Russian Metal! Options

[BuckSatanII]

I've been listening to metal for about 30 years and I'm pretty sure I don't know a single metal band from Russia. Now, I guess this is because Russia has never produced a great metal band? But this seems ridiculous, because Russia is an enormous country with a very big population and Russia has always contributed massively to all other forms of artistic expression and culture. I mean, when I think about it I think TaTu and Pussycat Dolls (or whatever Putin's girlfriends are called) are the only Russian artists of *any* genre that I know. Maybe I've just been living under the rock of Western Civilisation where Russia is an outlier.

So, maybe you guys can tell me the absolute best Russian metal bands of all time and just tell me if they are power metal because I'm not really into power metal at all (and my internet searches tell me that power metal is the biggest genre in RU).

I got most of my information from this URL, but really I'd rather you guys tell me the truth. https://www.last.fm/tag/russian+metal/artists

Cheers!

[Kazoth]

What genres of metal are you interested in?

[Necrodictator]

Scald (Epic Doom)
Aspid (Technical Thrash)

[CMFL]

Russia is an enormous country with a very big population and Russia has always contributed massively to all other forms of artistic expression and culture. I mean, when I think about it I think TaTu and Pussycat Dolls (or whatever Putin's girlfriends are called) are the only Russian artists of *any* genre that I know. Maybe I've just been living under the rock of Western Civilisation where Russia is an outlier.

I've been thinking about this recently, here's my two cents.



Soviet mass culture was meant to "democratize" access to elite Western culture - Italian operas, Viennese concert halls, Parisian salons, not the least of all similar places in Saint Petersburg and Moscow; whereas conservative, anti-communist approach exemplified in Cold War era America was to protect elites - attending Ivy League schools and living in secluded areas - and flood masses with meaningless mock culture: Hollywood, Top 40 radio hits, pulp literature and so on. Buying/selling cultural products being a prominent element in this.

Neighboring to Russia Finland, our former client state that preferred to defect to the Western camp, having many a metal band has just one (!) music conservatory for the entire country. In contrast, Russia has more violin players than guitar ones; it is to be counted of course, but my small town conservatory hosts 1,500 students.

In the Soviet Union, jazz was toyed with in the 20s and 60s but eventually outlawed, rock music, essentially borrowing Nazi term "degenerate art", simply declared decadent. Russia had a brief period of infatuation with the liberal West and its culture in the 90s and early 00s and it is now fading away, I wouldn't expect much to come out of it.

Alas!

[Metalian]

There are really many russian bands of virtually all metal genres, both russian-singing and english-singing.
Also if you spread the geography to x-USSR, there are many outstanding bands in Ukraine, Belarus, Baltic States.
It really depends on what genres are you interested in.

[Phantom_Voodoo]

[maxmagmas]

Фронт - Металлизация (1987).

[MetalgeR]

Гран-КуражЪ

[HviteGuden]

BlazeBirth Hall, особенно Forest и Branikald - достойный ответ норвежской сцене, ставший заслуженной классикой мирового БМ.

Из сегодняшних наших БМ-исполнителей больше всего мне нравится S6r6th6.

[LoveSan]

Hieronymus Bosch (Progressive Death Metal)
Leshak (Folk death metal )
SatanaKozel (Folk metal)
Without God (Stoner/Doom Metal)
Comatose Vigil (Funeral Doom)

[RAJAH]

Что вы всякие затрапезные банды вспоминаете?! А как же (IMG:https://www.froster.org/forum/style_emoticons/default/ar1.gif) ?

[assonik]

[lafuma]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/pleased.gif)

[M8R8K]

BlazeBirth Hall, особенно Forest и Branikald - достойный ответ норвежской сцене, ставший заслуженной классикой мирового БМ.

Из сегодняшних наших БМ-исполнителей больше всего мне нравится S6r6th6.

У тебя как-то бедновато получилось. Есть же ещё замечательный Vargleide, отличный нитберг - нагельрайд, шелевральные кобь, валькнут, темнозорь, дьюр. Ну а мясной ряд - намного богаче..

[BuckSatanII]

What genres of metal are you interested in?

I like most genres, but heavy is best - death, black, blackened death etc. I'm not super picky as long as it is GOOD.

I've been thinking about this recently, here's my two cents.



Soviet mass culture was meant to "democratize" access to elite Western culture - Italian operas, Viennese concert halls, Parisian salons, not the least of all similar places in Saint Petersburg and Moscow; whereas conservative, anti-communist approach exemplified in Cold War era America was to protect elites - attending Ivy League schools and living in secluded areas - and flood masses with meaningless mock culture: Hollywood, Top 40 radio hits, pulp literature and so on. Buying/selling cultural products being a prominent element in this.

Neighboring to Russia Finland, our former client state that preferred to defect to the Western camp, having many a metal band has just one (!) music conservatory for the entire country. In contrast, Russia has more violin players than guitar ones; it is to be counted of course, but my small town conservatory hosts 1,500 students.

In the Soviet Union, jazz was toyed with in the 20s and 60s but eventually outlawed, rock music, essentially borrowing Nazi term "degenerate art", simply declared decadent. Russia had a brief period of infatuation with the liberal West and its culture in the 90s and early 00s and it is now fading away, I wouldn't expect much to come out of it.

Alas!

Awesome reply, thanks. This is really my intention, two questions - what are the best Russian metal bands, why haven't I (or anybody I know) heard of them, and are they actually great bands that never came into the public metal consciousness of the West because they're Russian, or are they just nothing special compared to the thousands of existing bands that the "decadent West" has coughed up for decades.

My overall presumption is that in this advanced technological world we live in, where sharing music is as easy as taking a shit, if there were really great Russian metal bands out there, I wouldn't need to ask the question. Just like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, (metal) life would find a way.

There are really many russian bands of virtually all metal genres, both russian-singing and english-singing.
Also if you spread the geography to x-USSR, there are many outstanding bands in Ukraine, Belarus, Baltic States.
It really depends on what genres are you interested in.

Thanks man, yeah I specifically was thinking of Russia on this one. I mean, I heard Drudkh's "Blood In Our Wells" a few years ago and thought it was awesome. So at least I can name one former-Soviet band that became very well known in global metal circles ...

[CMFL]

This is really my intention, two questions - what are the best Russian metal bands, why haven't I (or anybody I know) heard of them, and are they actually great bands that never came into the public metal consciousness of the West because they're Russian, or are they just nothing special compared to the thousands of existing bands that the "decadent West" has coughed up for decades.

I'm a bit of a data nerd and love staring at maps, graphs and shit like that.

First map to show, number of metal bands per capita. Russians seriously don't dig fiddling with an electric guitar - among other things it's rather expensive and kids get settled with an acoustic one, which is a whole other genre.

Map 1: Bands per million people

(IMG:https://jakubmarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/metal-bands.jpg)

Second map, proficiency in English. Scandinavians speak better English than Americans, Russians fail to couple two words (most often literally)

Map 2: fluency in English

Click - https://i.imgur.com/UiOr3GV.png?1

Third map, attitude to United States. Poland loves them, Russia not so much.

Map 3: loving or hating US

(IMG:https://www.pewresearch.org/global/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/PG_2018.10.1_U.S.-Image_1-2.png)

These various factors combine and you either get people trying to be "like Slayer", or they go full Wagner.

Let's also admit that modern cultural imperialists Americans - without whom metal music wouldn't be possible, they don't have any Wagners to show. They don't respect European ways and are quite spiteful about "arrogant French" or "sissy Scandinavians", and might misjudge a country for not having Cannibal Corpse or Kanye West.

[maxmagmas]

Scrambled Defuncts еще забыли порекомендовать зарубежному товарищу. Рекомендую. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/pleased.gif)

[HviteGuden]

У тебя как-то бедновато получилось. Есть же ещё замечательный Vargleide, отличный нитберг - нагельрайд, шелевральные кобь, валькнут, темнозорь, дьюр. Ну а мясной ряд - намного богаче..

Все перечисленные мне не особо.

[Metalian]

I mean, I heard Drudkh's "Blood In Our Wells" a few years ago and thought it was awesome. So at least I can name one former-Soviet band that became very well known in global metal circles ...

Fine! I think you should try other well-known ukrainian bands, first of all, Nokturnal Mortum, Lucifugum, Hate Forest, then Astrofaes, Khors, Thunderkraft, Лютомысл (Lutomysl), Runes Of Dianceht, Anthropolatri, Munruthel, Сокира Перуна (Sokyra Peruna, Perun’s Axe), Anthro Halaust, Dub Buk, Евроклідон (Evroklidon), Лють (Lut'), Gjallarhorn, Ildverden, Kladovest, Moloch, Myrkvids Draumar, Semargl, Vermis Mysteriis, Коса (Kosa).
As for russian black metal, Blazebirth Hall's bands should be mentioned: Forest, Branikald, Nitberg, Vargleide, Велимор (Velimor). Also bands from Murmansk: Old Wainds, Мор (Mor) (don't confuse with other bands with the same title!), Навь (Nav'), Stielas Storhett. And many other known (and not known) black metal bands, e.g.: Ashen Light, Black Countess, Eternal Sin, Grom, Rossomahaar, T.H.R.O.N., Arcane Grail, Azeroth, Bloodrain, Cyber Baphomet, Iratus Dominus, Lunatii, Merknet, Stigmatic Chorus, Subdued, Therm.Eye.Flame, Wackhanalija, Икотка (Ikotka), Чёрные Озёра (Black Lakes), Nebelwerfer.

I like most genres, but heavy is best - death, black, blackened death etc. I'm not super picky as long as it is GOOD.

I suppose you have to listen many bands as tastes differ.
But at least you have to start from: Круиз (works of late 80s only!), Ария (better works of 80s), Мастер, Коррозия Металла (first albums only), Железный Поток, Паранойя, Валкирия, Shah, Чёрный Кофе, Скорая Помощь, Аспид.
Also there are (mostly "were", not "are") such outstanding bands as Gods Tower, Vicious Crusade, Scald, Butterfly Temple, Satarial, Alkonost, Во Скорбях, Emerald Night, Necrocannibal, Mental Home, Stonehenge, Saints Everlasting Rest, Rakoth, Ens Cogitans, Вой (funeral doom recorded in 1990), Русская Зима (Russian Winter, musically close to Winter, but recorded in 1989!). Many other titles can also be mentioned.

Awesome reply, thanks. This is really my intention, two questions - what are the best Russian metal bands, why haven't I (or anybody I know) heard of them, and are they actually great bands that never came into the public metal consciousness of the West because they're Russian, or are they just nothing special compared to the thousands of existing bands that the "decadent West" has coughed up for decades.

Many russian bands are well-known in the "first" world, e.g. Scald, Grenouer, Аркона, Ария, Rakoth, Satarial.
As for less-known, there are many reasons.
First of all, of course, as everywhere in the world, many bands play good music but have nothing outstanding. So most russian bands as well as, say, most brazilian bands are less-known.
Then most russian bands are amateur and thus touring it's just a kind of vacation, but not a kind of job, so foreign tours are complicated and expensive for non-promoted band. But without promotion any band will be relatively unknown. Also crossing borders with musical instruments, CDs and merch is both technically and juridically complicated (this is Russia, yes!).
The third reason are russian labels. Underground labels have no money to make wide promotion sending promos to hundreds of zines worldwide, bloggers, radios, etc. Major russian labels act only on inner market (as officical export of any russian goods for any business except biggest crude companies is extemely complicated).

Anyway, try to find samples (many albums and songs can be found at youtube), listen, perhaps you find something really worth: https://www.metal-archives.com/lists/RU

[Tarelka]

Hieronymus Bosch (Progressive Death Metal)
Leshak (Folk death metal )
SatanaKozel (Folk metal)
Without God (Stoner/Doom Metal)
Comatose Vigil (Funeral Doom)

единственный более менее адекватный список

Групп много. Но, в основном говняненьких. Либо для русского уха слушабельных. Хотя, мне уже почти ничего не нравится ни в каких странах.

Все Юра, старость старостная пришла?! )))

[Antichrist]

There is a lot of good metal from Russia. All Blazebirth Hall, Temnozor, Woods of Fallen, Walknut, Velimor, Сыны Севера, Old Wainds, Blackdeath, Pseudogod, Аркона, Pyre and old bands like Мастер, Ария.

[BuckSatanII]

I'm a bit of a data nerd and love staring at maps, graphs and shit like that.

Let's also admit that modern cultural imperialists Americans - without whom metal music wouldn't be possible, they don't have any Wagners to show. They don't respect European ways and are quite spiteful about "arrogant French" or "sissy Scandinavians", and might misjudge a country for not having Cannibal Corpse or Kanye West.

The maps were entertaining, I live in Sweden and I think the proficiency of English in Scandinavia is a little exaggerated (everyone can speak "some" but the map suggests that everyone is like a native speaker, which is a bit much).

Great point about America and its Wagners. At the end of the day I prefer metal to ballet, but nobody with a brain would argue that America has given the world anything truly memorable in a cultural sense, ever. Europe is the continent of glory in almost every sense, a beautiful lady that you wish would become your wife. America is just a bit of fun, a nice pair of tits and little else.

Thanks to everyone for the links and band names, I hope no offence is caused by me saying that so far, I don't find anything truly great among the suggestions but fun for sure. Perhaps the underground in RU is just not as exciting as I supposed it was (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile2.gif)

Anyway, try to find samples (many albums and songs can be found at youtube), listen, perhaps you find something really worth: https://www.metal-archives.com/lists/RU

Edited for page bandwidth but that was a great post reply, cheers!

In summary, I will start with some Blazebirth Hall discography. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/9.gif)

[lafuma]

clublen,
на первом сборнике как будто от балды группы подбирали, мясо с сахаром в одном флаконе (IMG:style_emoticons/default/1488.gif)

[Painkiller]

Some of the old-school masterpieces:





Ural diehard metal classics.

[Painkiller]

...blackened death...

[assonik]

https://i114.fastpic.ru/big/2021/0303/6f/82...005c4d89e6f.jpg

хоть тоже пауэер не люблю, но это стоит послушать.
Catharsis — 2004 — Призрачный Свет + 2007 — Баллада Земли (Compilation)

почини вход на сайт клублен

[assonik]

[quote name='clublen' date='Mar 5 2021, 18:44:56' post='2563852']
Там всё нормально работает. Просто произошёл по вине хостинг провайдера дизастер такой, что за последний год всё пропало. Но мы уже повосстанавливали. Ща рега открыта, свободно. Просто ьвой аккаунт, видимо пропал. Так что придётся заново региться. Таки дкла.

картинку глянь у вас баг https://sun9-41.userapi.com/impf/r5kTk7pJ6I...&type=album

[SSWolf88]

Щас тут насоветуют как вон сверху (IMG:style_emoticons/default/1488.gif)

Написали бы сразу BLACKDEATH. Мощно, стильно, мизантропично (IMG:style_emoticons/default/25.gif)