Patriarkh, Formerly Known As Batushka, Announce New Album ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ For January 2025 Release

Today, Polish black metal icons Patriarkh, formerly Batushka, return with a clear and fresh vision as they unveil their new concept album, ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ (Lat. PROROK ILJA,) which will be out on January 3, 2025. The Napalm Records debut unveils eight new compositions and immerses the listener in the true story of Eliasz Klimowicz, the titular Prophet Ilja, set in the 1930s and 40s.

Following the success of their critically acclaimed album, Hospodi, and relentless touring around the globe, the new band looks towards a bright future. Firmly grounded in Eastern Orthodox traditions and music, Patriarkh blends black and doom metal with haunting and dark religious concepts.

ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ details a true story that happened in the band’s home area of Podlasie, in the village of Grzybowszczyzna, during the 1930s and 40s. The album takes the listener into the world of Eliasz Klimowicz, the titular Prophet Ilja, an illiterate peasant who was the leader of the Orthodox Grzybowska Sect, active until the 1960s, cultivating and transmitting the history of the self-proclaimed prophet.

While talking about the upcoming album, Patriarkh says: “With this new release, we are starting a new chapter in our history that is not only is our name changing but our music is also undergoing a natural evolution. The story on the album encouraged us to get out of our comfort zone that we reached for means that we had not used before in our music.”

The band adds: “Many of you will wonder if this is still black metal. Or is it even metal? Radio play, audiobook, theater, film soundtrack, folk music and performance. All these terms will fit here. Some will hate, others will love.”

ПРОРОК ИЛИЯ Track List
1. WIERSZALIN I (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН I (Cyrillic)
2. WIERSZALIN II (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН II (Cyrillic)
3. WIERSZALIN III (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН III (Cyrillic)
4. WIERSZALIN IV (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН IV (Cyrillic)
5. WIERSZALIN V (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН V (Cyrillic)
6. WIERSZALIN VI (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН VI (Cyrillic)
7. WIERSZALIN VII (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН VII (Cyrillic)
8. WIERSZALIN VIII (Lat.) – ВЕРШАЛИН VIII (Cyrillic)

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat