Operating under the drama of band name disputes, here we have Krysiuk's Batushka marching on with a string of three EPs that passed me by. Perhaps I am only following Krzysztof's Batushka? The whole thing is a confusing mess of foreign names often interchanged with unique language letters. Either way this arm of the sound Litourgiya reckoned upon us feels stylistically cornered as this iteration of the band hash out a similar resolution across six songs. Sticking to their guns, the main focus is steeped in overtones to tie in a darkness counter to eastern orthodoxy of centuries gone by.
After many spins, that's left Carju Niebiesnyj feeling like a duller incarnation, throwing the same punches over again. Its one merit is in production, a sense of expanded budget falls upon its crisper tone where instruments and voices come across clearer. Even with that, some charm may be lost as low fidelity often stirs magic in the Black Metal aesthetic. Talking on the music itself, only Pismo V stood aside as an interlude focusing on a duet of male and effeminate voices, singing with deep reverbs to evoke a sense of biblical burdens bestowed upon church goers of a time and place now lost.
Otherwise its screams, bleeding guitars and batterings of blast-beats tread a familiar line. Its competent but expectant, leaving one with little more to remark on than the particulates of their unique take established six years ago. Its enjoyable, especially in the embellished moments where choir voices and eastern overtones take rise, most keenly on its closer. In the plunges of darkness speared on by aggression and fury, not so much. Ultimately, its been another case of Metal music played safe and steady where as I am seeking something different and new.
Rating: 4/10