Interview mit Bartłomiej Krysiuk von Patriarkh

The last time we spoke, you were still the singer of a band called BATUSHKA – which is now called PATRIARKH. On social media, you presented the name change as a more or less voluntary decision – but in reality, you hardly had any other choice. Wouldn’t it have been more honest and therefore perhaps better to simply admit at this point that you lost to Derph in court in order to draw a clean line under the matter?
Of course we had another option to release the album under the name BATUSHKA without any issues. I would like to take a moment to clarify some myths and rumors that have been circulating and that you seem to be repeating. The court of first instance did not prohibit me from using it; instead, it issued an invalid decision. In Polish law, „invalid“ means that the decision is not binding. Half a year has passed, and we still have not received a justification for this judgment. We are patiently waiting for the justification, after which we will appeal to the second instance. The trial will continue in the next instance. Given the Polish judiciary’s track record, this process could take several more years. It is only then that the decision will become final and binding. I am aware of many cases where the final decision of the second instance was completely different from the first. I recommend checking the accuracy of such information and not relying solely on general statements.

I want to emphasize that the verdict is not final. We clearly addressed this in our statement on social media, but it seems you may not have read it carefully or chose not to understand it. We changed the name to distance ourselves from rumors that could harm our music. We learned from our previous album’s release, which was surrounded by an internet firestorm. Our primary goal was to prevent a few individuals from undermining the years of hard work we put into this album. We wanted listeners to focus on the music rather than getting caught up in any conflict. Therefore, these matters will be continued in our backroom so as not to give fuel to the haters.

But according to the current judgment, you have been “prohibited from using the name ‚BATUSHKA‘ or ‚БАТЮШКА‘ in musical activities, including the labeling of musical recordings and audiovisual recordings containing musical recordings, without the consent of Krzysztof Drabikowski.“ Furthermore, you were „prohibited from disseminating information“ that you have „the exclusive right to the name ‚BATUSHKA‘ or ‚БАТЮШКА‘ and that Krzysztof Drabikowski has no right to this name.” If this judgment is not (at least currently) legally binding, why did you change the band name now of all times – and why did you decide to also re-release the EPs as well as the “Hospodi” album with the PATRIARKH logo if this is supposed to be a new beginning and the use of the BATUSHKA name is not a problem?
We changed our name to protect our music from hate and to safeguard our hard work from the fanatics of Mr. Drabikowski. Our goal is to refocus attention on the music rather than the conflicts instigated by these fanatics. Additionally, we made this change to seek peace from the letters and threats that Mr. Drabikowski has sent regarding further lawsuits against anyone who assists us, participates in our recordings, or collaborates with us.
I want to clarify that an appeal was filed in court on December 18. Until the Court of Appeal makes a decision, the ruling is not final, meaning it is not enforceable and can be overturned, upheld, or changed by the court. Thus, any use of this ruling is intended solely to cause significant public relations damage for the band and myself. Mr. Drabikowski’s true intention seems to be causing as much damage to my band as possible, rather than focusing on the music itself. Meanwhile, we are committed to creating high-quality music, regardless of his actions.

But does the fact, that you filed an appeal mean that you aim for changing the bands name back to BATUSHKA if you win in the final instance?
No, PATRIARKH will follow a different path. If the ruling is in our favor, BATUSHKA will be a separate project.

A band name is more of a brand nowadays, so a (forced) name change like this also means losing a lot of money until you’ve established the band as a new brand with a new name. Can you confirm that, maybe even explain what exactly that means for you as a band?
I understand that these questions may portray me as a cynical businessman and beginner, focused only on profit and exploiting the achievements of others. However, I approach this view with a sense of humor. We have rebranded and at 50 years old, I consider myself a debutant to this new phase. Do I feel bad about this? Not at all! I actually feel great. We are entering something fresh and innovative. Even though we may have taken a few steps back, we know it was worth it for the satisfaction it gives us. Music is our true passion, so I am happy to take on challenges. There are still many challenges ahead of us, and the most important thing is that we create them ourselves and rise to the challenge to meet them. I didn’t come out of nowhere – I have been building the extreme music scene in Poland for over 30 years. I spent a lot and lost even more along the way, and managing extreme music has never been about profits for me; it was always about the love of art.

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You decided on the name PATRIARKH. Why was that your first choice?
Maybe this reflects a certain cynicism on our part: the Patriarch is the highest priest in the Orthodox Church, and Batushka must show him due respect. But to be serious, our new music has undergone significant evolution. The concept of Batushka originally focused on ascetic and monastic music. The Patriarkh, however, has introduced substantial changes. While the music still centers around Orthodoxy, it also incorporates various elements such as traditional music, folk music, classical music, symphonic music, and even film music. This allows us to showcase different aspects and sounds of Orthodoxy, resulting in a rich multidimensionality in our work.

For the last album, “Hospodi”, the music was written by Artur Rumiński (Furia etc.). Who wrote the songs for the new album „Prorok Ilja“?
You know, reading these questions, I become convinced that they were put together either on the reddit forum dedicated to Drabikowski’s Batushka or on his so-called Legion, because it looks the same as sometimes sent to me by my colleagues who follow what discussions are taking place there and what questions they are taking place around. Artur Rumński was a guitarist when we were still playing with Drabikowski, he composed music for the „Hospodi“ album, but not alone, he is a valued musician, he was a member of the Batushka band, but the hate and incitement after the release of this album did not allow him to function normally and several idiots tried to convince the whole world that what he does and did on a daily basis as a musician was wrong and because of this shit he gave up playing with us. So, returning to the question, I answer that I will cooperate with whomever I want, I will compose with whomever I want, the musicians who are in the band will compose as they want, we will invite the guests we want and I don’t care who and what they think about it and what story does he want to add to it, because I understand that it is intended to show that Krysiuk has ordered another album… I’m really having fun.

No Reddit involved – but this is your chance to dispel the rumor of the purchased album here and now: Who did you cooperate with or who was involved in the songwriting of the “Hospodi” album and also the new album? On Spotify, you are listed as the sole author of the songs, which can’t be right if Artur was involved in “Hospodi”, as you say?
I am taken aback by these questions, especially in an era where AI can create albums or songs in just a few minutes, often indistinguishable from those made by humans. This question will likely become outdated in a few years. For anyone curious about the collaborators involved, I encourage you to purchase the album—detailed information is provided on the last page of the insert. Its not a secret.

[Editor’s note: “Hospodi” contains no information about the band line-up or composers, the later releases only show a band line-up, but leave the composers unclear]

The „Hospodi“ album was strongly oriented towards the style of the previous BATUSHKA release. The new album now takes a new path – what was your vision for this album?
Since “Hospodi” we have composed and released two mini-albums, live material and a new album, while our style has been continually developing. It’s important to acknowledge this. The new album showcases our evolution. If you listen to the last song, „Pismo VI“ from „Carju Niebiesnyj“ or the song „Maria (Posledneye Pismo)“ you can hear that this is a natural progression rather than a revolution. We incorporate our unique elements into the narratives presented on the new album, blending them into our sound. Since „Hospodi,“ we have been very creatively active, and I encourage you to check out our profiles for more details.

Will you still play material from the original BATUSHKA album “Liturgiya” live, or will PATRIARKH limit themselves completely to the material since the split?
We will be playing the new album „Prorok Ilja“ from start to finish, which is our main focus right now.

But have you finished with BATUSHKA so far that PATRIARKH will never play “Liturgiya” material again?
The inaugural concert took place on January 3rd, and based on people’s reports, it was a world-class performance. We don’t need a single note from the album „Liturgiya“ to support this. Additionally, Drabikowski filed protests on digital platforms to harm us and to have „Liturgiya“ removed from these platforms. I didn’t feel the need to respond to his actions and instead ordered the album to be removed from all our profiles. Are we experiencing a decline in listeners because of this? It might be worth checking profiles like Spotify. While he thinks he is hurting us, in reality, he is damaging himself and his fans, whom he does not respect at all.

With the name and style change, do you think the comparisons to Derph’s BATUSHKA will stop at some point – or will you always have to be measured against his work?Sorry, I’m not sure what comparison you’re talking about ? After all, this person has not released any new song for last five years and there is no indication that this situation will change. And during this time we released two albums and two EPs. What should we compare them to?

Realistically speaking, your reputation in the scene, and yours in particular, has suffered as a result of the court case; you were known as “Faketushka” for a long time. Do you think the name change will be enough to put that right?
Realistically speaking, I don’t really care what anyone thinks about me.

In this context, have you also thought about changing something about your look, which still consists of the BATUSHKA garments or at least very similar outfits?
It does not consist of Batushka’s clothing, but consists of clothing similar to that worn by Orthodox monks, and Batushka did not invent it. In the same way, Patriarkh will be inspired and perform in costumes inspired by those worn by high priests in the Orthodox Church, but these will be our own interpretations, with our elements, we create our own world inspired by Orthodox culture.

I imagine it’s really exhausting to always perform behind a “curtain” – wouldn’t you have been tempted to change that now that the opportunity for an image change has presented itself?
They are very comfortable and focus the recipient’s attention on the music and the emotions it brings. Focusing on the emotions of my face would not be good for our concerts, so nothing will change here, the music will still be the most important.

Can you perhaps explain to us at this point how an (orthodox) church theme fits in with black metal? So are PARTRIARKH ultimately “white metal” because the lyrics are religious, or are your productions a critique of religion, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, so to speak?
We portray both the sacred and profane aspects of our themes, without taking sides. We invite you into our world, where you must make your own choices and decisions. If you wish to label us as „white metal,“ I really don’t mind; if you want to call us blasphemers, that’s fine too. If you don’t encourage your listeners to ask questions and seek deeper meaning through your music, then you are simply serving them a bland and easily consumed product – something that is quickly absorbed and just as quickly forgotten. Art that lacks controversy, that does not provoke questions or exploration, becomes indistinct, and we will never be like that.

Thanks for your time – let’s finish with a short brainstorming session:
Wladimir Putin: – New Imperialist Tsar of Russia
Vinyl: Something that has become common
Hermh: My youth
Germany: 3 B – Beethoven,Beer and Brandenburg Gate
The orthodox church: Inspiration
PATRIARKH in ten years: Maybe it won’t exist

Thank You!

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Publiziert am 8. Januar 2025 von Moritz Grütz