals in Lviv and other cities. After the considerable changes in the cast at the beginning of 2007 their music changed in a way. It has become tangibly heavier, more melodic and closer to the formerly chosen gothic metal style. New members joined the band (among them – the soloist of Lviv Philharmonic Marianna Laba).
Since autumn of 2008 the musicians have got down to work on studio records, where they created their first official album "Pure Souls". The second official album "On Seven Winds" was released out in spring 2009, combining the best of the band from all the previous years. In December 2009 they released the album "Under The Cold Stone".
Beginning from 2010 the band stopped their activity due to members discordance about creative approaches.
On July 3, 2012 the demise of the band was officially declared but in 2017 they announced they were working on their fourth album.
HASPYD is a Ukrainian folk metal/pagan metal band from Kharkiv. Songs combined elements of folk metal, melodic death metal, even a power metal and other genres. They play not only classical metal instruments, such an electric guitars, drums, basses, but also folk instruments (sopilka - Ukrainian flutes, bandura - Ukrainian strings instrument sounds like a harp, violin, drymba - Ukrainian Jew's harp, zhalijka - Slavic instrument sound like one piped bagpipe). Vocals - clear, growling, screaming. All of the lyrics are in Ukrainian. Band have 2 covers of Amon Amarth and Hypocrisy in Ukrainian translation.
2010s.
Make Me Famous were a Ukrainian metalcore band. They were founded in 2010 by rhythm guitarist and co-vocalist Denis Shaforostov, who gained popularity through his YouTube channel "above92". They have released one studio album, titled "It's Now or Never".