PATRIARKH – “WIERSZALIN III” Official Live Video Streaming

Polish black metal icons Patriarkh (formerly Batushka) embark on a dark and menacing pilgrimage with their upcoming concept album ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ (lat. PROROK ILJA), which will be released on January 3rd via Napalm Records. An official live video for “WIERSZALIN III” is streaming below. The video was recorded live in September during CZARNA PASCHA II in Krakow, Poland.

ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ describes a true story that happened in the band’s home region of Podlasie, in the village of Grzybowszczyzna, in the 1930s and 40s. The album takes the listener into the world of Eliasz Klimowicz, the titular prophet Ilja, an uneducated farmer who was the leader of the orthodox Grzybowska sect, which was active until the 1960s and cultivated and passed on the story of the self-proclaimed prophet. Patriarkh spread their gospel using an arsenal of folk instruments such as the tagelharpa, mandolin, mandocello, hurdy-gurdy and dulcimer, and collaborated with a symphony orchestra and choirs to give their new creations as organic and lively a feel as possible. As is characteristic of Patriarkh’s music, orthodox holiness is mixed with black and doom metal, now largely enriched with folk music, neo-dark folk and even film music. The band utilizes the full range of Orthodox music, venturing into the realms of Byzantine monody, liturgical chant and Russian polyphony, and deftly adapting folk and liturgical melodies to their own style.

Patriarkh on the new album: “With this new release we start a new chapter in our story – not only our name changes, but also our music goes through a natural evolution.” The story on the album encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone, we reached for means that we had not previously used in our music. Many of you will be wondering if this is still black metal? Or is it even metal? Radio play, audio book, theater, film music, folk music, performance… All of these terms fit here. Some will hate it, others will love it…”

The lyrical side of ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ is an interesting mix of theater and pastoralism. Patriarkh uses text fragments from the play “Prorok Ilja” and draws on the messages of the works of Włodzimierz Pawluczuk and combines them with folk and liturgical texts. On ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ listeners can hear different languages ​​- and for the first time ever, Polish! The album was recorded in January and May 2024 at Tall Pine Records (Behemoth, Zalewski, Afromental), Heinrich House (Behemoth, Vesania, Hate), Wem Studio (Kasa Chorych, Lukasyno, Cira) and Radio Białystok Studio. Mixing and mastering was done by Wojciech Wiesławski at Hertz Studio (Vader, Behemoth, Decapitated) and production was led by band mastermind and lead singer Bartłomiej “Варфоломей” Krysiuk. “ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ is an album full of emotions, sentimentality and folklore. It is pastoral, lyrical, epic, multidimensional and multicolored, just like my Podlaskie is multicolored,” says Варфоломей. Dive into the deepest of shadows with this black metal masterpiece and join Patriarkh on this fascinating ride!

ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ will be available in the following formats:

– Wooden box (digipak, bonus CD, tag, flag and patch) – 300 copies (exclusively for Napalm Records Mailorder and Patriarkh Shop)
– Deluxe 2LP GATEFOLD GOLD Vinyl (alternative album cover, bonus vinyl and 24-page vinyl booklet) – 300 copies (exclusively for Napalm – Records Mailorder and Patriarkh Shop)
– 1LP GATEFOLD SILVER Vinyl – 300 copies (exclusively for Napalm Records mailorder)
– 1LP GATEFOLD MARBLED ORANGE RED BLACK Vinyl – 300 copies (exclusively for Napalm Records mailorder)
– 1 LP gatefold in black vinyl
– 6-page digipak
– Digital album

Pre-order here.

Tracklist:

“WIERSZALIN I (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН I (Cyrillic)”
“WIERSZALIN II (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН II (Cyrillic)”
“WIERSZALIN III (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН III (Cyrillic)”
“WIERSZALIN IV (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН IV (Cyrillic)”
“WIERSZALIN V (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН V (Cyrillic)”
“WIERSZALIN VI (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН VI (Cyrillic)”
“WIERSZALIN VII (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН VII (Cyrillic)”
“WIERSZALIN VIII (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН VIII (Cyrillic)”

Patriarchs are:

ВАРФОЛОМИЕЙ – singing
ЛЕХ – drums
МОНАХ ТАРЛАХАН – guitars
МОНАХ БРУТА – guitars
АРХАНГЕЛ МИХАИЛ – guitars
ХИАЦЫНТОС ЯЦА – choir
ЯЗЫЧНИК – choir

(Photo – Jacek Jaca Wisniewsky)