Ukrainian Black Metal Bands Known Worldwide

Over the years, Ukrainian black metal has given rise to many iconic names. But now, new artists are already shaping the next chapter of this story.

Our legendary Ukrainian black metal bands, such as Drudkh, Hate Forest, Nokturnal Mortum, Khors and others, have long been listened to and loved all over the world. We told their stories and path as part of the material "10 iconic bands in Ukrainian black metal".

Today we will remind (and maybe discover for someone) newer bands and performers who expanded the scope of the genre and thanks to their uniqueness and hard work were able to be loved by fans and listeners not only in Ukraine, but also abroad.

White Ward

WHITE WARD is an experimental post-black metal band from Odesa, Ukraine, founded in 2012 by Yuriy Kazaryan. In their music, the band combines elements of post-black metal with dark jazz, retrowave, neofolk, and post-punk. The band's style is influenced by dark literature (in particular, Lovecraft), David Lynch's cinematography, and the visual and sound aesthetics of video games such as Silent Hill.

The project began in the spirit of raw depressive black metal, but quickly went beyond the genre.

Before the release of the first album, the band managed to release several demos, EPs, and splits, as well as repeatedly change the lineup.
The band's early works were later collected in the compilation "Origins", released in 2016.

The real breakthrough came with the release of the debut album "Futility Report", on which the band worked for more than three years. The release was released via the famous French label Debemur Morti Productions in 2017 and immediately received positive reviews from critics and attracted the attention of the international audience.

In it, White Ward combined post-black metal with the atmosphere of dark jazz, using the saxophone as a full-fledged instrument in the album's drama. The lyrics are about mental disorders, death, and metaphysical transitory states.

The band begins to give live performances in Ukraine, and later abroad, gaining new listeners around the world.

In 2019, the second full-length album "Love Exchange Failure" is released. The release continues to develop the eclecticism of metal and dark jazz: the first component has become faster and more evil, the second — atmospheric, noir and slow. The album was also recorded with guest vocalists Ivan Kozakevich from Sectorial, Vitaliy Gavrilenko from Signals Feed The Void and Fun Service, and Renata Kazhan from Zukkor Zovv.

"The concept is quite simple: there are several storylines that merge into one in the last song of the album. The three stories reveal a number of problems of modern society, especially life in a big city: domestic violence, bullying, inability/ability to sublimate mental stress, burnout at work, professional deformation. The texts also contain hints of thoughts and ideas expressed by such prominent thinkers as Fromm and Spengler. But everyone can see and hear something different in the lyrics," — Andriy (the band's former vocalist and bassist) told Neformat.

The release was recognized as the best metal album of the year by The Best Ukrainian Metal Act. In support of the album, the band also played concerts in Europe.

In 2021, the band released the EP "Debemur Morti " in honor of the 200th release of the label of the same name. The EP's title track was recorded with Lars Nidland (Borknagar).

"False Light" is White Ward's third album, released in June 2022, after the start of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The album is the largest project in the band's discography and combines both previous achievements and new musical experiments.

"This is a deeply conceptual album with a multi-layered semantic load. Eight dystopian tracks are inspired by Intermezzo (1908), an impressionistic novel by Ukrainian writer Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi. In addition, the music reflects the ideas of beat writer Jack Kerouac and psychoanalyst Carl Jung. The themes explored in the album include state violence and murder, environmental disaster, police brutality, domestic violence, the mental devastation of urban life, the falsity of mainstream culture, and the harmful effects of excessive consumption," — musicians told Neformat.

This time, the band also featured guest vocalists Vitaliy Gavrilenko (Signals Feed The Void), Jay Gambit (Crowhurst), and Adam Symonds (Latitudes).

Like White Ward's previous albums, "False Light" immediately hit the tops of music media and reviewers around the world and was once again recognized as the best metal album of the year by The Best Ukrainian Metal Act.

Before the outbreak of the full-scale war, the band actively toured Ukraine and Europe, but the last European tour was canceled due to the difficulties of traveling abroad.
In 2024, Andriy Pechatkin (vocals, bass guitar) left the band and the band performed at the Fine Misto festival with a new lineup.

1914

1914 is a Lviv-based band that combines elements of blackened death and doom metal. Founded in 2014 by Dmytro Ternushchak together with members of various Ukrainian bands. The main theme of the lyrics is the First World War, its tragedy and heroism.

Before their debut full-length release, 1914 released three singles. One of them — "Caught in the Crossfire" — was included in the British compilation "Helvete 4: Disciples Of Hate". In 2015, the band presented its debut album "Eschatology of War", which came out on the Ukrainian label Archaic Sound.

The first live performances take place in Lviv and Kyiv, as well as at the Electric Meadow, Neformat Fest, and Oskorei festivals.

In 2016, 1914 released a split with the American band Minenwerfer — both songs are dedicated to the Carpathian Winter Operation and the participation of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen in it. The band also released the EP "Für Kaiser, Volk und Vaterland!", the official release date of which (November 21) was chosen in honor of the anniversary of the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1916. The release contained old demos, a remix and a cover.

Over the next few years, the band has been actively performing: Kruk Fest in Uzhhorod, Black Sea Metal Festival, Zaxidfest, The Best Ukrainian Metal Act, and in 2017, the band debuted at the Lithuanian festival Kilkim Žaibu.

In 2018, the band released its second album "The Blind Leading the Blind", which received positive reviews from metal fans and critics from around the world. The release includes 11 tracks, including a cover of The Exploited ("Beat The Bastards") and a collaboration with Dave Ingram (Benediction, Bolt Thrower) — the track "Passchenhell".

The album's presentation took place on February 16 at the MonteRay club in Kyiv. The release was recognized as the best metal album of the year by The Best Ukrainian Metal Act.

In the same year, the band signed with the Austrian label Napalm Records, with which they still work today. This made it possible to significantly expand the band's foreign fan base and touring geography. At the same time, 1914 continues to perform in Ukraine: Faine Misto, Zaxidfest, Doom Over Kyiv.

In 2021, the band will present its third album "Where Fear and Weapons Meet" at the Atlas club in Kyiv on November 19. Among the guests of the release is Nick Holmes from Paradise Lost, who performed a part in the song "...and a Cross Now Marks His Place". The album was included in the lists of the best metal releases of the year according to many foreign publications, and was again recognized as the best metal album of the year by The Best Ukrainian Metal Act..

In 2022, the band manages to perform at a number of European summer festivals, but then concert activity is limited due to travel difficulties.

Currently, 1914 are preparing to release a new album "Viribus Unitis," which will be dedicated to the Ukrainian soldier during World War I. The release will be accompanied by a book with archival photographs. Among the already announced guests are ROME, Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride), and Christopher Scott (Precious Death). The album is scheduled for release in late autumn.

SVRM

SVRM is a Kharkiv-based one-man-band project of Serhiy Tkachenko (S), who was previously known for his participation in the bands Заводь and Life is Hell.

In 2013, after the release of Заводь's album "Крізь коло і п’ять кутів", Sergiy left the band and in 2015 created his own project SVRM. The project is exclusively studio-based — Serhiy does not give performances or interviews, focusing the listener on the music and lyrics themselves.

In the first year of its existence, two demos were released — "7" and "Den sidste Messias". The demo "7" will later be released on cassettes and vinyl with the support of the Dutch label Dawnbreed Records. The following year, another demo, "При смерті", and the debut EP "Зима", will be released. On these recordings, SVRM's signature style of melancholic atmospheric black metal with sticky melodic guitar parts diluted with acoustic passages becomes immediately noticeable.

The lyrics are mostly based on poems by poets, as well as their own poems.

In 2016, 3 more EPs "Голод", "За смертю" and "Останнє сонце" are released. Subsequently, a CD compilation containing all the songs from the previous releases was released in a limited edition on the Uzhhorod label Trismus Records.

The debut album "Лихиї вітри стогнуть без упину" was released in 2018. The release also received physical media — cassettes and CDs.

The album features the vocals and guitar of Dmitry Cronin (ex-Заводь, Malencontre), with whom SVRM periodically collaborates to this day.
Later this year, the band released the EP "Згарищe", and SVRM also began cooperation with the Vigor Decostruct label, which released a 3-CD collection "Discography | 2015/2018" (which also included all the band's previous recordings and the debut album).

In 2020, the second full-length album "Занепад" was released and received physical embodiment in the form of cassettes, CDs and vinyl.

In 2021, the fourth album "Розпад" and the EP "Червів майбутня здобич" were released, which will be released next year as a collection on the German label Vendetta Records. Interaction with European labels contributes greatly to the project's recognition abroad and expanding the audience.

Despite the current circumstances in Kharkiv, Serhiy continues to create music regularly and releases several EPs every year, the last of which was released this year and was titled "Скорбота".

SVRM also continues to work with Vendetta Records and some of his releases can still be found in their official web store.

Labyrinthus Stellarum

This atmospheric space black metal band is based in Odesa. It was formed by three musicians - guitarist Oleksandr Kostetskyi and brothers Oleksandr (vocals, keyboards) and Mykhailo (guitars) Andronati.

"Once Sashko Kostetskyi came to me and said: "Let's make a Lustre-style album". I immediately agreed, because we have long loved this band. Sashko recorded the first 2 riffs, to which I added synths and programmable drums - this is how the style of our first album was outlined, spacey atmospheric black metal," Alexander Andronati told Neformat.

In 2023, the guys made a loud statement with their debut album "Tales of the Void". On this album, atmospheric black metal is complemented by English-language lyrics inspired by space and science fiction..

Same year, the band received an invitation to perform live for the first time as the opening act for Nokturnal Mortum in Kyiv. For this performance, a live lineup of musicians was assembled. After that, the band began to perform in their native Odesa, visited Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk for the first time, and returned to Kyiv with a concert.

After the release of their debut album, Kostetsky left the band, and since then Labyrinthus Stellarum has continued to exist as a duo of the Andronati brothers.

The following year, in 2024, the album "Vortex of the World" was released. On this album, the band's sound intensifies and Labyrinthus Stellarum gains recognition abroad. This is facilitated by the release of the band's albums on the German label Northern Silence.

The album's presentations took place in Odesa, Kyiv, Lviv, Khmelnytsky, and Ivano-Frankivsk.

This year, the band's third album "Rift In Reality" was released. The presentation took place at the More Music Club in Odesa on May 24.

The album balances between epic melodies and aggressive heaviness. The biggest step forward here is the clean vocals, which have increased significantly compared to Labyrinthus Stellarum's previous albums. At the same time, the theme of the music remains unchanged - space with all its unexplored.

"The album consists of seven songs and one instrumental, and each [represents] a unique chapter in the overarching space saga. For example, "Voyagers" chronicles the journey of explorers who travel through the rift into the unknown, driven by the search for knowledge and the mysteries of the void," Neformat's musicians share.

The new album was also presented in Kyiv and at the Fine Misto festival in Lviv this summer.

Severoth

This one-man project from Dnipro was created in 2007 by Ilya Rafalsky, who is also the author of Bezmir, Morok, and Galdur. The first release-compilation "Nordly" came out in 2013 and contained demos recorded in 2008-2009.

In 2015, the Polish label Werewolf Promotion released the first album "Winterfall", on which Severoth invites to its world of atmospheric/ambient black metal - melancholic, natural and cosmic.

This atmospheric line continues on the next albums "Solitude" (2016) and "Forestpaths" (2017).

In 2018, Ilya recruits a live lineup and performs for the first time at the Ashen Dominion Fest, the second performance took place at the festival "Zrodenie tragédie z ducha hudby — Dej tretí" in Slovakia.

Also that year, the fourth album of the project "When the Night Falls..." was released, which will later be released on physical media thanks to the Italian label Avantgarde Music, with which Severoth cooperates to this day.

"When the Night Falls..." was created during 2017-2018. The cover artwork was created, as always, by Yulia Rafalska (Unholy Darkness).

The band continued to give rare live performances and took part in the Nove Kolo festival in Kharkiv and Ashen Dominion Fest in Kyiv.

In 2020, the world saw the album "Vsesvit", songs from which were performed live at a post-lockdown concert in Kyiv later, on May 29, 2021.

"Vsesvit", like my previous albums, is the fruit of thoughts, experiences, or some events in life that I embody in music. When I first started working on the album in 2018, I wanted to make a light and kind release that would give people inspiration and energize them, but over the 2 years of work, different things happened in my life, and it all left an imprint on the music. Therefore, the final version of the album has many different shades. Let everyone see them for themselves," — the musician told our media.

The latest album "By the Way of Light" was released in 2024. The artist's active work on this music lasted from 2021 until February 23, 2022.

"The next day, the full-scale Russian invasion began, and there was no time for music. That's how 2022 and part of 23 passed... I returned to the album and to creativity in general in the second half of 2023, when I finished the album," — Ilya recalls for Neformat.

Severoth is currently based in Poland, which contributes to more concerts and the spread of Ukrainian black metal in Europe.

They Came From Visions

They Came From Visions is an anonymous atmospheric black metal band of three musicians from Kyiv, founded in 2019. The band consists of: Voice of the Deep -bass; Voice of Gloom - guitat/drums & Voice of Misery — vocal.

"The band's aesthetic and musical component were inspired, on the one hand, by the music of the original bands Yellow Eyes, Wiegedood, and Bolzer, and, on the other hand, by the aesthetics of the folk-rock film genre, which emerged in the 1970s and has recently attracted the attention of some directors again. The final impetus for writing the material was given by Robert Eggers' film "The Witch", — the band's vocalist Voice of Misery told in a comment to our publication.

The first drafts of the debut album "Cloak Of Darkness, Dagger Of Night" were made in early 2019, but the musicians started to accumulate, record and release the material in 2020. The band mixed and mastered the debut release on their own.

"The album is not conceptual, but it is generally dedicated to the night, darkness, and the feeling of otherworldly, primordial horror that they evoke in a person who is alone with them," — the musicians comment.

The release came out in a limited edition on cassettes via Bloodred Distribution.

The band's second album "The Twilight Robes" was already released in 2024 via the famous German label Eisenwald. The release took place on the anniversary of the full-scale invasion. They prepared all the music and lyrics in 2021 and began recording the material at the same time. The album was completed in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"The drums, guitars, and vocals were recorded a few months before the invasion. When everything stabilized enough for us to continue making music, we recorded the bass lines and started working on the mix. It was a welcome distraction from the realities of the war and helped us stay sane," — the musicians told for website A Closer Listen.

An atmospheric music video for the track “The Blissful Defeat” was also released in support of the album.

 

The authenticity and mystery of the band and cooperation with a European label helped to open up They Came From Visions' music to the world and gain new fans around the world.

The band is still studio project, but does not completely rule out concert activity in the future:

"Our project was originally conceived during the COVID-19 quarantine, so we have always been focused on the studio. We considered starting live shows in support of “The Twilight Robes”, but the invasion put an end to those plans. During the first few months, we could barely listen to any music at all.

From a creative point of view, the war added a sense of urgency and a desire to do everything as quickly as possible. You never know what can happen to you in the coming months, weeks, days, so if you have any ideas that are worth releasing into the world, you better work on them while you can!" — the musicians comment.

Blade & Bath

Blade & Bath is a Ukrainian Depressive Suicidal Black Metal project by Denis Nidzelskiy from Kropyvnytskyi, currently based in Canada.

Blade & Bath was formed in 2021, announcing itself with the debut EP "Unsuccessful Attempts to Die". The following year, the project released its first full-length album "Euphoria of Self-Destruction". On this album, Denis demonstrated his signature style — melodic melancholic guitar melodies and depressive lyrics about the fatigue of social life and death.

Also, the song "The Forest of My Thoughts" was released in a split format with the bands Bizarre, Ernte, Phantom Castle, Ashes of Goth, Wolfe, Blasfema Estigia, Belztheamh.

In 2023, Blade & Bath takes part in a split called "Divagates in the Dungeons" with other Ukrainian bands: Narzug, Блукання Самотньої Особистості, Дубарь, Empirey, KatLoversKvlt, Відлюдник, Dead Rascal.

Later that year, the world saw the second album "Chains of Depression", on which Denis continued his genre line, adding atmosphere and depth to the music.

Blade & Bath's latest album "Rotten in Loneliness" was released in 2024 and was highly appreciated by genre fans around the world. The release featured other stars of the modern DSBM scene — Decalius and Saad.

Unfortunately, "Rotten in Loneliness" became Blade & Bath's swan song, because soon after the release, Denis announced the end of the project in favor of his personal life. This year, at the request of fans, he finally uploaded unfinished compositions written in the period 2023-2024 on Spotify.

However, in recent days, the artist's Instagram has hinted that the project will still have a continuation.

The information in the article is taken from open sources and Metal Archives website.