I wanted to make this thread (partly to make interstellar_medium admit that Russia has some good bands ) and party because it's clear that a few of our friends here have an impression that anything east of Berlin is a nazi wasteland.

So - Russian metal bands - name 'em, link 'em, tell us about why should we care about them. Mine are mainly a little older in terms of releases, so anything upcoming would be good too. If there's a good record label / local resource, share that ?

For me, I'd suggest everyone here check out Solitude Productions - I've been using them since they shipped CDs in brown paper & string (literally) - some excellent doom, death, gothic stuff on there. https://solitude-prod.com/?sl=en

Aut Mori - Gothic doom metal, in the vein of something like later Draconian, earlier Paradise Lost - this is from 2012, and is one of my favourite modern gothic-death-doom releases.
https://badmoodmanmusic.bandcamp.com/album/first-tear-of-autumn

Intaglio - Funeral doom, very atmospheric, bit of synthy-keyboardy stuff in there, this one is from 2005 - this is stereotypical red wine & thinking funeral doom.
https://intaglio.bandcamp.com/

Wine From Tears - more doom, more on the gothic/melodic and less on the death side - this is almost Scandinavian sounding like places, like later Funeral or Doom:VS. There's a whiff of Empyrium in there in some of the songwriting too. This is from 2013.
https://winefromtears.bandcamp.com/

Where's my popcorn, Methuen?!

I also hope nobody drags Arkona in. They're shady. In more ways than one.

Which one? There are 4 Arkonas and two of them are Russian. At least 3 of them are sketchy.

Scald! Grandiose epic doom inspired by Bathory, their only album is a nice little gem

The biggest The one so heavily worshipped abroad.

Popcorn is in the back with the Stoli

I've seen Arkona play live (the folk metal band) - they were actually really good, hadn't thought to put them in here - but if they've got a whiff of politics happy to keep them away, rather spoils what I'm trying to achieve

How about Грай / Grai ? Are they ok ? I've seen their videos, and the twin-female-vocals thing seems pretty unique for folk metal, some of the instrumentation too.

First of all, Arkona's lyrics are very clumsy.
Then, like lots of our "alternative patriotic" (actually religiously Pagan) bands, they are complacent with the Nazi portion of their fandom.
Next, a lot of their work is plain out religious propaganda, albeit anti-Christian. Doesn't really matter to me.
And - Masha does not pay for music, she dl's stuff of other bands and, if she likes something, she might consider paying for some merch (if she likes it). Source (googletranslate it): https://www.darkside.ru/interviews/715/

All this, to me, completely negates the good facts about her - that she's a female metal musician who does decent growls, does not do the doll-up-to-sell-music thing and is a songwriter.

Грай... they are flirting with Pagan topics (they used to have religious members but those have left IIRC), but as they are not even like a quarter as big as Arkona, I don't know what sort of a situation there is at their gigs.
Their lyrics are also meh.
In all honesty, the best metal lyrics in Russian I've ever heard came from Seppänen of Курск, who is a Finn.

The second place I guess should go to Аспид - yeah, that old band with this legendary release. The music is really good, and the lyrics are your typical thrash metal rage, with a hint of poetry.

They're apparently recording new stuff with a Swedish singer.
https://vk.com/scaldepicdoom

He's a pretty solid ringer for Agyl too, one of the few instances of a band returning from a long layoff without sounding like they've missed a beat.

Link

It's probably the most basic band I could pick but I've really gotten into Ария in the last year or so. It's like Russian Iron Maiden in the absolute best way.

Skyforest, Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal one man band. Fell in love with 'em sometime last year and I recently got all the records. ^^

Have you picked up all the times when they're quoting Judas Priest riffs etc?

Here they're culturally quite akin to Metallica, that is, a lot of people who don't qualify as "lifestyle" metalheads listen to them. Those who call themselves "rock and metal fans", you get the drift. As gateway as it gets... and not many progress further.

The lead guitarist (Kholstinin) and the bass player (Dubinin) released a fun acoustic self-cover album back then in the 90s (plus two previously unreleased tracks), with Dubinin handling lead vocals. I actually prefer his vocals most of the time, even though Kipelov is a good singer.

Here's one I discovered recently called Grima:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uJ0xZw ... My9CaGoQag
It's some seriously great atmo black that reminds me often of Agalloch.

Oblachny Kray - not always metal, but always a very fun listen. They have a genuine “we’ll do whatever we want” feeling, and their cultivated image as typical goofy Russian “hillbillies”, for lack of a better word, is hilarious.

Grima is fantastic, probably the best black metal coming out of Russia right now.

On the subject of Arkona, I like them okay, but their past two albums have done little to impress me and I find myself losing interest in them with time.

Russia has some really amazing bands, I'll go through my favourites:

Grima are a pretty great atmospheric black metal project from Krasnoyarsk. They've been signed to Naturmacht for a good few years now and have a couple really solid releases under their belt. Their new album dropped recently and it's one I'm pretty eager to pick up physically:


The appropriately named Funeral Tears are a funeral doom project from Tomsk. They've been bubbling just under the genre's heavy hitters for a while now but I'd say they have enough quality material for any doom fan to check out. Their first album is still my favourite:


Finally and fairly well known: Путь. Their name translates as "Path" or "Pathway" apparently but more importantly they're one of the most famous recent Russian bands. Their unique brand of post-black metal should be an easy sell to existing fans but I highly recommend anyone even vaguely interested to check their 2018 LP; the one with the skeleton playing accordion on the cover:


Russia might end up as one of my favourite countries for music if I continue to hear the good quality shit they seem to put out constantly. Before I go though, I wanna share my favourite non-metal, "Russian" band: Huun-Huur-Tu. Playing traditional Tuvan folk music complete with throat singing and plenty of beautiful melodies, Huun-Huur-Tu really deserve to be better known than they are:

So-called "minor peoples of Russia" have absolutely amazing cultures, thousands of years old. This is the real deal, and it's a shame that bands like these aren't promoted well enough even within Russian borders.

Crust
https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Crust/3540398318

A most excellent mix of Death/Doom and Black Metal.

Some of the Blazebirth Hall black metal bands like Forest, and Branikald are high quality.





Mactep, a thrash band have been around since the 80s and are still going.


Can't leave out Shah either when discussing Russian thrash.


Not too many Oldschool death metal bands I can think of but Graveside released an album that I really enjoy. Very thrashy death.


Another one of the early OSDM bands from Russia. Quite a midpaced thrasher.


Scrambled Defuncts is some awesome brutal death. I recall not getting into their other albums, but Hackled in Gore is one of my favorites. I usually don't like technical brutal death, but they do it really well.


Pseudogod is some excellent and thick black/death.


Grond is pretty solid for one of the OSDM revival bands with a Lovecraftian theme.


I usually think of Brutal death metal when it comes to Russia as they have a ton of that including a lot of slam, but I am not really into that stuff.

I really like Мастер. Quality stuff.


Try "Храни меня"

Коррозия Металла / Korrozia Metalla were pretty good up until the late 90s

I also wanted to recommend these two +

A Light in the Dark Atmospheric/Post-Black Metal/Shoegaze https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/A_Light_in_the_Dark/3540468818

Check out his non-archived side project: https://delice.bandcamp.com/album/sillage.

Alienation Cold Atmospheric Black Metal https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Alienation_Cold/61476


Elderwind Atmospheric Black Metal/Dark Ambient https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Elderwind/3540355550


Сивый Яр Atmospheric/Pagan/Post-Black Metal https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/%D0%A1%D0%B8%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%AF%D1%80/3540262937

Love the mentions for Grima and A Light In The Dark.

I really really enjoyed the album from Olhava last year entitled "Lodoga". Atmospheric, hypnotizing black metal.

Oh my god she... she downloads music?

That's it I'm tossing all my Arkona cds

Mystic Storm are a fantastic newer band from Russia. Killer crusty thrash metal.


There is also the band Dekonstruktor (post-The Moon Mistress project). They play lofi industrial (in the godflesh sense) stoned out doom metal.

Impressed. Didn't knew them, really interesting band.
Thank you

Plenty of good stuff from Russia lately, here's my favorites, mostly post-metal:

https://negativevoice.bandcamp.com/
Progressive Doom metal, their Cold Redrafted album is great

https://showmeadinosaur.bandcamp.com/
https://trnaband.bandcamp.com/
https://somnband.bandcamp.com/
https://olhava.bandcamp.com/
Various shades of Post-Black from Saint Petersburg

https://asteloscora.bandcamp.com/
Atmospheric Black Metal

https://kulturakureniya.bandcamp.com/
Black Metal/Post-Punk

https://kruchina.bandcamp.com/
DSBM

https://howlingnorth.bandcamp.com/
Atmospheric BM One-man project

https://abstractvoid.bandcamp.com/
Synthwave/Post-Black, another project from B.M. (A Light in Dark, Skyforest, ...)

I'm glad a few people named Skyforest - I bought the 'Harmony' EP, and will be getting more of that. Really good stuff (and very very calm) for someone that used to make quite rough & ready black metal.

One thing I'm noticing is a LOT of doom. My own exposure is prejudiced because I'm on the mailing list for a Russian doom label, but it seems like it's a broader trend.



Pre-lockdown I had been asking a Ukrainian friend to translate some bits & pieces for me - she was brought up speaking Russian, learning the literature, poetry, etc, so understands the idiom as well as the literal meaning, which is where internet translators can often let me down. I had to be a bit more careful with that after I gave her a doom record to work on that was mainly about sex

Kypck I like - I bought their first album a while ago, though 'Christmas in Murmansk' isn't exactly party music

Ultar is my favorite Russian band. Their debut album, Kadath, is amazing.

If you need Russian norsecore gotta go with Spitehowling:

Novy Zavet, with their overtly Christian doom metal are basically the Trouble of Russia. First album Alliluya (their best imo) came out just as the Soviet Union fell, so they are not too far off drom being among the founders of the genre. Plus the bonus that the singer’s voice is more traditional, i.e. less of an acquired taste like Eric Wagner - or Tim Baker for that matter.

Probably my favorite country for metal especially black metal

The four I have listed at the moment without delving deeper.


https://autemfrigoreactenebras.bandcamp ... ompilation

https://narcolepticaprod.bandcamp.com/a ... rnful-dawn

https://shroudoffrost.bandcamp.com/albu ... ming-storm

https://ordomcm.bandcamp.com/album/intothecrypt-vakor

And Second to Sun

The funny thing is that in the 90s, the word "doom" here was used to refer to just about any type of non-trad/power metal. And even some trad, I think - because my friends were absolutely adamant Ozzy was "doom". Damn, a good load of people still think Amorphis is a "doom" band.

What was that record, BTW?

Sunless Rise is another good Russian band.

dont think i saw anyone mention wombripper. they fucking slap. really solid hm2 core/chainsaw metal https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Wo ... 3540382838

Круиз (Kruiz)! Their album Круиз-1 (Kruiz-1) rules, awesome speed metal. Most of their other material is just hard rock stuff. Check out "Последний рассвет" (The Last Dawn):

Huun-Huur-Tu were really amazing when I saw them a little more than a year ago in Zagreb. Beautiful voices, utterly mesmerizing live experience that really almost takes you to the Tuvan steppe...

This reminded me of something. There is a good fan site called The Iron Maiden Commentary, with pretty detailed and nicely laid out information about the band's releases. It's a precious relic of Web 1.0 still, at the time when most of these are disappearing, and the guy who runs it is a total dyed-in-the-wool Maiden fanatic and has very conservative tastes, it seems.

Anyway, he also reviews a couple of those tribute album and there are, of course, death metal bands covering Maiden, which he can't stand. His word for death metal growls is "doom vocals". He doesn't mean doom metal, it just seems like a phrase he found particularly descriptive. I wonder if this is part of the phenomenon you're describing.