The guitars create a cavernous atmosphere, and the chants and shrieks echo off the walls.
In fact, the album feels as if it is being performed in a Russian church. The bass has a nice tone and gets a chance to be the center of attention on "Ектения VI: Уповане." Occasionally church bells chime in between tracks. The drumming is predominantly blast beats, but they feel somewhat subdued by the mix (which honestly works here). The album is dotted with killer riffs and memorable melodies. The instrumentation, while not unique, is well composed and executed professionally. Overall, these vocal parts are central in the context of the album. Keeping in line with the theme of 'orthodoxy', the lead vocalist employs the traditional black metal scream. The chants are composed and performed by the band thus, a good portion of the vocal work is done in this manner. The chanted vocal parts are not samples like most bands use. The music incorporates Orthodox liturgical chants which give the album a ritualistic feel. The album is divided into eight ектении (yektenii - litanies). Литургия (liturgiya - liturgy) is the band's debut LP, and right off the bat I am impressed. The three members of the band are shrouded in mystery, but most people say that they are involved with other projects.
Батюшка (Batushka - title of an Orthodox priest) put a unique spin on the genre by drawing influence from the Russian Orthodox faith. The Polish black metal scene has produced yet another fantastic band.
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