Words – @dbak456
Photos – @photo.amai
Richmond – a central hub for many of Melbourne’s entertainment activities, home of the footy, cricket, tennis, pubs and clubs, but on Friday the 16th of January 2026 at the CORNER HOTEL, I had the pleasure of being the home for a black metal mass, Krzysztof Drabikowski’s True BATUSHKA.
Black metal typically is a genre that has its best qualities (atmosphere, furious blast beats, tremolo picking and overall visceral nature and dark themes) heightened in the winter, but tonight was the middle of the Australian summer, far away from Poland and yet none of that mattered when the time came and you couldn’t be blamed for thinking you’d been whisked far away and into its wintery clutches.
But before the crowd could be party to the mass, Australian extreme metal mainstay and multi-instrumentalist Tim Yatras’ and his once dormant project GERM would set the stage for what was to come. On a personal level I was very excited to see GERM as one of Tim’s other projects. AUSTERE is responsible for one of my favourite DSBM records and one very close to me in ‘To Lay Like Old Ashes’ and I had the pleasure of seeing them perform live in 2025.
GERM shares similar qualities to AUSTERE, but where AUSTERE is much more depressive and dark, GERM exhibits a lighter quality in its musicianship while still maintaining that feeling. This is immediately on show after a long drone build up before the set as they open with ‘Butterfly’, with its catchier punk drumming, almost dreamy shoegaze-like guitar work and atmospheric backing synth it was an ease in to what followed with blast beats and Tim’s wailing shrieks behind the drum kit.
Through ‘Asteroid of Sorrow’ and the first interlude there was a bit of a hush among the crowd, this didn’t last long as through ‘The Stain of Past Regrets’ and through to the end of the set the continual growth of movement, moshing and what I like to coin as moments of a great sway vibe (GSV) where you can just be taken by the atmosphere and sway away in the music were evidence of a set well done, setting the stage beautifully.
Walking around the band room between sets seeing a lot of familiar faces (who I’ve never spoken to but spotted at other extreme metal gigs) and other gig goes sporting their battle jackets, shirts, hoodies and all fun oddities of clothing showing off their favourite niche bands (hell yeah to the dude in NONE shirt) I’m reminded that within all of this there’s a shared camaraderie, an unspoken bond within the room brought together through the genres darkest themes, but ones we all experience and share in our lives and it’s a feeling of home and comfort to be in it with them.
Is it the real BATUSHKA? Is it the fake BATUSHKA? These were the types of conversations that were had when this announcement dropped all the way back last year. It’s made abundantly clear up front that this is Krzysztof Drabikowski’s True BATUSHKA.
As the setup of the stage began, inspired by imagery of the Eastern Orthodox Church, being up against the rail, it was hard not to be completely taken in by the altar with a skull atop it, candles to be lit and stands on either side of the altar showing off both the artwork for the album’s Litourgiya and Panihida. With lights dimmed, ‘We Bow Down Before Your Cross’ set the mood and then lights raised into a sea of red, it was time for mass to begin.
Walking out with bells chiming, incense burning and a swell of excitement in the crowd for what was to come, there was a slow and deliberate approach to the stage and each member’s position taken, an immediate GSV is hit as the opening to ‘Песнь 1’ began. A mix of chanting and growls written in Church Slavonic language rings throughout, something that, on the surface probably shouldn’t work, does perfectly here. A huge shout-out to the sound and lighting team for what was a flawless performance on their end to bring this to life in the way it was.
BATUSHKA’s ‘Песнь 2’ is furious and unrelenting with its immediate blast beats, tremolo and growls from the start and it’s here the crowd started to show its own might with a large pit formed which was its own unrelenting force throughout the rest of the night (headed by the man from Nepal who had the biggest smile I’ve seen in a while). That was my cue to move back a little bit, as I’m more the crossed arms, sway kind of guy, unfortunately, this led me to then run into my greatest enemy, the infamous poles of the CORNER HOTEL band room. It’s also here in the middle of ‘2’ where the influence of Church hymns shines through its slowed pace and space in the music given to time of calm and reflection.
Through ‘Песнь 3’ to ‘Песнь 8’ we are treated to an entire album play through of Panihida, with the closer ‘7’ being a particular high for me with a perfect close to the album and a lead in to what would be almost an abbreviated best of set of BATUSHKA’s Litourgiya.
As great as Panihida is, I think it was clear that the material from Litourgiya is what people were most excited to hear, an album held with such reverence in the black metal community. The transition, a couple of minutes into ‘Yekteinya I’ from the blast beats and growls to the almost complete stop and space given to the chant is felt throughout the venue, arms and fists raise along with the stops in the drums, a spiritual experience.
As the atmosphere is built throughout the intro to ‘Yekteniya III’, bell ringing, it is met with rhythmic claps from the audience in between and thrust right into a familiar sound, but almost more uplifting through the work of its more upbeat drums and soaring guitar work, it was the peak of the experience that had built to here.
‘Yekteniya V’ and ‘Yekteniya VII’ close out the set of Litourgiya favourites and into another rendition of ‘We Bow Down Before Your Cross’ as each member slowly leaves the stage, but not before a few candles were handed out to those brave enough to stay in the front throughout.
BATUSHKA left us with a truly unique experience, beautifully performed and something we may not be treated to on our shores again, a cleansing to start the new year.
Thank you to GERM, BATUSHKA, CORNER HOTEL and YOUR MATE BOOKINGS.
