Hospodi (2019) - Batushka

Released on July 12, 2019, through Metal Blade Records, Hospodi is the second full-length album released under the Batushka name—but it comes from the camp led by vocalist Bartłomiej Krysiuk, following a legal and artistic split from the band’s original founder and composer, Krzysztof Drabikowski. While the band’s debut Litourgiya was a game-changing blend of Eastern Orthodox liturgical music and atmospheric black metal, Hospodi attempts to continue that sound with a more polished, accessible, and groove-driven direction. The album draws conceptually from the Orthodox Christian funeral rite, each track named after canonical hours of prayer, lending a ritualistic framework to the music.

Tracklist:

1. Wozglas

2. Dziewiatyj Czas

3. Wieczernia

4. Powieczerje

5. Polunosznica

6. Utrenia

7. Pierwyj Czas

8. Tretij Czas

9. Szestoj Czas

10. Liturgiya

Hospodi immediately establishes its sacred tone with “Wozglas,” a brief but commanding opening built on bells and choral ambiance. It sets the stage for an album that blends solemnity with heavy riffing, though the execution leans more toward theatrical than transcendental.

• Dziewiatyj Czas launches into a punchy mid-tempo riff underpinned by layered chanting. It’s black metal, but not particularly raw—Krysiuk's version of Batushka embraces clearer production and more digestible songwriting.

• Wieczernia and Powieczerje slow things down into more melancholic territory, heavy on groove and Orthodox-choir-like refrains. The melodies are memorable and the vocals more shouted than shrieked, reflecting a shift in vocal style from the enigmatic solemnity of Litourgiya.

• Polunosznica carries a funereal weight, thick with atmosphere. It’s one of the stronger tracks, with hypnotic tremolo riffs and ominous backing chants that actually feel spiritually unsettling.

• Utrenia begins with an ambient introduction and evolves into one of the more dynamic tracks on the album, showing glimpses of the original Batushka’s flair for drama and escalation.

• Pierwyj Czas, Tretij Czas, and Szestoj Czas form a kind of triptych of ritualistic repetition, rooted in rhythm and chant rather than complexity. The songs tend to bleed into each other, not unlike the repetition of daily prayers—though musically, this sometimes results in a sense of stasis.

• Liturgiya, the final track, closes the album with a grand procession of layered vocals and thick guitars. It feels ceremonial and deliberate, an intentional culmination that leans heavily on the visual and symbolic aspect of Orthodox rites.

Throughout the album, the production is crisp and modern, with punchy guitars and prominent drums. Gone is the raw, cloistered mysticism of Litourgiya—Hospodi instead feels like an elaborate performance of religious ritual, rather than a summoning of it.

Hospodi is not without merit—it’s atmospheric, dramatic, and at times genuinely heavy. Tracks like Polunosznica, Utrenia, and Liturgiya capture a shadow of the spiritual awe and gloom that defined Litourgiya. But overall, the album feels like a more conventional take on the Batushka formula, trading in ritual immersion for theatrical precision.

As someone who admired the profound sense of being inside a service that Litourgiya created, Hospodi feels like watching that service through stained glass—beautiful, but removed. The heart of the project seems more aligned with visual spectacle than sonic transcendence.

That said, for those looking for a cleaner, more groove-forward interpretation of liturgical black metal, Hospodi offers a solid experience. It’s just not quite the divine revelation its predecessor was.