BATUSHKA: Polish Black Metal Legion To Kick Off European Pilgrimage Part III Tour

Polish black metal legion BATUSHKA will kick off a nearly three-week long European tour later this week. The European Pilgrimage Part III journey will commence January 10th in Tilburg, Netherlands and march its way through eighteen venues, coming to a close on January 27th in Rijssen, Netherlands. Support will be provided by avant black metallers Schammasch and ritualistic death industrial outfit Trepaneringsritualen. See confirmed dates below.

BATUSHKA w/ Schammasch, Trepaneringsritualen:

1/10/2018 013 - Tilburg, NL

1/11/2018 Biebob - Vosselaar, BE

1/12/2018 Thekla - Bristol, UK

1/13/2018 Rebellion - Manchester, UK

1/14/2018 Islington Assembly Hall - London, UK

1/15/2018 Petit Bain - Paris, FR

1/16/2018 Kulturfabrik - Esch Sur Aslette, LU

1/17/2018 Turock - Essen, DE

1/18/2018 Rockhouse - Salzburg, AT

1/19/2018 Hellraiser - Lepizig, DE

1/20/2018 Szene - Vienna, AT

1/21/2018 Hafen - Innsbruck, AT

1/22/2018 A38 - Budabest, HU

1/23/2018 Futurum - Prague, CZ

1/24/2018 Backstage - Munich, DE

1/25/2018 Kronensaal - Hamburg, DE

1/26/2018 Iduna - Drachten, NL

1/27/2018 Lucky - Rijssen, NL

Pronounced "Batjushka," the band's Cyrillic name Батюшка means "father" and is used to address an Eastern Orthodox priest. Despite their themes and imagery, they are not a Christian act. The identities of the members are unknown, but they are involved with other bands. Their live lineup contains eight members.

Metal Blade recently reissued BATUSHKA's stunning Litourgiya full-length, initially released in 2015 in limited quantity via Witching Hour Productions. Despite its relative cult status, the record earned critical accolades from journalists "in the know." In a 4.5/5 rating, Sputnik Music championed the record noting, "Crushing intensity is a term bandied about with gleeful abandon nowadays, but it's more than applicable when used to describe BATUSHKA's brand of Slavonic-influenced black metal. The mysterious nature of the band's members only finishes off the creation of a truly intriguing entity, but in all honesty Litourgiya has done most of the hard work for them; a violent, devout, moving and sibylline affair, and one that will hopefully in time be revered as such." No Clean Singing concurred, "The music is dark, heaving, and very heavy - with bombastic outbreaks of wildfire and thunder - and the bleak, majestic melodies are effective at getting under the skin. But what sets the music apart and makes the album especially memorable are the vocals. In addition to the incinerating shrieks that you might expect in a black metal album, you'll hear reverberating liturgical chants in what I'm told is Church Slavonic - the language used in the Orthodox Church in such places as Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as nations in the Balkan Peninsula." Nine Circles wrote, "to say BATUSHKA is a band that is able to create layers is an understatement...Litourgiya is a combination of ancient rites and modern blasts; a work of shocking magnitude that has gone almost unnoticed by the metal community at large," while Metal Bandcamp hailed, "an excellent piece of work, filled with incredible instrumentality that elevates black metal to new heights."

Preview and purchase Litourgiya at metalblade.com/batushka

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