Rising from the ether cloaked in impenetrable mystery with the release of 2015’s ‘Litourgiya’, Batushka have become an undeniable force in the black metal community. Sporting large robes that obscure any identifiable features, it’s interesting, especially for a band in the modern age, that no one knew who the people behind the music and monk aesthetic were. Deliberately concealing band member identities, the intention was for Batushka to remain an anonymous musical project to allow for a more powerful musical experience.

However, with the recent problems that the band faces, that mystery has been shattered. Announcing the split on the band’s Instagram account, guitarist Krzysztof Drabikowski announced that singer Bartłomiej Krysiuk was to no longer be a part of the band due to ‘due to inappropriate behavior on his part’ and his attempts to ‘take my creation Batushka away from me’ and stated that the upcoming album would not feature his voice. A full copy of the statement can be found below.

‘An important announcement has to be made today. I have decided to part ways with batushka’s singer варфоломей (bartłomiej krysiuk) due to inappropriate behavior on his part. There were attempts to take my creation Batushka away from me, with the result that he will not continue to be a member of that music project and the upcoming album ‘панихида’ will not feature his voice. As songs may emerge that are not written by me but labelled as ‘batushka‘, i hereby announce that my instagram profile instagram.com/batushkaofficial, youtube channel youtube.com/c/батюшка and mail [email protected] are now the only means of contacting me. Please share this information on social media channels.

Thank you all for support and understanding

Батюшка

Krzysztof “христофоръ” Drabikowski’

The above message can no longer be found on the bands Instagram account has subsequently been replaced with a version controlled by Krysiuk which reads,

‘We would like to address the statement published on the (then) Batushka Instagram last Sunday:
Kris, our former guitarist, was told earlier this month that he would not participate in Batushka activities as we move into 2019. Kris was disappointed but understanding. We tried on multiple occasions to regain access to the Instagram page which was solely controlled by Kris. We had hoped that Kris would follow through with his promises to hand back control of Batushka’s Instagram but clearly that was not the case. This prompted a claim to have any pages operated by Kris, shut down based on intellectual property and trademark ownership.

Rest assured, everything will be reinstated soon!

Batushka is moving ahead with plans to release new music and begin a new touring cycle in 2019!

MORE NEWS COMING SOON!’

That is not the end of the story though as guitarist Drabikowski returned once more, this time using the bands YouTube account to convey the following message,

‘My name is Krzysztof “Derph” Drabikowski. Most of You know me by the moniker Христофоръ, the leader and creator of the musical project Batushka. I am recording this video because I have lost control over Batushka’s website, Facebook page, webstore and as of Tuesday, even the Instagram account. This is the only way I can tell You what is happening and how my former vocalist is trying to take the band away from me. I created Batushka in the spring of 2015. I am the author of the music, lyrics, the name, the painting that you know from the album cover and the overall monk image idea. I have made the musical arrangements, wrote the melodies and recorded most of the instruments on the Litourgiya album in my private home studio. Before the finishing touches I invited Bartłomiej Krysiuk to do the vocals according to my guidelines, and Marcin Bielemiuk to re-record my drums parts on acoustic percussion. Batushka was meant to be an anonymous musical project, and from the beginning the idea was to keep the line-up unknown to the public so that the listeners could focus their attention on the musical experience itself.

The album, released by Krysiuk’s underground label, became a hit. The demand for live shows from all over the world was enormous. So, I decided to, with the help of my friends, bring Batushka's music on to the live stage. During the past two years I have written and recorded the material for the second Batushka album, and Krysiuk pressed me to release it as soon as possible. As I wasn't satisfied with the results yet, I postponed the release of ‘The Follower of Litourgiya’ which followed with Krysiuk declaring he is leaving the band. On the Friday of the 21st of December I learned that Krysiuk hired musicians to produce an album that he planned to release as the new Batushka record, behind my back! He also registered Batushka as his personal trademark. Before I managed to do anything, he cut off my access to all Batushka’smedia platforms, and tries to enforce some kind of censorship on all media interested in the band situation. In response I have taken legal action and have been advised by my lawyer to not say anything further. All the new pictures you see on the website and Facebook page are of Krysiuk and random people like his son pretending to be Batushka. Every upcoming festival claiming to have Batushka in their line-up has made a deal with Krysiuk and not me. I would like to kindly ask You to copy and share this message wherever You can. Let the truth be heard.
As of now the only true Batushka will be that without Krysiuk behind the mic.

Thank You for watching and thank You for Your support.

As it stands there are now two versions of Batushka, one controlled by the guitarist and one controlled by the vocalist. The version controlled by krysiuk is scheduled to perform this year.

Stay tuned for more updates.